Ladies, Here's The Tea On The Best Places To Travel When We Finally Escape Quarantine
As Told To is a recurring segment on xoNecole where real women are given a platform to tell their stories in first-person narrative as told to a writer.
This is Shakeemah Smith's story, as told to Charmin Michelle.
As an avid solo female traveler, I absolutely cannot wait for my next adventure. And I'm sure that most would agree.
The Rona has us at her mercy, and the entire world is under quarantine until...well, I guess at this point, “further notice". Travel influencers and cabin fever-sufferers alike, are holding their breath, waiting on word that borders have reopened, making room for us all to make a mad dash for customs. Even people with little or no travel experience, will likely follow suit, as I predict that they'll suffer a “quarantine-induced epiphany", alluding them to the fact that they've taken travel for granted until now.
But when borders open, where is everyone headed to?
I wanna know, let's talk about it.
My name is Shakeemah Smith, affectionately known as The Passport Abuser, or your Expert Globetrotter. I've visited over 50 countries as a female solo traveler—which all evolved from the hundreds of times I grew frustrated with waiting on friends to travel with me.
I'm also Founder of "Travel Like A Bawse", an online course that focuses on teaching women the art of mastering solo world travel with confidence, safely, and without draining your bank account.
And with this being said, since the pandemic, I'm often asked to advise on what countries would be best to travel to when the world opens back up, so I decided to create a list of my personally approved places where we can vacation with ease.
When compiling this list, (and sitting around daydreaming of getting my next passport stamp), I considered the following three things:
- COVID cases in each country. I instead researched which countries/territories had the least amount of cases, yet were still open to tourism.
- Flight Prices. Because, of course.
- And how far away from home I wanted to travel once borders open. Extremely international travel is not something I would recommend, at least not for a while. There's too much uncertainty in place at the time, and I predict that that uncertainty is likely to hover for the remainder of the year. If you can't stay local, stay close.
And with considering all of the above, I focused my post-Rona travels list on the Caribbean. I mean, the weather is heavenly, the beaches are divine. The Caribbean would be a naturally perfect fit. What's even more amazing, when doing my research, data shows that COVID did not have a huge surge of cases at all in the region. And these countries are all also under five hours flying time from NYC.
So, pack those bags, sis! Here are the best, and safest, places to travel once allowed:
Aruba
Aruba is the first country in the Caribbean to announce its reopening, and plans to open between June 15th and July 1st. Flights to Aruba from NYC can be purchased for the first week of June for as little as $175. The country has also only had a mere 101 confirmed cases of COVID in the entire country.
Belize
Belize was the last country in all of the Americas to receive its first confirmed case of coronavirus. To date, Belize has only had 18 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the entire country, and is set to reopen its borders on July 1.
Nicaragua
Surprisingly, despite the pandemic, Nicaragua's borders have remained open since the onset of the first confirmed case of COVID in the country. Despite not closing its borders, Nicaragua only has 25 confirmed COVID cases to date, and tickets can be purchased for as little as $90 for the second week in July.
Puerto Rico and Hawaii
If you're ready to cure your cabin fever, but you're not ready to risk international travel, tropical paradise still awaits in Hawaii, or the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. Starting June 1st, Hawaii will reopen its borders to out-of-state residents, and Puerto Rico, will lift their 14-day quarantine requirement for tourists on May 25th.
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For more advice and travel tips from Shakeemah, you may follow her on Instagram at @thepassportabuser. You may also learn more about her next adventure and opportunities by visiting her website.
If you have a story you'd like to share but aren't sure about how to put it into words, contact us at submissions@xonecole.com with the subject "As Told To" for your story to be featured.
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Charmin Michelle is a southern native and creative spirit who works as a content marketer and events manager in Chicago. She enjoys traveling, #SummertimeChi, and the journey of mastering womanhood. Connect with her on Instagram @charminmichelle.
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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Sheila Rashid's Androgynous Approach To Unisex Clothing Is A Lesson In Embracing Individuality
The ItGirl 100 List is a celebration of 100 Black women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table.
For Sheila Rashid, it all started with some free-hand drawings and a few strokes of paint.
The Chicago-based clothing designer and creative director of Sheila Rashid Brand recalls using her spare time in high school to hand paint designs on t-shirts and distressed hoodies, distributing them to classmates as walking billboards for her art.
Rashid sought to pursue fashion design at Columbia College in Chicago but eventually took the self-taught route to build upon her knack for crafting one-of-a-kind, androgynous pieces.
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Thanks to the mentorship of local designers taking her under their wings, Rashid was able to gain valuable experience in putting together collections and creating patterns; equipping her with them with the necessary skills to pursue her own collections.
After two years of living in New York, Rashid returned home to the Chi and uncovered the unique flair she could offer the city. “I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world,” she tells xoNecole. “That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
For the Midwest native, inspiration comes from her time around creative peers and the city’s notorious winters — known to be a main character in many Chicagoans stories. “It's a different perspective and mindset when I'm making stuff because of the weather here,” she explains. “When we get summer, it’s ‘Summertime Chi’ — it's amazing. It's beautiful. Still, I find myself always making clothes that cater to the winter.”
"I moved to New York after that because I wanted to be in the fashion capital world. That's when I really got a leg up. I found myself when I moved back to Chicago after moving to New York.”
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Many designers have a signature aesthetic or theme in their creations. In Rashid’s design story, dancing between the lines of femininity and masculinity is how she’s been able to distinguish herself within the industry. Her androgynous clothing has garnered the eye of celebrities like Zendaya, Chance the Rapper, WNBA star Sydney Colson, and more — showing her range and approach to designs with inclusivity in mind.
“I think I do reflect my own style,” she says. “When I do make pieces, I'm very tomboyish, androgynous. My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes.” From denim to overalls, and color-drenched outerwear, Rashid has mastered the structure of statement pieces that tell a story.
“Each collection, I never know what's going to be the thing I'm going to focus on. I try to reflect my own style and have fun with the storytelling,” she shares. “I look at it more like it's my art in this small way of expressing myself, so it's not that calculated.”
"My work is unisex because I feel like everybody can wear it. I cater to everybody and that's how I try to approach my clothes."
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Still, if you were able to add up all the moments within Rashid’s 20-year career in design, one theme that has multiplied her into becoming an “ItGirl” is her confidence to take up space within the fashion industry as a queer, Black woman. “Being an ItGirl is about being yourself, loving what you do, finding your niche, and mastering that,” she says.
No matter where you are on your ItGirl journey, Rashid says to always remain persistent and never hesitate to share your art with the world. “Don’t give up. Even if it's something small, finish it and don't be afraid to put it out,” she says, “It's about tackling your own fear of feeling like you have to please everybody, but just please yourself, and that's good enough.”
To learn more about the ItGirl 100 List, view the full list here.
Featured image Courtesy