Travel has been one of my greatest teachers.
I believe that it can teach us more than than any classroom or cubicle can. I live for unexpected chats with strangers, straying from the itinerary, finding mind-blowing desserts, and hearing peoples’ stories.
My first solo backpacking trip was to Kenya. But I didn’t travel alone by choice.
I felt stuck in my career, needed massive change, and couldn’t find anyone with the same vacation time as me. If I’m being honest, I was scared. But what unfolded was a life-changing six months that later gave me the soft skills and confidence to reroute my personal and professional life. It gave me the chance to see myself in a different setting. Travel gave me perspective.
When I came home, I looked obsessively for travel partners and services I could relate to. But there were a few dilemmas:
I was often the only female traveler of color in the places I went.
The only travel services out there emphasized checking off bucket-list items and not the experiences themselves, or the people I wanted to meet.
Many major travel operators and businesses were foreign-owned, meaning my tourist dollars were not going to the local people or places I was visiting.
Map&Move grew out of the ah-ha moment when I realized that I wasn’t alone in my quest to do more, see more, and be more.
Tourism accounts for 10% of the world’s employment. But the benefits of tourism are not equally distributed. So my point is this: when travel is inclusive and driven by the idea that everyone can benefit—from travelers to the communities we visit, it has the power to create lasting change.