July 2, 2024 • 45 mins
Hey Hey, it's summertime and the travel bug is biting hard! The passport is yearning for a new stamp, feet are craving the feel of sand, and the shoulders are ready to soak up some sun. It's time to kick back with a fruity drink, complete with a cute little umbrella, and embark on a solo travel adventure.
Solo travel, especially for women, can be a bit tricky but oh-so rewarding. This is a call to all the sisters out there, but guys, you can take note too. It's all about taking those extra precautions, whether you're traveling alone or not. So, grab a notebook and prepare for some top-notch solo travel tips.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Tracey (00:23):
What's good everybody?
Welcome to The Charging Stationpodcast.
It's your girl, Tracey Masseyof Living EmPOWERed Life.
Chiille.
Hold on, I gotta cough.
One second.
(coughs) Excuse me.
Early mornings because at thetime of the recording of this
podcast, y'all it is.
It's early.
It's early but I'm in thestudio early because today is
(00:47):
going to be a full day.
But, baby, I hope you have beenenjoying the series entitled
"Branches.
The last episode was veryspecial to me because it had a
very special guest.
If you have no idea what I'mtalking about, go back.
Go back and start from part oneand all of it will make sense.
But in "Branches," I'm talkingabout my DNA journey.
(01:08):
I took an Ancestry DNA test andthe saga continues.
So we're going to take a littlebreak from "branches, honestly,
because at the moment there isno update.
Where we left off is where weleft off, so we are moving
forward.
And another reason is because,I don't know why I said because,
(01:31):
like that, but it was verydainty, wasn't it?
It's because I need a break.
I need a break from my ownstory.
It's been a lot and also we arecoming to the close of season
seven, so I wanted to leave on ahigh note.
I didn't want to close out thisseason so heavy, so we're going
(01:57):
to leave on a high note.
This is not the last episode ofseason seven, but we probably
got like two more and I justwanted to leave you guys with
something good and because it'ssummertime, so let me just get
into it.
If you are new here, you came infrom the "branches series
welcome.
I hope that you stay, go backand listen to the other episodes
(02:18):
.
You got over a hundred episodesto binge listen to and that'll
give you an idea of who I am,what I do, the shenanigans of my
life.
If you're a returning listener,hey boo, you know I love me
some you.
Welcome back.
Everybody.
Go ahead, grab your coffee,grab your tea, grab your water,
grab your wine.
Whatever your beverage ofchoice is.
Sis, grab that thang and have aseat on the couchy, couchy
(02:40):
couch.
And also follow me on all thesocials.
You can find me at Living MyEmPOWERed My Life on TikTok,
Instagram, Facebook, YouTube.
I don't do X or Twitter,whatever it is now thr.
um.
Am I on Threads?
Yeah, I'm on Threads, but Ican't remember my name.
On Threads, I think it's LivingMy EmPOWERed Life.
I think I'm Living My EmPOWERedLife everywhere.
So just look me up and that'sthat.
(03:02):
Make sure you follow, subscribe, rate, leave a review on
whatever podcast platform you'relistening to.
So I think I covered everything.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, so now
let's get into the content,shall we.
It is summertime, summer, summer, summertime, and it's um, I
(03:24):
don't know about you all, but mypassport is itching for a stamp
and my feet are itching forsand betwixt my toes, and I just
needed a sun on my shouldersand a little, you know, a little
fruity beverage with anumbrella in it.
So it's time to travel.
It is time to travel, and oneof my favorite things to do is
(03:44):
solo travel, and as a woman, itcan be a little, you know, not
tricky, but tricky, okay.
So I'm going to share with yousome tips for solo traveling and
this can be used for the guysas well, but I'm mainly talking
to my sisters, okay, I'm mainlytalking to my sisters because we
(04:07):
have to take little extraprecautions.
I mean, you should reallyshould be doing these things if
you're traveling, period, butespecially if you're solo
traveling.
All right, so grab a notebook,um, as you listen to what we
doing, I'm going to share withyou a few tips and I'm going to
share with you, probably if wehave time, if we have time some
(04:31):
of my favorite solo tripdestinations.
Okay, all right, so let's getinto it.
So, number one, when solotraveling.
If you're thinking about solotraveling, I'm going to give you
this number one piece of advice.
Book the trip.
Book the ding dang trip.
What are you afraid of?
Go online, book the trip.
(04:52):
I'll tell you a couple thingsthat, excuse me, that I use to
help me kind of decide where Iwant to go.
One thing in particular I lovebeaches.
I love the ocean.
I love water.
I love lakes.
So whenever I'm solo traveling,you're going to find me at a
beach, you're going to find meat the lake.
Every once in a while, you mayfind me at the mountains,
(05:12):
because I love that too.
I think I just love the beautyin nature and God's creation.
The mountains make me feel likeI'm tickling Jesus' feet.
I want to be on the top of themountain, basically touching
clouds, and then the ocean justreminds me of how much control
God is in, because every wave isdifferent, it hits at different
(05:36):
parts of the shoreline, they'reall doing their own thing.
It's all like this veryorchestrated, beautiful thing.
But I just love those elementsand then when I'm in those
elements, I feel peaceful, Ifeel free, I feel creative, it's
restful for me.
So one thing that I love towatch is the travel channel.
(05:59):
I actually subscribe to CondeNast travel because I want to
see different places and I liketo go from lower end to high end
and not too low end, becauseI'm very travel bougie.
I'm very travel bougie.
You can't get me in no two star, nothing, okay, it's just not
(06:19):
going to work.
I did that when I was younger.
I didn't really like it then,but you know, you got to go
where your money go.
I ain't got to do that, no more.
So, yeah, I'm very travelbougie.
I have certain hotels that Iwill stay in and I have certain
areas where I would go.
But I love looking at likethings that will show up on
(06:41):
Lifestyles of the Rich andFamous if it was still running,
because I'm a visual person, Ibelieve in manifestation, I
believe in speaking those thingsthat are not as though they
were.
I want top-notch luxury, okay.
So I look at everything becauseI have to expose my mind to
those things.
So I will be on the travelchannel.
(07:03):
I follow different travelinfluencers and bloggers because
they're actually in thetrenches of these places.
So I really want to get thefull experience.
Now there are some travelbloggers and travel influencers
who will not give you a truereview of their trip.
If you find somebody on socialmedia and every experience they
have is great, I would belooking at them sideways because
(07:27):
girl, what Girl, what?
Even I have experienced traveltravel, uh-ohs, as I call them.
So every experience is notgoing to be great.
I need somebody that's going togive me true and honest reviews
.
And if you want to know whothose people are that I follow,
hit me up in the DMs, because Iain't gonna put them on blast on
this podcast and I you know,because they paying me and then
(07:50):
I'll.
No, no, you can just, you canjust hit me up personally and
I'll share with the ones that Iactually follow.
So tip number one book the trip,just book the trip.
Next thing I do is plan ahead.
So whenever, before I even bookthe trip, I just say book the
trip.
Number one, because you got toget that fear out the way and
(08:12):
I'm going backwards.
But if you are afraid to solotravel, I would advise doing a
small trip.
Okay, I would advise being atourist in your own city.
Now, it depends on what cityyou're in, so like if I lived in
a small town, which I did atone time, it's only but so much
I'm gonna see in that small town, but I could drive to Charlotte
(08:34):
and be a tourist in Charlotte.
I know that may sound silly,but if you are afraid to take a
solo trip, starting on thatlevel is a good idea.
Book a staycation, okay, justjust book the ding dang trip.
But when you book the trip,plan ahead, do your research,
research the destination, lookfor local customs, um, get your
(08:57):
emergency contacts together andwhat kind of transportation are
you going to take.
Because, especially if you'regoing into a foreign country you
want to have, you don't want toget down there and try to
figure out how you're going toget from the airport to your
hotel.
You want to have all of thatstuff done ahead of time.
I personally use a travel agentfor when I'm doing international
(09:18):
travel.
It's just easier for me andit's more comforting for me
because the travel agent that Ihave, I can email her and be
like, hey, girl, we having aproblem, and she takes care of
it.
And also that I have abackground in travel.
Fun fact about me I used to bea travel agent.
I kind of miss it, so I mightbe getting back into it.
I don't know, but I was likethat with my travel clients too.
(09:41):
They had an issue, they couldemail me and I'm like, boom,
boom, boom, I'm gonna take careof it.
Now it wasn't 24 seven becauseboundaries, but they could rely
on me to to go and fix whateverwas happening.
Um, plan ahead by booking youraccommodations in advance and
always make sure you're lookingat reviews.
Um, don't just go by picturesy'all.
(10:03):
Don't just go by picturesbecause pictures.
Because pictures can be editedand pictures can be taken in a
good light.
Like I can take a picture of meright now and it looks like I'm
a size eight if I edit it.
I'm not doing that, but you getwhat I'm saying.
Look at the reviews.
One of the things that I use alot is Travel Advisor.
I'm not Travel Advisor, TripAdvisor.
(10:23):
It's a great site to look atbecause you've got real people
who have traveled to this place.
They're leaving real reviews.
They're taking real pictures ofthe place.
So look at Trip Advisor.
Trip Advisor even makes it easyas well.
You can put in a destinationand it will bring up places,
(10:47):
hotels and things and they willrank them in order and it's
based off of the reviews of thepeople.
So it's a great, great resource.
Tripadvisor also has all kindsof things, so you can look up
your hotel resort, you can lookup spas, you can look up just
about everything that you'relooking for for your trip.
So plan ahead.
For me, what takes out the fearof solo traveling is actually
(11:11):
being prepared for the trip.
When I planned ahead, I feelconfident in saying, okay, I
know that this place, this, thiscar service is going to pick me
up.
I don't have to worry abouthaggling for pricing or getting
ripped off, because a lot oftimes I've already paid for it
too, so I can just get off theplane, get in my car and go on.
(11:33):
If you are the type of personthat likes to drive, make your
reservations ahead of time.
Second third thing tip numberthree stay connected.
So stay connected with yourfamily and friends and use apps
to stay in touch with and shareyour location.
Now here's the thing.
I'm going to break these twodown.
All right.
(11:54):
Whenever I am traveling solo,about three or four people know
exactly where I'm going, whenI'm going to be there.
They know my whole itinerary,so I will give them my flight
information.
I will give them my hotel.
When I get into the hotel Iwill text and give them my room
number.
They know what excursions I'mgoing on.
A couple people we have onlocation.
(12:16):
So it depends on where I'mgoing.
If it's international, you knowyou got to be mindful of these
roaming international fees onyour phone.
So in order to stay in touch, Iuse things like WhatsApp.
My phone may, if I'minternational travel, doing
international travel, my phonemay stay on airplane mode,
(12:37):
depending on where I'm going.
But there are some plans withyour cell phone provider where
you can get internationalcoverage.
Or you can get a little burnerphone, okay.
Or you can get a SIM card and,in the country that you're
visiting, get a SIM card withthat local number.
That SIM card would allow youto use your internet.
(12:58):
You know, use your phone numberto stay in touch with people in
the States.
So just research your options,okay.
But those are some of the thingsthat I do, but I I create a
folder in Google drive.
It will have all of myitinerary information.
Itinerary information If I'mtraveling internationally.
(13:18):
I have a copy of my passportphoto.
You know that first page ofyour passport.
I have that in that folderbecause if you lose your
passport, you're going to need away to get it back.
So I have a copy of my passportin there.
I have all the emergencycontacts.
So each person that is anemergency contact is in that
folder.
What else?
(13:39):
It's a couple of things that Iput in there.
Oh, I have my medical insurancecard in there.
Um, some other things.
Oh, if I have like a list of myallergies, medications that I'm
currently taking, things likethat, because if god forbid,
something happens to me and I'mincapacitated and unable to
(14:00):
communicate, somebody has accessto that information that can
get it back to me.
And I also have my travelinsurance information in there.
So it's my US insurance andit's also my travel insurance.
Always get the travel insurance.
Okay, always get travelinsurance.
I don't care if you're going toMyrtle Beach and you live in
(14:26):
South Carolina.
Get the travel insurance,because you don't know what's
going to happen.
I'd rather have the travelinsurance and not need it than
need it and not have it.
Okay, let's see Some otherthings that I do when I'm solo
traveling.
I definitely pack smart, and myfriends are going to hear this
(14:46):
and laugh because they know,they know how I pack and they
also know it takes seven to 10business days for me to unpack.
That is the running joke now,but it's it's the God's honest
truth.
I hate unpacking.
I digress, but I hate unpacking.
It just reminds me that thetrip is over and depending on
(15:14):
how long my next trip isscheduled, it just depresses me.
Okay, but pack smart.
So I actually create a packinglist and in that packing list, I
break things down by categoriesof what I'm going to need.
So there's my medi.
If I'm on medication, which Iam there's certain vitamins and
things.
But you have to be careful withthis.
Caveat this isn't.
This is something that you needto make sure you research your
(15:37):
stuff, research your location,because certain medications are
not allowed in differentcountries, even with a
prescription.
There's um, there's someallowances for them, but there's
some countries requirepaperwork, they require uh notes
from your doctor.
So research your country, lookat your medications and research
(15:58):
your country.
But I'll put like, um, there'smy toiletries, and so I'll break
down what I need to pack in mytoiletries, there's clothing.
So I put my outfits together.
Now this is necessarily forwhen I am flying, because you
know those, those check bag fees.
They can add up and, dependingon the category in which you're
(16:20):
flying on your plane, or if havepoints or if you have credit
cards, you can easily pay $100in check bag fees just for one
bag.
It's $50 going and $50 comingback.
That's $100.
So you got to make sure thatyour weight is right.
You don't want to go over acertain pound.
Depending on your airline.
I think usually the one that Ifly on is 50 pounds.
(16:44):
So if my bag is 51 pounds, I'mpaying an extra weight fee.
So I will put my outfitstogether and I will coordinate
outfits with my shoes.
So usually, like I have a tripcoming up to the Caribbean in
November, so I know that's a hotclimate.
What I'm taking with me mostlyare bathing suits, because I'm
(17:06):
planning on being in a bathingsuit the entire time.
But we're also going to begoing to dinner.
We're also going to be doingactivities, so I need to make
sure that I have clothing that'sgoing to fit that situation.
So things like sundresses it'sgoing to be a hot climate
Sundresses.
I'm packing my workout clothes.
(17:28):
Probably just one outfit.
You know it's going to be funkywhen we get back, but I can't
bring my whole, you know,workout wardrobe.
So I will bring maybe a pair ofsandals that matches each dress
, that coordinates with eachdress.
My airplane outfit going downthere is going to be the
airplane outfit I'm wearing backhome.
So just things like that.
(17:48):
But I will put all of theseitems on a list, which helps me
to not forget anything when Ileave for my trip and not forget
anything when I come back.
I actually put that list, bringthat list with me so you can do
it two ways.
You can put it on a piece ofpaper, be old school, write it
on a piece of paper.
Or you can put it in your phone.
I tend to put it on a piece ofpaper because if this phone goes
(18:10):
dead or if something happenswhere I can't access the folder,
I have a paper option, okay,and that goes for my Google
Drive folder too.
Like, I have a copy of mypassport photo with me, an
actual physical copy, just incase something happens and I
can't access my phone.
(18:30):
So try to pack light if you canUse different, be versatile
with your outfits.
Oh, and here's a lifesaver.
Here's a lifesaver.
Packing cubes.
Baby, when I tell you them,packing cubes come in handy.
It saves space in your suitcase, it makes everything compact
(18:51):
and it just makes things neater.
Because one thing that I do umwith my packing cubes, since I
have everything, like I have myunderwear, one thing I have my
bathing suits and another thing,whatever I'm packing, it's all
in that one cube.
So I can literally pull thatcube out.
And if you're like me, I don'treally like to unpack, unpack I
(19:13):
will put that cube in a dresserdrawer or, like, hang up my
dresses so they can, you know,get the wrinkles out or whatever
.
But it makes it so much easier.
When it's time to leave, I canjust pull that cube out of the
dresser drawer and put it backin my suitcase.
So packing cubes are alifesaver.
I have probably two or threesets of packing cubes.
(19:39):
I've even seen some packingcubes that are like what do you
call those bags that you can puta little vacuum on and suck all
the air out?
I call them the freeze-dry bags.
That's not what they are, butyou can have those too, and that
even makes even more room inyour suitcase.
But I will caution this it's soeasy to overpack with those
(20:02):
because everything is smaller.
Remember they still weigh thesame, so be mindful of the
weight of your suitcase.
And you also want to packdifferently, you, so make sure
you you pack your valuables inyour carry-on bag if you're
flying, or leave your expensivestuff at home, depending on the
(20:27):
location where you're going.
Leave the expensive stuff athome, because what happens if
you get robbed?
You know, it's a reality.
Take pictures of your suitcase.
If your luggage gets lost, Iwould advise, if you have access
to air tags or what's the otherthere's another brand out there
now that I can't.
(20:49):
It's slipping my mind right nowwhat it is but if you have air
tags, put the little air tag inyour luggage.
And also, if you your luggagegets lost by the airline, take
pictures of what you're packing,because it's easier to file a
claim that way and and it's alsoeasier to file a claim with the
airline and your your travelinsurance.
So take pictures of what you'vepacked, make sure your
(21:11):
valuables are with you in yourcarry-on bag if you're flying,
or leave the expensive stuff athome.
Whenever I travel, I don't wearmy best jewelry.
I'll wear, like the costumejewelry or those pieces that I
know that those pieces that Iknow are I won't get again,
because certain brands that Ilove to wear they only release
(21:37):
these items one time and you mayget it again.
They may release it again, theymay not.
So those pieces that I know arespecial to me, I leave them at
home.
I leave them at home becauseit's too risky.
So another thing with thedocuments.
So you know how I have myGoogle Drive folder.
(21:58):
I have access to that on myphone.
But again, if that phone goesdown or the internet goes down
or whatever, there is somebodywho has access to it at home.
Whether I'm travelinginternationally or nationally,
somebody always has access tothis.
But guess what, I have a papercopy of it too.
(22:19):
Yeah, I have a paper copy of it.
It's probably going to belaminated.
Y'all don't laugh at me, butthis has been a lifesaver for me
.
I have a paper copy of mypassport, my driver's license,
my insurance cards things likethat my emergency contact
numbers.
All of that is a paper copy andI pack that and I put that in
my carry-on bag with me, or italways stays in whatever bag I'm
carrying while I'm on vacation,because if anything happens,
(22:42):
somebody has access to me.
When you're solo traveling, youwant to make sure that you are
staying safe.
Always keep your head on aswivel.
As a solo traveler, as a woman,nobody knows that I'm traveling
by myself, except for thepeople that I have deemed
necessary to know, like myemergency contacts, my family,
(23:03):
friends or whomever.
But when I'm solo traveling, Inever tell people that I'm
traveling by myself.
My man is always in the room.
I'm always saying, okay, yeah,I'll meet you there.
I'm either with my man or myfriends, my girlfriends.
Somebody's waiting on mewherever we go.
Okay, now the thing about solotraveling is, you will meet
people who are traveling solo aswell.
I still don't let them knowthat I'm traveling by myself.
(23:26):
Okay, people crazy.
Be safe.
Keep your head on a swivel.
Don't be talking on your phoneand not paying attention to your
surroundings when you're out,especially if you're a woman,
pay attention to yoursurroundings.
If I'm traveling in the UnitedStates, I keep a little thing of
pepper spray with me.
Well, pepper spray gel, pepperspray gel to me I prefer better
(23:49):
over the regular pepper spray,because pepper spray gel it goes
directly to whatever targetyou're trying to hit.
Pepper spray it will sprayeverywhere you could get hit.
So you up there coughing andhacking and you don't miss your
attacker or whatever.
So I get pepper spray gel.
Then you can't carry this stuffon a foreign trip or on the
(24:10):
airline.
So do your research.
Okay, that's enough.
Disclaimer.
Do your research.
I'm giving you tips, but doyour research.
Always, always, always.
Trust your instincts.
If something don't feel right,get up out of there.
Get up out of there, becauseyou know what I say.
It's not my gut telling me,it's not my instincts, it's Holy
(24:32):
Spirit giving me a warning.
Listen, get up out of there.
Avoid risky areas, especiallyat night.
Now the thing about solotraveling.
I don't do stuff at nighttimeunless I'm on an excursion, and
even then, I don't really doexcursions at night.
Um, I don't do things at night.
(24:54):
So I may go downstairs to myhotel, like the hotel lobby or
hotel restaurants or things likethat, that, but I'm not roaming
the streets at night by myself.
I barely do that in the UnitedStates.
So you know I'm not going to doit internationally.
Another tip embrace the localculture.
(25:15):
One thing I love aboutinternational travel is the
people.
Now, there are some countriesthat are going to treat you a
little better than others,especially my sisters, the black
people.
Y'all know what I'm talking.
There are some countries thatare going to treat you better
than others.
My time in Thailand, y'all.
I talk about Thailand all thetime because it was one of the
best experiences I've had intravel.
(25:36):
Thai people are so kind,they're so sweet and kind.
They don't call Thailand theland of smiles for nothing.
I have never been embraced bysuch a wonderful culture.
Now, it was a little it tooksome getting used to, because a
(25:56):
lot of black people don't travel.
Okay, let's just be, let's behonest, a lot of black people
American black people, americanblack people don't travel.
I wish I had pulled up thestats to see how many African
Americans actually havepassports and travel out of the
country.
But in Thailand they arefascinated by us.
(26:17):
So what we would consider as alittle bit of racism here in the
United States is really justcuriosity for Thai people.
And one thing that I noticed inThai, with Thailand, they would
.
They would take pictures.
Now I'm so glad that a friendof mine had prepared me for this
, because it was daunting atfirst, but once you get used to
(26:39):
it, you know some Thai peoplewill ask, well, can I take your
question?
Like they were just trying tofigure out were you real or
whatever.
But Thai people were just sokind.
It was one of the bestexperiences I've had to have
authentic Thai food.
You know what?
To be honest, I haven't hadThai food since I came back from
Thailand because I know itwon't taste the same.
(27:00):
It will.
Yes, I have, I take that back.
I have had Thai food.
I had Thai food one time and itdid not taste the same.
So I just that was the firstand last time I've had it, and
that's I went to Thailand inwhat?
2019, 2018, somewhere around inthere but learn basic phrases in
(27:21):
the local language if you'retraveling internationally.
Like for Thai, we learned howto say hello, how to say thank
you.
We learned the custom of bowing.
You bow to elders.
You don't bow to people yourage or young people unless they
bow to you.
You know just local customs andyou also want to pick up on
some of the laws, so respect thecustoms and the traditions.
(27:49):
Like for when I went toThailand, it was certain places
that we could not go withouthaving our legs covered and our
shoulders covered.
Thailand is a hot place, okay,it's tropical, so of course, we
walk around with shorts and youknow no sleeves and things like
that, but when it came tocertain areas, we knew to wrap
up.
If you're going to an Arabcountry, you know women, you
(28:10):
have to cover your head incertain places, so know the
local customs and traditions.
If you are American andlistening to this, don't be that
American.
You know what I'm talking about.
Don't be that American.
I wish I was doing video rightnow because you could see my
face.
Some Americans just have thatthing about them, where they
(28:31):
feel like the whole world issupposed to bow at their feet.
No, it don't work like that.
When you're going to anothercountry, respect the culture,
respect the culture, respect thepeople, respect the traditions.
And also, this is this is onethat my friends are going to
hear and they're going to laughat me because I'm a very picky
eater.
But they're going to laugh whenI say this Try local foods.
(28:54):
Try local foods.
Now, I'm giving this tip to you.
I don't take it.
Al right, because I'm a verypicky eater and also I have
allergies to somethings, so Ican't be eating everything, but
at least try the local food.
Like, I'm so glad that I triedauthentic Thai food because it
just, it was so good.
It was so good.
And even in my trip to theCaribbean this year, I'm looking
(29:17):
forward to having authenticJamaican food.
I'm going to Jamaica.
I'm looking forward to havingauthentic Jamaican food, with
limits, okay, because, again,allergies and I'm picky.
Also, engage with the localpeople.
Now, this may be difficult ifyou're in another country and
you don't speak the language,but there are ways to even get
(29:39):
around that.
I've used Google Translate.
There's so many differenttranslators out here that can
help you communicate with thelocal people.
One thing that I loved aboutThai is that they wanted to
practice English with us.
So when they found out, youknow well, it was obvious that I
wasn't Thai, but they wanted topractice English with us and
(30:01):
they allowed us to our Thai withthem and it was just an amazing
bonding experience.
So when you're traveling solo,one thing I love about solo
travel is being flexible, theflexibility of it all.
If I want to just stay in myroom all day, I can do that.
If I want to lounge by thebeach all day, I can do that.
(30:23):
If I want to just read a bookby the pool, I can do that.
If I want to get on a 6 amexcursion which I probably won't
do because I'm on vacation, butI have done that before.
When I was in Hawaii, I went ona sunrise cruise.
It was beautiful.
But if you have a group ofpeople you can't, you know the
flexibility may not be there.
(30:44):
So I love the flexibility ofsolo travel.
I can do whatever I want to doon this trip, but allow room for
spontaneity spontaneity in yourplan as well.
Do things that you won'tnormally do at home within
reason.
Okay, don't go out here and bedoing illegal stuff, dumb stuff.
(31:05):
Do it within reason, like onething that I love to do when I
go on, when I'm traveling solo,like, for instance, when I went
to Hawaii after my daughterpassed away.
I swam with the dolphins.
Y'all, I can't swim, I can'tswim, but it was like a once in
a lifetime thing and I'm so gladI did it.
(31:26):
Probably won't ever do it again, but I'm so glad I did it.
One thing I definitely want todo is I want to go to um is it
Turkey?
Turkey or Hungary?
I think it's Turkey and get ina hot air balloon.
Granted, I can get in a hot airballoon here in the United
States because it's a whole hotair balloon festival that
happens not far from me, butit's just something about Turkey
(31:47):
.
I've seen pictures of it.
I'm like, oh my god, that isbeautiful.
I want to experience that.
So do plan for spontaneity onyour trip and be open to new
experiences and meeting newpeople.
I love solo travel because youget to meet people from all over
the world.
In Thailand, I met somebodyfrom Sweden.
(32:10):
I have never met people fromSweden before and it was just
amazing.
I still keep in touch with themactually.
When I was in Hawaii, I metpeople from Japan, which was
cool.
When I went to St Lucia, ofcourse you have the St Lucia
people, but then there was acouple on their honeymoon from
New Zealand, you know.
(32:31):
So it's just things like thatyou get to meet different people
and meet, have differentexperiences with new people.
Another tip for solo travelingstay healthy.
Make sure you are hydrated andmake sure that you try to
balance your diet as much as youcan.
Because if you like me,sometimes I get over there and
just like, especially if it'sall inclusive.
(32:51):
Like my family and I are goingon a family cruise in April and
I know we're going to besurrounded by food.
Baby, I'm going to have tocontrol myself, okay, because I
could eat ice cream all day longbut make sure you stay hydrated
, especially if you're in awarmer client climate.
Now you may not want to drinkthe local water again.
Do your research, but getbottled water.
(33:13):
Um, there are some.
I have this this water bottlethat has a filtration system in
it.
Somebody gave it to me.
I don't know where they got it.
I don't know how to tell you toget one, but you know, get on
the internet.
I'm pretty sure you can find it.
If you can have a small firstaid kit and necessary
medications.
(33:33):
But again, if you're travelinginternationally, make sure that
that medication is somethingthat you can bring with you and
know the location of nearbyhospitals and clinics.
Also, know what your insurancewill cover.
Know what your insurance willcover your regular,
employee-based ormarketplace-based insurance, as
(33:55):
well as your travel insurance.
Make sure you know what theywill cover.
Some countries I was justeducated on this yesterday.
There are some places in Africawhere, if you don't have the
cash to pay, they won't treatyou.
So you may want to have anemergency stash of cash to be
able to pay for your treatments.
(34:16):
Some solo activities I love todo.
I love going to museums whetherit be art, history, those kind
of things visiting local parks,visiting landmarks, but doing
this at my own pace.
I love places like Charleston,going and looking at the history
.
One day I want to take a tripto Whitney Plantation in
(34:37):
Louisiana, not because I thinkthat plantations are touristy
things, but Whitney Plantationhas done this thing right.
Look them up if you can.
They don't make it about, oh,this is a great place for you
know enslaved people.
No, they give you the straightup history.
I know it's going to be veryemotional for me, but I really
want to visit that place.
(34:58):
I also want to take a trip toAfrica one day and, since I know
my African lineage, I want togo and find the villages where
my great, great, great greatgrandparents were brought from
the United States, brought fromAfrica to the United States,
from to be enslaved.
So explore those places.
(35:20):
You can do group tours and meetfellow travelers, but again, use
that, use caution, be safe withthat.
Research the places I like tolook at, I like to.
When I do group tours, I'mgoing off the recommendation of
my travel agent because we havea history.
She knows I'm bougie, she knowswhat I like, what I'm not going
to like, and also I will followthe recommendations of the
(35:44):
resorts because they havepartnerships with these places.
But again, do your research.
Just because somebodyrecommends something doesn't
mean you just get out here anddo it.
Do your research and if it doesnot feel safe to you, don't do
it.
And also, I like to enjoy somequiet times when I'm solo
traveling.
So I always bring my journaland I'm just writing about my
(36:06):
experience, what feelings I'mfeeling at that moment, what was
good, you know, whether I wouldcome back again.
Just whatever thought thatcomes to my mind, I'm writing it
down in my journal.
One important thing mind yourbudget.
Okay, mind your budget.
We tend to go on vacation andforget we got to come back and
pay rent and mortgage.
We got to keep the lights on.
(36:27):
We gotta get food.
So mind your budget.
One thing I love with solotraveling give me an
all-inclusive If it's possible.
Give me an all-inclusive If Ican't have an all-inclusive,
here's my budget.
Here's what I'm willing tospend on this flight, this hotel
(36:48):
room budget for the food budgetfor the excursions, and also
put a little little something,something aside for souvenirs.
I know a couple places that I Iliked.
Um for one, when I go to backto Thailand, because I am
planning on going back, Iactually wanted to live there
for a little still kind of havethat burning desire to do so.
But one thing I learnedThailand has some of the best
markets.
(37:09):
So I'm bringing at least twoempty suitcases because I'm
going shopping, but I'm going tobudget.
And also also, if you'retraveling internationally, try
to go to places where you canget a good exchange rate.
Like there are some placeswhere the dollar is stronger I
don't know how long that's goingto last, okay, because the way
this economy is set up, hellobut some places the dollar is
(37:32):
stronger, some places the dollaris not the stronger currency.
So look at the exchange rateand fix your budget based off of
the exchange rate of thecountry in which you're visiting
.
And if you're shopping, try toshop locally.
Like I said, Thailand has someof the best night markets, open
(37:52):
air markets.
It's like flea markets here inthe United States.
The best.
Shop locally.
I love to go and get localthings.
Like we found this young ladywho made earrings.
I love earrings, y'all.
She made handmade earrings andI think I bought up her whole
stock that night because theywere just so beautiful and so
(38:13):
intricate.
We'll try to support the localeconomy as well.
Have a mix of cash and cards and, like I said before, know the
exchange rates.
So if you have a credit card,you know I would suggest not
swiping that card wherever yougo, but it's good to have in
emergencies.
Also, make sure that you haveenough cash to last you the
(38:37):
entire trip and exchange yourmoney.
If you are travelinginternationally, exchange your
money while you're here in theUnited States.
Your local bank should be ableto do that for you.
One thing you don't want to dois get to the country where
you're traveling and exchangeyour money because the fees are
going to be astronomical.
Do that while you're here inthe US and take it with you.
(38:57):
And last thing I'm going toleave you with Document your
journey.
Document your journey.
Make sure you're takingpictures.
Write in a travel journal orcreate a travel journal.
Reflect on your experiences andenjoy the freedom of solo
travel.
I absolutely keep a camera on me.
(39:17):
I have my phone and I have acamera just for the pictures.
I have beautiful pictures fromThailand that I can look back at
.
If you could, if it's withinyour budget, hire a photographer
or videographer to go out withyou for the day.
That's one of my dreams.
There are some places that dothese flying dresses.
(39:40):
I'm planning on doing a flyingdress photo shoot, because I
love good photo shoot, but I'mplanning on doing a flying dress
photo shoot when I hit Jamaica.
These are memories that nobodycan take away from me.
But being able to look back atpictures of me in Thailand
feeding elephants something thatwas on my travel vision board
(40:03):
when I get to, when I went toHawaii I have.
I've been to Hawaii twice.
I have two photo albums full ofpictures from Hawaii.
I have pictures from St Lucia,so all of my travels have been
documented by these picturesthat I get to take, and I love
architecture and nature.
So these are things thatpictures of things that I love.
(40:24):
So whenever I pass on, somebodycan look at these like wow, she
really went these places byherself.
Like yeah, absolutely, and justmake sure that you are also in
the moment.
Because one thing that Irealized about being a content
creator is we tend to forgetthat we are on vacation and so
it starts to feel like work.
(40:45):
Put that camera, put thatcamera down, put the phone down,
take in what you are in.
Take in what you are in.
These trips can be expensive.
These trips can be things thatyou don't know if you're going
to get back to that place, soenjoy the moment.
Enjoy the moment.
(41:07):
So go ahead, book the trip, doyour research, find someplace
that you love.
I'll also leave you with onelast tip, and then we're going
to close out.
There is an organization that Isaw on Instagram, and what they
(41:28):
do is they plan your nextvacation, but there's a catch.
The catch is the destination isa surprise to you.
So they plan plane trips, roadtrips, you pick trips, outdoor
trips, whatever, but you don'tget to pick your destination.
They surprise you with it.
So what they do is you have tofill out a questionnaire, you
(41:52):
give them your budget and thenthey plan this trip and you
don't know where you're goinguntil the day of your trip.
You open up a little envelopeand it tells you where you're
going.
It's called Pack Up and GoTravel.
I'm going to link them on inthe show description.
This is not a sponsored ad, butPack Up and Go if you want to.
(42:13):
You know, hook your sister,hook your girl up, let me know.
But I want to try them one day,just because, just because.
I have followed them onInstagram for a while and some
of these trips have been likesuper amazing and I just want to
(42:33):
see what they would come upwith for me.
So it's called Pack Up and GoTravel.
I will again link thedescription in the show notes,
link their Instagram in the shownotes, check them out, check
them out.
And if you are concerned aboutyour budget for travel or if you
want to do, um, like a dreamtrip, you know, I have a what I
(42:59):
call a travel vision board.
This vision board is dedicatedto passport stamps only.
Because one of my goals is tostep foot on every continent on
this earth except Antarctica,because I don't do cold like
that, but I would love to justtravel the world.
So I have places that I want tovisit, activities that I want
(43:22):
to do.
I have the country's flags onit.
It's just a great way and areminder for me to just see the
vision ahead.
So start there, create a travelvision board and go crazy with
it.
Go crazy with it.
If you love hiking, put thesehiking spots on there.
There's some great places tohike in Arizona and Colorado.
(43:44):
One day I want to go skiing, sothere's a whole resort in
Colorado that I want to visit.
There's a spa in Sedona,Arizona that I want to visit.
And please don't think you haveto go internationally to travel
solo.
There are a lot of places herein the United States that I have
yet to see.
So there are places in Texasthat I want to go.
You know California.
(44:05):
I really want to get on a trainand go down the Pacific Coast
Highway on a train because Ihear it's beautiful.
So put all these places on yourtravel vision board and then,
as you go on through life,you'll see that you've actually
touched down in these places.
And when I tell you that is amost amazing experience to see
(44:27):
your vision come to life, Ican't even explain it.
I can't even explain it.
So I hope that you have enjoyedthis episode.
If you have any other tips fortravel solo travel or otherwise
I'm probably going to do anepisode about group traveling
next, so stay tuned.
It is summertime, honey.
(44:47):
We are outside.
We are about to enjoy this lifeand live empowered.
We're getting passport stampsand airline miles, all right,
but until next time, the nextepisode.
Thank you for joining me, butremember God loves you.
I love you.
It ain't nothing you can doabout it.
Boo, bye.
What's good everybody?
Welcome to The Charging Stationpodcast.
It's your girl, Tracey Masseyof Living EmPOWERed Life.
Chiille.
Hold on, I gotta cough.
One second.
(coughs) Excuse me.
Early mornings because at thetime of the recording of this
podcast, y'all it is.
It's early.
It's early but I'm in thestudio early because today is
(00:47):
going to be a full day.
But, baby, I hope you have beenenjoying the series entitled
"Branches.
The last episode was veryspecial to me because it had a
very special guest.
If you have no idea what I'mtalking about, go back.
Go back and start from part oneand all of it will make sense.
But in "Branches," I'm talkingabout my DNA journey.
(01:08):
I took an Ancestry DNA test andthe saga continues.
So we're going to take a littlebreak from "branches, honestly,
because at the moment there isno update.
Where we left off is where weleft off, so we are moving
forward.
And another reason is because,I don't know why I said because,
(01:31):
like that, but it was verydainty, wasn't it?
It's because I need a break.
I need a break from my ownstory.
It's been a lot and also we arecoming to the close of season
seven, so I wanted to leave on ahigh note.
I didn't want to close out thisseason so heavy, so we're going
(01:57):
to leave on a high note.
This is not the last episode ofseason seven, but we probably
got like two more and I justwanted to leave you guys with
something good and because it'ssummertime, so let me just get
into it.
If you are new here, you came infrom the "branches series
welcome.
I hope that you stay, go backand listen to the other episodes
(02:18):
.
You got over a hundred episodesto binge listen to and that'll
give you an idea of who I am,what I do, the shenanigans of my
life.
If you're a returning listener,hey boo, you know I love me
some you.
Welcome back.
Everybody.
Go ahead, grab your coffee,grab your tea, grab your water,
grab your wine.
Whatever your beverage ofchoice is.
Sis, grab that thang and have aseat on the couchy, couchy
(02:40):
couch.
And also follow me on all thesocials.
You can find me at Living MyEmPOWERed My Life on TikTok,
Instagram, Facebook, YouTube.
I don't do X or Twitter,whatever it is now thr.
um.
Am I on Threads?
Yeah, I'm on Threads, but Ican't remember my name.
On Threads, I think it's LivingMy EmPOWERed Life.
I think I'm Living My EmPOWERedLife everywhere.
So just look me up and that'sthat.
(03:02):
Make sure you follow, subscribe, rate, leave a review on
whatever podcast platform you'relistening to.
So I think I covered everything.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, so now
let's get into the content,shall we.
It is summertime, summer, summer, summertime, and it's um, I
(03:24):
don't know about you all, but mypassport is itching for a stamp
and my feet are itching forsand betwixt my toes, and I just
needed a sun on my shouldersand a little, you know, a little
fruity beverage with anumbrella in it.
So it's time to travel.
It is time to travel, and oneof my favorite things to do is
(03:44):
solo travel, and as a woman, itcan be a little, you know, not
tricky, but tricky, okay.
So I'm going to share with yousome tips for solo traveling and
this can be used for the guysas well, but I'm mainly talking
to my sisters, okay, I'm mainlytalking to my sisters because we
(04:07):
have to take little extraprecautions.
I mean, you should reallyshould be doing these things if
you're traveling, period, butespecially if you're solo
traveling.
All right, so grab a notebook,um, as you listen to what we
doing, I'm going to share withyou a few tips and I'm going to
share with you, probably if wehave time, if we have time some
(04:31):
of my favorite solo tripdestinations.
Okay, all right, so let's getinto it.
So, number one, when solotraveling.
If you're thinking about solotraveling, I'm going to give you
this number one piece of advice.
Book the trip.
Book the ding dang trip.
What are you afraid of?
Go online, book the trip.
(04:52):
I'll tell you a couple thingsthat, excuse me, that I use to
help me kind of decide where Iwant to go.
One thing in particular I lovebeaches.
I love the ocean.
I love water.
I love lakes.
So whenever I'm solo traveling,you're going to find me at a
beach, you're going to find meat the lake.
Every once in a while, you mayfind me at the mountains,
(05:12):
because I love that too.
I think I just love the beautyin nature and God's creation.
The mountains make me feel likeI'm tickling Jesus' feet.
I want to be on the top of themountain, basically touching
clouds, and then the ocean justreminds me of how much control
God is in, because every wave isdifferent, it hits at different
(05:36):
parts of the shoreline, they'reall doing their own thing.
It's all like this veryorchestrated, beautiful thing.
But I just love those elementsand then when I'm in those
elements, I feel peaceful, Ifeel free, I feel creative, it's
restful for me.
So one thing that I love towatch is the travel channel.
(05:59):
I actually subscribe to CondeNast travel because I want to
see different places and I liketo go from lower end to high end
and not too low end, becauseI'm very travel bougie.
I'm very travel bougie.
You can't get me in no two star, nothing, okay, it's just not
(06:19):
going to work.
I did that when I was younger.
I didn't really like it then,but you know, you got to go
where your money go.
I ain't got to do that, no more.
So, yeah, I'm very travelbougie.
I have certain hotels that Iwill stay in and I have certain
areas where I would go.
But I love looking at likethings that will show up on
(06:41):
Lifestyles of the Rich andFamous if it was still running,
because I'm a visual person, Ibelieve in manifestation, I
believe in speaking those thingsthat are not as though they
were.
I want top-notch luxury, okay.
So I look at everything becauseI have to expose my mind to
those things.
So I will be on the travelchannel.
(07:03):
I follow different travelinfluencers and bloggers because
they're actually in thetrenches of these places.
So I really want to get thefull experience.
Now there are some travelbloggers and travel influencers
who will not give you a truereview of their trip.
If you find somebody on socialmedia and every experience they
have is great, I would belooking at them sideways because
(07:27):
girl, what Girl, what?
Even I have experienced traveltravel, uh-ohs, as I call them.
So every experience is notgoing to be great.
I need somebody that's going togive me true and honest reviews
.
And if you want to know whothose people are that I follow,
hit me up in the DMs, because Iain't gonna put them on blast on
this podcast and I you know,because they paying me and then
(07:50):
I'll.
No, no, you can just, you canjust hit me up personally and
I'll share with the ones that Iactually follow.
So tip number one book the trip,just book the trip.
Next thing I do is plan ahead.
So whenever, before I even bookthe trip, I just say book the
trip.
Number one, because you got toget that fear out the way and
(08:12):
I'm going backwards.
But if you are afraid to solotravel, I would advise doing a
small trip.
Okay, I would advise being atourist in your own city.
Now, it depends on what cityyou're in, so like if I lived in
a small town, which I did atone time, it's only but so much
I'm gonna see in that small town, but I could drive to Charlotte
(08:34):
and be a tourist in Charlotte.
I know that may sound silly,but if you are afraid to take a
solo trip, starting on thatlevel is a good idea.
Book a staycation, okay, justjust book the ding dang trip.
But when you book the trip,plan ahead, do your research,
research the destination, lookfor local customs, um, get your
(08:57):
emergency contacts together andwhat kind of transportation are
you going to take.
Because, especially if you'regoing into a foreign country you
want to have, you don't want toget down there and try to
figure out how you're going toget from the airport to your
hotel.
You want to have all of thatstuff done ahead of time.
I personally use a travel agentfor when I'm doing international
(09:18):
travel.
It's just easier for me andit's more comforting for me
because the travel agent that Ihave, I can email her and be
like, hey, girl, we having aproblem, and she takes care of
it.
And also that I have abackground in travel.
Fun fact about me I used to bea travel agent.
I kind of miss it, so I mightbe getting back into it.
I don't know, but I was likethat with my travel clients too.
(09:41):
They had an issue, they couldemail me and I'm like, boom,
boom, boom, I'm gonna take careof it.
Now it wasn't 24 seven becauseboundaries, but they could rely
on me to to go and fix whateverwas happening.
Um, plan ahead by booking youraccommodations in advance and
always make sure you're lookingat reviews.
Um, don't just go by picturesy'all.
(10:03):
Don't just go by picturesbecause pictures.
Because pictures can be editedand pictures can be taken in a
good light.
Like I can take a picture of meright now and it looks like I'm
a size eight if I edit it.
I'm not doing that, but you getwhat I'm saying.
Look at the reviews.
One of the things that I use alot is Travel Advisor.
I'm not Travel Advisor, TripAdvisor.
(10:23):
It's a great site to look atbecause you've got real people
who have traveled to this place.
They're leaving real reviews.
They're taking real pictures ofthe place.
So look at Trip Advisor.
Trip Advisor even makes it easyas well.
You can put in a destinationand it will bring up places,
(10:47):
hotels and things and they willrank them in order and it's
based off of the reviews of thepeople.
So it's a great, great resource.
Tripadvisor also has all kindsof things, so you can look up
your hotel resort, you can lookup spas, you can look up just
about everything that you'relooking for for your trip.
So plan ahead.
For me, what takes out the fearof solo traveling is actually
(11:11):
being prepared for the trip.
When I planned ahead, I feelconfident in saying, okay, I
know that this place, this, thiscar service is going to pick me
up.
I don't have to worry abouthaggling for pricing or getting
ripped off, because a lot oftimes I've already paid for it
too, so I can just get off theplane, get in my car and go on.
(11:33):
If you are the type of personthat likes to drive, make your
reservations ahead of time.
Second third thing tip numberthree stay connected.
So stay connected with yourfamily and friends and use apps
to stay in touch with and shareyour location.
Now here's the thing.
I'm going to break these twodown.
All right.
(11:54):
Whenever I am traveling solo,about three or four people know
exactly where I'm going, whenI'm going to be there.
They know my whole itinerary,so I will give them my flight
information.
I will give them my hotel.
When I get into the hotel Iwill text and give them my room
number.
They know what excursions I'mgoing on.
A couple people we have onlocation.
(12:16):
So it depends on where I'mgoing.
If it's international, you knowyou got to be mindful of these
roaming international fees onyour phone.
So in order to stay in touch, Iuse things like WhatsApp.
My phone may, if I'minternational travel, doing
international travel, my phonemay stay on airplane mode,
(12:37):
depending on where I'm going.
But there are some plans withyour cell phone provider where
you can get internationalcoverage.
Or you can get a little burnerphone, okay.
Or you can get a SIM card and,in the country that you're
visiting, get a SIM card withthat local number.
That SIM card would allow youto use your internet.
(12:58):
You know, use your phone numberto stay in touch with people in
the States.
So just research your options,okay.
But those are some of the thingsthat I do, but I I create a
folder in Google drive.
It will have all of myitinerary information.
Itinerary information If I'mtraveling internationally.
(13:18):
I have a copy of my passportphoto.
You know that first page ofyour passport.
I have that in that folderbecause if you lose your
passport, you're going to need away to get it back.
So I have a copy of my passportin there.
I have all the emergencycontacts.
So each person that is anemergency contact is in that
folder.
What else?
(13:39):
It's a couple of things that Iput in there.
Oh, I have my medical insurancecard in there.
Um, some other things.
Oh, if I have like a list of myallergies, medications that I'm
currently taking, things likethat, because if god forbid,
something happens to me and I'mincapacitated and unable to
(14:00):
communicate, somebody has accessto that information that can
get it back to me.
And I also have my travelinsurance information in there.
So it's my US insurance andit's also my travel insurance.
Always get the travel insurance.
Okay, always get travelinsurance.
I don't care if you're going toMyrtle Beach and you live in
(14:26):
South Carolina.
Get the travel insurance,because you don't know what's
going to happen.
I'd rather have the travelinsurance and not need it than
need it and not have it.
Okay, let's see Some otherthings that I do when I'm solo
traveling.
I definitely pack smart, and myfriends are going to hear this
(14:46):
and laugh because they know,they know how I pack and they
also know it takes seven to 10business days for me to unpack.
That is the running joke now,but it's it's the God's honest
truth.
I hate unpacking.
I digress, but I hate unpacking.
It just reminds me that thetrip is over and depending on
(15:14):
how long my next trip isscheduled, it just depresses me.
Okay, but pack smart.
So I actually create a packinglist and in that packing list, I
break things down by categoriesof what I'm going to need.
So there's my medi.
If I'm on medication, which Iam there's certain vitamins and
things.
But you have to be careful withthis.
Caveat this isn't.
This is something that you needto make sure you research your
(15:37):
stuff, research your location,because certain medications are
not allowed in differentcountries, even with a
prescription.
There's um, there's someallowances for them, but there's
some countries requirepaperwork, they require uh notes
from your doctor.
So research your country, lookat your medications and research
(15:58):
your country.
But I'll put like, um, there'smy toiletries, and so I'll break
down what I need to pack in mytoiletries, there's clothing.
So I put my outfits together.
Now this is necessarily forwhen I am flying, because you
know those, those check bag fees.
They can add up and, dependingon the category in which you're
(16:20):
flying on your plane, or if havepoints or if you have credit
cards, you can easily pay $100in check bag fees just for one
bag.
It's $50 going and $50 comingback.
That's $100.
So you got to make sure thatyour weight is right.
You don't want to go over acertain pound.
Depending on your airline.
I think usually the one that Ifly on is 50 pounds.
(16:44):
So if my bag is 51 pounds, I'mpaying an extra weight fee.
So I will put my outfitstogether and I will coordinate
outfits with my shoes.
So usually, like I have a tripcoming up to the Caribbean in
November, so I know that's a hotclimate.
What I'm taking with me mostlyare bathing suits, because I'm
(17:06):
planning on being in a bathingsuit the entire time.
But we're also going to begoing to dinner.
We're also going to be doingactivities, so I need to make
sure that I have clothing that'sgoing to fit that situation.
So things like sundresses it'sgoing to be a hot climate
Sundresses.
I'm packing my workout clothes.
(17:28):
Probably just one outfit.
You know it's going to be funkywhen we get back, but I can't
bring my whole, you know,workout wardrobe.
So I will bring maybe a pair ofsandals that matches each dress
, that coordinates with eachdress.
My airplane outfit going downthere is going to be the
airplane outfit I'm wearing backhome.
So just things like that.
(17:48):
But I will put all of theseitems on a list, which helps me
to not forget anything when Ileave for my trip and not forget
anything when I come back.
I actually put that list, bringthat list with me so you can do
it two ways.
You can put it on a piece ofpaper, be old school, write it
on a piece of paper.
Or you can put it in your phone.
I tend to put it on a piece ofpaper because if this phone goes
(18:10):
dead or if something happenswhere I can't access the folder,
I have a paper option, okay,and that goes for my Google
Drive folder too.
Like, I have a copy of mypassport photo with me, an
actual physical copy, just incase something happens and I
can't access my phone.
(18:30):
So try to pack light if you canUse different, be versatile
with your outfits.
Oh, and here's a lifesaver.
Here's a lifesaver.
Packing cubes.
Baby, when I tell you them,packing cubes come in handy.
It saves space in your suitcase, it makes everything compact
(18:51):
and it just makes things neater.
Because one thing that I do umwith my packing cubes, since I
have everything, like I have myunderwear, one thing I have my
bathing suits and another thing,whatever I'm packing, it's all
in that one cube.
So I can literally pull thatcube out.
And if you're like me, I don'treally like to unpack, unpack I
(19:13):
will put that cube in a dresserdrawer or, like, hang up my
dresses so they can, you know,get the wrinkles out or whatever
.
But it makes it so much easier.
When it's time to leave, I canjust pull that cube out of the
dresser drawer and put it backin my suitcase.
So packing cubes are alifesaver.
I have probably two or threesets of packing cubes.
(19:39):
I've even seen some packingcubes that are like what do you
call those bags that you can puta little vacuum on and suck all
the air out?
I call them the freeze-dry bags.
That's not what they are, butyou can have those too, and that
even makes even more room inyour suitcase.
But I will caution this it's soeasy to overpack with those
(20:02):
because everything is smaller.
Remember they still weigh thesame, so be mindful of the
weight of your suitcase.
And you also want to packdifferently, you, so make sure
you you pack your valuables inyour carry-on bag if you're
flying, or leave your expensivestuff at home, depending on the
(20:27):
location where you're going.
Leave the expensive stuff athome, because what happens if
you get robbed?
You know, it's a reality.
Take pictures of your suitcase.
If your luggage gets lost, Iwould advise, if you have access
to air tags or what's the otherthere's another brand out there
now that I can't.
(20:49):
It's slipping my mind right nowwhat it is but if you have air
tags, put the little air tag inyour luggage.
And also, if you your luggagegets lost by the airline, take
pictures of what you're packing,because it's easier to file a
claim that way and and it's alsoeasier to file a claim with the
airline and your your travelinsurance.
So take pictures of what you'vepacked, make sure your
(21:11):
valuables are with you in yourcarry-on bag if you're flying,
or leave the expensive stuff athome.
Whenever I travel, I don't wearmy best jewelry.
I'll wear, like the costumejewelry or those pieces that I
know that those pieces that Iknow are I won't get again,
because certain brands that Ilove to wear they only release
(21:37):
these items one time and you mayget it again.
They may release it again, theymay not.
So those pieces that I know arespecial to me, I leave them at
home.
I leave them at home becauseit's too risky.
So another thing with thedocuments.
So you know how I have myGoogle Drive folder.
(21:58):
I have access to that on myphone.
But again, if that phone goesdown or the internet goes down
or whatever, there is somebodywho has access to it at home.
Whether I'm travelinginternationally or nationally,
somebody always has access tothis.
But guess what, I have a papercopy of it too.
(22:19):
Yeah, I have a paper copy of it.
It's probably going to belaminated.
Y'all don't laugh at me, butthis has been a lifesaver for me
.
I have a paper copy of mypassport, my driver's license,
my insurance cards things likethat my emergency contact
numbers.
All of that is a paper copy andI pack that and I put that in
my carry-on bag with me, or italways stays in whatever bag I'm
carrying while I'm on vacation,because if anything happens,
(22:42):
somebody has access to me.
When you're solo traveling, youwant to make sure that you are
staying safe.
Always keep your head on aswivel.
As a solo traveler, as a woman,nobody knows that I'm traveling
by myself, except for thepeople that I have deemed
necessary to know, like myemergency contacts, my family,
(23:03):
friends or whomever.
But when I'm solo traveling, Inever tell people that I'm
traveling by myself.
My man is always in the room.
I'm always saying, okay, yeah,I'll meet you there.
I'm either with my man or myfriends, my girlfriends.
Somebody's waiting on mewherever we go.
Okay, now the thing about solotraveling is, you will meet
people who are traveling solo aswell.
I still don't let them knowthat I'm traveling by myself.
(23:26):
Okay, people crazy.
Be safe.
Keep your head on a swivel.
Don't be talking on your phoneand not paying attention to your
surroundings when you're out,especially if you're a woman,
pay attention to yoursurroundings.
If I'm traveling in the UnitedStates, I keep a little thing of
pepper spray with me.
Well, pepper spray gel, pepperspray gel to me I prefer better
(23:49):
over the regular pepper spray,because pepper spray gel it goes
directly to whatever targetyou're trying to hit.
Pepper spray it will sprayeverywhere you could get hit.
So you up there coughing andhacking and you don't miss your
attacker or whatever.
So I get pepper spray gel.
Then you can't carry this stuffon a foreign trip or on the
(24:10):
airline.
So do your research.
Okay, that's enough.
Disclaimer.
Do your research.
I'm giving you tips, but doyour research.
Always, always, always.
Trust your instincts.
If something don't feel right,get up out of there.
Get up out of there, becauseyou know what I say.
It's not my gut telling me,it's not my instincts, it's Holy
(24:32):
Spirit giving me a warning.
Listen, get up out of there.
Avoid risky areas, especiallyat night.
Now the thing about solotraveling.
I don't do stuff at nighttimeunless I'm on an excursion, and
even then, I don't really doexcursions at night.
Um, I don't do things at night.
(24:54):
So I may go downstairs to myhotel, like the hotel lobby or
hotel restaurants or things likethat, that, but I'm not roaming
the streets at night by myself.
I barely do that in the UnitedStates.
So you know I'm not going to doit internationally.
Another tip embrace the localculture.
(25:15):
One thing I love aboutinternational travel is the
people.
Now, there are some countriesthat are going to treat you a
little better than others,especially my sisters, the black
people.
Y'all know what I'm talking.
There are some countries thatare going to treat you better
than others.
My time in Thailand, y'all.
I talk about Thailand all thetime because it was one of the
best experiences I've had intravel.
(25:36):
Thai people are so kind,they're so sweet and kind.
They don't call Thailand theland of smiles for nothing.
I have never been embraced bysuch a wonderful culture.
Now, it was a little it tooksome getting used to, because a
(25:56):
lot of black people don't travel.
Okay, let's just be, let's behonest, a lot of black people
American black people, americanblack people don't travel.
I wish I had pulled up thestats to see how many African
Americans actually havepassports and travel out of the
country.
But in Thailand they arefascinated by us.
(26:17):
So what we would consider as alittle bit of racism here in the
United States is really justcuriosity for Thai people.
And one thing that I noticed inThai, with Thailand, they would
.
They would take pictures.
Now I'm so glad that a friendof mine had prepared me for this
, because it was daunting atfirst, but once you get used to
(26:39):
it, you know some Thai peoplewill ask, well, can I take your
question?
Like they were just trying tofigure out were you real or
whatever.
But Thai people were just sokind.
It was one of the bestexperiences I've had to have
authentic Thai food.
You know what?
To be honest, I haven't hadThai food since I came back from
Thailand because I know itwon't taste the same.
(27:00):
It will.
Yes, I have, I take that back.
I have had Thai food.
I had Thai food one time and itdid not taste the same.
So I just that was the firstand last time I've had it, and
that's I went to Thailand inwhat?
2019, 2018, somewhere around inthere but learn basic phrases in
(27:21):
the local language if you'retraveling internationally.
Like for Thai, we learned howto say hello, how to say thank
you.
We learned the custom of bowing.
You bow to elders.
You don't bow to people yourage or young people unless they
bow to you.
You know just local customs andyou also want to pick up on
some of the laws, so respect thecustoms and the traditions.
(27:49):
Like for when I went toThailand, it was certain places
that we could not go withouthaving our legs covered and our
shoulders covered.
Thailand is a hot place, okay,it's tropical, so of course, we
walk around with shorts and youknow no sleeves and things like
that, but when it came tocertain areas, we knew to wrap
up.
If you're going to an Arabcountry, you know women, you
(28:10):
have to cover your head incertain places, so know the
local customs and traditions.
If you are American andlistening to this, don't be that
American.
You know what I'm talking about.
Don't be that American.
I wish I was doing video rightnow because you could see my
face.
Some Americans just have thatthing about them, where they
(28:31):
feel like the whole world issupposed to bow at their feet.
No, it don't work like that.
When you're going to anothercountry, respect the culture,
respect the culture, respect thepeople, respect the traditions.
And also, this is this is onethat my friends are going to
hear and they're going to laughat me because I'm a very picky
eater.
But they're going to laugh whenI say this Try local foods.
(28:54):
Try local foods.
Now, I'm giving this tip to you.
I don't take it.
Al right, because I'm a verypicky eater and also I have
allergies to somethings, so Ican't be eating everything, but
at least try the local food.
Like, I'm so glad that I triedauthentic Thai food because it
just, it was so good.
It was so good.
And even in my trip to theCaribbean this year, I'm looking
(29:17):
forward to having authenticJamaican food.
I'm going to Jamaica.
I'm looking forward to havingauthentic Jamaican food, with
limits, okay, because, again,allergies and I'm picky.
Also, engage with the localpeople.
Now, this may be difficult ifyou're in another country and
you don't speak the language,but there are ways to even get
(29:39):
around that.
I've used Google Translate.
There's so many differenttranslators out here that can
help you communicate with thelocal people.
One thing that I loved aboutThai is that they wanted to
practice English with us.
So when they found out, youknow well, it was obvious that I
wasn't Thai, but they wanted topractice English with us and
(30:01):
they allowed us to our Thai withthem and it was just an amazing
bonding experience.
So when you're traveling solo,one thing I love about solo
travel is being flexible, theflexibility of it all.
If I want to just stay in myroom all day, I can do that.
If I want to lounge by thebeach all day, I can do that.
(30:23):
If I want to just read a bookby the pool, I can do that.
If I want to get on a 6 amexcursion which I probably won't
do because I'm on vacation, butI have done that before.
When I was in Hawaii, I went ona sunrise cruise.
It was beautiful.
But if you have a group ofpeople you can't, you know the
flexibility may not be there.
(30:44):
So I love the flexibility ofsolo travel.
I can do whatever I want to doon this trip, but allow room for
spontaneity spontaneity in yourplan as well.
Do things that you won'tnormally do at home within
reason.
Okay, don't go out here and bedoing illegal stuff, dumb stuff.
(31:05):
Do it within reason, like onething that I love to do when I
go on, when I'm traveling solo,like, for instance, when I went
to Hawaii after my daughterpassed away.
I swam with the dolphins.
Y'all, I can't swim, I can'tswim, but it was like a once in
a lifetime thing and I'm so gladI did it.
(31:26):
Probably won't ever do it again, but I'm so glad I did it.
One thing I definitely want todo is I want to go to um is it
Turkey?
Turkey or Hungary?
I think it's Turkey and get ina hot air balloon.
Granted, I can get in a hot airballoon here in the United
States because it's a whole hotair balloon festival that
happens not far from me, butit's just something about Turkey
(31:47):
.
I've seen pictures of it.
I'm like, oh my god, that isbeautiful.
I want to experience that.
So do plan for spontaneity onyour trip and be open to new
experiences and meeting newpeople.
I love solo travel because youget to meet people from all over
the world.
In Thailand, I met somebodyfrom Sweden.
(32:10):
I have never met people fromSweden before and it was just
amazing.
I still keep in touch with themactually.
When I was in Hawaii, I metpeople from Japan, which was
cool.
When I went to St Lucia, ofcourse you have the St Lucia
people, but then there was acouple on their honeymoon from
New Zealand, you know.
(32:31):
So it's just things like thatyou get to meet different people
and meet, have differentexperiences with new people.
Another tip for solo travelingstay healthy.
Make sure you are hydrated andmake sure that you try to
balance your diet as much as youcan.
Because if you like me,sometimes I get over there and
just like, especially if it'sall inclusive.
(32:51):
Like my family and I are goingon a family cruise in April and
I know we're going to besurrounded by food.
Baby, I'm going to have tocontrol myself, okay, because I
could eat ice cream all day longbut make sure you stay hydrated
, especially if you're in awarmer client climate.
Now you may not want to drinkthe local water again.
Do your research, but getbottled water.
(33:13):
Um, there are some.
I have this this water bottlethat has a filtration system in
it.
Somebody gave it to me.
I don't know where they got it.
I don't know how to tell you toget one, but you know, get on
the internet.
I'm pretty sure you can find it.
If you can have a small firstaid kit and necessary
medications.
(33:33):
But again, if you're travelinginternationally, make sure that
that medication is somethingthat you can bring with you and
know the location of nearbyhospitals and clinics.
Also, know what your insurancewill cover.
Know what your insurance willcover your regular,
employee-based ormarketplace-based insurance, as
(33:55):
well as your travel insurance.
Make sure you know what theywill cover.
Some countries I was justeducated on this yesterday.
There are some places in Africawhere, if you don't have the
cash to pay, they won't treatyou.
So you may want to have anemergency stash of cash to be
able to pay for your treatments.
(34:16):
Some solo activities I love todo.
I love going to museums whetherit be art, history, those kind
of things visiting local parks,visiting landmarks, but doing
this at my own pace.
I love places like Charleston,going and looking at the history
.
One day I want to take a tripto Whitney Plantation in
(34:37):
Louisiana, not because I thinkthat plantations are touristy
things, but Whitney Plantationhas done this thing right.
Look them up if you can.
They don't make it about, oh,this is a great place for you
know enslaved people.
No, they give you the straightup history.
I know it's going to be veryemotional for me, but I really
want to visit that place.
(34:58):
I also want to take a trip toAfrica one day and, since I know
my African lineage, I want togo and find the villages where
my great, great, great greatgrandparents were brought from
the United States, brought fromAfrica to the United States,
from to be enslaved.
So explore those places.
(35:20):
You can do group tours and meetfellow travelers, but again, use
that, use caution, be safe withthat.
Research the places I like tolook at, I like to.
When I do group tours, I'mgoing off the recommendation of
my travel agent because we havea history.
She knows I'm bougie, she knowswhat I like, what I'm not going
to like, and also I will followthe recommendations of the
(35:44):
resorts because they havepartnerships with these places.
But again, do your research.
Just because somebodyrecommends something doesn't
mean you just get out here anddo it.
Do your research and if it doesnot feel safe to you, don't do
it.
And also, I like to enjoy somequiet times when I'm solo
traveling.
So I always bring my journaland I'm just writing about my
(36:06):
experience, what feelings I'mfeeling at that moment, what was
good, you know, whether I wouldcome back again.
Just whatever thought thatcomes to my mind, I'm writing it
down in my journal.
One important thing mind yourbudget.
Okay, mind your budget.
We tend to go on vacation andforget we got to come back and
pay rent and mortgage.
We got to keep the lights on.
(36:27):
We gotta get food.
So mind your budget.
One thing I love with solotraveling give me an
all-inclusive If it's possible.
Give me an all-inclusive If Ican't have an all-inclusive,
here's my budget.
Here's what I'm willing tospend on this flight, this hotel
(36:48):
room budget for the food budgetfor the excursions, and also
put a little little something,something aside for souvenirs.
I know a couple places that I Iliked.
Um for one, when I go to backto Thailand, because I am
planning on going back, Iactually wanted to live there
for a little still kind of havethat burning desire to do so.
But one thing I learnedThailand has some of the best
markets.
(37:09):
So I'm bringing at least twoempty suitcases because I'm
going shopping, but I'm going tobudget.
And also also, if you'retraveling internationally, try
to go to places where you canget a good exchange rate.
Like there are some placeswhere the dollar is stronger I
don't know how long that's goingto last, okay, because the way
this economy is set up, hellobut some places the dollar is
(37:32):
stronger, some places the dollaris not the stronger currency.
So look at the exchange rateand fix your budget based off of
the exchange rate of thecountry in which you're visiting
.
And if you're shopping, try toshop locally.
Like I said, Thailand has someof the best night markets, open
(37:52):
air markets.
It's like flea markets here inthe United States.
The best.
Shop locally.
I love to go and get localthings.
Like we found this young ladywho made earrings.
I love earrings, y'all.
She made handmade earrings andI think I bought up her whole
stock that night because theywere just so beautiful and so
(38:13):
intricate.
We'll try to support the localeconomy as well.
Have a mix of cash and cards and, like I said before, know the
exchange rates.
So if you have a credit card,you know I would suggest not
swiping that card wherever yougo, but it's good to have in
emergencies.
Also, make sure that you haveenough cash to last you the
(38:37):
entire trip and exchange yourmoney.
If you are travelinginternationally, exchange your
money while you're here in theUnited States.
Your local bank should be ableto do that for you.
One thing you don't want to dois get to the country where
you're traveling and exchangeyour money because the fees are
going to be astronomical.
Do that while you're here inthe US and take it with you.
(38:57):
And last thing I'm going toleave you with Document your
journey.
Document your journey.
Make sure you're takingpictures.
Write in a travel journal orcreate a travel journal.
Reflect on your experiences andenjoy the freedom of solo
travel.
I absolutely keep a camera on me.
(39:17):
I have my phone and I have acamera just for the pictures.
I have beautiful pictures fromThailand that I can look back at
.
If you could, if it's withinyour budget, hire a photographer
or videographer to go out withyou for the day.
That's one of my dreams.
There are some places that dothese flying dresses.
(39:40):
I'm planning on doing a flyingdress photo shoot, because I
love good photo shoot, but I'mplanning on doing a flying dress
photo shoot when I hit Jamaica.
These are memories that nobodycan take away from me.
But being able to look back atpictures of me in Thailand
feeding elephants something thatwas on my travel vision board
(40:03):
when I get to, when I went toHawaii I have.
I've been to Hawaii twice.
I have two photo albums full ofpictures from Hawaii.
I have pictures from St Lucia,so all of my travels have been
documented by these picturesthat I get to take, and I love
architecture and nature.
So these are things thatpictures of things that I love.
(40:24):
So whenever I pass on, somebodycan look at these like wow, she
really went these places byherself.
Like yeah, absolutely, and justmake sure that you are also in
the moment.
Because one thing that Irealized about being a content
creator is we tend to forgetthat we are on vacation and so
it starts to feel like work.
(40:45):
Put that camera, put thatcamera down, put the phone down,
take in what you are in.
Take in what you are in.
These trips can be expensive.
These trips can be things thatyou don't know if you're going
to get back to that place, soenjoy the moment.
Enjoy the moment.
(41:07):
So go ahead, book the trip, doyour research, find someplace
that you love.
I'll also leave you with onelast tip, and then we're going
to close out.
There is an organization that Isaw on Instagram, and what they
(41:28):
do is they plan your nextvacation, but there's a catch.
The catch is the destination isa surprise to you.
So they plan plane trips, roadtrips, you pick trips, outdoor
trips, whatever, but you don'tget to pick your destination.
They surprise you with it.
So what they do is you have tofill out a questionnaire, you
(41:52):
give them your budget and thenthey plan this trip and you
don't know where you're goinguntil the day of your trip.
You open up a little envelopeand it tells you where you're
going.
It's called Pack Up and GoTravel.
I'm going to link them on inthe show description.
This is not a sponsored ad, butPack Up and Go if you want to.
(42:13):
You know, hook your sister,hook your girl up, let me know.
But I want to try them one day,just because, just because.
I have followed them onInstagram for a while and some
of these trips have been likesuper amazing and I just want to
(42:33):
see what they would come upwith for me.
So it's called Pack Up and GoTravel.
I will again link thedescription in the show notes,
link their Instagram in the shownotes, check them out, check
them out.
And if you are concerned aboutyour budget for travel or if you
want to do, um, like a dreamtrip, you know, I have a what I
(42:59):
call a travel vision board.
This vision board is dedicatedto passport stamps only.
Because one of my goals is tostep foot on every continent on
this earth except Antarctica,because I don't do cold like
that, but I would love to justtravel the world.
So I have places that I want tovisit, activities that I want
(43:22):
to do.
I have the country's flags onit.
It's just a great way and areminder for me to just see the
vision ahead.
So start there, create a travelvision board and go crazy with
it.
Go crazy with it.
If you love hiking, put thesehiking spots on there.
There's some great places tohike in Arizona and Colorado.
(43:44):
One day I want to go skiing, sothere's a whole resort in
Colorado that I want to visit.
There's a spa in Sedona,Arizona that I want to visit.
And please don't think you haveto go internationally to travel
solo.
There are a lot of places herein the United States that I have
yet to see.
So there are places in Texasthat I want to go.
You know California.
(44:05):
I really want to get on a trainand go down the Pacific Coast
Highway on a train because Ihear it's beautiful.
So put all these places on yourtravel vision board and then,
as you go on through life,you'll see that you've actually
touched down in these places.
And when I tell you that is amost amazing experience to see
(44:27):
your vision come to life, Ican't even explain it.
I can't even explain it.
So I hope that you have enjoyedthis episode.
If you have any other tips fortravel solo travel or otherwise
I'm probably going to do anepisode about group traveling
next, so stay tuned.
It is summertime, honey.
(44:47):
We are outside.
We are about to enjoy this lifeand live empowered.
We're getting passport stampsand airline miles, all right,
but until next time, the nextepisode.
Thank you for joining me, butremember God loves you.
I love you.
It ain't nothing you can doabout it.
Boo, bye.
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