Episode 78- Nikki Vargas, Unearth Women
At one point or another, most women have dreamed about traveling the world. Maybe it's a trip to Europe or a city break somewhere exotic in Asia. But for some, the 'dream' can seem impossible. Not because we don't want to travel but because some women are looking for the right resource to guide their trip.
Christine’s guest today is Nikki Vargas. Nikki is the first person to be a 3-peat guest here on solo travel and I couldn't be more excited to be having another conversation with her. This time we're discussing her new book Wanderess and she shares how this book grew from her work at Unearth Women and the Feminist City Guides. Our chat will give you just a taste of this incredible book that should be in the hands of every female identifying traveler.
Originally from Colombia, Nikki Vargas is a travel editor published author and writer now living in New York City.
Her first book Wanderess was published in February of 2022. It is an exhaustive women's travel resource combining the wisdom, expertise and experience of leading women in the travel industry. She is currently writing her second book which is a personal travel memoir.
Currently, Nikki is an editor for photos travel where she commission's writes and edits and produces daily travel stories for the Digital Site. In addition, she is also the Founding Editor of Unearth Women, a women's travel publication she founded back in 2018. Unearth Women's mission is to show travelers how to support women worldwide, while also sharing women's stories. Her work with unearth women has appeared in The New York Times, Good Morning America, CNN, Vogue, Spain and the Washington Post.
Join me now for my soulful conversation with Nikki Vargas.
In this episode, Christine and Nikki discuss:
How travel found Nikki and what she loves about the travel industry
What Feminist City Guides are and how they support women when traveling
Her book, Wanderess and how it includes perspectives from many different women with different backgrounds
The different types of travelers
Travel hacks and how to pack for travel
The importance of volunteer tourism and the impact it has
Resources & Links Mentioned in the Episode
To learn about Nikki Vargas, head over to www.nikkivargas.com/
Purchase her book, Wanderess HERE
Follow Nikki on Instagram and Twitter
Signup for Unearth Women | A Travel Newsletter HERE
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About the Soul Of Travel Podcast
Soul of Travel honors the passion and dedication of the people making a positive impact in tourism. In each episode, you’ll hear the story of women who are industry professionals and seasoned travelers and community leaders who know travel is more than a vacation. It is an opportunity for personal awareness and it is a vehicle for change. We are thought leaders, action takers, and heart-centered change makers.
The guests work in all sectors of the tourism industry. You'll hear from adventure-based community organizations, social impact businesses, travel photographers and videographers, tourism boards and destination marketing organizations, and transformational travel experts. They all honor the idea that travel is more than a vacation and focus on sustainable travel, eco-travel, community-based tourism, and intentional travel.
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If you want to learn about new destinations, types of travel, or how to be more intentional or live life on purpose, join Christine Winebrenner Irick for soulful conversations with her community of fellow travelers exploring the heart, the mind, and the globe. These conversations highlight what tourism really means for the world.
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Credits. Christine Winebrenner Irick (Host, creator, editor.) Nikki Vargas (Guest). Original music by Clark Adams. Editing and production by Rayna Booth.
Transcript
KEYWORDS
travel, travelers, women, book, people, chapter, destination, businesses, conversation, wanderess, volunteering, guides, solo traveler
Christine Winebrenner Irick 00:08
Thank you for joining me for soulful conversations with my community of fellow travelers, exploring the heart, the mind and the globe. These conversations highlight what travel really means for the world. Soul of Travel honors the passion and dedication of the people making a positive impact in tourism. Each week, I'll be speaking to women who are tourism professionals, world travelers and leaders in their communities will explore how travel has changed them and how that has rippled out and inspired them to change the world. These conversations are as much about travel as they are about passion, and living life with purpose, chasing dreams, building businesses, and having the desire to make the world a better place. This is a community of people who no travel is more than a vacation. It is an opportunity for personal awareness, and it is a vehicle for change. We are thought leaders, action takers, and heart centered change makers I'm Christine Winebrenner Irick. And this is the Soul of Travel.
01:26
Originally from Colombia, Nikki Vargas is a travel editor, published author and writer now living in New York City. Her first book Wanderess was published in February of 2022. It is an exhaustive women's travel resource combining the wisdom, expertise and experience of leading women in the travel industry. She is currently writing her second book which is a personal travel memoir. Currently, Nikki is an editor for photos travel where she Commission's writes and edits and produces daily travel stories for the Digital site. In addition, she is also the founding editor of unearth women, a women's travel publication she founded back in 2018. On Earth women's mission is to show travelers how to support women worldwide, while also sharing women's stories. Her work with unearth women has appeared in The New York Times, Good Morning America, CNN, Vogue, Spain and the Washington Post. Nikki is the first person to be a three peat guest here on solo travel and I couldn't be more excited to be having another conversation with her. This time we're discussing her new book Wanderess and she shares how this book grew from her work at unearth women and the feminist city guides. Our chat will give you just a taste of this incredible book that should be in the hands of every female identifying traveler. Join me now for this soulful conversation with Nikki Vargas.
03:13
Welcome to soul of travel, I am so excited to be sitting down with Nicki Vargas as she is my first like three peat guest, which is so exciting. So she's been with me on all of my seasons of the podcast. So welcome. Thank you for joining me again here today. Thanks for having me. I didn't realize that I am like the third repeat. That's awesome. Yeah, it just has worked out that way. Like there's always just been a little something going on every season. So I really appreciate it, especially with your emphasis on creating space for voices for women in travel. Obviously, it's so aligned with what I'm doing. So I love that we can kind of just keep going further. And for those of you joining who have maybe not listened to a past conversation, Nikki is an editor for photos travel, is the founding editor at unearth women and most recently the co author of Wanderess the Unearth Women's Guide to traveling smart, safe and solo. And that's kind of what we're going to dive into today. So thanks again for teasing. Yeah, thanks for that introduction. And for those watching. I just have to. I already decided to proceed. Yes, I'm moving. And so that's why my walls are like a crazy bear and there's just like a mess everywhere. So just have to set that. Give that disclaimer. Yeah, thank you. Yeah, and for those of you if you go back and watch the videos, I was just telling Nikki I was glad that she's not traveling because there's always kind of been like you had we had Christmas there was something else there's always been like a like scenario painted by your apartment and I was like, Oh, I really hope she's there and then today you
05:00
It's you're moving. So I love that it's this. We're gonna have to do season four in the new apartment. Like, stay tuned for what the next place looks like.
05:08
Yeah, excellent. Well, and I know, it'll come into play later, but maybe we'll be able to talk about your new book for season four. It'll be perfect. I love you. Amazing. Keep doing something. So I have a reason to have you come back. So yeah, as I mentioned, since we last spoke, you begin a new position at Fodor's travel, which is really exciting. Congratulations. And then Wanderess, which for those of you who are not familiar, you won't be able to see this obviously on the podcast, but I'm going to share the book because it is my greatest thing. Ever. I love it so much in terms of feeling like a visual experience. I have loved looking through it. Clearly, I have all my chapters. That makes me so happy.
06:02
It's like you have all the bookmarks and the dog eared pages. Oh, I love that. Someone that's what I want to see. I want to see like, like people's copies of wonders that are like rough from all the love, you know, just like really written in and like full of sand and pressed flowers and bookmarks. Like, that's what it's supposed to be. Yeah, I love that. And it's just like, it's really cool. I feel like we talked about this with an earth women people are gonna think I'm just obsessed with like, the texture of written material, which I
06:33
like the quality of the pages. And it's really heavy. And like at first I was like, I don't even want to I just so pretty. I don't even want to touch it. But yeah, now I've been diving into it. Well, as we started our conversation, I just wanted to really quickly let you introduce yourself a little bit more. Let our listeners know who you are, and then we'll go from there. Sure. So I am Nikki Vargas. As you mentioned, I'm an editor at Fodor's travel. I'm also the founding editor of unearth woman, which is a woman's travel publication that started out as a print publication and then like most publications shifted to digital. And then I'm also the co-author of Wanderess which was just published by Penguin Random House in February. wondrous, is an exhaustive and interactive women's travel resource. And I'll get into that later what that means to have an interactive book. But it really is just a collaborative effort that taps the voices and expertise and wisdom of women across the travel industry, who really just sort of are speaking to the nuances of traveling as a modern woman and moving through the world today. And so I'm really excited to be here to talk about Wanderess. Yeah, well, and before we go there, I just wanted to reconnect a little bit with Unearth Women. I know this is part of where the Wanderess journey began. And in specific to the feminist city guides, which are also referenced in this book, I have the fun opportunity of finally traveling feels like it's been forever. And I was in New Orleans for Wonder fest. And I was like, Where do I want to go to eat and I was like, feminists, city guides. So you know, that's where I went. And we went to Bay on a restaurant. And it was amazing. Wow, for those of you listening, the on unearth women's website, there are all of these guides that you can go and you can explore cities, really tapping into kind of connecting more to local businesses, entrepreneurs, connecting with women owned businesses, all of these things that would kind of give you a different look at a destination than maybe following your standard guides. But do you want to talk a little bit more about their purpose and what people would find there?
08:56
Yeah, so first of all, I love that you used it in real time, like that is it that just warms my heart and I've done it too. And obviously I've done it.
09:07
That is so awesome. So I'm glad that it served you well. So for those unfamiliar with it, a feminist city guide is essentially a travel guide for destinations with the destination specific guide but what's unique about it is that it points travelers in the direction of women owned and bipoc businesses and I think that's really special because you have these guides and you know if you're in New York you know to go to the Empire State Building and you know to go see the Statue of Liberty and walk the Highline. But you may not know to go visit you know, cafe con Libras in Brooklyn, which is like one of the only feminist bookstores in the borough or to go visit you and me why you and me which is like the first bookstore opened in Chinatown and the first bookstore in New York to be owned by an Asian woman and that celebrates immigrant stories. And the purpose of these guides really is to show what is a fundamental belief at Northland.
10:00
Do travelers have the ability to really champion women and champion minority communities? And you have the ability to do that by how you choose to spend your money and where you choose to spend your time and how you choose to highlight elements of your trip. And so these guides are meant to show you where to stay, where to eat, where to shop. Also history, pockets of history statues that celebrate women doing cool things, you know, historical, you know, walking tours is meant to show you a destination through the lens of supporting women and supporting minority communities so that in the end of the day, the travelers going there can further support those missions, whether it's supporting female entrepreneurs, or whatever it is. So that really is kind of the basis of the feminist city guides. And it's a constantly evolving work in progress, which is to say that, you know, especially after the pandemic, so many businesses closed, so we had to basically go back and retroactively update all of them. Because we just, you know, these guides very quickly become outdated. So, I'm so happy that the New Orleans guys were good for you. But what we really do is we lean on our writers, and we lean on our readers to tell us if you find an amazing woman on store, restaurant or hotel or whatever it is, and a place you're traveling, and you see that we don't have that, please tell us so it's it kind of goes both ways. It's sort of an open communication with our readers. And these guys are constantly being updated constantly being just constantly evolving to sort of rope in all of the ever developing, you know, women owned businesses out there. Yeah. So that's, that's really kind of the bread and butter of underemployment is this concept of femininity, guys. And that is where I think we made our mark. And also what inspired Wanderess. Yeah, I just was also thinking, I took my daughter's to Seattle. And we tapped into it there too. And I was really glad to see that my favorite ice cream store, Molly moons, which is owned by a woman as well , went to the same university that I went to in Montana. And then when we lived there, I think my second daughter was like, composed of like, 80%, Molly moons before she was born, because
12:19
my oldest daughter wanted to eat it all the time. And I was like, Sure, well, I'm pregnant, let's just eat there again, and again, and again. But I really love it because I always had a really strong sense of what she was creating as a business. She was one of the first businesses to really pay well above minimum wage, bringing employees that aren't going to create even a career in an ice cream shop, which is, you know, it's just not something you would really create, think about. And so I really love that, again, like we were just saying, like, this just invites you into an experience, you might have gone there and enjoyed it before. But if you read the story about it, then you're just connected to it at a deeper level. And so I'll just encourage people, if you're traveling, just to hop on there. And like you said, if you're traveling somewhere, and there isn't already a guide, I think we'll talk about this at the end of the conversation. There's an opportunity to add to that, because, yeah, I really want to create this kind of living breathing space for Connect. Yeah. So you know, the thing is, it's that it's funny because I still have trouble finding women owned businesses. So when I'm planning a trip, and it's, you know, like if I want to know where to find a woman owned restaurant or woman owned hotel, and I go to Google to look for it, even I struggle with it.
13:42
So it's just there isn't really like a comprehensive database out there where people can just sort of search for women, on businesses, women in hotels, run on restaurants, whatever it is, and find what they're looking for. And it's tricky enough in states around the United States to find it, there are moves being made, you know, now that you have women on business labels on Yelp, and Google that do help, but when you're outside of the United States, it is almost impossible. It is really difficult, especially in certain countries, to try to find women in businesses that you can support or women in hotels or whatever it is. And the way to do it there is really just, you know, word of mouth or connecting with other female travelers. So the hope is that we're creating a resource that people can kind of just turn to when they're planning a trip and be like, Okay, I'm traveling in Beirut. And I want to know if there's any women in businesses here to support and yes, there are, and we have a guide for that. So it's like there's things like, you know, where it's hard for you to find women in businesses, we want to be able to kind of step in and push you in the direction to find them. Because again, there are female entrepreneurs everywhere, and they all need support, and they all deserve to have their stories heard. Yeah, I agree. And obviously that's such a similar
15:00
Passion for me as well, especially globally and looking at, you know, working with local female guides, or just finding restaurants and properties to stay like you mentioned. Um, well as we're talking about kind of creating this space for conversation around women, amplifying the work that they do and their voices, I really wanted to start with talking about Wanderess. And so you co authored this with Elise Fitzsimmons, who is also a founder of unearth women. And I, what I really love is that you guys didn't really set out to write this book yourself, which you could have done right, you have enough knowledge to kind of create the frame of this book. But I think, and I have heard you say that it's really significant that, that you didn't do that, that you really worked with other women who are featured in this book to tell a larger story about travel for women. So can you talk a little bit about why that was important to you as you started to create this? Yeah, totally. So you know, the thing with wonder is when it came to ideating, like, what the book is gonna be working with Penguin to do it. It never was a question of me and Elise doing it ourselves. And I think it was very important that if we're going to, you know, shepherd this resource for modern women on how to travel, it was important that it had varied perspectives. And I think the number one thing to recognize is that I have one perspective, Elise has one perspective, and our two combined perspectives do not encompass the perspectives of all women. It's actually very hard to do that. And so I knew that I wanted to bring in the voices of women. And so we did bring on contributing writers contributing authors, women who lent quotes, you know, words of wisdom are sort of peppered throughout the text on the importance of that is, you have women that are speaking to elements of the travel experience that they have experience in. So for example, Danny Henrik, she's fantastic. She's a founder of Globetrotter, girls, she's part of the LGBTQ community, and everything she writes within Globetrotter girls, is really much focused on LGBTQ travel. So with that section, and the nuances of traveling as a member of the LGBTQ community, and considerations, like checking into a hotel, with your same sex partner, these are things that, yeah, sure, at least, and I could maybe like, have done some research and spoken to. But that's not fair. Because that's not our experience. And that's not our perspective. And somebody who lives that experience should be the one to write that. And so that was sort of the consideration. And, and I hope that as people read wanderings, they see that reflected, they see that this advice is coming from someone who feels and identifies with this experience, and not just someone who spent a night researching it for the sake of the book. And that goes for everything in here from traveling, as you know, women of color to pregnant to being a new mom to go into menopause, it really was important for us to pull in voices that could speak to these different elements. Yeah, thank you for walking us through that. Because I think it's really important. And I think, you know, I've definitely seen that through unearthing women in general, that you really are trying to create an inclusive space for storytelling and travel. And so I love that that kind of folded over into this guide, and it just creates space for so many conversations. So yeah, and I think what you said and I love what you said, create space, because, you know, I want to be cognizant of the fact that like, by no means is this the be all end all inclusive guide like there is always work to be done. So Wanderess is the tip of the iceberg. You know, it does speak to traveling as women of color and traveling for the LGBTQ community and all of these sorts of nuances and niches of women's travel. But there's still things to talk about. There's still things like disability travel and, plus size travel. So this really should be the start of a much larger conversation, which is that travel is not a one size fits all experience. And I know you heard me saying this in the nomadic book club but so I'm sorry to hear it all again. But I just can't keep saying this enough. I feel like as someone who works in the travel industry as a writer and editor, the fundamental flaw of utility travel content, which is what we call travel content that is meant to be serviceable to readers, to show you how to travel and where to travel and how to pack and whatever. The flaunt it, is that it addresses readers as just one monolith. It doesn't get into the nuances, even with something as like surface levels packing like how you pack your bag
20:00
As a mom, or as a single guy, or as a solo traveler is very different. And considerations should be taken. So it doesn't really serve anyone to do this one size fits all approach, like, the person who's traveling with a disability is going to pack the exact same way, as you know, the single white guy versus, you know, a woman of color. It's very different. And so what I hope wonderous does is usher in this conversation about how travel needs to be more nuanced when we talk about it, because the more nuanced it is, the more helpful and serviceable it actually is to travelers. Yeah, thank you for sharing that. And I think it's so powerful, especially, I think, we've looked at the industry, both from creation of products and talking about travel in this very kind of sanitized way. And like you've said, this kind of one size fits all. And, like, that's the shiniest, prettiest, easiest way of looking at a lot of this, but I think we're really starting to see that travelers, one like they want to see themselves in travel. It's a very personal experience to travel and choose where you're gonna go, investing yourself in yourself, investing your time and energy to make this happen. Like, we want to do this from this space, I think where we personally connect to what we're going to do and it can't happen. If we don't see an article about ourselves, don't see ourselves in advertisements, don't find an itinerary that is really catering to the truth of who we are. And so I think travel is really starting to evolve from that perspective. And I'm really just excited for what we might see moving forward.
21:56
Hi, it's Christine. Interrupting this episode for just a quick minute to invite you to join me for my get wild in Glacier women's wilderness retreat. I'm so excited to share because last year when I partnered with my friend Becky rob from Trailblazer wellness, we brought women to the top of a fourteener in Colorado, and knew we had to do it again. This year, we're headed to Glacier Park in Montana. I grew up in northwest Montana and cannot wait to share this treasured corner of the world with you. You'll get to get wild and reconnect with your inner child as you hike, bike, ride horseback and whitewater raft. Not only that, Becky and I spent three months with you preparing for this adventure and creating community, you'll be excited to meet in person and share this adventure with during these three months, you'll get one on one coaching with Becky to prepare for the adventure, as well as mindset and yoga sessions led by me an education from other inspiring women about nutrition on the trail and packing for adventure, as well as learning from local educators about nature and wildlife and indigenous communities. This is a unique experience that adds so much depth to your journey. Registration for this women's wilderness retreat closes on May 20. And our virtual coaching begins on June 6, visit the Lotus sojourns website for more information. I cannot wait to share my home with you. Now let's hop back over to our soulful conversation.
23:30
So to dive into the book, I think we'll go there and I love it personally. I love that there was a quiz at the beginning of the book, I didn't even really realize it. I had already just skipped in and skipped pass out when I started looking at it and heard you talking about it. So for people, when you get the book, the very first thing you can do is take a quiz to find out what kind of traveler you are. Which I think is fun because maybe we haven't thought about ourselves as a type of traveler. I think a lot of people just either travel because they're traveling with friends or family or for work or maybe just, you know, book a certain tour but maybe without giving a lot of thought about who they are as a traveler. And so I think it's fun to get to play with like asking the questions again, like we said earlier creating just a space for conversation and for thought and I think that's a great introduction to just kind of getting yourself thinking like that and when I did it I'm sure you wouldn't be surprised but I was mostly A's for adventure traveler. Love that. That's so awesome. I actually haven't done it myself. Oh my goodness. I mean I get I should that's so funny. I it's like it's so weird because you spend like months and months and months and months writing and editing and editing and editing and being just like constantly constant
25:00
it. So then when it actually comes out, like, I don't even like to read it, because I've read it like when it was like a Word document on my computer. So it's sort of funny that it's like, yeah, I didn't, I didn't look at it. You don't know what are you? I'm gonna take my quiz. Yeah, I suspect I know. But that's funny. I'm gonna have to take this quiz later to make sure
25:26
to share it with us. Yeah, so I was definitely an adventure traveler, but a lot of volunteer traveler, which I think really speaks to my sense of community, community engagement and stuff that I'm looking for when I travel. And then like a little blob of wellness fell in there. Really, I love all kinds of travel. But I think yeah, it's just interesting to see what motivates you and what you get excited about. And for me, in my own travel design, I really asked my travelers like, what are you wanting out of an experience? What kind of intention? Are you? Are you setting? And I think that already gets people engaging in travel in a different way. So yeah, yeah, no, I think you're absolutely right. You know, like, at the end of the day, a lot of what's inside is supposed to help people travel and whether you're a solo traveler, adventure traveler, whatever it is. But it's very intentional that it does have to start with asking yourself, what is the intention behind this trip? And that could be, you know, what's your style of travel? Or it could be more personal than that? It could be more like, what are you? What are you looking for, you know, is this respite from work? Is this getting over heartbreak? Is this, you know, getting over grief? Is this just what you need? You need nature and air like, I think taking time before you dive into crazy logistical planning, I think taking time to just ask yourself, like, what is the intention behind this upcoming trip? What do I need for myself really is going to help dictate how you plan and where you go and the decisions you make? And so it is very intentional that the book starts with that quiz, because it is meant to sort of turn the light on the reader and be like, Okay, you picked up this book for a reason you obviously love travel, you're probably thinking of a future chip, let's take a beat and ask you, what are you looking for? You know, and I think that's a good place to start. Because you're right. Travel is such a personal experience that it has to start with the personal.
27:27
And I think in the context of sustainable travel. Again, when we're thinking about our greater impact in travel, I think it's really important that we understand why because again, like, it's not just about ourselves, and you don't want to go and take like five trips trying to find the right trip, because you hadn't really thought about what you wanted. We can start with that question and really, really create the experience that you want, that's going to be the most rewarding to you, which is also going to be the most rewarding to everyone that you interact with, I think along the way, completely. Yeah. Yeah.
28:04
Okay, so then, really, I'm just going to kind of walk us through and I'd love just kind of to discuss it with you as we go. It begins with getting ready for your next trip. So we've kind of learned what kind of traveler we are. So now we're gonna dive into the research process. This has a little bit of travel hacks, packing tips. So what were you? What were you trying to kind of guide us through with this? Or what maybe stands out in this book versus another when you know, talking about travel hacks? And packing isn't a new topic, but what are you looking at? That's new here? Yeah, so this chapter really is like, if you're beginning to plan a trip, this is where you want to begin. And before you even booked the airfare before everything we intentionally start the chapter with no before you go, and this is really about taking time to understand the destination that you're going to. And I think that's important, because, you know, too often travelers will go somewhere, and be completely blind to the cultural realities of being in that place. And you know, that it's not meant to exist as a green screen to your photos, or to whatever it is you're going through in your life, like you are in a real place where real people live, there are real political issues there. There are real things happening there. And it just is good to have even a basic level of understanding of the place you're going to. And so we start there, we start there, because, you know, we want travelers to be cognizant and we want them to be responsible. And we start with sort of suggestions of connecting with online groups or looking at local media and kind of explaining like, why this is a good place to start rather than immediately jumping into travel hacking, which is where most people jump into and I understand the, the need to but I think, again, like just being very thoughtful in this process.
30:01
We want to sort of outline ways that you can kind of connect with the destination before you even arrive. And from there it goes into travel hacking. And you know, travel hacking, for those who don't know, is just, it really is just the art of saving on airfare. And so that's really what we focus on, we focus on how to help you get cheap flights, how to help you use, you know, travel hacks to identify ways to book convenient airfare that isn't going to burn a hole in your wallet. And this really gets into the nitty gritty of it. And sort of throughout each chapter, we have these checklists, which I love. And this was actually an idea of Penguin, which I thought was really cool. Penguin being our publisher, these checklists are sort of meant to sort of be stopped points where like, as you're reading, maybe you're not ready to go ahead to the next chapter, as maybe you're still very much in the Getting ready for your next trip. But you're sort of going through and you're checking off. So maybe it's like, you know, subscribing to a deals newsletter, or something as simple as clearing your browser of cookies and opening an incognito page when you're searching for airfare. But that's like the oldest trick in the book.
31:08
So that really is kind of where we start. And from there, we get into one of my favorite sections, which is packing. I actually hate packing. But the reason I love this section so much is it's curated by Arnica Raymond, who's a fantastic travel journalist. She's an Emmy winning host. And she travels all the time. And I learned so much just from her section. And there's a whole part about traveling with one carry on bag, which I thought was so clever, because she's very, like, she's just very smart about like, how to maximize your outfit choices, how to choose a color scheme, how to just travel with one bag, but not in a way that you feel like you're wearing the same thing every day, and you feel like, you don't want to be in any of your photos because you feel like you look like crap. Like, that's a section that I love a lot in chapter one. Yeah. And having, you know, seen her on Instagram as well, I would hardly believe when I saw this. I was like, Well, the one bag she's carrying. Like, it's unbelievable that that's really what is happening. And I also have always joked, I'm like, I just wish one time on a trip, I didn't look like an ad for Rei. Because every time I was like, where's my comfortable convertible pants and my like, I don't know, sunscreen t shirt. And I'm like, Man, how did these people arrive and look like this? So that section is for me.
32:37
You know, I think for people listening who don't know about any gram in which you absolutely should go follow her and get to know her.
32:45
When you read this section, it's really it's almost like a disconnect in the mind because she looks like a curated magazine spread. And all of her photos like she's just like she's known for these bold, Poppy colors, she looks absolutely stunning wherever she goes. So the fact that she's making this work with like, one travel bag, minimal makeup, and just like a very smart kind of tactical approach to how she packs is really mind blowing. And it also just completely, like raises the bar in terms of in my mind of how I should pack moving forward, because I'm the same way. I packed like a T shirt jeans, like maybe one nice outfit, and then I'm like, Okay,
33:26
I'm not very good at sort of like strategically planning, like, what I need to bring to maximize the outcome of like, what I have with me, and she's very good at that. So definitely check it out.
33:40
Um, so then after we're getting ready, I think one of the sections that I really liked Well, the next two, I really thought were amazing, the safe and sane chapter. I think, especially as women we are often focused on our safety when we travel. That's definitely like one of the number one things that comes up for me when I'm talking to people about where they want to go is, you know, will I be safe in this destination? What choices can I make that allow for that? So I think it's really important and I don't think it's really dressed up a lot in this type of travel guide. I think you'll find articles, you know, that are, you know, on different platforms, but not in a guide like this. Yeah, what I love about this chapter is safe and sane. So this was largely curated by Nico zeigen and she is an author in her own right.
34:34
She is an adventure traveler. She's a solo traveler. She's very fantastic. Her blog midnight with Elephants is absolutely worth checking out.
34:43
So what I love about this chapter is that it goes so much into detail about safety and it doesn't skirt, it doesn't like skirts over it. Which is to say like, everything from like, how to find a consulate to what to ask the consulate to
35:00
What to do when specific scenarios, to how to handle your money to handle how to handle credit cards abroad. Like it really gets into everything from personal safety to financial safety to in case of emergencies, to who to get in touch with in case of emergency, to how to find accommodations that you feel safe about. It's so detailed, and sort of going back to what we were discussing earlier that like the more nuanced and detailed you can get the more actually serviceable to the reader. And so I really think that this is such an important chapter because I haven't really seen anything like this and other guidebooks that gets into so much detail, the way that this one does, particularly when it comes to like financial security, or, you know, accommodation safety for women, which is something that I feel like I have never seen, and there's tips that are so simple and almost like obvious, like, you know, things like paying extra close attention to reviews left by women who stayed at that hotel, or who stared at that, or who stayed at that Airbnb.
36:04
It's just, I think that this is such an important chapter. And so, you know, I, I like to tell people like, it doesn't matter if you've traveled around the world five times, and you think that you are the most seasoned traveler out there.
36:18
There's so much in here that I've worked in this industry now for 10 years, my career is as is as a travel editor and writer. And even in the editing and writing of this book, there's so much in here that I didn't know
36:32
that I didn't really discover until working on this book, which I think is a testament to the fact that it doesn't matter how experienced you are as a traveler, there's always more you can learn. And there's always more you can do to just keep yourself safe and keep yourself sappy. And so this chapter is really good. I agree. And I thought it was really interesting to like the section about things like your consulate, and what a consulate can do. Because I think I feel like people have a, or maybe I'll just speak for myself, I have this notion of like a consulate is painted by movies, right? And it's definitely not for me, it's only for people of you know, some sort of political stature or yeah, we're really in some deep trouble or whatever. Like I hadn't really thought about in which situation I might actually reach out, contact the consulate for support. And so I think like you said, people, I've been in the industry for 20 years. I've traveled and I'm, I should have thought about this by now. But it's just never been something that's crossed my mind or my path. I yeah, I haven't thought of it either. I mean, that's that's like, that's a perfect example of like something and working on this book. I was like, oh, like, in my mind, I was like the consulate is like, like, maybe you go if you lose your passport, and you're stuck in another country like that. I like it, but beyond that. I'm like, they don't have time for regular citizens. They're like diplomats. And so to be able to, like, read this chapter and be like, okay, like, here's what your conflict cannot do. It cannot investigate a crime. It cannot pay for medical treatment, it cannot issue police reports. But it can help you create a plan of action in case of an emergency, it can help you contact your family, it can help you get a birth certificate abroad, like it's just like, oh, there are things that all travelers should know that like if you're in a situation, there are resources there that are set up to help you. And so that is a perfect example of like there's a hole in case of emergency section here that I sincerely hope no one ever needs to use. But it's still good to have information on. Yeah, I think so too, just to just to know, to fall back on so that you're not like trying to think of it in the moment that you need it because then you're not going to. You're not going to remember it's not going to Exactly, yeah, yeah. I'm so traveling as a modern woman. I think this is also such a great section. It's kind of a little bit less discussed topics and guidebook format, again, kind of like what we're talking about before. Why did you think this was so important? I really feel like this is the meat. Well, I mean, there's so much in this book, I feel like this is what really makes it stand out why you're right.
39:18
You are right. And you I love that you just said that. Because I feel the same way. I think that the traveling modern woman's chapter of Wanderess is what makes this book different from say, a lonely planet or photos or whatever, you know, all the other guidebooks that are institutions that are out there.
39:37
This is the chapter going back to earlier in our discussion where we get into the nuances of travel where we attempt to address the specific needs of specific travelers. And again, it is a jumping off point. I mean, this is one chapter in a book. That is, I don't even know how many pages this book is. That's less than 200
40:00
Bages
40:02
is a real jumping off point, but I'm really proud of it because it has such a wealth of diverse voices.
40:10
And it covers a lot of ground, it covers a lot of ground from, you know, again, traveling as new moms traveling as women of color to traveling as a member of the LGBTQ community, to also which I love the section traveling while on well on menopause, which is something that, you know, I, I, I, I feel like I tell this to everyone I talked to about the book.
40:32
I'm very nerdy about this particular section, because I think it's so insane that there's, I don't ever see anything about menopause and travel out there. Which is really crazy. Because it's like, you know, we look at the stats, and yes, you know, women make up, I think 70% of the travel consumer base and of that 70% women that are older, and in that age of menopause, they're the ones with the disposable income that are traveling and that are spending the money and they are so overlooked and so frustrated. And they feel like they're just not addressed. And I've heard this from them at conferences and wherever I've spoken. And so this I'm really, I really love this section, because I think it was just so important to include and you know, somebody listening to this might be like, well, what's the difference between traveling and menopause versus traveling? And surprisingly, there are a lot of differences. There are things that are considerations, like what do you do if you're on a long haul flight, you're an hour 15 have a flight to Tokyo. And suddenly you have a hot flash? And how do you deal with that at that moment? How do you lower your body temperature? How do you rein in the anxiety that you suddenly feel? How do you rein in all of that, in that experience? So you know, there are things to consider destinations that might feel like they're off limits, because they're hot weather destinations. And maybe you don't want to put yourself there because you're going through hot flashes. Bottom line is that this chapter is really important to me, because it gets into the details and it gets into the weeds. And it speaks to travelers
42:12
in their experiences rather than sort of, again, one size fits all. Yeah. And I think not playing it safe that the again, like you're saying, or what we've said throughout this conversation, like people have maybe steered away because they're like, oh, there's not a market for that article, there's not a market for that content, or that's pushing too many boundaries. And we don't want to publish it. Like, I feel like the time for that is really over. And especially when you're looking at all of these market segments that are actually really strong that have been overlooked.
42:48
Like, it just doesn't even make sense anymore to not consider those stories and not consider creating education and resources for all of those. Yeah. So I really love it. And I just think like, even as a new mom, when I started traveling, you know, everyone was like, Oh my gosh, how are you traveling with children? You know, how do you do this? How do you do that? How do you carry your stuff through the airport, like, there's just so many things, and there's not really any kind of dove really honest and fully encompassing resources for that kind of thing. So I'm really excited for this resource. And for everything to be in one space too. Because like we've said, like, there might have been an article about this, and an article about that published here or you know, printed there. But to find it when you need it. It's amazing that you know, as a woman, you can pick this up in your, you know, late 20s. And like it will serve you through many years of travel through different experiences. And so I think that's really cool to think about as well. Yeah, I love how you just put that. No, you're right. I mean, that's sort of the beauty of this is that it does all live in one place, and you don't have to dig. And I just love how you put that because that's true, you can pick this up at the age of 21. And maybe you're looking at backpacking as a solo traveler, and you're looking at doing it on a budget and and you're not interested in the other chapters. And then you're just looking at solo travel and travel hacking. But then you get into your 30s and maybe you're a mom, and maybe you know now you have children and suddenly the other chapters are leaning forward to you and and you're getting information there. It's just it. You're right there. It sort of is meant to grow with you as you grow. And you can, you know, you can, from my space, I could speak to my niece or to my mother like there's all these different ways. So it just becomes again, this great space for community and connection, which again, I think just comes back to where this all started with earth women and just how you show up in this space of travel journalism. So it's exciting.
45:00
to kind of get to see this all unfold. So just at the end of this, there's the chapter of going solo, which I think a minute passes through for a moment. But for people to know that it's in there better give them a reason to buy the book. Don't give them every Yes.
45:20
Either, yeah, and then making a positive impact when you travel. Here's really where readers can find information about sustainable travel, volunteer travel, things like avoiding re greenwashing or scams, and then how to support women when we travel. So again, for me, this is a really exciting chapter to see all of these different pieces about how to make travel more impactful in one place, because that's, obviously, my happy space. That's where I spent all my time speaking to people about what else can travel do for us and for the environment and for communities. So what was something that came up in that section that you would like to share with our listeners that maybe was just like, something you didn't expect? Or something you included? You didn't expect something along those lines? Yeah. So it's a very comprehensive section. I mean, it covers everything from, you know, supporting women to adopting an animal to volunteering. But for me, the part that's really the most important is the volunteering abroad, it gets again, it just gets into so much detail about how to identify ethical volunteering opportunities, how to avoid volunteering opportunities that are scammy that actually do a disservice to the local community, and what questions to ask as you're sort of vetting and sort of red flags. And so I, it's a sad truth that unfortunately, there's a lot of volunteer tourism, that are dark corners of volunteer tourism that are not all as it seems. And there's, you know, volunteer tourism is unfortunately plagued by a lot of sort of misguided intentions. And that comes from lack of information. And it comes from lack of knowledge. And the best example of that is I remember, I did a story a couple years back about orphanages in Cambodia. And the story was exploring how, you know, travelers from the West will go to Cambodia, and they're volunteering at an orphanage at an orphanage, and they think they're doing something truly altruistic. And, and they're proud. But what they don't realize is that the orphanage that they were volunteering at actually wasn't a real orphanage, it was taking children from local families and sort of propping them up in this orphanage setting to take money from Western travelers. And in many ways, it was almost like, it was almost like a human zoo, you know, and it just was, it's disgusting, to be honest. And so you know, the thing is, is that
48:03
if there's a demand for things like that, then you're perpetuating the problem. And so ignorance is a big part of that. So when you're a Western traveler, and you're looking for volunteer opportunities, and let's say you're choosing things like that orphanage, and you're choosing it, none the wiser, maybe you had good intentions, but you're perpetuating a problem that actually is at the detriment of local people and local children, or even local animals, whatever it is, you're volunteering. And so there's no excuse. In our modern age, I think with the access to information we have at our fingertips at all times, to not have that knowledge and to not have the information needed to thoroughly vet a volunteering opportunity. And so that is what this chapter does, it really outlines it for you. It's like, here's what to ask, here's what to look for, here's what to avoid. And here are organizations that are vetted and approved by an accredited organization that does this. So there's really like no reason that you should find yourself in a situation like that. God awful Cambodia, orphanage story. So that's something that I think is a really, really important part of that section. Because I think that coming out of the pandemic, people want to do something that matters, they want to volunteer, they want to give back, they want to help. And it is, I don't think there's anything sadder than taking that intention and it going to waste and actually perpetuating the problem.
49:33
I agree. Thank you for bringing that up. I think that's a topic that comes up a lot in my conversations personally and in this space and
49:43
and like you said, people right now more than ever want to give back. And I think knowledge exists to do the research to figure out if where you're going is responsible if you didn't know to ask the question in the first place. That's where I think the problem is
50:00
So I think it's so important for books like this to make you have that awareness. And yeah, I remember the first time I read about that was sent to a friend of mine in her book. And they found themselves in an orphanage in Nepal and had the realization that that was what was happening, that these were children that had been kidnapped and trafficked. And we're there as a business. And I think the more you travel, especially in countries where you find these issues to be highlighted, the more you begin to see that and understand that, you know, people are creating opportunities for themselves financially. So it makes sense that, like you said, if they see travelers visiting orphanages, this is an opportunity, not that it's a good opportunity, but that they're taking a pardon. And so as we as travelers that don't have that knowledge, if we go and we support it, we're just saying like, Okay, this is an avenue for you to find a way to thrive in this situation. And so, I think it's just really important. And again, a really uncomfortable topic, we think of, for barbering, we're doing good, we think that's all we needed to do. And people don't want to find out that what they did was harmful after the fact. And so then there's a lot to unpack from that end. And so again, I just think it's so great to just create a space where people can be like, I just, I just never would have thought of that. Before. I haven't had that experience. Yeah. No, I mean, you're absolutely right. And, you know, I think when we talk about responsible, you know, being responsible traveler, and these are, you know, we keep hearing these sort of like buzzy terms right now, like sustainable travel, responsible travel, like, wouldn't you really break it down, like being a responsible traveler, not only means being responsible traveler, when you're physically in a destination, you know, yes, pick up after yourself be, you know, respectful of like the culture and all that jazz. But it also starts with being a responsible traveler, as in having a responsibility to educate yourself about a destination and about what you're going to do in that destination. And that goes back to everything we've been talking about, it goes back to taking time to learn about a destination before you get there, taking time to vet experiences before you go and sign up for it. And it's, that is really what we're talking about when it comes to responsible travel. It's a two part approach. It's not just how you act on the ground, which is I think, a lot of the time when people assume it's just like, Oh, I'm a responsible traveler, I pick up after myself a beach. Yeah, that's good. You should do that and you should behave in a way that is responsible when traveling. But the other half of that is also informing yourself, because that helps you be a more cognizant and thoughtful traveler. And with volunteering, you're right. There's a lot to unpack there. With volunteer tourism, I think, unfortunately, again, a lot of the times,
52:57
people are only thinking about what they're going to do on the ground. They're only thinking about they're going to help on the ground, but they're not thinking they're not taking that sort of beat to be like, Alright, let me do the research. Let me do the work. Let me inform myself before I go and sign up for this experience that feels good and looks good. And I think there's a lot of work to be done there. There's, as you said, there's a lot to unpack. Yeah, yeah, like could definitely be its own series for sure. Yeah.
53:26
As we kind of wind our way through the exploration of the book, we end up in the kind of really interactive part of the book. Yeah, the build your own city guide that has placed for notes that has a really great resource section also has the feminist travel treasure hunt. So I love how you put all of these pieces in the end.
53:52
Would you share with us a little bit about why you put that in there and what your hopes are for the traveler through this experience? Yes. So when I say that this is an interactive guide, this is where it comes to play. Like, we want you to engage with the book, we want you to write in it, we want you to tear out these checklists. So that as you're packing, you're literally checking off the list. And in the back of the book, where you have these spaces for writing. That's for you. That's for you to start dreaming to start writing to start actually getting into the logistics of planning your trip. That feminist traveled Treasure Hunt is like, possibly my favorite part of the book.
54:32
What it is for those who can't see it right now is two pages and it's almost like a bingo board. And when you're looking at it, each box kind of has a challenge for you and you're sort of just meant to kind of cross it off and it could be anything from striking up a conversation with a local female business owner check to donating to a local nonprofit that sportswoman checked buying an item at a woman owns
55:00
Storing, leaving a positive review. It's a fun and interactive way that's sort of meant to be like, hey, like you're traveling, here's some very low lift easy ways that don't take away from your vacation, that you can make a big difference for some women in the destination you're visiting. And I think that's the point here, it's like, we're not telling you to like, go spend your entire vacation at a women's history museum. I understand that, you know, this is your time for yourself, and whatever is the intention of your trip, you want to honor that, what we're trying to show you is that you can do that. But there are really easy ways to impact women while you're doing that, in a positive way. And it's like, if you're gonna go out to eat anyways, why not eat at a woman owned restaurant, if you're gonna go buy a souvenir for family or friends, why not go buy a souvenir from a woman owned shop, and leave a review in the process, it makes a difference. And so that is basically the point we're trying to drill home throughout the book. Right? I love that. And it makes it a really fun way to do it. But also for people listening, like, like you said, it's easy, but I also think it's really rewarding. I'm just thinking of when I was just in Belize, and I kept hearing about women's coops pottery cooperative, and where they were educating women about small business, kind of just like basic business skills, basic pottery skills, and marketing and all these different aspects. And I kept hearing about it, and then I just was like, Can someone just take me there.
56:36
And so I went, but you know, I, it was such an easy thing to do. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. And I made a connection with an incredible woman who got to hear her story. So it's not like I went out of my way to do something that wasn't also pleasant, it had a huge impact on her. For one, she was like, you heard about me, and you, you made the effort to get here. Like, that was huge. And for me, that's personally really rewarding, because I think it's so important. But like that shift, and that impact is going to be long lasting. And then also just the driver that's like, Oh, I know where that yes, I know where that shop is, I'll take you right away, like I was so grateful to him for that experience. And then, you know, in turn, how that probably made him feel to know that he created this moment for both this, this organization, and for me, like, I think it just ripples out in a way that we maybe don't fully understand. And so kind of picking away to play through this game or through this experience is gonna go beyond you. And like you were saying like that, that's the whole point is that these experiences are our own experiences. But they also go further than us, especially when we start really thinking about it intentionally and thinking about impact and thinking about things greater than ourselves. Yeah, I mean, that's beautiful. It's beautiful the way you put it, because you're absolutely right, like it connects you to the destination in a way that is meaningful and profound. And it connects you to the local people in a destination that is meaningful and profound. And at the end of the day, like isn't that what travel is all about? Like, yes, you can go lay on a beach in the Caribbean. And that's fine, do that, do that if that's what you need to do. But the part of travel that's transformative, the part of travel that moves your life along in unexpected directions, and that challenges your thinking, and that helps you grow, comes from connecting in meaningful ways with people around the world that come from different backgrounds and that have different stories. And so I think that's a beautiful story that you just told, because that's exactly what you did. You went out of your way to connect with this woman and her business in a meaningful way that still resonates. And so I think that's really where the magic of travel is. It's not just about being in a different place. It's about connecting with different people that you don't normally connect with.
59:06
Well, thank you, that feels like such a perfect ending to this conversation and a great way to end talking about Wanderess for people who are listening and they don't have a copy of the book where they can find it. You can find wonderous anywhere. It's on sale in bookstores across the country, both independent and large retailers and it's also on Amazon and you can find it online.
59:34
Just yeah, you can find it really anywhere. Excellent. I love it. I love seeing pictures of you finding it in bookstores and I have been looking everywhere I go as well because it's always found.
59:47
No one, it's kind of weird lately. I've had quite a few friends that have published books and I'm like, Oh, I know. I feel famous by proxy. It's so funny. Literally, I think you know what?
1:00:00
I think it's the pandemic, I think it's just coming. Everybody had so much time and they're like, You know what I'm gonna do with the book that's been in my head, which is awesome. So I think people just extracted the ideas from their head. And I've also had so many friends that have published and self published books within the past year, which has been amazing to see. And I have friends who have books coming down the pipeline. So there's a lot of great books out there right now that have just come to fruition in the past, like two years. Yeah. Well, and we tease that you have another book coming down the pipeline. Speaking of that, so I don't know if you want to know, you can only give a little glimpse of it. But we'll have you back. And you can even talk more about that, hopefully, yes, I'd love to, I will have much more to share. Once the book contract is finalized, I will be screaming it from the rooftops and then I'll be happy to talk about it. But what I can say is that that book will be very different from wondrous, it will just be me, it's just my story.
1:01:04
And it's extremely personal. So it's a hell of a process. But that'll be way different, way more vulnerable, really just like my life story.
1:01:15
Yeah. And so I'll have more to share on that, hopefully, in the coming weeks. So I really equally look forward to reading that because I love your writing style. And I love how you tell and share stories and I can imagine when it's your own it will even be all the more powerful. For our listeners. I normally do rapid fire questions, but I think Nikki's done them twice, so I'm not going to write her today if you want to learn more about her. You can go back to those past episodes. Make sure you find Wanderess take checkout on Unearth Women and I really appreciate you taking the time to be with me again today. Thank you so much for having me on and I hope we get to do it again with the new apartment and season four. You're gonna have to see the update. I will only have the apartment. Thank you
1:02:57
Thank you for listening to the Soul of Travel. I hope you enjoyed the journey. If you love this conversation, I encourage you to subscribe, rate the podcast and share the episodes that inspire you with others. I am so proud of the way these conversations are bringing together people from around the world. If this sounds like your community, welcome.
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