Are We There Yet? A Complete Guide to Road Trips | EP. 25

Road trips are sometimes the best or cheapest way to travel. In this episode we talk about some of our good and bad experiences on road trips, what you should bring and how to prepare for a road trip to avoid creating stressful memories.

Resources to help plan long road trips:

https://roadtrippers.com/

Make sure you check out our merchandise! We have the Melanin and Miles logo on a variety of items that can be used on a regular day or for any vacation. Get your new merchandise now at melaninandmiles.com/shop

Tajine and Travel: Nahlah’s 1-Month Morocco Experience in Rabat | EP. 24

Today we are interviewing Nahlah who is a graduating senior at Howard University. She studies political science with a minor in playwriting and did a study abroad program in Morocco. Learn how she chose where to study abroad, and how she traveled around Africa and Europe while taking classes. We discuss her experience being a black American in Morocco and how Moroccan culture affected her experience studying abroad. She also touches on some of her best and worst times while living abroad.

How to Shoot Great Travel Photos and Videos | EP. 23

In this weeks episode we get into how we take great travel photos and videos during our trips and the specific tips you can use to uplevel your travel content. Also, we get into gear we take with us and how to still enjoy your trip without being glued to your screen the entire time. Subscribe on Youtube and follow us on Instagram and Facebook too see our content.

Make sure you get your hands on our free Budget Babe travel guide to learn the top 10 ways you can be saving hundreds or even thousands of dollars on your next travel adventure. Get the free guide straight to your inbox at melaninandmiles.com/free

What’s in Your Toiletry Bag? | EP. 22

As black women we use a lot of products for both hair and skin care. Sadly we can’t travel with full sizes of everything in our luggage when flying. In this episode we unpack what we carry in our toiletry bags and discuss our top tips for maintaining your hair, skin and other beauty routines while traveling.

Make sure you get your hands on our free Budget Babe travel guide to learn the top 10 ways you can be saving hundreds or even thousands of dollars on your next travel adventure. Get the free guide straight to your inbox at melaninandmiles.com/free

Jamaica Recap: Rum Punch, Reggae, and Jerk Chicken| EP. 21

Happy New Year! In our season 2 opener of Melanin and Miles we want to recap Joi’s first Squad Retreat in Montego Bay, Jamaica. The retreat was from December 19th to the 22nd (Thursday-Sunday) with 10 women who signed up. We enjoyed the RIU Reggae resort, ate a lot of food, had a Fros in Focus goal setting session, a beauty excursion, a pool party, and a lot of nightlife. We also climbed Dunn’s River Falls, took a party cruise, and snorkeled a coral reef with tropical fish! Get notified about future retreats by joining Joi’s email list at joiwade.com/squad

Squad Retreat 2019!

Dunn’s River Falls Party Cruise w/ Snorkeling - Click Here

Dunn’s River Waterfall

Our 2019 Travel Reflection + 2020 Bucket List Destinations | EP. 20

Happy New Year! In our final episode of the year (and season 1) we both list where we were blessed enough to travel throughout 2019. We also touch upon where we would like to go in 2020. Get ready for season 2 y’all! If you have been listening and enjoying, please leave a positive review on Apple Podcasts.

We went to THAILAND (Part 2: Beach Day Trip, Waterfalls, Elephants and 2-Hour Massages) | EP. 19

This is part 2 of our Thailand trip recap. In this episode, we discuss the day trips we went on to get some time out of Bangkok. We got to visit the beach at Coral Island after taking a car ride and boat ride to Pattaya City. The next day, we went on a floating market Later on in the trip, we did a day trip to Erawan Waterfall to see the 7-tiered waterfall where we swam and admired nature. That day we also experienced a true Thai massage and relaxed. Lastly, we experienced a problematic elephant sanctuary (unplanned!) that claimed to be only a bathing experience. Enjoy and go back to part 1 if you missed it last week!

Coral Island/Pattaya City:

https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/1130550?location=Bangkok&source=p2

Floating Market Tour:

https://www.airbnb.com/experiences/834337?s=24&user_id=134556356&ref_device_id=acca4be361b24e9076a89bafdf54cae06394ca0e&_branch_match_id=721064854907979032

Erawan Waterfall + Elephants (DON’T BOOK THE ELEPHANTS):

https://www.viator.com/tours/Bangkok/Private-Tour-Kanchanaburi-Erawan-Waterfall-Hellfire-Pass-and-Elephant-Care/d343-100506P19

We went to THAILAND! (Part 1: 24+ hours flying, Airbnb Review, First Days Exploring Bangkok) | EP. 18

At the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

Episode 18

This is part ONE of two of our Thailand trip recap. We traveled to Bangkok together for 4.5 days over Thanksgiving break and 48+ hours of travel. In this episode, we discuss how we planned the trip, found flights for $500 round trip from the USA, reviewing our China Eastern Airlines experience, what we thought of our Airbnb in Bangkok and first impressions of the city. Hear our interesting experience of being black in Asia while visiting famous Thai temples... We also took a Thai cooking class on Thanksgiving day. Enjoy and get ready for part 2 next week!

At the Airbnb infinity pool.

At our Thai Cooking class Airbnb experience in Bangkok.

Bienvenidos a Argentina: Ayana's Experience Living in South America While Black | EP. 17

Today we are interviewing Ayana Culhane who is a graduating senior at Hampton University. She studies psychology with a minor in Spanish and did a study abroad program in Argentina. Learn how she chose where to study abroad and how she learned the language before leaving the US. We discuss her experience being a black American in South America and how the history of Argentina played into her experience studying abroad. She also touches on how having brown skin in Argentina is a unique experience, even for the native people who live there.

Africa is NOT a Country: Kiyanna's experience being a Black American in Ghana | EP. 16

Today we are kicking off our interviews around the world series where we talk to young black women who have experienced unique travel lifestyles abroad. This first interview is with Kiyanna Thomas. She is a graduating senior that also attends Hampton University. She is a Biology pre-med major and over the summer she did a study abroad program in Ghana. We discuss how she chose her study abroad program, her experience being a black American in Ghana, culture shock and her most memorable times abroad. Lastly, she gives advice on anyone wanting to live in Ghana short term and dispels misconceptions about going to Africa.

How to Plan a Trip to Any Place in the World | EP. 15

Want to plan a trip? In this episode we get into everything you will need to plan an amazing trip without a travel company. Topics include transportation, accommodation, things to do, budgeting, and more!

Traveling While Vegetarian | EP. 14

Food is one of the best things to try when going to a new place. However, food can get complicated if you have dietary restrictions. In this episode we talk about our favorite and least favorite travel destinations for food, our dietary restrictions, and what it’s like traveling as a vegetarian. Other topics include traveling with allergies, or other medical conditions that may limit what you can eat.

Best and Worst of Europe Travel | EP. 13

In this episode we get into some of our experiences with European travel and our favorite and least favorite countries in Europe. Other topics include exposing some popular cities in the US and general advice for traveling around the continent.

Your Guide to Travel in the USA | EP. 12

In this episode we get into some of our experiences with domestic travel and our favorite and least favorite cities in the United States. Other topics include exposing some popular cities in the US and general advice for traveling around the country.

Margs, Mojitos, Moscato: Our LIT Travel Stories | EP. 11

In this episode we get real personal and talk about some of our crazy nights out in foreign countries. Nightlife abroad is a different beast so we are gonna help you navigate getting lit on your next trip.

Study Abroad Part 3: Living in New Country | EP. 10

Interested in studying abroad? Today we’re getting into the pros and cons of everything while abroad. Topics include host families, classwork, language barriers, culture shock, budgeting, and what it’s like coming home after a study abroad experience.

Study Abroad Part 2: Preparing for Your Trip | EP. 09

Interested in studying abroad? In this episode we get into everything you need to prepare for studying in a new country. Topics include how to find the right program, the application process, scholarships, and everything you’ll need before you go.

Study Abroad Part 1: Our Experience | EP. 08

Interested in studying abroad? In this episode we get into our study abroad experiences in Spain. We will talk about how we picked our destination, how long we were gone, our study abroad programs, and our unique experiences living in a new country. 

The Only Packing Guide You’ll Ever Need | EP. 07

Need help packing? In this episode we talk about our packing experiences and give advice on how to pack for both short and long trips (anywhere from 2 days to 4 months), based off of our struggles.

Non-English Speaking Countries: Your Guide to Learning the Language | EP. 06

In this episode we want to get into language barriers and challenges when traveling. Not being fluent in a language shouldn’t discourage you from traveling to a new place, so we want to share how we deal with language barriers. Other topics include tips on key phrases to know when traveling, best apps to use when learning a new language, and classroom vs immersion learning.