Adventure travel shows often feature hosts testing their physical endurance as they jet around the globe on swashbuckling exploits. In the new National Geographic show Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins, the eponymous host does travel to far-flung locations to push his limits, but his goal is different: to challenge a trope that often doesn’t include plus-size people. “It’s all about redefining travel,” says Jenkins. “That’s my biggest mission—taking away those stereotypes and stigmas. Statistically, I’m not supposed to be able to do this.” An award-winning travel journalist based in Austin, Texas, Jenkins has spent years promoting body positivity and advocating for more plus-size and Black representation in the travel industry. “I want people who look like me to be inspired and motivated to get out there,” he says, noting that the transformative power of travel is for everyone. “Travel has created more of an open-mindedness that I didn’t have before, and that causes me to try things I’ve never done before.”
In each of the eight episodes of Never Say Never, which premiered this week on National Geographic (the show is also streaming on Hulu and Disney+), Jenkins tackles a frightening challenge. He rafts Class V rapids in New Zealand, sails through a windstorm in Argentina, and climbs a 70-foot rock face in the Adirondacks. Although he says scaling a mountain was one of the most terrifying things he has ever done, it was the fear of failing while on a shoot that truly scared him. “Not knowing if I could do these adventures for the show made me the most uncomfortable,” he says. “There were people around who would be able to see me do it—or fail.”
Spoiler alert: He succeeds, and Never Say Never also succeeds, by showing how the travel industry can, and should, be more inclusive. Jenkins says he hopes the series “will show viewers they can get out there, and perhaps lessen the boundaries they might face or perceive when it comes to travel or adventure.” At the same time, he notes that it’s important to “arm yourself with the knowledge before you go, to make travel more comfortable.” Ultimately, Jenkins stresses that he wants people to accept themselves and not let their size hold them back. “Body positivity is accepting your body for what it is right now and being OK with it,” he says. “You might never get to your ideal weight—or it could take years—and you don’t know what life events can happen during that time. I say live life now.”
