From Iceland to Influence: How Solo Travel Transformed Her Life

What happens when a 17-year-old books a solo backpacking trip to Iceland before ever starting college? In this episode, Gabby—now a full-time travel creator and host of The Young Travelers Podcast—shares how one brave leap led to over 55 countries and a deeply intentional life shaped by solo travel.

We explore:

Her first solo trip (with no sleeping bag!)

How she uses solo travel as self-care

Navigating the world as a Black, first-generation traveler

Her mantra: “Seek risk, seize opportunity, see the world”

Whether you're just starting out or already planning your next adventure, Gabby’s story is packed with insight, humor, and heart.

Transcript

Gabby (00:00)
literally traveling solo showed me the autonomy of like, I can just wake up and

it's not affecting anybody. I can do whatever I want. Or I can say I'm a morning person and then one day I sleep until 10 a.m. and no one can say that that's weird or that's hypocritical. You get to define your identity at every single moment on the trip. You can change your mind. You can say I don't eat French toast and then two minutes later you can eat French toast. Who's gonna say that? That's not you. You really get granular about the control you have over your identity. And maybe that's the same lesson that I've learned on such a larger scale.

Kelli Wall (00:33)
Welcome to Solo Travel Unpacked, where we explore the world one solo travel story at a time.

I'm your host Kelli and I believe that solo travel.

is a journey of self-discovery, empowerment, and connection.

Each episode, we'll meet a different solo and hear their insights, experiences, and lessons learned.

We'll also take a look at a key solo travel topic

to give you the tools and inspiration for your own adventure.

It's time to hear from today's guest and unpack another solo travel story.

Kelli Wall (01:02)
Did you know that according to a recent solo female traveler survey,

73 % of women say they travel solo for freedom and independence.

Today's guest embodies exactly that.

At just 17 years old, Gabby booked a ticket to Iceland

And that leap set her on a path to more than 55 different countries, 20 of them being solo.

Now a full-time travel influencer.

and the voice behind the Young Travelers podcast.

Gabby's story is one of courage, curiosity, and representation.

Kelli Wall (01:34)
Gabby, I'm so excited to have you here. Before we get into the story behind your first solo travel trip and many more, can you tell us a little bit outside of travel, who you are?

what lights you up and maybe one thing people wouldn't expect about you.

Gabby (01:49)
Yeah, thank you so much for having me, Kelly. I'm so excited to talk

solo travel. It is such a huge part of my identity that when you just said talk to yourself, talk about yourself outside of travel, I was like, oh my God, that's like my whole personality. What else am supposed talk about? But I do, I have a lot of things. I think I generally would say that I am a person who has a lot of curiosity.

in life. like trying new things. People always ask me my I moved to New York City around two years ago and I still say I do something different every single weekend and so that's truly who I am. I love travel for that reason. That's who I am outside of travel. I am I work out a lot. I eat my weight in seafood every day. I'd say in my next life I'd be like an otter.

and I'm always meeting new people. I love to go to events, even solo in New York City. I love meeting new people. That's just who I am, yeah.

Kelli Wall (02:48)
Yeah, I'm sure living in a place like New York, there's no shortage of new things to do constantly.

Gabby (02:54)
Thanks.

Exactly. And it's nice because a lot of people tend to move here by themselves if they're transplants. So kind of everyone's in this solo boat. So that's like a solo traveler's dream. I'm like, everyone wants to make friends. Everyone's kind of looking for that connection. I'm like, oh, perfect. And I'm not shy. So I'm like, perfect. I'm going to adopt everybody. And I have new friends every day.

Kelli Wall (03:12)
Make your own little family there. Yeah. Well, let's just go ahead and jump right in then. So your first solo trip, as I mentioned, was 17 years old when you went to Iceland. What led you to that decision?

Gabby (03:14)
Exactly, that's exactly it.

I was a senior in high school and I had just graduated, literally like the week before I started having these thoughts. And I had got accepted into a university that was two hours from my family in Virginia. And I just remembered high school was a good experience. I liked my teachers. had a good time, but I wouldn't say I felt.

I didn't have the high school of like the movies where they're like, these are the best days of my life. I'm gonna think about this forever. I was like, okay, I did that. That was fine. And I really wanted college to be that though. Like I was like, need my college experience to.

to open up my mind in some new way, like I need to hit that next level. And so I started about thinking about, I don't even know if this was conscious, but I knew I needed to prepare myself for the next opportunity. I needed to change who I was so that I would go to college and like start meeting the people I really wanted to meet and like becoming the person I wanted to become. so I...

Both of my parents like to travel. It's something that's not so foreign to them. And so I started just thinking if I took a trip, maybe it would be a trip to Florida or a trip to see my grandma or just a little summer trip. I feel like in the movies, that's the canon event. This is the canon event. You have to take a trip somewhere. And I don't know how it happened, but I was on my new university's website and they had a kind of program or offering to go to Iceland to go backpacking. So.

Kelli Wall (04:41)
Step one.

Gabby (04:55)
It's like something you just affiliated with the university, but you could sign up for it. And something I saw it on the website and I knew that that was it. And had I ever been backpacking? No. Did I know if anyone else was going or if it was like completely, no, I had no experience, but I somehow knew that that was it. And I did my research too. Iceland, especially in 2013, safest country in the world. I think literally the safest. And it was summer, it was August. So I knew it wouldn't be like frozen Tundra. It'd be...

a little bit warmer and yeah, it it all made sense. at 17, again, thankfully I have parents who were not completely shocked or terrified and they said, I mean, I guess if you really want to. And, yeah, I went for my, before my 17th, before my 18th birthday, I went to Iceland to go backpacking.

Kelli Wall (05:40)
Good for you and maybe that was a good way for your parents to start wrapping their brain around you going off to college like, let's get a little taste of it now.

Gabby (05:47)
Exactly. Yeah, I've always been

of an independent kid. But I think this was probably just divine timing for how much I was going to be traveling soon. Like I was about to, if they thought this was a bit much, they were about to see me in college and be like, I'm studying abroad in Dubai. I'm going to spring break in Thailand. And so it was a good, it was good for me to prime them a little bit.

Kelli Wall (06:08)
Yeah, so you found this trip to Iceland, you booked it, you're getting ready. Were you scared, excited, both? How were you feeling?

Gabby (06:16)
I am the type of person who just does it, just books it and plans it and kind of like is in that mode. And then as the trip comes up, I'm like, that was real. Like that. I have to go on the trip now. So up until, so most of it, I was not scared. It was very exciting and interesting for me to plan the trip and learn more about Iceland through the research. And then I'd say maybe the week before I was like, uh-oh.

That was real. I have to go now. And so I was nervous, but that's probably the best way to do it because you're nervous, but it's already booked. You're not canceling. So might as well.

Kelli Wall (06:49)
Yeah, absolutely. And so do you remember, Gabby, what was most vivid for you on that trip? Was there a moment that stuck with you that you still think back to?

Gabby (06:59)
Yeah, for sure. So the trip itself ended up being me and I think four other people who I'd never met. And we, it was like solo, not solo, I like to say. So like, I didn't really know them and we're kind of becoming friends, but it's still very much me mentally alone on this trip. And I was the youngest on the trip by...

The next oldest person was like 24. So I was 17. So yeah, that was like seven years. And then I was the only person of color on the trip. And so it was very much still me like in my mind, processing a lot of this by myself. And so there's a moment on the trip halfway through it, the first three days.

Hard. Who knew backpacking was hard? Not me. Really, really hard. It was hot tundra and then really cold the next day. And there's a side story where I assumed someone else was bringing my sleeping bag for some reason. So I didn't bring one at all. And so me and another random girl on the trip who was so kind, let me kind of back to back squeeze into her one person sleeping bag the whole trip. And I'm like just 17 sausage into this girl's.

sleeping bag and like it's and it was the midnight sun. So there's only four hours of darkness the whole day. My sleep wasn't great. So there's a moment at like probably 2 a.m. halfway through the trip. We're back to back in the sleeping bag in the frozen tundra, the winds whipping the tent and we're like and I'm like softly sobbing like and I'm like writing in my journal. And I remember writing in my journal. I have that journal somewhere where I remember saying this is so hard. This

It kind of sucks actually, it's really cold and lonely and it's a lot every day to process and at the end of that journal entry I remember writing, but I'm still happier than I was in, you know, whatever, Virginia. I'm still happier, like something about it, it's like you feel all those crazy sad emotions and at the end you're like, it's still kind of fun though. And I remember feeling like that and I remember.

that I wanted to keep this feeling because at the end of the trip, I felt like I had really, I don't know, maybe matured is the right person. the right word. I felt like I had reached that next level of, okay, I feel confident in myself. Like before that trip, I couldn't even eat omelets with too many ingredients in them. I was like a picky eater. I'm like, my God, it's like too much. By the end of the trip, I was like, I'm hungry. I'm eating whatever they have. Thank you. Camp beans are great. That's fine. Thank you. And so I felt like I'd grown as a person really.

So yeah, that's my most vivid Vividment memory of the trip was probably the lowest moment, but I remember thinking, this is pretty great still.

Kelli Wall (09:37)
And Gabby, do you think, because I know you booked this when you were 17 and you were about to go off to college and you wanted something more, do you think you still would have taken that leap to do solo travel had you have waited until you were older?

Gabby (09:50)
I

I personally would have, yes. Yeah, I've always felt the call to push my limits, you know, get outside my comfort zone. I would have done it for sure, no matter what. But I think that it's like compound interest with anything that you do, whether it's starting piano or literally investing. The earlier you get the opportunity to do it, the more chances you have to compound that.

confidence and your network and your experiences and so now being able to say even that I did that trip at 17 even though it was really hard at the moment and I did I could not have foreseen my life now for sure from it it's compounded into my life and so I definitely know travel can be expensive and travel can be scary it's like why would I prioritize it above so many other things I was going to college why was I prioritizing it but it really changed like shifted my life for the better yeah

Kelli Wall (10:47)
I talking about a shift in your life, that trip from Iceland propelled you to now you've done solo trips to more than 20 different countries. What's changed in the way that you approach solo travel today versus the way that Gabby did it 17?

Gabby (10:55)
Yeah.

Yeah, I

Gabby at 17 was just looking for experience, like anything. I was not so picky about exactly what it was because truly anything would have been a new experience for me to learn from. So I think there was a lot of value in having that much of an open mind, whereas now I have a little bit of solo travel under my belt. I can definitely...

It's no longer like a huge novelty for me to land into a country where I don't know the language. Like that used to be like, like, wow, and I can learn how to say hello. And now I know how to say hello in like 20 languages. So that's kind of under the belt for me. And I'd say now I'm much more intentional. And so I choose my solo trips and say, maybe it's less about meeting other people this time. It's more about me getting the rest that I really need. Or maybe that it is. Maybe I feel like I've been very

It's been a slow season here in New York and I'm like, I need a trip to remind myself that like this is my life and I can change it any moment that I want to. And maybe I'll do a solo trip to Uzbekistan and just be like, wow. And then I'll have that moment where I kind of sit there at a coffee shop or something. I'm like, what am I doing here? And it's so great. So yeah, I think I'm just very much more intentional and aware about how I use solo travel to not just be somewhere else, but to.

help me with whatever I'm going through with my life at that moment.

Kelli Wall (12:23)
Yeah, and you talk about being intentional with these trips. And I know that now you've got your podcast, this is what you do as a full-time job. So do you ever crave solo time now that it's your full-time career, or has it become a challenge to carve out that space?

Gabby (12:31)
Yeah.

Mmm, that's a good question. I'd say I still

it. I definitely still crave it because I know what solo travel can do. And maybe it's not always healthy, to be honest. Maybe I'm like, if I can just take a solo trip or do it this way, I can like level up again. And maybe I'm in that kind of like level up cycle of like something else, something else. And so, yeah, maybe to be honest, maybe sometimes I should just go just to go and have no ulterior motive at all.

but I can't help it. I'm such a, I'm such a like, me journal about it, girl. I'm like, what's our goals? Like everybody bring out your manifestation journals. So I can't help it. I'm so intentional. But yeah, I still carve out the time. And I still actually, my mom used to say this about me when I came home from my high school that she was like, you were always so good at rushing to do your homework so that you could relax. Like I've been always very good at prioritizing my.

self-care and like if I get too stressed out I know that nothing is sustainable and so it's just not beneficial for anybody for me to be at the end of my rope so I've always been very good at taking the time to look inwards at like what I want.

Kelli Wall (13:45)
So speaking of self care and looking inward, there are obviously so many different types of solo travel pending. Again, what you're looking for. Do you find any more fulfilling than the others? Adventures, slow travel, digital nomad style, or is it really just what your soul needs at that moment?

Gabby (13:52)
yeah.

I would say they're all the same, like same message, different font. It's just what you need at that moment. And I think I get the essence of what I need from solo travel from all of them equally. But yeah, if you were at the end of your rope, burn out from work and you try to go on an adventure trip, maybe that's not the best thing. Maybe you're burnt out and you're like, you have to make a thousand decisions that day.

Maybe this is not fulfilling what you need. Maybe you need a more slow travel trip where you don't switch hotels, you don't, you know, maybe you have an all-inclusive, or you just have someone cook for you and you just need that. Or maybe you're like me and you're like, I need a shift in my life. I need something big to remind myself that like, this is my one life and I have control over it. Maybe you do the adventure trip. Maybe you backpack in Lima and get a little altitude sickness. And you're just like, this is the story that the lore all tell my kids one day, you know?

It all has different purposes and that's why I am so intentional because it just can, I think any solo trip can feed your soul, but when you're really intentional about it and the way you do it, my God, it's compounded. It's like exponential. You're like, this is what I needed in my life. Not just this week. This is life changing the way you do that trip.

Kelli Wall (15:16)
Yeah, absolutely. And you are so good about tuning in and like you said, you're journaling and you're manifesting. You're thinking about all of these different things. speaking with that, Gabby, what has solo travel taught you about yourself that might've surprised you?

Gabby (15:24)
Yeah.

Solo travel, I think has taught me such small things about myself, like that I'm a morning person. I feel like American hustle culture is like, morning, everybody wake up, 4 a.m. and hustle. But when I was growing up, being a morning person was like a bad thing. I was like, why are you awake and no one else is awake? Like, you're annoying, like go lay down. So I

literally traveling solo showed me the autonomy of like, I can just wake up and

it's not affecting anybody. I can do whatever I want. Or I can say I'm a morning person and then one day I sleep until 10 a.m. and no one can say that that's weird or that's hypocritical. You get to define your identity at every single moment on the trip. You can change your mind. You can say I don't eat French toast and then two minutes later you can eat French toast. Who's gonna say that? That's not you. You really get granular about the control you have over your identity. And maybe that's the same lesson that I've learned on such a larger scale.

I walked into a country, let's say Dubai, where I studied abroad, someone who didn't speak Arabic. And then I walked out someone who spoke Arabic. truly my identity changed.

yeah, I think that that's such a freeing realization that who you've been is not always who you have to be. And you have the power to just like take your little name tag and rip it up and completely redefine yourself at any moment.

move abroad, shave your head.

start teaching yoga, that could be your life. I think people get really stuck into who they are, who they should be, who their family says they are, who their job says they are. They have kids, like I'm a mom, I'm only a mom. You really get stuck with all these labels and solo travel teaches you, okay, I'm gonna go to Barcelona and today I am gonna be the girl who smiles at everybody, even if maybe I'm usually kind of cranky. You can just do that. It's amazing.

Kelli Wall (17:16)
That's really beautiful, Gaby. And I think we talked too about these solo trips. And if you go on trips with friends or family, sometimes you might have to lean in, which is okay, and do something that you might not have chosen to do. But when you're on these trips by yourself, it's you. You're making the decision about what you're gonna do, what you're not gonna do, what you like, and then maybe five minutes later don't like. So you have that flexibility and you don't have to answer to anybody.

Yeah.

Gabby (17:41)
Exactly. Yeah, exactly.

And I think that's refreshing for the kid who's only traveled with their family and is like going to college just like I was and is like, I've never really had this level of autonomy before. And it's just as refreshing for the mom who's like, my God, my life is defined by my kids right now. I, I barely have a second to even think about what I want for coffee, let alone I'm doing so much for other people to have that time back to recenter yourself and be like, what do I like to do? People rarely ask themselves that because they're so

especially as women, accommodating to their partner or their parents or their kids or their job or we're very accommodating we have to be. But solo travel is really your time to kind of sit in silence and drink your coffee and be like what do I want to do today?

Kelli Wall (18:25)
Absolutely. And I think too, and maybe it's just the world that I'm living in since I'm doing it and this podcast, but it does feel like solo travel is becoming more talked about, maybe more common, or maybe people are just starting to share it more. know Tracy Ellis Ross just launched her show about solo travel. So speaking of that, what do you think people misunderstand the most about solo travel?

Gabby (18:48)
say, especially for women, safety. I think a lot of women say, you know, I would love to solo travel. All those things that you just said sound great, Gabby, but what if I get kidnapped? I'm like, okay, that's a strong argument. It's a strong argument. Like all the kind of non-tangible benefits of solo travel and then like, I physically safe? And what I say to them usually, and that's where the misunderstanding is, is like, I live in New York City. It's like, make a list, make a list of five things that you think

you're worried about if you solo travel. And then really think about if those things can't happen or don't already happen where you live right now, you know? And it's not that...

things don't happen to women or things don't happen to people in general, but they're not more likely to happen just because you've left your hometown. And in fact, if you do the research, usually, if you're from the US, if you're from a big city, if you have a certain identity, they can be less likely to happen to you in these places abroad. Like, abroad does not equal...

more dangerous. New does not equal more dangerous. Different does not equal more dangerous. And in fact, it can usually be a lot safer. think especially this great example when I went to Dubai, it was 2015. Everyone was like, the Middle East. What's happening in the Middle East? Is it safe? Women have no rights. Can you even open your eyes there without having some sort of punishment? And I went there and I was like, this is the safest city I've ever been to in my life.

Okay, perfect. Dubai, great. And then I went to Oman, I went to the surrounding countries and I just, what the amount of information you have is always so much smaller than the actual truth. And it can be hard, especially now. It's so oversaturated online with information and points of views and ideas. And you're like, my God, what? Someone just tell me what's actually true. Like, so I really get that. But the misconception is that

Kelli Wall (20:38)
Yeah.

Gabby (20:42)
I should just stay home. Like, forego all the benefits and internal growth and external growth and learning new languages, learning new dances, like all the benefits to your life. And I should just stay home just in case something bad happens to me. That's not a way of life that will get you really far in any capacity, whether you travel or not. Like, that's just even like, I shouldn't go for the promotion just in case my boss doesn't like it. Like, wait, what?

Kelli Wall (21:06)
Mm-hmm.

Gabby (21:08)
that doesn't make any sense. So yeah, I think we need to live out loud and solo travel is like just the most visceral way to do it possible.

Kelli Wall (21:17)
and that is the perfect segue because your motto is seek risk, seize opportunity, see the world. What does risk look like to you in the context of travel?

Gabby (21:28)
Yeah, I think it is risk involves the unknown, embracing that you can't know everything. But knowing that you're a person who figures things out, you know, I have so many stories like I love solo travel, but underneath every time I say I love solo travel is there's context of like, except that one time I landed in Warsaw and didn't know Polish and the taxi driver tried to scam me. except for that time that I

jumped in that lake in Switzerland and I forgot it's not salt water so I started drowning immediately. There's just things that happen on your trip, I mean in life that you can't prepare for, but I think that's what makes it exciting. If there was no risk, you wouldn't feel excited seeing that new movie that just came out because you would know exactly what happens and you would be so bored. If there was no risk that...

guys or whatever saying that they're in love with you wouldn't feel so exciting because you're like, wow, he's really putting himself out there. Risk to me is vulnerability. And to be a woman traveling solo and having that vulnerability to say, like, I don't know what's going to happen. I'm nervous, but I'm doing it anyway. When you do it anyway, and inevitably you learn something or meet someone who becomes the bridesmaid at your wedding or meet someone else who gives you a job recommendation that, you know.

changes your life or allows you to buy a house. Like just so many ripple effects. I think the vulnerability to go for it and go outside your comfort zone and solo travel is the part that makes it rewarding. It would not be rewarding if there was no risk.

Kelli Wall (22:58)
That's a really beautiful way to look at Yeah.

Gabby (23:01)
Thank you. Yeah,

mean that's life.

I really just it's like solo travel or just Taking a risk in your daily life You know am I gonna go to this workout class where I don't know anybody and everyone's staring at me like who the hell is this girl? It's the same concept. It's just copy pasted in different areas of your life, but once you can And you can do it either way. I feel like I did the big thing I'm like I'm just gonna go to Iceland and then it affected my life in a much smaller ways But other people can do it the other way they can say

Kelli Wall (23:08)
Mm-hmm.

Gabby (23:27)
you know what I'm gonna do a solo cation in my city and you know what that kind of built my confidence a little bit that maybe I'll try it in another city and then maybe I'll go abroad and you can do it either way there's no wrong way but I think that piece of I don't know what's gonna happen but I know it'll be worth it it's just you have to copy and paste that everywhere in your life solo travel or not

Kelli Wall (23:48)
That's so true because it's not even just with solo travel like you said it could be a workout class, anything new you're gonna walk into and you gotta have a little bit of vulnerability and willingness to learn because you're not walking in as an expert. And Gabby, something else that you touched on at the very beginning was being the only woman of color on your trip to Iceland. as a black woman and a first gen traveler, what has your experience been like navigating solo travel in different parts of the world?

Gabby (24:15)
Yeah, it has been interesting for sure because I think the mainstream media is still so white that there are times where I take general travel advice, general solo travel advice and try to apply it. And I'm like, that was not written for me. Or my experience is completely different from how almost everyone else says it would be. But I'm realizing that I'm reading media or seeing things that are maybe not.

inclusive on purpose or not on purpose. It just may not include me in that narrative accidentally. So I think being the representation and that's kind of why I found it to feel kind of like my responsibility when I started solo traveling to share my stories is because so many people had questions. They were like, how, first of all, how did you maintain your hair on six months abroad? And I was like, I didn't know that was like a question people would have, but just no one had ever talked about it.

for. It just did not exist. No one's telling these stories. So something as simple as doing my hair and then something more complex of like, has your hair ever put you in danger because it made you stand out so much. These are questions that I feel like I have an obligation to answer and I find a lot of fun in. And so my experience being a black woman traveling abroad has been, I'd say good. And again, I

I don't know if I mentioned this, but I actually like to go off the beaten path. I say I go to the second page of Google. So instead of going to let's say France, Germany, London, I'm going to Cartagena and Okinawa, Japan and South Africa. I'm going to Cape Town. And so actually being a person of color, a woman of color, it's pretty good in some different areas. I feel like I get to blend in. People always ask me, are you Moroccan? I'm like...

Okay, sure. If that gets me the local prize, yeah. Shwe shwe, I can speak Arabic. Or I'm in Cartagena and I'm like, if I don't say anything, I kind of get the local taxi price. That's kind of nice. And so that, because of the places I choose to go to, it can be an asset. And then when I share these stories online and share that it's not all bad, being a black woman traveling doesn't have to be, you know.

Kelli Wall (25:59)
You

Gabby (26:21)
a sign that is gonna be like the hardest thing you've ever done. It can be really liberating. There are a lot of countries and people that love black people, especially the black diaspora. Whenever I go back to the Caribbean, I'm like, yeah, like this is what it feels like to be around people that are accepting of everyone. But I always share those stories and I always caveat that not every woman's experience is the same. Not every black woman's experience is the same. I obviously have a very different experience traveling than a darker skinned black woman or someone with different features.

It's the same across the board. Someone who's lighter than me has a different experience. Someone who has more money than me has a totally different experience. And so I just like to acknowledge that everyone has different experiences, but at the same time, don't let whatever identity that you have keep you from living your life or keep you from traveling. Because as much as, again, I can be here in New York City and find bad people if I want to find them. They're not hard to find.

but I can also be here and find the best people ever who are so accepting that teach me different ways to be myself. And it's the same thing abroad. Like you will find people that don't want you there. And then you'll find people who are so excited to have a different point of view. Even just being American. think when I'm traveling, they're like, I'm like, some people are like, ah, everyone hates Americans. Then you go abroad, they're like, Americans are so nice. You guys always smile. You always want to make friends with everybody. Like you're so, you compliment people too much. I'm like, what a problem to have that we're.

the over-complementers. So yeah, it's been good, honestly, and maybe it's just because I see life with a glass half full.

Kelli Wall (27:49)
but Gabby, that's such a good point too, because it's just a stereotype that I think that people want to believe as a reason maybe to not do it. You you talked about, it safe? Okay, yes, you have to be aware, you have to make smart choices, but I think that's just maybe something that people lean on as a reason not to do it, or I don't want to go there because they hate Americans, but you have done such a fantastic job and we'll touch on your podcast in just a moment of

helping people feel represented in this space. So how do you hope that your travel stories impacts other women who might not see themselves represented in this space?

Gabby (28:26)
I remember growing up, I loved shows. I like foreshadowed my own life. I'm like, wow. I loved shows like The Wild Thornberrys. I loved Steve Irwin. I loved The Craft Brothers. I loved, like I loved those adventure shows, but I never saw women who looked like me in them. And I remember thinking,

that there was like this invisible wall of there are people who do things like that and then there's people like me. And I didn't even know what that meant when I was younger, but I think obviously growing up it was, I learned that like, yeah, representation and I need, yeah, you have to actively seek out representation. If it doesn't exist, you have to decide if you wanna be that or

And I would say I have a few intersections of identity and that I hope that by being, you know, first generation, by being a black woman, by, I don't even know, being short. I have a lot of short women reach out to me and be like, you're 5'2", isn't that your size? Like, scare you? Like, what if some guy decides to pick you up and carry you off? I'm like, that's...

Kelli Wall (29:29)
five two as well I know we can't tell because we're in different rooms but so I get it

Gabby (29:33)
You get it, you're suddenly in a crowd in like

Norway and

six five, you're like, wait, this is not something you like can't see in the mirror at the restaurant. Like these are real things that people are like, wait, what if I feel so uncomfortable that I don't have a good time on my solo trip? And I hope that I show like.

Kelli Wall (29:40)
Yeah.

Gabby (29:48)
Will everything always be comfortable? No. Will everyone always get it? No. Will you stand out in crowds sometimes? Yes. Will you wish there were more people that looked like you or wish that you'd come at a different time or maybe wish that you didn't go to that specific city? Yes, but...

It is so outweighed by the benefits and I always try to make them tangible. Like as a black woman traveling, I have built my career off of solo travel. I have met friends that, I just got invited, I studied abroad in Dubai. have a friend that's Omani. She invited me to her brother's wedding. So now I'm gonna go back to Oman this year to go to this like six day wedding. And I just would never have had.

these opportunities career-wise or network-wise, personally, personal growth, general life happiness if I hadn't taken those risks and for me, solo traveled. So my message to anyone who's...

at all intersected into my identities and says, I guess if Gabby did it, maybe I could do it too. The answer is yes. I always say I'm not special. I'm not some superhuman. I'm not super rich. I'm not super smart. I'm just an average girl who very, I guess maybe luckily does not see limitations as hard no's I see them as, you know.

soft no's like okay we could maybe make this work though or like I'm gonna find another way or you know maybe I just try it in a small capacity like I I do not see the word no and it's really worked out for me and I hope I can just kind of inspire the next person to say like I thought that was a hard no but maybe it's not

Kelli Wall (31:16)
And you've been willing to take that risk. And as you said, you've made a career out of this. So let's talk about your podcast. You've got a podcast called the Young Travelers Podcast. What inspired you to start that? What's your podcast like?

Gabby (31:30)
I am so excited about the podcast. I was inspired to start it because of representation, because I traveled a lot in my 20s and there are a lot of people who I think do that now. People are traveling younger, which is so exciting, but.

I still don't really see the representation of young black women, first generations, people who want to travel on a budget, but not necessarily budget travel. I've never been like, I'll just stay in the hostel with 16 other people and I'll just sleep on my suitcase or, okay, wait. I want my quality of travel to be as high as possible too. And so I've never really seen people who...

or someone who just kind of thinks like me and looks like me. And so I wanted to kind of memorialize my 20s in my podcast. I'm in my late 20s now and I've traveled from 17 up to now. And I'm like, wait, I have a decade of experience and kind of for personal reasons, I wanted to memorialize it and be able to be 40 and 50 one day and listen to these episodes back and be like, wow, that story when I happened to 21, that's crazy or 22 or, you

keep these stories fresh in my own mind. But really, I think it's so special to have been able to travel in my 20s in a pandemic, studying abroad with my friends solo. Like I've just, feel like I've done, it's like a book. It's like a chapter book where I've had so many different chapters and I feel like it'd be a shame to not memorialize them in this way. And then I'm bringing on other people in their 20s who are still living it. And so I feel like I get even.

more fresh advice. So I'm in my late 20s interviewing someone who's 21 who's saying, I just took my solo trip, my first solo trip and here's how it feels. And through interviewing them, I get to be like, oh yeah, that I've done so many now I'm like, I'm like a vet. I'm like, God, that is how it feels. That first trip is so visceral and exciting and terrifying and life changing. And just to remember being 17 on the cusp of that and to have just like to be able to find that in someone else and share that with my audience.

that's what I want to do. It's kind of intangible. kind of something that you, there's not words you say, but it's an energy you kind of feel listening to someone tell that story that I want to capture and make sure I can share with my audience.

Kelli Wall (33:43)
That's such a fantastic way to remember and like you said, memorialize your trips. We've got just a couple years in between us. I'm like, mine are these Facebook albums that thank God I've been able to like make private because we didn't do podcasts. We made these really awful albums, but.

Anyways, for someone that might be listening to this, is there an episode that you might recommend on your podcast? If they're thinking about solo travel, but they're a little uncertain, is there one that comes to mind that you might point them to?

Gabby (34:12)
Yeah, I have an episode on five destinations that I think are safe for solo female travelers. And in that, I kind of break down my top five countries that I recommend and also my experiences in those countries. So I think I give really tangible tips. mean, I'm such a I think I'm such a logical person when people give advice. like, that is great. I will note that and think about that later. But it doesn't really sink in unless it's like I can put.

Myself in your shoes and feel like I'm thinking through it with you like living through it with you And that's what I think I do in that episode. I'm like, let's take it to Iceland, you know, here's me booking the trip Here's how I researched it. Here's me on the ground. Was I terrified? Yes, but

It's okay, I just ask someone for help to find the bus. Like just really walking them through it step by step. That's what I like to hear. That's like how I remember things best. And so that's what I did in that episode. I'd say start there. It's tangible tips. It's not just like big fluffy, like you can do it if you try. It's like, okay, I feel like I have real tips that I can apply and reference my notes when I land there and be like, okay, yeah, she said do this. I'm gonna do this. I really feel like it's a nice step-by-step guide.

Kelli Wall (35:18)
Yeah, I love a good tangible travel tip because you can find a million like here's the different tours or some feedback, but those little things that you would have not known. I love those like contact cases for you your face cream or make sure that you've got this in your bag. Listen, I love it. So Gabby, you've done so many different trips and many of them solo. Is there a moment from any of your solo trips that always makes you smile when you think about it?

Gabby (35:35)
Yeah.

There's moments where I was going to a group trip with my friends to Cartagena, but I arrived a few days earlier and I was by myself. And there was just a moment where I, again, was at a cafe and they were playing music and dancing and I'm drinking my coffee and I just remembered thinking like, wow, this is my life. Like I get to do this.

No one's tapping me on the shoulder asking me for something. I have no deadlines right now. Like I just get to, this is what it is to live. And it was just drinking coffee in a cafe. And then there are other moments. I have like a wide array of moments, but like when I was living in Dubai where came out of school one day, probably the first two weeks I was there and someone says like, do you want to hang out after school? And I'm like, my God, I'm friends.

to. They're like, yeah, my friend's having a yacht party, so we're probably gonna go on the yacht after school. And I was like, people, people live such different lives.

Kelli Wall (36:35)
casual.

Gabby (36:38)
wow. And none of them are good.

or bad necessarily, but they were just so different. And it's so interesting that that was casual for him. But I would go to the party and like tell a story about my Iceland trip, for example. And they were just like, my parents would never let me do like, that's amazing. And just, we all have different references for what's normal and what's not. you know, what we're grateful for. And it's just been such, I say the best moments from any of the solo trips are realizing that the human experience can be so different and to just get a small peek into someone else's way of

life is such a privilege and makes my life so much more richer. It's like reading a book and getting to step into that book and like kind of take on someone else's lessons and experiences and kind of take them home with you. And now I feel like I have truly lived a hundred lives, even just still being in my twenties because I've solo traveled and like just been so vulnerable to open myself up to it. I've gotten to take a lot with me too.

Kelli Wall (37:33)
So of all these lives you've lived and all these trips you've taken, what country is still on your solo travel bucket list?

Gabby (37:36)
Yeah.

Hmm, to do it solo, I would say Peru. I feel like a lot of people have been to Peru. I'm like, yeah, when enough people go, I'm like, I feel like I get it. Like, I feel like I get it. But I feel like I need to experience Peru, especially Lima for myself, and that's on my list. And I hear the food's great, so I need to go specifically to eat my heart out.

Kelli Wall (38:02)
Yes, that is on my shortlist as well, because I've heard the same amazing things about it. So Gabby, I know I just alluded to this a little bit, but I always like as we're getting towards the end of the episode to ask someone to share a solo travel story that stands out, maybe one that challenged you, surprised you, or was really unforgettable. I know you touched on the yacht, or forgetting your sleeping bag, or just the coffee in Columbia. But is there another one you want to share a highlight?

Gabby (38:04)
Yeah.

Yeah. ⁓

yes. So at the end of my Dubai, my time in Dubai, I was like coming back to the U S and I had a moment. It was a Thursday night. I remember cause I had an exam the next day and I remember thinking, I'm leaving in three weeks. I can't believe this is the end of the road. I got to do something to shake this up. That's like so many moments of my life. I'll just kind of look around and be like,

let's flip it upside down. And so that night, I don't know what came over me, I looked at the cheapest flight from Dubai to where, and I saw the Republic of Georgia. And I said, you know what, why not? So I skipped my exam the next day and just booked like a $50 ticket to the Republic of Georgia to Tbilisi. And I was what, 21. And I, yeah, went to Tbilisi and I was walking around. It's like post-Soviet and...

castles and like stone structures and walking around and I definitely don't know Georgian. Little did I know Georgian is one of those ancient languages that's completely different from any other language. Like I'm like maybe if I know a little Arabic. No. Useless. Perfectly useless. So I'm arrived there. I feel like I'm the only black person or woman of color in the whole country. This was before tourism to Georgia picked up and it was so refreshing. It was so adventurous. It was so fun. I'm walking around. remember I literally I'm like

I'm like, I'm the main character, I'm a Leo. So I'm walking around and I'm like, no one knows me. Like, wow, this is amazing. And then I hear Gabby? And I'm like, they have a Georgian word that sounds like my name. That's so fun. And I hear Gabby Beckford. I was like, who? And I turn around and it's a girl from my high school. A girl from my high school who, why would I know she was Georgian? I barely knew what.

Kelli Wall (40:01)
my gosh.

Gabby (40:06)
Georgian really was. And she's there and she's like, what are you doing? I'm like, what are you doing here? And at that moment, just showed me like solo traveling, how small the world is. That really, when you think you are at your most remote, your most random, you're like, no one can find me here. The universe has small ways of showing you that like the world is smaller than you think and you'll be okay. It's never as foreign as you think we all as like humankind, I think have more in common than we have.

and differences and really once you start traveling to you the threads of connection that you have you'll be shocked you talk to some some shop owner in Georgia and then they all have like some second degree of connection to your mom it's just a such a small world and so I think when women especially think about solo travel and they're like it's just so different I have nothing in connection with this place it's foreign I don't know the language I don't know the people they think differently like it's just like a different planet

I try to remind them that it's more like your next door neighbor you've never met. You probably have more in common with them than you think. You probably have the same dinner. You probably go to the same restaurants. There's moms pushing strollers in every country you go to. There's like teenage kids hanging out McDonald's in every country you go to. I promise the world is not as foreign as you think. It's like, I always say that it's more like your next door neighbor than the next planet. So don't, don't get so stuck in your head that you think it's so different that it stops you from going.

really give it a chance.

Kelli Wall (41:31)
Yeah, we're not all that different or as much as people would like to maybe lead us to believe.

Gabby (41:36)
Exactly. We are, I promise they laugh at the same funny TikTok videos as we do. they're, just, we are all human beings. We are a lot more alike than you thought. And yeah, that moment in Georgia, I'm like, yeah, it's just such a small world. What are the odds? But that happens a lot when you start solo traveling, that someone knows your favorite TV, obscure TV show you had when you were a kid. You're like, how would you know that? It's like, it's a small world. It is.

Kelli Wall (42:00)
Awesome, Gabby, thank you so much. So we are nearing the very end of the episode. So we will end today's episode with how we end every episode of Solo Travel Impact and we'll ask you the same three questions. So first one up, the advice I'd give to someone considering solo travel is.

Gabby (42:17)
if I had to give advice to someone considering solo travel, I would say don't wait until you feel ready. You may never feel ready, but you are ready. and trust yourself. You trust your intuition. I think that

If you're listening to this podcast, you're already someone who has the capacity to figure things out and that's all you need. You don't need to feel ready. You don't need to have everything figured out. You don't need A through Z. You just need to be someone who can figure things out. And so don't wait until you feel ready. You'll feel ready once you get there. You'll be

Kelli Wall (42:50)
My favorite part about solo travel is...

Gabby (42:53)
My favorite part about solo travel is the freedom.

have freedom that you don't even realize you have until you go on a solo trip and you realize that every single decision is up to you. That can feel like a lot of pressure, especially for women. But then it's like the most addicting thing in the world. It's so addicting, it's complete freedom to decide what you want to eat, what you want to wear, if you want to cancel your trip or cancel another trip, the plans you make that day. You want to eat ice cream for every meal. You just are reminded with how much freedom

you actually have. That's just something that only solo travel can do.

Kelli Wall (43:27)
Something I learned about myself during solo travel is...

Gabby (43:31)
Something I've learned about myself during solo travel is that

I am safest when I trust my intuition, no matter what that means. So sometimes maybe you get invited to go out for a night and you're like, you know what? Yeah, I think that this feels right. Like I trust my intuition. And then sometimes you get invited to do some crazy bungee jumping thing and you're like, I know that says it's safe, but I'm not going to do it. And you just have to feel shameless about trusting your intuition and give yourself enough credit that your intuition is like a very strong, powerful tool that's worth trusting.

interesting.

Kelli Wall (44:05)
Listen to that little inner voice.

Gabby (44:07)
Yeah,

exactly. She knows. She knows things.

Kelli Wall (44:10)
Yes, yes, she does. So Gabby,

from a teenage adventurer booking a ticket to Iceland on a whim to a global storyteller inspiring underrepresented travelers, you remind us that solo travel isn't just a trip, it's a declaration of freedom, of self-trust, of possibility wherever you are on your journey. Gabby, I hope that your story has encouraged someone to take the leap, even if it scares you, actually, especially if it scares you.

Gabby, thank you so much for coming on today. I really appreciate it.

Gabby (44:40)
Thank you for having me, this was great.

Kelli Wall (44:42)
Of course, take care Gabby.

Kelli Wall (44:43)
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