4 Affordable Bucket List Travel Destinations You Can Do On Any Budget
Travel is often thought of as this super expensive, "boujee gang only" type of fun. In reality, travel is by far the most affordable luxury there is.
Before I set off on my first adventure, I used to think travel was for an exclusive and elite group that had money to blow. I applied for my passport as a gift to myself after hearing a good friend of mine speak so highly of her trip to Jamaica. This particular friend wasn't the boujee type at all. To hear her talk and show photos of blue water and beaches with people of our same complexion inspired me to take action. I believe that events like this are a subtle act of God, destined to happen and create shifts in our life. Shortly after, I took my first international trip to Turks and Caicos, spent under $500, including my flight, and never looked back.
Since then, I have traveled to several countries in Europe (Spain, London, Paris to name a few), Mexico more times than I can count, Canada, and my favorite island Turks and Caicos a few times. As you can see, the beach is kinda my thing.
If you've been dreaming of blue water and white sand, seeing timeless monuments, or experiencing things you never even thought were possible, and all within a price range that is totally doable for you... here's the only sign you need!
Check out these trips that will accommodate any price point and have you on a plane quicker than you ever thought possible.
Mexico: $1,000
I could lowkey drop the budget for this trip to $800, but I left a little room for things like emergencies. Mexico is the land of tequila shots and turn-ups! It can also be a perfect place to have a wedding, or just get away for a weekend.
Flash sale flights from Atlanta to Cancun for around $250 are pretty easy to come by. My suggestion is to book your flight one to two months in advance to catch this kind of deal.
A few days in Mexico at a 4-star resort is cool but a 4-star All-Inclusive resort is like the cherry on a sundae! All-inclusive resorts are definitely the way to go in Mexico and a trendy beachfront stay will cost $150-225 a night depending on the time of year. If you like to party with a view, Mexico will definitely give you the most bang for your buck, can you say girl's trip?
My Recommendations:
Where to stay:Hyatt Ziva Cancun, a newly renovated all-inclusive resort with a private and public beach
What to eat: Anything at one of the 16 all-inclusive restaurants
What to do: Catch a $10 catamaran or party boat ride into the beautiful blue waters of Isla Mujeres, jetski on the resort for $35, or both!
How to get around:Canada Transfers (Try their upgraded champagne on arrival and departure option for $15 pp).
Featured image via Chelsea Waddy/Instagram
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Chelsea is a travel maven that teaches others to see the world without breaking the bank! Follow her as she shares her tips and experiences on her blog TravelGirlMagic.com or on all social media platforms @travelgirlmagic.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Stress Awareness Month: Sneaky Workplace Triggers Affecting Black Women, And How To Cope
We all know about the major stress triggers of everyday life, from relationship woes to monthly bills to unexpected emergencies, but there are small, subtle triggers that impact Black women in a big way, especially when it comes to work. It’s good to be aware of these sneaky stressors in order to maximize your day and find ways to incorporate solutions into your self-care routines.
Since it’s Stress Awareness Month, we caught up with Keanne Owens, LCSW, founder of Journey To Harmony Therapy Center, to talk about these triggers and what Black women can do to manage and cope.
Owens is an experienced South Florida-based counselor and social worker who offers her services via Grow Therapy, a therapy and medication management platform. She has worked with Black women professionals to unpack issues related to workplace stressors. “One is the pressure to perform–having to meet deadlines and deliverables. And a lot of times, these subtle stressors from performance are put upon ourselves as Black women. We want to make sure we’re doing our best. We don’t want to be critiqued in certain ways.”
Excessive micromanagement leading to fear of overly critical bosses is another subtle trigger that can negatively impact Black women in the workplace.
“Whenever something is done wrong, or we experience some type of injustice and have to report it, it’s the fear of retaliation–[fear that] we won’t be taken seriously or [our words] will be taken out of context because of being deemed as the ‘angry Black woman,’” she said.
Black Women And Workplace Stress Triggers
Her sentiments are backed by research. A recent report by Coqual found that 28% of Black women (compared to 17% of White men) say their supervisor uses “excessive control or attention to detail” when managing them. There’s more: A survey by the National Employment Law Project found that Black workers were “more likely to have concerns (80 percent) and twice as likely as white workers (18 percent) to have unresolved concerns at work, with 39 percent reporting they were “not satisfied with the employer’s response or did not raise concerns for fear of retaliation.”
The survey also found that 14 percent of Black respondents said they “avoided raising concerns to their employer for fear of retaliation—more than twice the average rate of 6 percent for all survey respondents.”
Owens pointed to the fact that these subtle stress triggers can negatively impact our physical health and our career advancement. “A lot of time it’ll affect our productivity,” Owens added. “We start to have negative thoughts of ourselves. The stressors can also cause fatigue. We’re no longer meeting or working up to our desired potential.” Other challenges as a result include insomnia and increased insolation, withdrawal, and lack of motivation to apply for jobs or promotions even when qualified.
valentinrussanov/Getty Images
How To Manage Subtle Stress Triggers
While there are systemic issues at play for Black women at work that has less to do with us and more to do with major overhauls that must be addressed by the powers that be, there are steps we can take for the betterment of ourselves and our mental health. Owens offered the following tips:
Tap into a support system, whether it’s a coworker you trust, a family member, an organization, or an outlet like a hobby.
Create a good work-life balance before burnout even starts. “Having certain boundaries [is the goal] such as, for example, if you get off at 5, you get off at 5. If your job description is this, you don’t go above and beyond because that brings you to a lot of burnout,” Owens said.
Prioritize self-care, whatever that means for you. “If you don’t have a routine, create one. Practice mindfulness and even some meditation,” she added.
Create structure in your life outside of work. “Even if you have a family, applying some structure in your routine helps relieve stress,” she said.
Get into grounding techniques. “Do a real quick square breathing exercise, that’s literally 30 seconds, or you can do a grounding technique that’s less than two minutes, right there where you are. You don’t need any other materials. That’s something you can do with just yourself and your body.”
Ask for help. “As Black women, we don’t ask for help enough,” she said. “Find where you need to ask for help. A lot of times, people think that’s indicative of weakness, but we need to rewrite that narrative. It’s okay to ask for help where you see fit. [If] you’re a mom, [it could be] every Wednesday from 5 to 6, your children are with the dad. You have to carve out that time.”
For more information on Grow Therapy, visit their website. You can also find out more about Keanne Owens, LCSW, via BeginYourJourneyToHarmony.com.
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Featured image by Charday Penn/Getty Images