Slow Traveling Soul Sister
The Ethos of a Retired Nomad, Slow Traveling while Black and Solo. Yes, DaniLew is doing the darn thing! She retired at age 55 from the Information Technology sector and is now forging ahead in her second career as a small business owner (SelfishMe Travel) while living her dream of traveling the world slowly, solo and Black. Who is DaniLew and what makes her tick? What is slow travel? How does she deal with being the “only one” on the road? How did she retire early? Where is she now, where has she been, and what set her off in the first place? What is she doing and why? You'll find the answers to these questions and more by listening to her bi-weekly podcasts where she will share her mindset changes, travel expertise, and life experiences!
Episodes
Episode 017 - Slow Travel: like attracts like
For the last several months I’ve been working very hard. I’ve rarely visited the beach that’s a 10-minute stroll away or the rooftop deck on my apartment that is 1-flight of stairs. In addition, I’ve neglected this podcast.
Why you ask? Because travel is back in a big way and my clients (and potential clients) have been chomping at the bit to get out and get away this year and the next. ...
Episode 016 - Slow Travel: What is Slow Travel?
Slow Travel is an approach to travel that prioritizes connection: to local people, cultures, food, music, languages, and vibe. Slow Travel relies on the belief that a trip is meant to educate and have a long-lasting emotional impact while remaining sustainable for local communities and the environment.
Slow Travel ensures that you not only get the most benefit, but the loc...
Episode 015: Black History Month.
What is Black History Month and why is it celebrated?
Black History Month (originally known as African-American Heritage Month) really dates back to 1915 when Carter G. Woodson, known as the ‘Father of Black History’ and the pioneer of African American studies in the early 20th century, created an organization called the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.
And in 1926, Woodson initi...
Episode 014 - Solo Travel – Australia: where I discuss my 3-month trip to Australia and New Zealand and the forever friends I met there.
I worked for the same company in the DMV (that’s Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia) for 26 years but then I did something totally out of the ordinary. What did I do? I volunteered to be laid-off.
The company was hurting financially, and they were laying off groups of people every month...
Episode 013 - Solo Travel - winning the lottery: where I discuss the latest rumor about my life.
The first weekend in October 2021, saw me, my BFF (best friend forever), and a good portion of my high school classmates together for our 40+1 reunion in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. It was a wonderful weekend and I won a prize (a neck pillow!) for traveling the furthest. I was surprised to learn that some of my classmates decided that I ha...
Episode 012 - Slow Travel: I’m back in Playa del Carmen
For nearly 35 years of traveling worldwide, I refused to visit our neighbors to the South. Why? Because I’m a foodie and the Mexican food that I had experienced living in and around the DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia) just did not ignite my pilot. No, I didn’t base my tastes on Taco Bell or Carlos O’Kelly’s – ugh! They both made me sick to my stomach – but there just wasn’t a...
Episode 011 - Solo Travel: my favorite countries
When I say my favorite countries, it means that I’ve traveled north, south, east, and west and visited multiple cities, towns, or villages within that county. The common mistake people make is when they say “I love Portugal” but have only been to Lisbon or “I love the USA” when they’ve only visited NYC and/or LA. You can’t truly love a country or call it your favorite until ...
010.Slow Travel: one suitcase and one backpack
“As a woman I have no country. As a woman I want no country. As a woman, my country is the whole world.”
When I read that Virginia Woolf quote back in high school, I had no idea that it would impact my life so much in 2016.
Granted, she wrote that in 1938 as part of a protest against women being soldiers and going to war to defend their country. But in this day and age of globalization,...
009. Solo Travel: online forums and groups
There are plenty of general travel, solo travel, and solo travel for women groups and forums on Facebook and other platforms. You’ll get hundreds of people asking “where should I go?” And in return, you’ll get a lot of answers as well but then no explanation as to why. There always has to be a why.
From the start, why did you ask perfect strangers to recommend a place for your vacation? Ar...
Episode 008 Solo Travel: you’re so brave.
Why is traveling alone a “brave” thing to do?
I have some friends who have never and will never go on a solo vacation. Case in point, I recently met up with two friends, both black and from large families.
One friend said she doesn’t trust anyone – Wow. So, you only surround yourself with family and a small group of friends but trust no one outside that circle? Are you always looking over ...
Episode 007 is where I discuss Oneika the Traveler’s solo travel article, titled “Why a solo vacation is the best self-care a woman can give herself”.
Many women have attempted to write such an article and many have succeeded but Oneika’s blog post touched my soul. She is an excellent writer and you should follow her on all social media channels.
Anyway, on my travel agency website, I wrote that "Solo Travel is the highest form ...
The flight from Dulles to Dakar Senegal stopped for an hour to let off few passengers and pick some new ...
005. Get to know me: Europe in a flash: The first vacation that changed my life’s path was my 2001 Solo Whirlwind Tour Around Europe (7 countries and 9+ major cities in 21 days) using the extensive multi-country European Rail System in this order: London, Paris, Lisbon, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Rome, Paris, London, Bath England, Manchester, Dublin, Copenhagen, London then home. Whew!
So that was England, France, Portugal, Spain, I...
Episode 004 - Get to know me: money is the root: Early in my adulthood, I asked God for 3 things: to see Stevie Wonder in concert, to own my own Mercedes Benz, and to retire at age 55 and enjoy it for at least 15 years. Two out of three ain’t bad and I’m still working on the third one.
The first ask: Stevie Wonder is a musical genius and living legend. His songs have were the background throughout my lifetime and played a huge rol...
Episode 003 - Get to know me: daddy issues: By the age of 17, I declared that I wasn’t having any children. First of all, nearly half of my high school senior class had babies – and I could see the fear in my friends’ eyes. The fear of raising a baby alone, the fear of raising a child in a less than ideal situation, the fear of being trapped for the rest of their lives. I didn’t want that. One of my biggest fears is being trapped. ...
Episode 002 - Get to know me: fierce and afraid: We are a product of our environment, however, it doesn’t mean it’s our destiny. You can rise above it by the choices you make. By the age of 14, I declared that I would leave on the first thing out of town as soon as I could, by any means necessary. You see, I grew up in the hood, and yes, while the village did help to raise me, I wanted more for myself. And from what I’d seen, done ...
Episode 001 - Get to know me: the Hill District blues: Are you old enough to remember the hit television police drama series “Hill Street Blues”? I know most of the exteriors were shot in Chicago but Stephen Bochco attended Carnie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and as part of his thesis, he took a drive in a police car through my neighborhood, and years later wrote the riveting tv series. According to sources close to him “The run...
This is the Slow Traveling Soul Sister podcast trailer that explains what I hope to inspire in single black women, of any age.
On September 8, 2021 - Happy Birthday to me! - I will release the first episode and some bonus episodes that will let you get a feel for who I am. After that, the podcasts (mostly monologue) will be updated bi-weekly on Tuesdays with insights on my travels around the world, the people I've met...
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