Episode 54: Travel Talk with Stacey Weston-Azim

09Aug 2021 by EJtheTravelDiva

Today, I’ll be talking to Stacey from She Travelin’.

Stacey has been to over 40 countries, she has traveled solo and in groups, she has done road trips, stayed in hostels in Portugal and Singapore, and she even owns an RV.

We’ll be talking about all of that and more as we get to know this incredible woman who’s making it happen for herself and others.

Let’s get into it:

[02:03] Stacey’s travels growing up.

Growing up, Stacey’s travels consisted of road trips to California and Michigan to visit family, stopping along the way at landmarks.

The first time she got on an airplane was in 1980.

Her first international trip was an exchange program of 2 weeks in Venezuela.

[08:48] Stacey’s fear of flying.

Whenever Stacey has to fly, she reminds herself that her fear of flying doesn’t override her love for travel.

[10:13] Stacey’s first trip to Paris.

Her first trip to Paris was one of the first trips she took that changed her life.

During this trip, she was able to experience how people saw her as an American, and it allowed her to become more open-minded when visiting other countries and interacting with people.

These interactions have taught Stacey how to see people beyond their media stereotypes.

[15:55] Shedding light on stereotypes.

Coming across people with their own preconceived notions of black Americans, Stacey takes it upon herself to shed light on those stereotypes, and to be an ambassador for her people abroad.

While she’s educating them about herself, they’re educating her about themselves as well, both helping to make each other better people in the end.

[21:11] Where has Stacey been?

To date, she has traveled to over 40 countries, with the goal of traveling to as many as possible.

[22:40] Has travel changed you?

During all her travels, Stacey has learned a lot about herself. For example, she has to work on a schedule, she has to eat something every 3-4 hours to keep her body energised, and she likes traveling with other people.

[28:50] Solo travel vs group trips.

Stacey prefers group trips because she wants to be able to talk about what she’s experiencing and learning while on the trip.

Solo travelers often glorify solo travel, but they don’t talk about the times when you have to talk yourself through leaving your room and meeting new people. This isn’t a problem with group trips.

[35:01] A weekend in Portugal.

She did a solo trip weekend to Portugal, where she stayed in a hostel – yes, a weekend! She left for the weekend, and was back at work on Monday.

[44:51] Hostel criteria.

The hostel you choose will depend on what you’re looking to experience on your trip.

Stacey looks for hostels that offer single rooms, single rooms with en suite bathrooms (if possible), twin beds, king beds, queen beds, or similar sleeping arrangements.

Hostels aren’t necessarily the stereotype of one large room with 10 bunk beds.

[50:12] RV and glamping.

Growing up, Stacey thought about owning an RV.

Since her parents passed on, instead of renovating and rebuilding one of their lakeside properties, she bought an RV to make use of the land in a budget-friendly way.

An RV allows her to be mobile and to travel to different parts of the US whenever she feels like it, without having to be concerned about a place to stay for her trips.

Her goal is to rent it out on the property, particularly to black women.

This was such an enjoyable conversation, and Stacey definitely has a wealth of knowledge and experience that everyone could benefit from.

As always, the goal with these episodes is to help you become better travelers, but also to inspire you to travel more. I hope this episode did both of those things.

If you want to know more about Stacey Weston-Azim, visit her socials below:

Website: https://www.shetravelin.com

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SheTravelin

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/she_travelin

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