Jean Zunkel, Founder

Lamy, New Mexico & Stanford, South Africa

Jean Zunkel was only 13 when knew that she wanted to see the world. So far she has made it to 185 countries, and as co-owner of BJ Adventures travel, she is constantly adding to that list.

A graduate of Stephens College, Jean went on to have a career that spans merchandising, owning a British motorcar dealership in Luxembourg, creating a color and trend forecasting company for the textile industry, and of course, travel. After cofounding BJ Adventures in 1989, her other company, the Zunkel Design Group (formerly Butler Zunkel, which she had founded with a fellow Stephens alum for design and marketing in the housewares and home furnishings textile industry) was closed and Jean joined Franco Manufacturing and worked for Franco for 20 years, overseeing bedding production around the world, and later as a consultant for another home furnishing manufacturer.

After following work and family to live in numerous cities and countries on three continents, Jean now calls Lamy, New Mexico home. She has always been involved with the places she has landed, and in New Mexico has done that by volunteering countless hours to the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market and her local Water Board. She also helped develop a unique travel called “Passport to Folk Art” that takes travelers to folk artists home countries while raising funds and awareness for the Santa Fe nonprofit.

Jean’s influence on BJ Adventures can be seen in the all of the ways that the company approaches travel. Because of her, you know your journey will be highly personal, highly meaningful (and often a little different than what everyone else is doing), and an excellent, engaging experience for everyone involved. 


Betsy Younkins, Founder

Washington, DC

Running an adventure travel company wasn't a logical move from my career as a lobbyist, but I love it and wish I'd started sooner!


Ahdina Zunkel

Lamy, New Mexico & Stanford, South Africa

The seeds for Ahdina’s love of other cultures and travel were planted early when, as a child living in South Africa, she was baptized by a Zulu congregation in her parent’s garden in Johannesburg—something that was technically not permitted at that time due to Apartheid. Later she would study Cultural Anthropology and Russian Language at Emory University, in Atlanta but moved to Santa Fe after graduating in search of a place that reminded her of the big skies and beautiful landscapes of Southern Africa. Coming full circle, she now lives part time in the beautiful Western Cape, South Africa with her husband, photographer and writer Marc Romanelli, and two children Philomena and Redford.

In New Mexico Ahdina headed down the path of event production, overseeing all of the details on several prominent events. The co-founders of the now famous International Folk Art Market invited her to be a part of the team that would produce the inaugural outdoor festival, and she ended up serving as its only staff person for the first two years. As the Market grew, her role transitioned into one that facilitated export opportunities and capacity-building programs for international folk artists.

She didn’t know it then, but all of this, combined with her world travels (including three months in Bali, Indonesia with her family while her daughter attended The Green School) would set her up perfectly for what was next, and in 2015 the stars aligned to allow Ahdina to join BJ Adventures full time.

Now you’ll find her gracefully connecting the dots for clients so that they can focus on fulfilling travel experiences, all while helping to manage the many moving parts of BJ Adventures. A client once said BJ Adventures is the custodian of people’s dreams, and Ahdina can’t imagine a higher honor. 


Emily Budziak

Lamy, New Mexico

Emily was born in New York but now lives off grid in Lamy, New Mexico, by way of chapters spent in Burlington, Berkeley, Chicago, Kodiak, and Bozeman. She loves being in motion, which most recently has been from New Mexico to Massachusetts to Maine to Florida to Montana to California (you get the idea) with her partner, Don, their cat, Homer, and their sprinter van. Emily has worked as a philosophy professor, an environmental grant writer, and as a partner in a Tibetan Tea House restaurant and shop for which she traveled frequently to India, Nepal, and various countries in Africa. She first met Jean and Ahdina while working for the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market. Now, she not only writes informational materials and day by day trip timelines for Jean and Ahdina at BJ Adventures, but gets to call them great friends and neighbors, too!


Tracy Chandler Lewis

Statesboro, Georgia

Tracy was born in Georgia, then moved to Puerto Rico when she was in elementary school. This move was the foundation of her love for other cultures. With a background in education, extensive travels, and a sense of adventure, she started working as a group leader in 2012. Tracy has a master’s degree in counseling and enjoys volunteering in other countries. She has done volunteer work in Liberia, West Africa for UNICEF, enjoys helping at orphanages in India, and with various community projects in Cuba. Her travels have taken her to 72 countries, spanning all 7 continents. Tracy is the proud Madrina (Godmother) to twins in Cuba and her hobbies include traveling, scuba diving, hiking, and biking.


Stephanie Brooke Hodges

Statesboro, Georgia

During her first trip with Jean to London in 1989, Stephanie caught the travel bug and knew she wanted to see the world! Acting on her sense of adventure and unconventional nature, Stephanie decided to forego her senior year of high school to attend Jean’s alma mater, Stephen’s College. With deep roots in her home state of Georgia, a state known for its southern hospitality, she went on to graduate from Georgia Southern University with a degree in hospitality, of course. With this and her passion for travel, it's no surprise that Stephanie loves to create amazing experiences for people! She has fond memories of her trips to England, France, Egypt, Greece, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mexico, and South America and is not only excited to add to that list, she is beyond thrilled at the opportunity to work with BJ Adventures and help their clients do the same. With an eye for interior design, a taste for wine, and the occasional piece of dark chocolate, Stephanie's luggage is guaranteed to be over the weight limit on any return flight!


Staci Golar

Boise, Idaho

While Staci didn’t grow up traveling, she has pinched herself on every international adventure she’s been lucky enough to go on since. From Mexico to Wales to Cuba to Botswana, she still can’t believe she’s been to any of these places. Most of her career has been spent working for nonprofit arts organizations after graduating with a bachelor’s degree in art and a master’s degree in arts administration, but she also writes, edits, and does consulting work in all of the above areas. Outside of BJ Adventures, she was lucky enough to work with the Ahdina not once, but twice at both the Santa Fe Indian Market and at the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market. At BJA she assists with web content, social media, itinerary design, and a variety of other special projects behind the scenes.


Ariana Marchello

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Ariana helps with all things IT, keeping our technology running smoothly wherever we may be around the world.


We have decades-long relationships with travel experts in every area of the world. Here are just a few of our partners:

 

Header Photo © Marc Romanelli