How Chyna Ayres Turned Travel Into a Catalyst for Connection

Exploring Beyond Borders: How Chyna Ayres Turned Travel Into a Catalyst for Connection

Written By Kendesi Mohammed 

Chyna Ayres doesn’t just travel. She connects. A writer, educator, and global business connector, Ayres has built a career on bridging cultures and perspectives through storytelling. Her journeys, both personal and professional, reflect a commitment to authenticity, resilience, and a deep curiosity about the world beyond her own.

“I never set out to be a travel blogger,” Ayres explains. “I wanted to inspire others to move beyond their comfort zones and learn about cultures from the inside out, not just through the lens of tourism.”

That motivation first materialized in 2020 when Ayres traveled abroad for the first time to work as an English teacher assistant in Barcelona, Spain. What was supposed to be a six-month internship quickly became a crash course in international unpredictability. The COVID-19 pandemic swept across Europe just days after her 26th birthday, grounding flights and shuttering borders. Suddenly, the adventure became a test of adaptability.

“I was stuck,” she recalls. “With limited language skills, no access to protective gear, and uncertainty at every turn, I almost missed the last flight back to the United States. A stranger fluent in English stepped in at the eleventh hour and helped me get to my gate. That moment changed everything for me. I realized travel is never just about where you're going. It’s about the people who shape the journey.”

It’s a lesson Ayres would carry forward.

Today, Ayres is the founder of Dear Ms. Aphrodite, a digital platform rooted in storytelling, empowerment, and emotional wellness. A graduate of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), she holds a degree in English and Psychology with a concentration in developmental psychology. Her work as a writer and mentor often draws from her own experience navigating unfamiliar spaces, both culturally and emotionally.

“I’ve come to understand what it feels like to land in a country where you don’t speak the language, where you don’t know the systems, and where comfort is a luxury,” she says. “That empathy now informs everything I do, from the way I connect with others to how I teach and write.”

Ayres is also a certified TESOL and TEFL educator and has been recognized by UMBC for her leadership and academic excellence, earning both the university’s Intern of the Week spotlight and its Professional Edge Badge Award.

Despite a growing international presence, Ayres remains rooted in the communities that shaped her. She frequently returns to New York City for its creative pulse, to Alberta, Canada for its personal significance, and to the Washington DC Maryland Virginia area which she calls home.

“Home isn’t just a place,” she says. “It’s a grounding point. It reminds me why I stepped out in the first place.”

Now, as she plans future travels and writing projects, Ayres hopes to return to Barcelona to complete the experience she began in 2020 and to deepen her fluency in both Spanish and Catalan. But her goals go beyond language.

“I’m not interested in traveling like a tourist anymore,” she says. “I want to learn from locals. I want to build relationships that last longer than a visa stamp.”

Chyna Ayres is a traveler, yes. But more than that, she’s a connector. Her work invites others to see travel not as escape, but as entry into new communities, new perspectives, and new versions of ourselves.

Bio

Chyna Ayres is a published writer, lifestyle influencer, and founder of Dear Ms. Aphrodite. She is a certified TESOL and TEFL educator and an alumna of UMBC. Her work explores the intersections of travel, identity, and personal transformation.