Slow Traveling Soul Sister

Episode 017 - Slow Travel: like attracts likeFor 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. Some have kept me so busy with multiple vacation plans or...

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 local people and the world around you do too. Because you’ll have stor...

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 initiated the first Negro History Week in February, speci...

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 so… I volunteered at the age of 50 to be laid off. My upline was, ...

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 had won the lottery and that’s how I was able to travel to ...

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 any Mexican restaurants around that made me want to get in...

Episode 011 - Solo Travel: my favorite countriesWhen 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 you’ve visited more than one or two places; any real traveler will tell ...

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, information technology, and the digital revolution ...

009. Solo Travel: online forums and groupsThere 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? Are you surrounded by family and friends who have neve...

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 your shoulder? Are you inspecting the kitc...