This 'Chubby' Content Creator Has Redefined Travel for All Body Types — and His New TV Show Is About to Inspire the World

Jeff Jenkins wants travelers to know: If he can do it, they can too.

It wasn’t until after his 20th birthday that Jeff Jenkins stepped foot on an airplane, but while some might call that a late start, he's gone on to become one of the most notable people in the travel industry.

Jenkins, known on social media as “Chubby Diaries,” has built a community of more than 100,000 followers on Instagram, where he shares his goal of inspiring everyone to travel — no matter their circumstances or what they look like. Travelers have rallied around his inspiring content as it opens their eyes to new opportunities they may not have previously imagined were possible.

Now, the world traveling content creator is, quite literally, taking his influence to new heights in a travel documentary show called “Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins,” premiering July 9 on National Geographic TV.

“I already have people from my audience telling me that they’ve never seen someone that looks like us have a travel show, and it gives them a sense of pride and inspiration,” Jenkins told Travel + Leisure. “It means a great deal, because being with the networks like National Geographic only helps to amplify my message that we as people can live life now and travel no matter our size, race, or backgrounds.” 

Known for pushing his own limits with a determination to unlock new experiences, Jenkins takes on unique adventures for the show, proving that people of all sizes can overcome challenges through travel. In the series, Jenkins attempts a 70-foot mountain climb, whitewater rafting, and sailing in a windstorm.

Jenkins told T+L the scariest experience while shooting the series was whitewater rafting in New Mexico. "I’ve done a lot of kayaking in my day, but whitewater kayaking was totally different," he said. "It involves a lot of balance, and being a big guy, I felt like I was going to flip multiple times, but the scariest part was actually falling out and figuring out how was I going to survive going down this raging river."

His favorite moment of the series was filming an episode in Japan. "I love the tradition, the culture and the food, and for this episode, I had an epic challenge of facing a former world sumo champion in the ring," he said. Above all, Jenkins aims to show people that if he can take on these experiences, they can too.

In addition to airing on National Geographic, the program will be available for streaming on Disney+ and Hulu.

“The biggest takeaway for me from this experience is that I am resilient,” Jenkins said. “To constantly be faced with new challenges and to push myself outside of my comfort zone as many times as I did while filming the show and step up to the plate to do it gave me a sense of pride and confidence that I’ve never experienced before.”

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