The traveler behind the compass.

I’m Ebony—a Chicago physician, Black queer woman, obsessive trip planner and experienced global traveler. I have explored 62 countries, all seven continents and every world wonder while maintaining a full-time medical career.

I do not travel to escape my life. I travel because a full life should still contain curiosity, beauty, challenge and contact with people whose histories are different from mine. Medicine keeps me grounded. Travel makes the world larger, more complicated and more human.

HOW I TRAVEL

I prefer premium experiences, historical context, unusual destinations, a strong itinerary and enough breathing room to appreciate where I am. Luxury matters when it saves time, reduces friction or creates meaningful access—not when it is expensive for its own sake.

WHY PERSPECTIVE MATTERS

My identity affects the questions I ask and the details I notice: how service is delivered, whether I feel respected, how safety advice changes by traveler and whether the experience connects me to a place or isolates me from it.

WHY THIS SITE EXISTS

Be Your Own Compass is not an instruction to travel like me. It is permission to understand what matters to you, recognize the tradeoffs and build from there.

I am not beholden to sponsors. If something is sponsored, it will be disclosed.