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| | | BJJ Globetrotters Newsletter // April 2026 | | Dear Globetrotters,
Two months without camps have been a welcome break to prepare for the upcoming summer season madness. Later this week, I'm heading to Estonia for the Spring Camp in Tallinn and I'm looking forward to catching up with 200+ members of our community who are traveling from near and far for this week of training.
Here is the updated ticket status for the upcoming camps this year: | | | |
What you'll find in this month's newsletter: - Featured Globetrotter: Juan Zea Gomez
- Globetrotters Academy in Focus: Dandelion BJJ
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| | | 75% booked for this summer's camp in the capital of Denmark! |
| | Way back in 2013, the first ever BJJ Globetrotters camp was held in Copenhagen. Over 100 camps later, we’ve travelled everywhere from El Salvador to Estonia to Greenland. Now we’re going right back to where we started!
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| | | | Bring the family to Austria in the summer! |
| | For this summer camp, we’re heading to beautiful Wagrain for five days of training among the rolling hillsides that are now brilliantly green and ready for you to explore.
We will have lots of Jiu Jitsu and activities for all ages!
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| | | | Featured Globetrotter: Juan Zea Gomez |
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| | Age: 32
Belt: Black
Profession: Business Management | Tech Project Manager
How many years in BJJ: 18 years
Other martial arts: Boxing & Muay Thai (basic)
Where do you live: Currently in Brazil (since the beginning of the year) Usually based in Lima, Peru, but I constantly travel around the world as a digital nomad.
Where are you from: Lima, Perú
Any fun facts you'd like to share: I’m also a musician and I just launched my first album, “Zetaverso,” last week! You can find me on Spotify as “Juan Zeta” :) My mantra is: “Living, Building & Learning” |
| | What inspired you to travel and train? About 12 years ago (a purple belt at the time), I had my first experience of solo travel and this changed my outlook and way of life. I realized that getting to know other cultures, people with different ways of living and beautiful places while collecting stories was something that made me truly happy and I wanted to keep doing that.
In that sense, Jiu Jitsu allowed me to instantly connect with locals everywhere I went, which then became good friends and even allowed for further variations of the trip to unfold. Plus, it's always great to experience different fighting/teaching styles. Jiu Jitsu is a universal language that follows you everywhere you go.
Also, as I got more experienced in Jiu Jitsu, I had the opportunity to share some of my favorite techniques and systems by teaching classes or seminars in amazing places like Costa Rica, India, Sri Lanka and Italy. Needless to say, all of this also came together with meeting amazing friends along the way.
Now, everywhere I go, it's a must that I need to visit a local BJJ academy. There is always a belt, rashguard/shorts (and ideally a Gi) in my backpack for any destination.
Tell us about your most recent trip and what's next – where have you been and where are you going?
My most recent trip is the current one, discovering Brazil for the first time with my partner Claudia (blue belt). To make it more adventurous (and it was actually her idea), we started the trip in Iquitos (Peruvian jungle) and arrived in Brazil via Manaus in a cargo ferry boat (4 days down the Amazon River sleeping in a hammock). This by itself was an incredible thing to experience.
As a Jiu Jitsu practitioner, it has always been my dream to visit and train in Brazil, so this journey is a special one. During the past 3 months, I have been in Manaus, Salvador de Bahia, Ubatuba, Ilha Grande and Rio de Janeiro (special mention of experiencing and partying through Carnaval!). This is a huge country with beautiful and welcoming people that make you feel at home, with so many places that feel like paradise. Definitely one of my favorite destinations and 3 months have gone by way too quickly. I will be back!
As to what’s next, I am returning to my hometown Lima, Peru the coming week. It’s always great to ground, connect with family and friends and set roots for some time before going into the next journey. What’s next? Who knows! There are still many countries left to explore :)
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| | What do you enjoy most about travelling? I definitely enjoy wandering into the unknown and collecting experiences and memories, which is the only thing we take from this life. I have learned that by travelling you get to experience the greatest amount of personal growth. Just by getting out of your comfort zone (family, friends, society) you really allow yourself to be with and be yourself. Learning to be open to the different possibilities and being flexible on what happens next, following your intuition is definitely something great. This mindset can get you far.
Also, you realize you don’t need much “stuff” to be happy and enjoy life. Being mindful of the things you actually need to carry around for traveling light (which makes it much easier/cheaper if constantly moving around) also transfers to the broader concept of life.
Finally, more than the destination itself (which indeed can take you to breathtaking scenarios), what I enjoy the most is the whole journey and the people you meet along the way. This is what the stories are actually made of and the source of the enjoyment.
Any particularly memorable experiences that made it all worth it?
So many that it's hard to choose from, but something memorable was definitely spending a full year (all of 2023) traveling through Asia, exploring 12 countries and 53 cities along the way. This started originally as a 6 month trip to receive my 30 years, but ended up extending as many new unexpected destinations started to appear along the way. As you could imagine, countless stories and memories from this memorable year that I will remember forever.
As an example, I found myself receiving the new year in a boat in Phuket with new friends I had just met training (Vara included!), coming to the realization that every decision we had taken in life had taken us to that precise moment in time, where we were happy and having a blast. I believe it's important to be able to pause for a second and recognize these memorable moments when one is at peace and happy. You can always go back through the memory lane to these moments and smile.
What has surprised you the most while travelling? I guess one thing that always surprises me on any trip is how far the friendships and connections you make along the way unfold into unexpected experiences, either seeing them in other parts of the world in a different point in time, being hosted or hosting someone you met while traveling always amazes me.
Just to make a point, a friend who I met for one night in a hostel in Malaysia in 2023 and we kept in contact ended up hosting me in his house in Ubatuba (Sao Paulo) for a few weeks, and we even ended up roadtripping to Rio de Janeiro for Carnaval together. I am writing this from his house right now. Like this example, I have many. Thank you to all the amazing people from this community I have met in my travels. You know who you are.
How far and how unexpected the connections made along the way will take you continues to amaze me.
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| | Are you a budget traveller – and if so how do you plan for a cheap trip? I can go all around the whole spectrum for that question. From $3 a night (breakfast included) hostels to very nice pool/gym airbnbs, I can find myself enjoying any given situation. However, I do find tremendous value in traveling the most I can with the money I have at the moment (aka “stretching my money”).
I could definitely get better deals if everything is planned and tickets/accommodation booked in advance, however that takes away the flexibility component of making the route along the way, which I really enjoy.
With that said, there are definitely some recommendations that have worked for me:
- Travel light. Use packing cubes + vacuum bags and take only the necessary. This makes your flights cheaper and takes out the mental hassle of having to pack/unpack when changing places.
- Matsurfing. Check matsurfing.org or post on the fb group to see what is available. You would be surprised by how many fellow globetrotters are willing to host you.
- Have a budget. Have an idea of how much you want to spend and track how well you are doing in reality. Don’t fall into the trap of spending more than you have available.
Any advice for your fellow Globetrotters? Get out there. Explore what this beautiful world and its people have to offer.
Jiu Jitsu opens so many doors and allows you to easily connect everywhere you go. Always keep a white belt mentality (in Jiu Jitsu and in life).
There will never be a perfect time to do it. Just go for it.
Experiences are the only thing you take from this life. Enjoy the ride.
Travel far, train everywhere, and collect stories.
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| | | | Almost full for this year's USA Camp in Maine! |
| | A genuine American camp experience in the crisp woodland air of Maine. A full week of Jiu Jitsu and evening bonfires by the shores of a shimmering lake. One of our most popular BJJ camps 2026.
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| | | | BJJ Globetrotters Academy in Focus: Dandelion BJJ |
| | Where is the gym located?
375 Morgan Lane Unit 401 West Haven Connecticut. (About 15 minutes west of YALE University)
How many people train there?
25-30 overall
Is the gym growing - if so by how many new members each month or year?
Growing slow and steady. 2-3 per month.
What are the highest and lowest belt grades training? Black to white belts, and young children and High Schoolers.
When did the gym open?
April Fools Day 2025. Hoping that's a good omen.
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| | Some facts about you:
Name: Run by two best friends and teachers: Gabe Martinez & James Cook Age: 40 (Gabe) & 33 (James) Belt: Black Profession: High School: Special Education Teacher (Gabe) & Phys Ed/ Health Teacher (James) Years in BJJ: 15+ Other martial arts: MMA, Wing Tsun Currently living in: Southern Connecticut, USA Originally from: Southern Connecticut |
| | Please tell us the story of how your gym came into existence James and I saw a niche of teaching BJJ that wasn’t being addressed in our area. The difference between a “teacher” and a “coach” essentially created our gym.
The slower pace of teaching and attention to details while following a curriculum that everyone is on the same page, has made our students fast learners. Not per class, but overall. If someone can make it to 4 classes a week, or just 1; no matter who is running the class or what time the class is, class will be the same topic with a different flavor. No one gets left in the dark.
We named it DANDELION, because like the dandelion that can grow in any environment, even between the cracks in the pavement, we believe that we can create a space where individuals can grow together, build confidence, and thrive both on and off the mat.
Tell us about the people that train in the gym – who are they? We have a wide variety of people, as do most gyms. We have mostly teachers and youth coaches, since that's the background we come from. Some other professions range from ex-military, tech, service industry, trades, and college students. This is very much a blue collar gym.
Why do they train? Mental de-compression, physical fitness, making new friends, and learning a new puzzle; especially for someone who is bored of a “fitness gym” and wants to learn a skill as well as a sweat. |
| | What are some of the challenges of running a BJJ gym in general, and in your area specifically? Right now, the biggest challenge has been exposure. Letting people know that we exist, how we teach and run our programs, what makes us different, and that we are an option for them in the Southern Connecticut area.
How do you see the future for BJJ in your area?
Connecticut is not a big state. Being so close to NYC and Massachusetts, there is no shortage of training options. Just like a city with many good restaurants, having a good variety of gyms where people can train can only make BJJ in Connecticut better.
What’s the best thing about your gym?The atmosphere! Usually a banger playlist during rolls, the mix of people always ready to help. No ego, no specific gear, and the constant revisiting of positions. We are very much of the mindset… "Don't practice until you get it right. Practice until you can't get it wrong!" That may be boring for some people, and that's ok. There are plenty of other options out there if you want to learn an armbar on a Monday and a leg lock on a Tuesday.
What would you recommend Globetrotters to see in your area apart from the inside of your gym? Geographically, we are very close to the “pizza capital of the world” and other “foodie” options. We are also close to numerous universities, which bring in lots of travelers. Can’t forget about music venues, especially if you like punk and hardcore. A short drive can either get you to the coast and the beach. Go the other direction, and you’re in the woods with farms, hiking trails, or scenic drives. Rich in history and culture, our area is small but packed with something most people can find enjoyable.
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Thanks for sharing! If you'd like to visit Dandelion BJJ, you can contact them here. |
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