Despite being 20 before his first flight, Jeff Jenkins quickly made up for his late start in travel. Now 38, Jenkins, with more than 150,000 followers on social media, has become a travel industry leader.

Once the travel bug bit, Jenkins sought a unique angle to share his love. With help from his cousin, he found that angle in himself. Admittedly overweight, Jenkins noticed a lack of travel and leisure shows for larger folks. With that in mind, he started Chubby Diaries, an online community for plus-sized travelers.

For that same reason, I sought Jenkins for an interview. Through his platform, Jenkins reaches an under-represented audience.

His philosophy is there are plenty of weight-loss and self-help programs. Even when he lost weight, Jenkins still wasn’t satisfied with himself.

His goal was to redefine what travel looks like. He wanted more representation of chubby people, those in wheelchairs, people of color and others he felt didn’t fit the typically marketed traveler image. He wanted to prove anyone could (and should) travel.

Since founding Chubby Diaries, Jenkins has carved his own niche in the travel industry. Through his podcast and television show, along with other appearances, Jenkins achieved his goal. Travel + Leisure even named him one of the most notable people in travel in the past 50 years.

Jenkins discussed all of this in our interview. He also made it clear Chubby Diaries isn’t just for overweight folks. It’s inclusive. Jenkins is living his travel dreams and making it easier for others to live theirs.

Talking Travel is an interview series on Global Traveler. Subscribe to the GT YouTube channel to be notified of all future interviews and other travel-related videos.

— John Wroblewski, online writer