Travel Is Your Birthright: Breaking Free from “Too Broke to Travel”, Travel Hacking (Without Credit Cards), and Solo Travel in 90+ Countries with Shakeemah Smith

·1 hr 21 min·3 clips

Three months from my wedding, I discovered he wasn't being honest with me.

Shakima Smith, creator of Travel Like a Boss and self-proclaimed "passport abuser," discusses her transformation from a 30-year-old social worker in New Jersey to a solo traveler who has visited 92 countries. She helps over 12,000 people learn travel hacking strategies that don't require opening credit cards. Her philosophy centers on travel being a birthright rather than a luxury reserved for the elite. Growing up as the oldest of six children in East Orange, New Jersey, Shakima experienced cultural diversity through New York's proximity but never traveled internationally until age 22 when her parents gifted her a Jamaica trip in 2008. The travel bug bit her, but she initially fell into the traditional pattern of saving all year for one trip. Her mindset shift occurred when she needed to buy her first home in 2008 while pursuing a master's degree, and banks told her she couldn't use loans or credit cards due to high debt-to-income ratio. This limitation forced her to develop creative travel hacking methods that flip everyday bills into boarding passes. Her transformative solo travel journey began after a devastating breakup three months before her wedding when she discovered her fiancé had been living a double life. Following a disagreement on a subsequent girls' trip, Shakima realized she had never been alone in her entire life and felt uncomfortable even going to dinner by herself. Her therapist identified trauma bonding patterns and encouraged her to identify activities she enjoyed independently. This revelation led to her taking a nervous first solo trip to Paris and London for 11 days. Shakima articulates that solo travel helped her learn to trust herself, enjoy her own company, and step into her purpose. She challenges the ceiling placed on women's capabilities and counters safety concerns by noting she grew up in an urban area with weekly shootings. She emphasizes using common sense, street smarts, and resources like the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program with U.S. embassies. Her mantra of "do it scared" through micro-commitments became her guiding principle. Despite initial resistance from family and friends who feared for her safety, Shakima's mother eventually became her biggest supporter, framing all her travel photos and coining the "passport abuser" nickname that became trademarked. At country 34 while flying to Johannesburg, she compiled notes from an ugly yellow notebook she'd kept since Paris and decided to create a course framework, despite a friend calling it a stupid idea. Her mother's wisdom—that you only need to be a sophomore to teach freshmen—helped her overcome imposter syndrome about sharing her knowledge. The conversation is deeply vulnerable and emotional, with Shakima nearly crying while recounting her first solo flight experience. The discussion emphasizes abundance thinking, gratitude, and self-expression through travel rather than material wealth. Jason Moore facilitates an intimate conversation that goes beyond typical travel tips to explore the psychological and emotional dimensions of solo travel. The tone is conversational, raw, and inspirational, with both host and guest sharing East Coast energy and connecting on deep personal transformation through travel. Shakima's storytelling is vivid and emotionally honest, creating relatability through specificity. This episode suits listeners interested in solo travel, women's empowerment, unconventional travel hacking methods, overcoming fear, and personal development through adventure, particularly those who feel travel is financially or practically out of reach.

As heard by us

A practical case for treating travel as a birthright, not a luxury.

It frames travel as a birthright, not a luxury, and keeps returning to solo trips, travel hacking, and the choice to move forward while fear is still present.

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You want a travel reset that treats travel like a birthright, not a luxury.

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