Who Is Glory Ali Of Muslim Travel Rocks?
Always looking to provide travellers with top trending, influential information and allowing you to ‘stay connected’ before and while you travel, Wise Traveller profiles travel blogger Glory Ali, who is behind Muslim Travel Rocks. Our profile series allows you to get to know the person behind some of the most popular and influential travel blogs.
About Glory
Glory Ali is a Muslim from the United States, born and raised in New Jersey with roots from Puerto Rico. Her blog aims to encourage and motivate Muslims to explore the world by connecting them to Muslim-friendly destinations across the globe, including the United States. By day she works in finance and by night she is a travel blogger.
Let’s Get To Know Glory
We asked Glory a few questions about her life as a traveller.
What is your favourite destination and why?
My favourite destination is the United States as there is an abundance of history, culture and traditions throughout the country. From mountains to desert, we have it all in the USA.
What was your scariest travel experience?
My scariest and most memorable experience was when my husband and I went snow caving in Ontario, Canada. I thought we would be walking into the Batman Cave and witnessing ice sculptures in the caves. Was I wrong! We were latterly sliding through tiny openings in the cave walls that would take us into another cave. Climbing up crevasses and coming out into another cave, I have never been so scared and so exhilarated at the same time. We couldn’t believe we had made it out alive, thanks to our guide!
What was is your most memorable, inspiring or life changing travel moment?
I was in New York City for the NY Times Travel Show and extremely nervous as the media announced the Muslim travel ban that day. After the event I headed out to have dinner alone. On this particular evening, I sat next to a woman who introduced herself as Mary. We spoke as if we had known each other for years. We conversed about family, children, and life in general. As we finished our meal, we said goodbye and I headed towards the door. She called out to me and said she wanted to give me something. As I made my way back to her she said, ‘I want to give you a hug.’ With tears flowing down my face we embraced and she whispered, ‘We women have to stand together and empower each other.’ Mary’s words are a reminder that America is such a diverse nation and that America has and will always continue to be GREAT.
If you could only give one single travel tip that you think would be the most helpful what would it be?
Leave one good impression on the places you travel to and the people you meet. For me, it is that if I am the first Muslim person they have met, I hope that I have shattered all their misconceptions about Islam.
What is your favourite travel-related quote?
‘The earth has music for those who listen.’ - William Shakespeare
Who are your three favourite travel bloggers and why?
Carol Cain from GirlGoneTravel for her openness to speak about places she visits, the good, the bad, and the ugly with no filters. The Kid Trotter as they focus on showing parents how much fun it can be to travel with kids, educate them and inspire curiosity about the world. Five Take Flight, I absolutely love reading and seeing the adventures with their families. I admire bloggers that focus their traveling around their families and education their children to be open minded and accepting of all people.
What is the one thing you would never travel without?
A prayer mat. As Muslims we pray five times a day and when traveling it’s cut down to three prayers a day. Travelling and still following my faith is what keeps me going and encouraging other Muslims to travel and explore the world.
What was the single most influential thing that drove you to travel blogging?
The 2016 presidential elections in the United States. It caused a great divide in our nation, not all Americans felt the same way. I witnessed first-hand people going out of their way to be kind and to speak to me. While I do get stares from time to time, I’ve found that most people are welcoming and eager to engage. I guess it’s their way of saying ‘I stand with you,’ and I welcome that with open arms. That’s when I felt the urge to share my experiences with my fellow Muslims.
I started Muslim Travel Rocks as a means to connect with like-minded individuals and to encourage Muslims to not let fear stop them from travelling and witnessing the beauty in the planet we call earth. Muslim Travel Rocks is a place where Muslim travellers are able to seek out information on Halal and Muslim-friendly destinations.
Summary
Glory blogs with the main goal of providing information to Muslims on Halal and Muslim-friendly destinations. Learn more about Glory at on her About page and follow her on Facebook.
