Jeff Chu
(He/Him)
📚: Does Jesus Really Love Me? + Wholehearted Faith (w/ RHE); @travelleisure editor-at-large | email: jeff@byjeffchu.com | may or may not be notable
Articles by Jeff Chu
Natural Tendencies
“SOFT LIGHT. Everything’s more beautiful in soft light.” That’s what winemaker Patrick Sullivan said he loves most about Gippsland, the under-the-radar region of southeastern Australia he calls home. We were standing in a field at his farm, just a 90-minute drive southeast of Melbourne, Australia’s second-largest city and the state capital of Victoria. A few yards away, butterflies swirled through the sunflowers in his family’s garden. In the distance, acacia and mountain ash swayed in the breeze.
A Memory Lives On
In April 1915, Allied forces in World War I landed on Turkey’s Gallipoli Peninsula, on a mission to knock the Ottoman Empire out of the war. The Gallipoli campaign lasted nearly a year, ending with an Allied retreat and approximately 250,000 casualties on each side. Today, the peninsula is a peaceful, wildflower-fringed stretch of land with historic memorials and rich Thracian culture. A four-hour drive from Istanbul, it makes for a calm, reflective weekend trip.
Este es el estado más subestimado de Alemania, con caminatas impresionantes, excelente comida y arte inesperado
iStock/Max Lackas Mi esposo y yo somos viajeros contrarios. ¿Multitudes en temporada alta? Preferimos quedarnos en casa. ¿El restaurante más fotografiado en Instagram? Preferimos los favoritos locales. ¿Los lugares más de moda? No, gracias. “Nosotros zigzagueamos”, le gusta decir a Tristan, “donde otros van en línea recta”. Así que cuando comenzamos a imaginar un viaje a Alemania, descartamos de inmediato Berlín y Múnich, ambos ya los habíamos visitado. Queríamos algo más idílico, menos concurrido.
Este es el estado más subestimado de Alemania, con caminatas impresionantes, excelente comida y arte inesperado
iStock/Max Lackas Mi esposo y yo somos viajeros contrarios. ¿Multitudes en temporada alta? Preferimos quedarnos en casa. ¿El restaurante más fotografiado en Instagram? Preferimos los favoritos locales. ¿Los lugares más de moda? No, gracias. “Nosotros zigzagueamos”, le gusta decir a Tristan, “donde otros van en línea recta”. Así que cuando comenzamos a imaginar un viaje a Alemania, descartamos de inmediato Berlín y Múnich, ambos ya los habíamos visitado. Queríamos algo más idílico, menos concurrido.
This Is Germany's Most Underrated State—and It Has Stunning Hikes, Great Food, and Unexpected Art Original
My husband and I are travel contrarians. Peak-season crowds? We’d rather stay home. The most Instagrammed eatery? We prefer local favorites. The hottest hot spots? No, thanks. “We zig,” Tristan likes to say, “where others zag.” So when we began imagining a trip to Germany, we immediately nixed Berlin and Munich, both of which we’ve visited. We wanted something more idyllic, less frequented. We like to hike. Perhaps we could find someplace off—way off—the proverbial beaten path.
New Shade of Green
MY HUSBAND AND I are travel contrarians. Peak-season crowds? We’d rather stay home. The most Instagrammed eatery? We prefer local favorites. The hottest hot spots? No, thanks. “We zig,” Tristan likes to say, “where others zag.” So when we began imagining a trip to Germany, we immediately nixed Berlin and Munich, both of which we’ve visited. We wanted something more idyllic, less frequented. We like to hike. Perhaps we could find someplace off—way off—the proverbial beaten path.
Sonderbooks Book Review of
Good Soil The Education of an Accidental Farmhand Review posted May 7, 2026. Convergent, 2025. 317 pages. Review written March 24, 2026, from my own copy, purchased via Amazon.com. Good Soil is a memoir about Jeff Chu's time as a student and worker at the Farminary - a farm owned by Princeton Theological Seminary that hosted classes. The book is meditative about spiritual things and about issues he was dealing with in his life.
South Of Singapore, The Past Blooms In Shop Houses And Spice-Laden Streets Of Johor Bahru
Home Destinations South Of Singapore, The Past Blooms In Shop Houses And Spice-Laden Streets Of Johor Bahru Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, a street in Johor Bahru, Malaysia (Photo Credit: Faris Mustafa) Once upon a time, a dynasty with a fleet of swift warships established an empire stretching from the tip of the Malay Peninsula across the Southeast Asian seas. It exported ivory, timber, and spices, using the revenues to buy tobacco, silk, and porcelain from abroad.
This Malaysian State Long Overshadowed by Singapore Is Having a Moment—Here’s Why Now Original
Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, a street in Johor Bahru. Credit: Faris Mustafa/Travel + Leisure Once upon a time, a dynasty with a fleet of swift warships established an empire stretching from the tip of the Malay Peninsula across the Southeast Asian seas. It exported ivory, timber, and spices, using the revenues to buy tobacco, silk, and porcelain from abroad. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, alliances with various European powers shifted and forts rose, then fell into piles of matchsticks.
This Malaysian State Long Overshadowed by Singapore Is Having a Moment—Here’s Why Now | Flipboard
4 hours ago Boycotts, expulsions and ICC double standards show how power, not fairness, now governs the global game After Pakistan announced their boycott of the forthcoming T20I World Cup match against India, the International Cricket Council (ICC) was quick to lament the position the Pakistan Cricket Board …
Electric Bloom
ONCE UPON A TIME, a dynasty with a fleet of swift warships established an empire stretching from the tip of the Malay Peninsula across the Southeast Asian seas. It exported ivory, timber, and spices, using the revenues to buy tobacco, silk, and porcelain from abroad. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, alliances with various European powers shifted and forts rose, then fell into piles of matchsticks. Enemies became friends who became enemies again.
Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand
. narr. by Jeff Chu. Mar. 2025. 9:12 hrs. ISBN 9798217020508. $76. MEMOIR COPY ISBN Chu draws upon his impressive resume—editor at large for Travel+Leisure, author of the bestselling Does Jesus Really Love Me?, husband to Tristan, and an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America—as he reflects on his time at Princeton Theological Seminary, where he studied and worked at the institution’s farm program, known as the Farminary.
How a Generation of Young Chefs Is Turning New Zealand Into the Next Hot Food Destination Original
If, by some miracle of time travel, you journeyed back a millennium to what would one day become New Zealand, you would find no humans, no sheep, and no other land mammals except for two types of bat. The 700-island archipelago was settled in the 1200s by Polynesian seafarers—ancestors of today’s Māori—who brought kumara (sweet potatoes), taro, and yams. From left: Beau, located in the suburb of Ponsonby; Wharekauhau Country Estate.
Land of Plenty
If, BY SOME miracle of time travel, you journeyed back a millennium to what would one day become New Zealand, you would find no humans, no sheep, and no other land mammals except for two types of bat. The 700-island archipelago was settled in the 1200s by Polynesian seafarers—ancestors of today’s Māori—who brought kumara (sweet potatoes), taro, and yams. The British, who first arrived with Captain James Cook in 1769, introduced grapevines, cows, and pigs.
This Southeast Asian Country Is On the Brink of a Transformation—and It Has 7,600 Islands With Pristine Beaches, Lush Rainforest, and a Rich History Original
Top marks for transparency to whoever named the streets on the Philippine island of Siargao. Tourism Road, the main drag in General Luna, the commercial hub, perfectly describes a place some have dubbed the next Bali. Sunburned Westerners clog the thoroughfare, their rented mopeds spewing gray clouds of exhaust. Displays of surfboard-shaped magnets and racks of tie-dyed T-shirts spill from the storefronts. Cocktail bars and tattoo parlors tout cheap specials and easy access to regret.
Escapada romántica al Hotel Das Cataratas
Si este paisaje tiene su origen entrelazado a la historia de amor de una pareja joven, ¿podría acaso desistir de su esencia como destino romántico? Cuenta una leyenda indígena que las Cataratas del Iguazú tuvieron su génesis cuando Naipi, una bella india de la tribu Caigangues, y Tarobá, un guerrero de la misma tribu, se enamoraron y desafiaron la tradición de su comunidad.
This Handcrafted Chalet in the Alps Made Me Rethink the Meaning of Home Original
Eriro, at the foot of the Zugspitze peak in Ehrwald, Austria. Photo: Alex Moling/Courtesy of eriro The German word Gemütlichkeit means geniality, coziness, and comfort—essentially hygge, but with an added dash of hospitality. At Eriro, a new lodge high in the Austrian Tyrol, the object that best embodies that word is the pair of thick, hand-knitted wool socks given to every guest on arrival. They’re meant to be worn as you pad around the lodge.
ELEMENTS OF STYLE
THE GERMAN WORD Gemütlichkeit means geniality, coziness, and comfort—essentially hygge, but with an added dash of hospitality. At Eriro, a new lodge high in the Austrian Tyrol, the object that best embodies that word is the pair of thick, hand-knitted wool socks given to every guest on arrival. They’re meant to be worn as you pad around the lodge. “Be at home,” general manager Henning Schaub told me and my husband shortly after we arrived. And what a home it is.
DRINKING IT ALL IN
THE Mapuche, Chile’s largest Indigenous group, have a word that defies concise translation. In English, peumayen is often rendered “place of dreams,” but that underplays the importance of dreaming to the Mapuche. To them, a dream can be a wish, a hope, or a prophecy. It can be an idyll visited in slumber, or a fantasyland that stirs the imagination. Sometimes, you don’t even know a peumayen until you’re in it.
Chile Has Become the Rising Star of South America's Food Scene - Here's Why
Mapuche, Chile’s largest Indigenous group, have a word that defies concise translation. In English, peumayen is often rendered “place of dreams,” but that underplays the importance of dreaming to the Mapuche. To them, a dream can be a wish, a hope, or a prophecy. It can be an idyll visited in slumber, or a fantasyland that stirs the imagination. Sometimes, you don’t even know a peumayen until you’re in it.
Chile Has Become the Rising Star of South America's Food Scene - Here's Why
The rich, volcanic soil of central Chile has nourished a food and wine legacy that bridges cultures, from Indigenous cooks to globe-trotting vintners. Cristóbal Palma The infinity pool at the hotel Vik Chile, in the Millahue Valley. Mapuche, Chile’s largest Indigenous group, have a word that defies concise translation. In English, peumayen is often rendered “place of dreams,” but that underplays the importance of dreaming to the Mapuche. To them, a dream can be a wish, a hope, or a prophecy.
Chile Has Become the Rising Star of South America's Food Scene - Here's Why
The rich, volcanic soil of central Chile has nourished a food and wine legacy that bridges cultures, from Indigenous cooks to globe-trotting vintners. Cristóbal Palma The infinity pool at the hotel Vik Chile, in the Millahue Valley. Mapuche, Chile’s largest Indigenous group, have a word that defies concise translation. In English, peumayen is often rendered “place of dreams,” but that underplays the importance of dreaming to the Mapuche. To them, a dream can be a wish, a hope, or a prophecy.
North Island Okavango Brings Spacious Luxury Tents to One of Botswana’s Most Wildlife-rich Regions
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments.
North Island Okavango Review: North Island Okavango Brings Spacious Luxury Tents to One of Botswana’s Most Wildlife-rich Regions
Trending Videos Photo: Jeff Chu/Travel + Leisure Partway through our first afternoon game drive at North Island Okavango, a new luxury camp in northwestern Botswana, our guide, Diesel Tshosa, said, “I can be quiet because I can get lost in the concentration of tracking animals, so ask me a question if you want.” My 15-year-old nephew, Caleb, who had dreamed of going on safari since he was 5, responded, “I like quiet.” The quiet wasn’t all that quiet: We could hear the grunts and snorts of...
WAKING UP WACO
ON THE WALLS of the Waco, Texas, headquarters of Magnolia, the home and lifestyle brand founded by reality-TV stars Chip and Joanna Gaines, you’ll find a bold mission statement. “We believe in unearthing beauty, however hidden and subtle it might be,” reads one standout line. Three blocks away, the Silos is a development that embodies that philosophy. In 2014, the Gaineses, both alumni of Baylor University in Waco, bought the moldering Brazos Valley Cotton Oil Mill.
Joanna and Chip Gaines Just Opened Their First Hotel — I Visited the Luxury Stay in Waco, Texas, to Find Incredible Design and a Rooftop Bar
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Joanna and Chip Gaines Just Opened Their First Hotel - I Visited the Luxury Stay in Waco, Texas, to Find Incredible Design and a Rooftop Bar Original
Trending Videos Photo: Courtesy of Hotel 1928 “Look up and look close,” Joanna Gaines, the celebrity designer who hosts the hit home-makeover show Fixer Upper with her husband, Chip, told me when I visited the Hotel 1928. Chip and Joanna's new hotel opened last fall in Waco, Texas. Even with her designer’s eye, she’d initially missed the intricacy on the Moorish Revival facade of the nearly century-old Grand Karem Shrine building.
I lift my eyes to the hills — Church Anew
The following is a lightly edited transcript and a video of Jeff Chu’s talk from our 2022 Enfleshing Witness gathering. Jeff Chu wears several hats, including writer, reporter, and editor. He's also the co curator and co-host with Sarah Bessie of Evolving Faith. He's an occasional preacher. He's also a teacher in residence at Cross Point Church in North Carolina. He's an ordinand in the Reformed Church in America.
This Southern California Hot Spot Might Be the Most Colorful Hotel We've Ever Seen
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This Southern California Hot Spot Might Be the Most Colorful Hotel We've Ever Seen
Trending Videos Photo: Courtesy of The Lafayette Hotel When I walked through the doors of San Diego’s historic Lafayette Hotel, it felt as if I’d stepped into a kaleidoscope.
I Took My Family on a Birdwatching Safari in Botswana — and It Was the Trip of a Lifetime - NewsBreak
This Oklahoma Town You've Never Heard Of Is One of the Best Places to See the Total Solar Eclipse Next Year
This Cruise Takes You To Ecuador’s Most Exciting Culinary Destinations
In the indigenous apothecary of coastal Ecuador, the palo santo tree has long held special significance. Its smoke, redolent of citrus, mint, and pine, is said to ward off evil spirits and purify the air. Tea made with its wood reportedly strengthens the immune system, and its essential oil may help fight cancer. Incense made from its resin, lately beloved by New Agey types, reputedly kindles creativity and combats negativity. This is a lot of pressure and expectation to put on one tree.
This Cruise Takes You To Ecuador’s Most Exciting Culinary Destinations
In the indigenous apothecary of coastal Ecuador, the palo santo tree has long held special significance. Its smoke, redolent of citrus, mint, and pine, is said to ward off evil spirits and purify the air. Tea made with its wood reportedly strengthens the immune system, and its essential oil may help fight cancer. Incense made from its resin, lately beloved by New Agey types, reputedly kindles creativity and combats negativity. This is a lot of pressure and expectation to put on one tree.
This Luxury Cruise Takes You to Some of Ecuador’s Most Exciting Culinary Destinations
1 day ago A thunderstorm brought heavy rains to Guayaquil on Thursday, February 9 causing street flooding, traffic chaos, and power outages across the city. Please see Storyline for restrictions and usage terms. RESTRICTIONS AND USAGE TERMS: Please credit “@Fjambay_89 via Spectee”. ******************************************************************* NOTE: looped video Video Location: Av. de las Américas in Guayaquil, Ecuador Video Recording Date/Time: February 9, 2023 at 20:30h
This Luxury Cruise Takes You to Some of Ecuador’s Most Exciting Culinary Destinations
In the indigenous apothecary of coastal Ecuador, the palo santo tree has long held special significance. Its smoke, redolent of citrus, mint, and pine, is said to ward off evil spirits and purify the air. Tea made with its wood reportedly strengthens the immune system, and its essential oil may help fight cancer. Incense made from its resin, lately beloved by New Agey types, reputedly kindles creativity and combats negativity. This is a lot of pressure and expectation to put on one tree.
GIFTS OF LAND AND SEA
IN THE INDIGENOUS apothecary of coastal Ecuador, the palo santo tree has long held special significance. Its smoke, redolent of citrus, mint, and pine, is said to ward off evil spirits and purify the air. Tea made with its wood reportedly strengthens the immune system, and its essential oil may help fight cancer. Incense made from its resin, lately beloved by New Agey types, reputedly kindles creativity and combats negativity. This is a lot of pressure and expectation to put on one tree.
AGVs & AMRs as Alternatives to Tow Line Conveyance
In a recent call with a customer, I was told they were looking to build a new facility and investigating installing a tow-line to index our build carts down the assembly line. The company really liked the flexibility and scalability of an automated guide vehicles (AGV) or autonomous mobile robots (AMR), but they believed a tow line may have a higher ROI. On the surface, this customer’s initial inclinations seemed plausible.
These 2022 Global Vision Awards Winners Are Making Asia-Pacific a Better Place to Travel
DESTINATIONS Australia Bhutan Burma Cambodia China Dubai Hong Kong India Indonesia Japan Laos Macau Malaysia Maldives Nepal New Zealand Philippines Singapore South Korea Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand Vietnam Home Destinations Inspiration Inspiration T+L’s annual Global Vision Awards celebrate travel and hospitality innovators helping create a better, greener tomorrow, and this list of winners in Asia-Pacific inspires us to get back out into the world. The SCIE:NCE Center on Soneva Fushi.
Boek | Hart, hoofd, ziel - Rachel Held Evans, Jeff Chu
Voor haar tragische dood in 2019 werkte Rachel Held Evans aan een boek over geloven met hart en ziel. Auteur en goede vriend Jeff Chu heeft het materiaal samengevoegd met andere niet eerder gepubliceerde artikelen tot een rijke collectie essays. In Hart, hoofd, ziel laat Rachel Held Evans een bezield en theologisch licht schijnen over de vragen die vandaag de dag leven onder veel christenen, of het nu gaat om kerkgangers, twijfelaars of zoekers.
GLOBAL VISION AWARDS 2022
ROLE MODEL QUANNAH CHASINGHORSE With her high cheekbones and facial tattoos, Quannah Chasinghorse is undeniably striking, but it was the model’s advocacy work that clinched her first big job.
These Projects Are Changing the Way We Eat for the Better: Global Vision Awards 2022
The Travel + Leisure Global Vision Awards aim to identify and honor companies, individuals, destinations, and organizations that are taking strides to develop more sustainable and responsible travel products, practices, and experiences. Not only are they demonstrating thought leadership and creative problem-solving; they are taking actionable, quantifiable steps to protect communities and environments around the world.
3 Travel Experiences Centered Around Wildlife Rehabilitation and Rescue: Global Vision Awards 2022
The Travel + Leisure Global Vision Awards aim to identify and honor companies, individuals, destinations, and organizations that are taking strides to develop more sustainable and responsible travel products, practices, and experiences. Not only are they demonstrating thought leadership and creative problem-solving; they are taking actionable, quantifiable steps to protect communities and environments around the world.
5 Brands and Organizations Pushing for a More Responsible, Sustainable Retail Industry: Global Vision Awards 2022
The Travel + Leisure Global Vision Awards aim to identify and honor companies, individuals, destinations, and organizations that are taking strides to develop more sustainable and responsible travel products, practices, and experiences. Not only are they demonstrating thought leadership and creative problem-solving; they are taking actionable, quantifiable steps to protect communities and environments around the world.
6 Hotel Brands Changing Travel for the Better: Global Vision Awards 2022
The Travel + Leisure Global Vision Awards aim to identify and honor companies, individuals, destinations, and organizations that are taking strides to develop more sustainable and responsible travel products, practices, and experiences. Not only are they demonstrating thought leadership and creative problem-solving; they are taking actionable, quantifiable steps to protect communities and environments around the world.
These Travel Companies Are Setting a New Standard in Responsible Tourism: Global Vision Awards 2022
The Travel + Leisure Global Vision Awards aim to identify and honor companies, individuals, destinations, and organizations taking strides to develop more sustainable and responsible travel products, practices, and experiences. Not only are they demonstrating thought leadership and creative problem-solving, they are taking actionable, quantifiable steps to protect communities and environments around the world.
The T+L Guide to Immersive and Sustainable Travel in French Polynesia
By Jeff Chu Photographed by The Ingalls Mar 9, 2022 WE WERE STANDING ankle-deep in a lagoon off the island of Raiatea, in French Polynesia, when my travel guide, Tahiarii Yoram Pariente, spotted a pod of dolphins playing about 100 meters offshore. “That’s mana,” he said. The sky had spat rain for the 45 minutes since we’d arrived at Taputapuatea, a complex of seaside marae—massive, rectangular platforms hewn from stone a thousand years ago—and we had the place largely to ourselves.
French Polynesia Is Known for Its Stunning Beaches and Resorts — but a Younger Generation Is Working to Highlight Its Rich Traditions
We were standing ankle-deep in a lagoon off the island of Raiatea when my guide, Tahiarii Yoram Pariente, spotted a pod of dolphins playing about 300 feet offshore. The sky had spat rain for the 45 minutes since we'd arrived at Taputapuatea, a complex of seaside marae—massive, rectangular platforms hewn from stone a thousand years ago—and we had the place largely to ourselves.
PACIFIC POINT OF VIEW
WE WERE STANDING ankle-deep in a lagoon off the island of Raiatea when my guide, Tahiarii Yoram Pariente, spotted a pod of dolphins playing about 300 feet offshore. “That’s mana,” he said. The sky had spat rain for the 45 minutes since we’d arrived at Taputapuatea, a complex of seaside marae—massive, rectangular platforms hewn from stone a thousand years ago—and we had the place largely to ourselves.
Author Jeff Chu on completing the book Rachel Held Evans started before she died
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