Whether you travel from one neighborhood to the next, or from one continent to another, the saying “wherever you go… there you are” holds true. Such is the case of Rondel Holder, a noted travel influencer who has globetrotted to over 50 countries since graduating from Temple University.
While exploring cultures from around the world, Holder decided to go on a personal quest to trace his roots and biological heritage based on the results of his Ancestry DNA test results. The result is the subject of the short form documentary titled: Heritage Journey. Created in partnership with Ancestry and The Points Guy, Holder’s unique collaborations highlight the first time someone has partnered with genealogy aggregators to take their DNA test results and document their voyage to discover their lineage.
In 2012, Rondel Holder created Soul Society 101, a community for travelers of color that has since grown to almost 100,000 followers on social media with a curated blog, custom videos, and new podcasts. His adventures have also been featured in The New York Times, New York Daily News, Buzzfeed, BET, Travel Noire and more.
“Everything that I do… the podcast, the blog, the video content… it is all, for the most part, entertaining as well as informative,” noted Holder. “It’s also just real stories because I like to be as relatable as possible. And I want people to realize that I am a regular kid from Brooklyn, New York. Who did not grow up with money and who still is not rich. Who has traveled the world and is still traveling the world. I really do believe that if I can do it, anybody can do it if they are interested.”
Holder continued, “Coming from the perspective of someone with humble beginnings and looks just like a lot of people who may not think they can do it. I grew up not thinking that I would go to South Africa, Ghana or Zimbabwe, Iceland or Japan. I only hoped I could go to these places and to think that I have. Sometimes it just hits me. I just want to encourage people and just let them know that they can do it.”
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