- “People think they have to go far to experience something new, but Mississippi has incredible stories to share, too.”
Jane Halbert Jones once invited three strangers to join her at a packed Parisian café, guided by an instinct she learned in Mississippi, where hospitality isn’t simply performative. It’s personal.
“I’m constantly showing our Mississippi hospitality,” says Jones.
She doesn’t just say hello; she asks how you’re doing, picks up something you dropped. This generous, grounded, and global spirit defines both her life and travel brand: More Than a Tourist.
Founded in 2011 and based in Jackson, More Than a Tourist is a boutique travel company helping clients experience the world more profoundly through customized international travel planning and local tours of Jackson. As your travel guide, Jones is committed to transforming you, the aspiring traveler, into the hero of your own journey. The company name reflects Jones’s philosophy.
“I wanted my clients to feel like they were more than tourists,” she explains. “Not just visiting a place, but understanding it, engaging with it.”
Her love of travel began at 18, on her first trip abroad for her high school senior trip. She and a friend flew solo into London and trained their way to Aberdeen, Scotland, where Jones’s cousin was working on a doctorate. Along the way, fellow train passengers coached them on Scottish slang and invited them to a local church. A friendly mailman even offered them a joyride.
“We learned so much and met so many great people. I was hooked — and never looked back.”
Jones’s post-college life took her from teaching English in France to graduate studies in Paris, where she immersed herself in the culture she loved. She eventually returned to Mississippi in 2008, only to find that her desk job didn’t satisfy her wanderlust.
“People in the office and a few friends started asking me to help them with their travel to France,” she says. “I discovered I loved travel planning and teaching my clients about French culture and even some French phrases.”
Jones wanted her clients to also understand the culture and know what to expect, what not to do, and to feel like they were stepping deeper into their story and weren’t just checking items off a list. In other words, she wanted them to be “more than a tourist.” After that first group tour, she filed paperwork for the LLC, and More Than a Tourist became her mission.
Today, Jones works with clients across a spectrum of budgets and destinations beyond Europe. Next year, she’s coordinating trips to Norway, Costa Rica, Greece, Spain, the Panama Canal, and a behind-the-scenes experience for the 100th Anniversary of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“There’s not one place or trend or budget that’s the same,” she says. Her job is to help people create the trip that’s right for them.
“I love it when parents take their kids to different countries and hear what they thought was ‘so cool’ when they return,” she says. But she also loves assisting the working and parenting couple who need that special travel break from the kids and the everyday grind.
One client in her 50s decided to take her first-ever solo trip to Indonesia after the pandemic. Of course, there can be fears about traveling alone and anxiety about navigating a foreign country on your own, so “she was hesitant at first,” Jones says. “But we talked through everything, planned it just right, and she came back completely lit up. That trip was special. Now I’m planning her fourth.”
Jones doesn’t consider her work as a travel advisor transactional — it’s relational. Especially with her repeat clients who feel more like friends.
“In planning travel for my clients and especially my repeat clients, I see us more as good friends. I know what’s happening in their lives and with their family. The good moments and the bad. Having that connection is something I am grateful for.”
Still, you don’t have to go abroad to enjoy the tour experience. More Than a Tourist offers walking tours highlighting Jackson’s food, history, art, and architecture to bring global insights back home.
“People think they have to go far to experience something new, but Mississippi has incredible stories to share, too.”
For travel in 2026 and beyond, “There’s always a new list of places to go, new buzzwords,” she says. “But what I know is this—people will continue to travel. They’ll save for it, plan around it, and prioritize it because people want to explore this awesome world. And as I always say, ‘Travel is everywhere.’”
And when you’re more than a tourist, you’re never a stranger.
Three Travel Tips from Jane Halbert Jones
- Underrated Destination: “Norway — especially for summer. Breathtaking landscapes and long daylight hours.”
- Her Must-Pack Item: “A good portable phone charger. Always.”
- Top Planning Advice: “Don’t wait for others to say yes. Go now. You won’t regret it.”