After meeting at his brother and sister-in-law’s baby shower, Andra and Terrian Jones have been together for 12 years and married for 10.

Throughout the course of their 12-year relationship, the two have managed to travel to 12 countries together.

In an interview with Travel Noire, the couple discusses one of the most challenging times during their travel and how they got through it.

Travel Noire: What’s your favorite country so far and why? 

A + T: Definitely South Africa (Cape Town). They’re just so many things you can do there. One day you can be on the beach, the next climbing a mountain or on a safari. Not to mention you have the opportunity to learn all about Apartheid. They also had exceptional food and the wine, at the most reasonable prices we’ve found during my travels.

Travel Noire: What’s the best part about traveling together? 

A + T: Experiencing the world’s wonders together, the memories we make will last a lifetime and we grow closer with each trip. It’s a blessing to be able to travel the world with each other.

Instagram | @theintercontinentalcommuter

Travel Noire: Tell us about one of the most challenging times you’ve experienced during your travels and how you got through it? 

A + T: Of course, if you travel on a regular basis, you know that you will often be faced with challenges. But if we had to share one, we definitely would have to go with our 2018 mission trip to Haiti.

We had a layover in Miami and if you’ve ever been to Haiti, you know that there are only a few flights in and out of the country each day. With the airline that we were flying, there are only two flights per day, and our first leg was delayed a bit due to mechanical issues. However, the pilot was able to make up time in the air and we landed basically on time. Since there were over 20 people on the flight who were also on the flight to Haiti, the group that we were traveling with felt good about making the flight.

We got off the plane and to the next gate in record time. We arrived at the gate about 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time only to see the gate door closed. After speaking with the gate attendant we were informed that we were too late for the flight. This definitely confused everyone, because as I said the flight was scheduled to depart for another 30 minutes. After a few minutes of back and forth with the attendants, it became pretty clear that they didn’t think we would get there on time, so they sold our seats to other customers.

After spending a few hours getting rebooked on the first flight out the next day, we realized that they weren’t going to give us our luggage. We spent hours at the airport trying to get our luggage, but they had apparently lost that at some point, but we were assured that it would be found and on the plane the next day. So we had to spend the night in Miami without any clothes or toiletries. The next morning we got on the flight and landed in Haiti, but of course no luggage. Haiti is the last place anyone wants to be without their personal things. There were 10 people in our group and only two people’s luggage made it to Haiti on day 1. Luckily for Terrian and I, it was our luggage, I guess our priority status came in handy in this case. The rest of our group finally got their luggage on day 3. So a missed flight, lost luggage, missed mission events, and a lot of anger and frustration, makes us say that this was by far our most challenging travel experience.   

Instagram | @theintercontinentalcommuter

Travel Noire: What countries are next for you together?

A + T: We have a long list of countries that we want to visit, but Japan, Sydney, and Ghana are at the top of the list. We’ll likely have to flip a coin to see which one we visit first.

Travel Noire: Lastly, what advice would you give traveling couples? 

A + T: To travel as often as they can. To find locations that will satisfy both of their wants in a vacation. Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone, it’s a vacation why go somewhere else to do the same things you do in your day to day life. Mingle with the locals, they know where the best food and locations are. But most importantly do your research beforehand on the location you are visiting, plan your activities so that you can maximize each day, and take as many pictures as you can so that you can relive each trip years later.