Travel stories from the people who actually lived them.

Raffaele: Hey everyone, I'm Raffa from the TourRadar marketing team, and welcome back to this podcast, which we kind of let gather dust for a few months. But now we want to bring it back and give people from our industry the space to talk about this beautiful world we live in. Travel stories, moments that make us feel alive. And I couldn't think of anyone better to kick this off than Orty Flores, our Guide of the Year 2025. He's a guide with TruTravels, and I think you actually got an upgrade, a new role in the company. So welcome to the TourRadar podcast, Orty. How are you today?

Orty: Thank you, Raffa, for inviting me to this podcast. It's such a pleasure to share my story, how it started and how it's been going since I won Guide of the Year, and to inspire everybody to travel. I'm doing great. I just finished our Komodo influencer trip and now I'm back home, just my little area, so I'm recharging, and then I'll be on tour again for the next few weeks. How are you?

Raffaele: Lovely. I'm very good, thanks for asking. I just got back from an amazing short vacation to Greece. It was only seven days, but I'm not complaining too much. The weather was sensational. I was on a few organized adventures earlier this year and the weather was just not giving me any luck. Always raining in Japan, in Amsterdam. But finally, funny enough, I got nothing but good weather, seven days in a row, so I couldn't be happier. I'm originally from Sardinia, where the water is some of the most beautiful in the world, but I gotta admit, Greece has something as well.

Raffaele: They don't have to be jealous about their water, whether it's the Philippines, Sardinia or anywhere else in the world. But take me back to the beginning. When did you realize that guiding wasn't just a job, that it was the right thing for you?

Orty: That is such a good question, because it took me a while to realize that guiding is my calling. My very first job was being a tour leader. Right after university I joined as a tour leader, and I thought, sure, why not? I applied, I got accepted, and I thought, okay, I love traveling. Then I got this opportunity with TruTravels and they said, we want you to start as soon as possible. And I said, yes, get me in, because it's such a traveling vibe and I love meeting people. But I wasn't really thinking about whether it was my calling, whether it was my thing.

Now, if you ask me in a deeper sense, when did I actually know that guiding is for me? That happened only last year. When you're doing a job like tour leading, the first season is good. All the energy and the passion is there, because first of all, it's good money. You get to meet a lot of people, you get to travel for free. And you don't really think about it until you start feeling a little burnt out. This is something a lot of people in the industry, in tour leading, have been experiencing for a long time: feeling a little burnt out because of the job, because you get to go to multiple places, but the thing is, you go to the same places all over again. So that's what I mean. Meeting people is amazing, but then being in the same place, it's all over again. It made me question my position, whether guiding was really for me. And I got my answer last year.

It's such a cute story, because we were just a bunch of travelers who turned into a family. We were on Darocotan Island, a remote island in the Philippines, such a beautiful one. We were out under the stars, having bonfires. Imagine it: acoustic night, under the stars, bonfires. And someone asked me, well, it was a lot of questions, and when she asked me those questions, I thought, damn, I wasn't really thinking about this, but now I have to. I'd been in the industry for three years and I needed to know if I was going to stick with guiding or move on to a different position, you know what I mean. So she asked me, aren't you tired of guiding? Aren't you tired of going to the same places all over again?

Raffaele: It must be hard.

Orty: And that hit me. It must be, it is hard. I took a pause, I think it was a good five minutes, and then I cried. I don't know why I cried. It's just that when you already have the answer, but because of where you are in that moment, and because you're with the right people, like-minded people who understand you, I just couldn't help getting emotional. I told her, okay, give me a pause, I'll answer you in five or ten minutes.

And the reason I knew that guiding is for me is because when I see their faces light up, when I bring them to new places, it reminds me of where I come from. It reminds me of how I started, and of what I felt when I first came to a place like that myself. The first time I saw that beautiful island, Darocotan, came back to me because of them. Because they smiled, because they appreciated it, and I thought, this is not just about guiding anymore. This is about me knowing for a fact that I would never stop guiding. Even my company knows. I'm working in the marketing department now, and I keep telling them I need to be back on tour, because this is my calling.

It's those beautiful little moments where I realize it. Not only for myself, but also for the sense of pride I feel for my country. I'm very proud of my country, and I get to show it to people who travel from all around the world. And when they get to the Philippines, to El Nido, they say, this is probably one of the best things I've ever seen. That sticks with me. And that's my answer to everyone who asks me, is guiding for you? Aren't you tired of guiding? That's my answer to them.

Raffaele: That's quite touching. I really didn't expect such a long, beautiful, heartfelt answer, so thank you for that. I love knowing that's what made it click. Do you remember who that traveler was? Do you remember her name, and where she's from?

Orty: Yeah, she's from the UK, and there were only about seven of us. Can I give her a shout out?

Raffaele: Yeah, go ahead.

Orty: So, shout out to Shannon for making me realize that guiding is for me. Because of that, I'm now pursuing guiding as my entire career. And I'm just going to keep doing it, because I love what I do. Thank you for giving me a reason to love what I do.

Raffaele: That's it, I'm going to start crying too. I actually want to ask you something that's sometimes a heated conversation. You said guiding is good money. I've often heard that it's not always the case.

Raffaele: What is your take on that? Of course it depends on the destination, of course it depends on the tour operator, of course it depends on a lot of different things. But from your perspective, is guiding something you can do for the rest of your life as a career?

Raffaele: Or is it only for your young twenties, when you're wild and free and you're not thinking too much ahead about what you want to build in your life? Or is it actually a lot more sustainable than people think, something you can carry as a proper career for the rest of your life?

Orty: So I'm going to let you in on it. For those people who have been asking how to get into this, because let's be honest, we now get a lot of travelers all around the world wanting to travel to Asia and Europe, and tour leading is such an easy way for you to get to the destination. You work in a certain country, you earn money and you travel for free. In your free time you can go traveling, and whenever you have a schedule, you're back on guiding. But the thing is, it's not for everybody. Let's do the pros and cons. When we're speaking about sustainability, yeah. So, the pros and cons of guiding. When you're speaking about money, it can be good money, okay? Especially if you're working for a European-based company, not an Asian one.

Raffaele: Yeah, go for it. Pros and cons of guiding.

Orty: That is good money. The schedule can be tight, that's the con, because it depends. If you're on a contract, they will put you on a trip all the time. You probably get rest, days off, maybe a week max, and then you're back out again. But if you're a freelancer, you get to choose your own schedule. You get to say yes or no. But the thing is, you don't earn money if you don't go out on a trip.

And this is such an easy way in for people who just want to travel. That's why some people I've met through this industry only last one year, two years max, and then they move on. In my case, the reason I'm still here and the reason I still want to keep doing it is that it's my passion, it's my calling. And there's the Filipino pride, that feeling in my heart. I want to boast about my country. I want to show my country. I want to show you how beautiful this country is.

There are so many reasons. There are so, so many reasons you come to realize once you're already in a position of guiding. And it's all up to you at the end of the day whether you want to take this on as a longer term thing. For example, I am blessed. I am blessed to be recognized by TourRadar as Guide of the Year 2025, because it has opened doors for me. Different companies have reached out to me as well. Am I even allowed to name other companies? Different companies, yeah. For example, a DMC in Morocco, one you guys are partners with, and they wanted to invite me to Morocco. And also one from South Africa.

Raffaele: Please, go, go. It's an open space.

Orty: And also some other companies, such as Intro Travel. It's a great opportunity when you have been recognized by TourRadar, because you have the audience. So if you want to pursue this career and you're already with us, with the TourRadar family, then you're on the right path. Just keep doing what you do. If you've been recognized, you'll reach more connections. So now I have more options. If I feel like I want to move forward with my career, I feel like I have the right people with me, because I've gotten to know people through TourRadar as well. So yeah, that's my take.

Raffaele: Nice. Okay, well, it's interesting. I truly hope that after this conversation there are a few people who feel the urge to travel more and are wondering what they should do right now, in a moment where AI is omnipresent, where I truly do think that offline interactions and relationships are becoming even more important than they have ever been before.

Raffaele: Those jobs that actually put you in the room, or out there outdoors with people, are going to be the jobs that stick around a lot longer than anticipated. Because of the chance and the opportunity you get as a guide to meet so many like minded people from all over the world who come to visit your country, and you get to spend time with them.

Orty: Yeah. Couldn't agree more.

Raffaele: Showing them your favorite spots, sharing your traditions, your local knowledge. It's something priceless. And I wish that people who are looking for a job, or looking to go on that adventure and don't know how to start getting into this world, knew that it's a lot easier than you think.

Raffaele: There is a lot of space for guides out there, for leading organized adventures. It's an industry that's getting bigger and bigger. People want experiences over things more than ever before. And they want real interactions in real life. So that's my hot take.

Orty: Yes, a hundred percent. Yeah, I love that. It is true.

Raffaele: Maybe it's not going to be like that, I don't have a magical sphere to see into the future, but I'm pretty sure that a profession like guiding is a lot more bulletproof than a lot of other jobs out there right now. Okay. Yes, please.

Orty: To add to that: AI is everywhere, and being a guide, they cannot take what we do. Us making real memories with these people, with these travelers, like minded people, that's something they can never take away from us. AI could never, never replace guiding, what we do. So cheers to all the guides out there. We love you.

Raffaele: And on that.

Raffaele: Okay, no, we have to explain this for the people who are only listening to our podcast and not watching the video. Happy pride, everyone, of course.

Orty: Okay, good, because happy pride. Raffa, happy pride.

Raffaele: So it's thumb with index finger and you clip it. And then thumb and middle finger. What's the difference between the two?

Orty: So this one is basically just like a clap in our community. Okay, amazing. But then if you want to express more emotion, like, oh my God, this is such a slay, over the top performance, you do this. Like, no words. You slayed that one. That's it. Yeah, exactly, both. Yeah. Wait.

Raffaele: Both hands. Both hands, right? There's a third one which is similar. I don't know if you know it. Isn't it like this?

Orty: That's giving Salt Bae. I don't know, I'm not sure. I'm not sure. Okay.

Raffaele: No, no, I need to look it up. But I think it's, I'm not really convinced, or I'm not getting it. It's not clocking for me, kind of thing. So you have to do this. Okay, write in the comments and explain it to us. Okay, let's change gear. I've got to ask you about the wildest.

Orty: Maybe do the, yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. Too funny. All right.

Raffaele: The funniest thing that has ever happened on a trip with you.

Orty: Oh my God, there's going to be a lot, Raffa. Are we going for a censored one or an uncensored one? I'm joking. This is so funny, because you know what I mean, for those of you listening who are currently working as a guide. You know what I mean when I tell you there are a lot of stories. A lot of stories to tell. But this time, of course, this is a podcast, so we're going to be a little bit more demure, but funny.

Orty: So, this one is funny. Do you remember when I, so this was a group of people where the vibes were just so good. And you know me, I love making videos and stuff like that. And what's funny is what happened after what we did. So let me give you the context.

Raffaele: A bit of context. We were in the Philippines, right? Which island?

Orty: So we were in the Philippines, we were in El Nido doing the island, sorry, sorry, it was in Coron. It was our last island hopping day of the trip. And suddenly, because Chappell Roan was playing in the background while we were island hopping, I thought, I need to do something with this song. And you know me, being creative, content creator slash whatever. So I grabbed one of my guests. He's a cutie, he's a cutie, and we started making videos together, and this is when I tagged TourRadar. You know, the CPR one that went viral. I don't know how many views it got, but it went viral, with Pink Pony Club, and I was basically doing the pumping in the gayest possible CPR. And what's very funny is that after that trip, I got so many texts from him.

Orty: He was like, Orty, I've gotten so many followers, but they're gay. He was getting so many followers from the gay community, from my community, because we all love Chappell Roan and we love Pink Pony Club. It's just such a good vibe. So it was just a funny moment. Everyone was so happy. We were doing karaoke as well. And yeah, it was such a core memory for me. Even up to this day, I still remember it.

Raffaele: Because of it.

Orty: Just so funny.

Raffaele: Okay, that's pretty funny. That one was related to creating content. It was the moment of being there with a camera and just laughing your heart out. I know, when you're filming something, it just gets hilarious. It's happened to me a few times as well. But what about another type of funny moment, one that's not related to that, maybe not even on camera?

Orty: Yeah, I love it. I'm all for it. Okay, so this is one where we ended up crashing a party. It's a very local experience in Port Barton. Let me give you the context. We work with local suppliers, okay? So this time there was a festival, an event happening on this remote local island in Port Barton. It wasn't a Christmas party, it was an event with a dance competition. And it's so funny, because one of our suppliers is actually the event organizer. Where we stay, our supplier is a hotel, and the owner of that hotel organizes that dance contest in Port Barton.

So we were there, we just walked past it, and I'm like, okay, let's watch it. And then it so happens that I remember him, that's Captain Bailon. He was also a captain in Port Barton. And he invited us. Literally, we weren't even planning to do anything after dinner, and we ended up judging a local event in Port Barton. We were there the whole night. We had no idea what we were doing, but we had to give a score. I was doing it, and the other people in my group were doing it as well. And I'm like, okay, what...

Raffaele: Ha! With a number, with a score.

Orty: What number do we give these contestants? It's so funny. But that is the thing about traveling. Those unplanned moments are the best ones. The parts that aren't in the itinerary are usually what gives you the core memory. And it's so funny, because at the end of the night we were dancing, we were partying. I could send you videos. We were all dancing, all the lights turned off, there was a disco light, and we were dancing with the locals. It's one thing I'll remember forever. It was so unhinged, not planned at all. It just happened. It just happened. It's so funny. I love that. That's one thing.

Raffaele: Well, you sold it to me. I want to go on an adventure with you right now.

Orty: Raffa, you have to. You have to. You're welcome. You're welcome.

Raffaele: On the other side, you've got to tell me about a moment where everything went sideways and you somehow still found a way to turn it around and save the day. What happened?

Orty: So this is another thing. If you really want to get into guiding, you need to be creative. Guiding is not for the weak. You'll experience different kinds of personalities, different kinds of weather conditions. Some things just don't go according to plan. So you really, really need to compose yourself. That's one thing I learned from doing this job. And I'm still learning, that's the fun of it. It doesn't end there. You're a learner, and you keep learning from every possible scenario that goes sideways, you know?

For example, we had this typhoon. We all know how typhoons hit the Philippines multiple times a year. Not multiple, like 20, 30 times a year, no? And the weather can be really, really unpredictable. You can't tell in advance whether a typhoon is going to come when you start the trip, but it so happened that it hit us. So the island hopping was canceled. And the first thing you should do, that I should do as a guide, of course, is explain everything. You have to be transparent. When you're leading an organized adventure, you have to put your guests' safety first. So this is for the safety of everyone, that's why the island hopping is canceled. You have to explain everything.

And not only that. Of course you need to compensate them, you need to give them a different itinerary that is as much fun as island hopping, or even more. So what I did at that time is, of course, I organized an event. This is me being an event organizer way back in university. I organized a Filipino party. We played sack race and things like that, dinner was included, and we also did a bracelet workshop with the local community. It's something they can't replace, because it's truly memorable. You're learning how to make a bracelet with the locals, and you're helping the local community by doing that.

So yeah, it's something where you have to turn up positive, composed and creative in order to flip or pivot the situation around and be the best guide. And it so happened that everyone loved it. Everyone was like, Orty, we appreciate everything you do, and it's something out of your control. But what we love is that you did something and you were with us the whole time. And that's it. Yeah. And there are so many more. That's just one. Yeah.

Raffaele: Yeah, I guess in those moments you just have to find any possible way to be clear, be transparent, set clear expectations, and talk to them face to face so they understand the situation they're truly in. Because when you're on vacation, you kind of...

Raffaele: Get that feeling that you own it, because it's your vacation, you spent money, you asked for vacation leave. You've got that time and you deserve to have fun, to chill, to do whatever you...

Orty: Are you there? You're gone. Okay, so that is a break in our TourRadar podcast. We'll be back in one minute. Okay, we're back. We're back.

Raffaele: You're back. Yeah, I was just saying that in those rough, unexpected situations, you've just got to be honest with the group, I guess. Be transparent and let them understand it's not what you planned either. But like I was saying before, we as travelers probably feel the urge of...

Orty: Go on. Yes.

Raffaele: I deserve to have everything go perfectly, because I spent money and time and I'm here to get everything perfect. But there are things that are out of our control, for the travelers and for you as guides. And I think those are literally the moments you carry with you for the rest of your life, because despite the adverse...

Raffaele: Situation of having a typhoon right next to you, which can be very dangerous as well, you're forced, in a good way, to stick even closer with the rest of the group, to start talking and playing games, to build the bond between each other even further. So yes, maybe you haven't been that lucky with the weather or with the situation, but on the other side you gained...

Raffaele: The right time to make those relationships even stronger, and to take that whole downside moment and transform it into something you'll really carry with you for the rest of your life.

Orty: Yeah, exactly. Because sometimes it's about perspective, you know? When people think about travel, I think it has something to do with social media. Everything you see on social media nowadays is just perfect travel. But the truth is, not everything you see on social media reflects what's going to happen on your trip. And when things happen, you just have to switch your perspective a little and look on the brighter side of the trip. But yeah, you're so right about that. You're so right.

Raffaele: Guide of the Year. Where were you when you found out that you were the winner? How did you feel?

Orty: I would never forget this. I think this is probably one of my drunkest moments. It could be the funny one, too. I should have mentioned this. But anyway, okay. So I was in El Nido. I was with my group. We were just having dinner at this Mexican place. It was so embarrassing, because I had to shout. When you guys finally posted it, I got tagged and I'm like, what the f***? I know it has to be this.

Orty: It has to be this. And then when they looked at it, Guide of the Year, I just screamed. People think I'm crazy. Like, what the f*** is going on with this girl? I had to scream my lungs out in that moment. And everyone was just like, Orty, what happened? And I'm like, I just won Guide of the Year. And everyone was so happy. Everyone celebrated with me that night. My dinner was free, thank God, because a lot of people were buying me drinks.

Orty: My friends were buying me drinks. Our supplier was so happy, to the point where they said, when you come back, you can stay at our accommodation for free. I'm like, my God, the perks of winning Guide of the Year are so amazing. So I love, I love, I love that night. I was so drunk. I can't tell you how much tequila we all drank that night, but it was all worth it. It was all worth it. It was so funny. It was rewarding.

Orty: It's the payoff for all the hard work I've done as a guide. And this is something I tell everybody who voted for me: I could never have done it without you guys. It's a team effort. I make those memories with you, and you voice it out. Without your reviews, without you guys, I would never have won Guide of the Year. So thank you to everyone who has been with me, everyone I've guided in the Philippines and in other countries. Thank you so much.

Raffaele: And let's remind the audience that you weren't crowned Guide of the Year only because of the reviews. You got a lot of them, five stars, people cheering you on, yelling your name, saying how good you are, how you changed their lives, for real. But it's also because you didn't only collect reviews, you posted on your social media about the moments you lived with the group, all those funny moments, the group dynamics, everything that actually happens on an organized adventure. And that let a lot more people out there discover what an organized adventure looks like and feels like.

Raffaele: And by collaborating on those posts with us, we gave you more audience and you gave us more audience. So it was truly a win-win situation. And I'm just glad that slowly this industry is getting bigger and bigger, and more people out there are discovering how cool a multi-day adventure can be.

Raffaele: Because I think there's still a lot of bad connotation around the word "tour". A lot of people still think it's something boring, where you go museum after museum in a huge group. And it can also be that, and if you're into culture and history and in-depth museum visits, that's totally fine.

Orty: Not with us. Not with organized adventures.

Raffaele: I love going to museums. But it can be a proper, true adventure as well. Like when I was in the Philippines on an organized adventure, not with TruTravels but with another amazing tour operator. Next time I promise you I'm going to come and do one with TruTravels, with you. That's a promise.

Raffaele: But I remember, one day we were literally ziplining from one island to the other, then jumping straight into the water, then going straight to a cooking class and eating lechon kawali. And I'm thinking, this is the opposite of boring. I'm having the coolest time of my life. This is something so many more people should be experiencing.

Orty: Yes. Stop, don't get me started on the food. Exactly.

Raffaele: So yeah, I also wanted to congratulate you one more time for winning Guide of the Year 2025. Guide of the Year 2026 is running right now, and there are a lot of other guides out there going for it. I've got another question for you, the last big one.

Raffaele: If you could whisper one thing to someone who's nervous about their first group adventure, what would you say to them?

Orty: That is a good question to end this podcast on. As a guide, I'm going to tell you, if you're nervous, and I'm speaking right to you, if you're watching and you're nervous, do not be afraid. Even the people who look confident are nervous. I'm nervous sometimes, and that's normal. The hardest part is showing up. So once you're there, you'll realize that everyone wants the same thing: to have an amazing experience, to meet great, like-minded people, and to make memories that will leave a long-lasting impact on your life. So if you can just have a little courage and take that leap, just do it. Because that's only the hardest part. And after that, you'll thank yourself later. So that's my message to someone who's nervous.

Raffaele: And it's probably one of those overly abused words, but there's so much behind it, and I hope it gets used more intentionally: seeking discomfort.

Raffaele: If you get out of that discomfort, you can overcome any fear. Any fear of being nervous, of showing up in front of a lot of strangers you've never seen before. Just put yourself out there, trust the process, be confident, and believe me, you're going to have the funniest time of your life.

Orty: Exactly. I couldn't agree more, Raffa. Step out of your comfort zone and leave ordinary behind, because that's where the moment happens. Period.

Raffaele: Right, before I let you go, one little game. Sixty seconds. I'm just going to fire a bunch of quick questions, and you say the first thing that comes to your mind, no rethinking. Okay? Clock starts now. Window or aisle?

Orty: Love that. Okay, period. Okay guys, go.

Raffaele: Beach or mountains?

Raffaele: Sunrise or sunset?

Raffaele: Most overrated destination?

Raffaele: Most underrated destination?

Raffaele: One country everyone should visit at least once?

Raffaele: Carry-on only or checked bag?

Raffaele: Best meal you've ever had on the road?

Orty: Ooh, banh mi.

Orty: Best food, banh mi.

Raffaele: Yes. Best meal you've ever had on the road.

Orty: Banh mi. It's banh mi. It's in Vietnam. It's like a bread with really good meat in it. Banh mi.

Raffaele: Where is it? Banh mi? Okay, I've got to go to Vietnam just for that. The song that is your trip anthem?

Orty: Ooh, ABBA. Any ABBA song.

Raffaele: Okay. Spontaneous or planned?

Raffaele: Strangest thing you've ever packed?

Raffaele: We're going to censor it if you want. One thing to never travel without?

Orty: Condoms. No, for real, this one has to be the universal plug.

Raffaele: Okay, true. One thing you never travel without. I already asked that one. Tea or coffee?

Raffaele: Okay, and then again, best piece of travel advice in five words or less?

Orty: Leave ordinary behind.

Raffaele: Finish this: traveling with me, you'll always...

Orty: Have the best f***ing time of your life. Thank you so much. That's been so fun.

Raffaele: That's time. Love that. All right. Thank you so much, Orty.

Orty: So if you want to come on a group trip with me, just find me on Instagram, Orty Flores, O-R-T-Y Flores. And I'm actually hosting a trip with TruTravels eventually, probably next year. So it's going to be me and a bunch of other travelers, Vibe One. So if you want to come with me, you know where to find me. Thank you, guys. Thank you, Raffa.

Raffaele: Thank you, Orty. And to everyone watching or listening, that's our first episode of the TourRadar podcast. Make sure to like it, subscribe, share it with your travelers. And if this made you want to pack your bags, you know what to do. We'll be back with another incredible guide or traveler very soon. Until then, keep adventuring, and see you next time.

Orty: See you in the next episode. Okay, bye. Thank you so much.

Raffaele: Bye bye, Orty.

Raffaele: Hey everyone, welcome back to Adventure Together, the TourRadar podcast where I sit down with the people who make travel unforgettable. Today's guest came to me through the best kind of recommendation. I don't know, Ankita, if you know this, but Les Latchman, an award-winning travel photographer who joined our recent fam trip through the RISE program, could not stop talking about her.

Raffaele: She's a guide at Intrepid Travel, one of our biggest partners at TourRadar, she leads trips all across India, and she's built a whole community around the way she travels. Ankita, welcome. So glad that you're here.

Ankita: Thank you, Raffa, for inviting me to the podcast. It's always great to share some stories.

Raffaele: Before we jump in, where are you right now and what's the view like today?

Ankita: Well, I'm at home today, because this is the off season for tourism in India. So this is the time when we rest. I live in Uttarakhand, which is a very small state, close to India's border with Nepal. And it's really hot right now. I don't think you'd want to see what it's like outside at the moment.

Raffaele: No, before we started the call you showed me where you're from and it's freaking spectacular. But okay. Take me back to where you started. How did you get into guiding, and when did it hit you that this was the thing for you?

Ankita: Well, to be very honest, I didn't plan this. Guiding, getting into tourism, was really not what I thought I was going to be doing when I was a little kid. I never set out thinking I was going to become a tour guide later in my life. I just simply loved traveling.

Before becoming a guide with Intrepid, I was working at a marketing company for a fashion startup. And before that, I was working at an alumni management company, taking care of the content and distribution of the magazines. Then I started solo traveling on my own throughout India, and I just simply loved traveling, meeting people and sharing a lot of stories with them. Guiding happened almost organically, I would say.

When I started solo traveling, after quitting my job in marketing, I thought, this is what I'm going to do. I want to travel as much as I can, and I want a company that can fund me so I can travel the world. Of course, that didn't happen, but Intrepid came along at the right time. I started with Intrepid and I started leading small groups all across India, and every trip taught me something new, not just about my country, but also a lot about myself and about my people.

And I think the moment I knew that this was the thing for me was not when I was standing in front of the Taj Mahal, or any other famous monument. It was when I realized that my role as a guide is actually helping people fall in love with India. That is when I knew, this is it. I would watch someone arrive with hesitation, or maybe fear, or nervousness, and sometimes people cry, because they get a culture shock as soon as they enter India. But there's a part of them that really wants to take India off the bucket list and experience the culture. And when I know that I'm playing a small part in changing how they see my country, that was the moment for me when I realized, this is it. I say I don't just guide people through India. I guide them through the version of India they thought existed, and then I introduce them to the real one.

Raffaele: What are the most common kinds of itineraries that you take? I guess you lead different trips, but can you name us a few?

Ankita: Yes. Well, I do a lot of Golden Triangle and Women's Expedition. The Golden Triangle is the most common one, because a lot of the time people have a very short amount of time but they do want to see the best of India, and that is what the Golden Triangle actually offers. Starting with the capital of India, Delhi, then going to Jaipur, which is the pink city of India and it's really beautiful, and then visiting the wonder of the world, which is the Taj Mahal.

Raffaele: Which is in Agra, right?

Ankita: Yes. The Taj Mahal is in Agra, and whatever you've heard about the Taj, about how beautiful it is, it's ten times more beautiful when you see it in person. You have to come to India to appreciate how beautiful it is.

Raffaele: Well, actually, I had the honor and the luck to go to India last year. It was incredible. Unfortunately it was too short of a visit, but I was there with TourRadar. We organized an event for our tour operators, our travel agents and our guides.

Ankita: Nice. It is amazing. Amazing.

Raffaele: We say a little event, but there were over 150 people who showed up to show their love for our platform, and it was in Delhi. Then we got the chance to go to Agra and see the Taj Mahal, and when you are there you understand why it is one of the seven wonders of the world.

Raffaele: It was magnificent, and you realize how big it is. One of the things I cannot forget is the perspective as you walk. It actually becomes smaller and then it becomes bigger. That is insane. There's the first gate and you see the Taj through it and it looks so close to you, and then as you walk past the gate it's actually way further away than it looked a second ago.

Ankita: Yes. Yes. Absolutely.

Raffaele: It's crazy. It's crazy.

Ankita: It is, it is. It's one of the wonders of the world, one of the seven wonders of the world, and it's just magnificent. I've been there so many times, but every time I visit it's still as beautiful as the first time I saw it.

Raffaele: It is magnificent. So you said the Golden Triangle is mostly what you do. So again, that's Delhi, Jaipur and Agra, technically.

Ankita: Yes, I do. Agra, and a small destination like a village, to give a contrast between village life and city life. Then another itinerary I do is the Women's Expedition. That's a circuit through Rajasthan, Delhi to Jaisalmer, which is the golden city of India, then the blue city, Jodhpur, and a few more cities in between, Jaipur and Agra. So Jaipur, Agra and Delhi are the fixed cities in every itinerary, and what's in between is how we differentiate one itinerary from another.

One of my favorite itineraries, which I used to do and still do, is a 22-day trip through India that goes through different parts of Rajasthan and finishes with a spiritual experience in Varanasi. That's really nice. Another favorite is Delhi to Kathmandu, and we have different categories of the Delhi to Kathmandu trip. One of them is the original one, where you actually sail on the Ganges for a good day and a half and you just experience calmness and stillness. It's really nice. And another Delhi to Kathmandu, which is my personal favorite, is the eighteen to twenty-nine that we do with Intrepid. It has now changed from eighteen to twenty-nine to eighteen to thirty-five. That one is really fun, a very adventurous kind of trip.

Raffaele: You touched on female-only groups before. Can you elaborate on that?

Ankita: Yes. So when we talk about women, not a lot of women are comfortable coming to India, or for that matter comfortable coming on their own, solo, on different trips. And when we talk about a woman's journey through India, this question is personally very close to my heart, because it's one of the biggest stereotypes that I love breaking: that India is not a place for women to travel. I'm a woman leading trips across India, including remote regions, and every trip I lead challenges that belief in itself, I would say.

In India, tourism is traditionally a male-dominated industry. When I first started, people would give you a side eye and would be very surprised to see how a woman is taking all of these foreigners around India, how she's handling the logistics all by herself. And everyone is ready with their suggestions and advice, because nobody is capable of thinking that yes, this can be done by a woman all on her own. Today I see more and more women stepping into these guiding roles and getting out onto the field, which is absolutely incredible.

And I would say that through my trips, and through the content I post online, I have been able to change that perspective. A lot of times women have reached out to me personally, or on the trips as well, and they tell me how comfortable and how safe they feel around me whenever I'm traveling with them, leading them, taking them somewhere.

And in India, when we talk about women, a lot of times people arrive with the thought that women in India are not that progressive, or that they are repressed, or that they don't have much freedom. But when I actually take my passengers through different cities across India and we show them how women are changing their narratives, how women are doing different things that are changing the kind of life they live, people are really surprised. Women today are entrepreneurs, they are mountaineers, they are bikers, they are business owners, drivers. Of course there is a lot of progress that still needs to be made, but women are far more empowered in India now than many people outside of India imagine.

That reminds me of one incident. I was doing a Kathmandu to Delhi trip, and there was this really lovely German girl with me. She was really funny and really bubbly. And as soon as we finished Nepal and entered India, she just went quiet, because of everything she had heard about India and everything she had read online. It made her feel very nervous. She was scared and afraid, and even though she was participating in all the activities we were doing, you could tell that something in her had shifted.

And when we were about to finish our journey, we were taking our last train from Jaipur to Delhi. She and I shared the tuk tuk to the train station, and she sat next to me and said, okay, I really want to say something to you. And I said, yeah, what? And she said, I was really scared when we entered India in Varanasi, but now I feel much more confident. I feel much nicer, and I feel that I'm in safe hands.

Because of course there are so many beliefs out there online, so many stories going around that would make a solo female traveler scared of coming to India. But I would say just book yourself onto an organized adventure. Come and experience India with local people, because they know exactly what they are doing. They will take you through amazing, amazing experiences, things you never thought you would be able to do all by yourself. This is where group travel actually makes travel easier for the ones who are afraid to enter a country.

Raffaele: Thank you so much for sharing that story, honestly. I think it's such a powerful message, and I couldn't be happier to give the space to more people to break these stereotypes. I've been to India. I know I'm biased, and I'm not a woman, so I can't fully put myself in a woman's shoes.

Raffaele: I also had those stereotypes before getting there. That it was going to be smelly, dangerous, that it was going to be overcrowded, and that I was just going to have an awful time. And then going there and being welcomed by some of the most generous people I've ever met, right when I arrived, was really spectacular.

Raffaele: Honestly, it broke all of those stereotypes I brought with me. Yes, maybe the only one that held up was that it was very overcrowded. But even there, I expected the worst, and when I actually got there I realized, okay, it's not too much.

Raffaele: If you go to the Christmas market here in Vienna, there is just the same amount of people. Okay, it's probably different, but you know what I mean. If the space is smaller, you feel it the same way as a big space with a lot of people. But I just loved that there was the right mix between my expectations and what I actually saw.

Ankita: Yeah, and that's true.

Raffaele: There was a lot to take in, that's for sure. It's a place completely different from my background, from where I'm from. But that's also the beauty of traveling. It's seeing the world and seeing that you live in a bubble, and if you're lucky enough to get out of that bubble, you realize that those stereotypes need to be broken.

Raffaele: I found those two weeks I spent in India some of the most enriching of my life. And I honestly can't wait to be back, as I told you before. So anyway, thank you for sharing that. Especially for the female listeners we have right now, I think it gives that hope and that extra push to actually go on an organized adventure on their own.

Ankita: Yeah, absolutely.

Raffaele: And if they're too afraid to travel solo, they don't have to be solo when they're with a group. They get to meet wonderful people like them, other wonderful women from all over the world, and then they're paired up with beautiful, amazing guides like you, who make the whole adventure a lot smoother. Now give me a wild one.

Raffaele: The funniest thing that has ever happened on one of your trips. I want to hear the story that your travelers still text you about.

Ankita: There are so many to begin with, but if I have to recall one off the top of my mind. So we're on this trip, Kathmandu to Delhi, and it's a reverse trip. We start from Kathmandu, make our way into India, and finish in Delhi. It's a really nice trip. It starts calm, and then you enter India, and it's just really nice. So we're in Chitwan. Have you been to Chitwan? Have you been to Nepal? No? You have to. It's beautiful. So we're doing this trip and we're in the second city, which is Chitwan, and we're on our safari in Chitwan National Park, and you can tell the safari is not going all that well, because this is when our lovely local guide, the jungle guide, starts pointing out the spiders to the Australians in our group.

Raffaele: Not yet. Okay. And they were like, this is nothing for us, honestly.

Ankita: They already have so many dangerous spiders. And the people were like, yeah, okay, we've seen spiders, we've seen spiders. So you can tell the safari is not going so well. Exactly. And this is peak afternoon. This is the time when we'd had our lunch and then come out on the safari, so you're dying to take a nap, especially when the safari is not going that well.

Raffaele: Yeah. I have one of those at home.

Ankita: So, in a very smooth transition, I slip my sunglasses down over my eyes so I can take a nap behind them. And in that moment, one of the passengers taps me on the shoulder and says, hey, so what's the best thing you've seen here in this jungle? She was just trying to start a conversation.

Ankita: And before I could answer, and this is a true story, I have a video of it, before I could juggle my mind to think of what the best thing was that had happened to me, in that moment a rhino charged towards our jeep. I'm not even kidding. And I'm like, that is the best thing that has happened to me. And rhinos, they are heavy, and their speed is unmatchable.

Ankita: The rhino is just charging and charging towards us, and we're taking our Jeep back in reverse gear, and we're going, oh my god, oh my god. And in that moment, I reacted exactly the way a predictable traveler would react. I'm like, where's my phone? I have to record this video. And then our local jungle guide is like, where's my stick? Because if you make a noise with the stick, that hard noise, the rhinos hear it and they're able to divert off the track, because they can't see that clearly in the daytime. They're nocturnal.

So our guide is like, where's my stick? And I'm like, where's my phone? And then, phone or stick? Phone or stick? And then I saw this guide, he was recording a video. So I'm like, okay, the video is done. There you go, the stick is here. And then of course the rhino went off in a different direction.

Ankita: Then we understood that two rhinos had been having a fight, and the one that was defeated ran back, and the other one charged in our direction. So that was, oh my god. In that moment it was scary. There was this passenger with half her leg out, ready to jump out of our Jeep. And I'm like, Sharon, what are you doing? She says, I was ready to go out. I'm like, why? She's like, I thought we were going to die. I'm like, if you had gotten down, you definitely would have. Oh my god.

Raffaele: Sharon, stay in our Jeep. Stay here.

Ankita: But it was such an amazing trip, and I still remember that story, because it would not be wrong to say it was the best thing that happened on the whole trip. It really was. We still have a good memory of it and we just laugh.

If I have to point out a funnier story, oh my god, that one was really funny in the moment. We were doing the Women's Expedition, and we go to Jaisalmer, which is the golden city of India, and it's beautiful. It's on the border with Pakistan, towards the west side, and that's where we have the dunes. And we do this experience that we call sleeping under the stars. So we do a Jeep safari all the way out to the dunes, and then our sleeping area is set up. The experience is very basic, but the luxury is the view. The view of sleeping with the stars twinkling in the sky, and then waking up to complete silence, so peaceful. Oh my god, it's really nice.

So I had a really lovely group of 12 ladies, and all of them got along really well, and we were having such a great time. We slept. And what woke us up is going to be very amusing to you. When I woke up it wasn't even morning yet, it was that time when the sun is just about to rise and there's only a little light around. And I woke up because I thought someone was trying to pull my leg, because I could feel something on it. Guess what that was. Just guess. Your wildest guess.

Raffaele: A snake? An animal?

Ankita: No. There was a goat on my bed. I woke up and literally kicked my leg so that whoever was pulling it would be thrown off. But then I took my blanket off and there was a goat standing on my bed. And of course the noise I made woke a few of the others, and then we realized there were a few more goats sleeping so comfortably on other people's beds too.

Ankita: And then we had to go "meh" just so we could shoo the goats away. I mean, it's not that funny when I'm telling you, but trust me, when we woke up to that scene, a goat standing on my bed and the other goats casually sleeping in people's beds, that was really funny.

Raffaele: It's cute. Wow. I mean, my next question was going to be, tell me the other side of it, a moment where everything went sideways and you somehow turned it around and saved the day. But these two experiences you just shared are already kind of that, something's going on, but you still made the most of it. Do you have any other story like that? Go, go.

Ankita: Yeah, actually plenty. When we start one of our organized adventures, on day one we tell our people, expect things to go sideways. This is India, anything can happen at any moment. So don't predict the obvious, and let's hope nothing goes that way. But if it does, it's part of the story, it's part of the journey, and we deal with it together. There are so many of them.

Raffaele: Expect the unexpected.

Ankita: Train delays, let's take that as an example. Train delays are very common in India, particularly in the wintertime, when the weather is really lovely for people to come. That's peak travel season in India, and that's when, because of the fog, a lot of trains are delayed.

So this happened on one of my trips. Our train was already delayed by four hours at the station, and then we got on and everyone was tired, because we'd had to catch a train really early in the morning. Everyone's in that zone where they really need to sleep, and then the train is delayed, and then finally you get to your bed and suddenly it's morning, so you can't really sleep. So people were not in their happiest zone. And then of course you get hungry. Even though you have your snacks, a really good meal makes a difference. But we're on a train, so it's unlike the European trains. Eating in India, particularly outside, we have to be very careful, because we don't want people to fall sick. So we're very particular about that, even when we're doing our street food experiences. We go to the places we've tried and tested multiple times, so there's zero to no chance of people falling sick.

So during this trip our train got severely delayed and people weren't really happy. Of course they're having their conversations, but you can tell they're really annoyed. They want to go to sleep, they want to eat something. And most of the time people are not angry, they're hangry. So in that situation, being a local, you have your network, you have your spider webs everywhere.

Raffaele: True. True that.

Ankita: So when we were about to reach one of the biggest cities in that area, and our destination was still another six or seven hours away, I randomly called someone I know. That person doesn't normally do anything like this, but because I know them personally, they were happy to organize a packed breakfast for all of us, food made really hot. And that person came onto the train and delivered individual boxes of breakfast to each one of us. And in that box we had, have you had a paratha before? A paratha is a stuffed Indian bread that you eat with either yogurt or some pickle. It's really nice. It's a very staple breakfast for Indians.

Raffaele: Burrata? No? Okay. We have burrata, I'm Italian, we have burrata, which is like a mozzarella filled with cream.

Ankita: Burrata. Yes. No, it's not bad. It's like garlic naan, but stuffed. Something like that. It's really nice. And when it's prepared hot and it's homemade, it's real nice. So that family were real nice, and they packed individual boxes for each one of us, and they even packed a small banana, a small juice and a small sweet. They were really lovely.

Raffaele: Okay. Ooh, okay. Wow.

Ankita: They delivered the boxes to me and I handed them out to everyone. My people were surprised. They were like, in our wildest imagination we did not think we were going to get hot food on this train that we could trust and actually eat. We really didn't think so. So sometimes it's these small, small moments like this. Another one, if I can remember.

Raffaele: No, but sorry, I have to say, that really shows how important it is to have a guide like you by your side. In the most random place, far away from anything you could actually trust, there you go, you pulled it off. You gave them an amazing breakfast even where it seemed impossible. So hats off for that.

Ankita: Absolutely. And of course, it was the first time for me, because this was after COVID, when I was running the trip and the borders had just opened. There were train delays, and it was a new route we were trying, so it was completely unpredictable how delayed the train was going to be. So I just called someone on the spot, and luckily that family was really helpful. They said they would be happy to organize a breakfast, and everything worked out. After that, people were much nicer to one another, they were chatting comfortably, and some of them went to sleep. So it was a much better journey than it had been before the breakfast, I would say.

Raffaele: Just feed those people and they will be happy.

Ankita: Yeah, that's the logic I apply to myself too. If I'm traveling a longer distance, I need to keep feeding myself. If I'm not hangry, I'm always happy. So no one should be hangry, I feel.

Another story, if I can remember it, was last year. It was a really fun group and we were towards the end of the trip. So, I'm also a yoga teacher, by the way. I'm a certified yoga teacher. On my organized adventures I give people the experience of trying yoga and practicing. A lot of them have done yoga before, a lot of them are trying for the first time, so it's a nice group of people doing it together.

On that trip I had to take a yoga class, and everything was organized the night before. I told my people, okay, six o'clock, we're meeting in the yoga room in the hotel. We had a yoga room, all the mats were there. But I woke up before them, of course, because I had to check that the room was ready. And there was another instructor taking a class with his own group, which meant our venue was gone. I couldn't hold the yoga class there, because he was already teaching one. So of course I confronted him, told him I had already reserved the studio and so on, but that argument served no one. So I said, okay, it's fine, you take it.

In that moment I thought, I really need to take this class, but I don't know where. I couldn't do it in the garden, it was still a little cold. And this is in Rishikesh, by the way. Rishikesh is the yoga capital of India. So my people came, everyone came, and I said, okay, let's just pick up your mats and walk. Let's just walk. I knew a spot, I used to go there in the evening to sit and watch the Ganges going past, swiftly, and it's a very peaceful kind of place. So instantly, in my mind, I thought, if I can't do it here, I think I can do it there. So I made my people walk another kilometer or two. The warm-up was done before we even stepped on the mat. And then we set up our mats. In that moment it had not felt right at all, having the studio taken by another instructor.

Ankita: When I finished my yoga class, my people said this was much better than doing it in a classroom. Because we're in Rishikesh, we're doing yoga in India, right next to the river Ganges. What else can you ask for? And I'm not even kidding, there are moments of gratitude that you feel within yourself. I'm sitting at breakfast with my people, we're just talking, and I'm thinking, I'm really thankful for what happened today. If I had taken the class in the studio, it would have been, you know, a class. A regular yoga class. But the fact that it couldn't happen there is what made us take the class right next to the river Ganges with the sun coming up. It was really beautiful, a memorable experience. On the 21st of June, on International Yoga Day, I posted that video of me teaching yoga, and two of my really lovely passengers from Australia messaged me to say it was their favorite part of the trip.

Raffaele: Wow, you definitely made it more special than it was supposed to be. Is there a traveler who genuinely changed you?

Ankita: Yeah, there are a few, I would say. But if I have to remember one person, it's Julie. She's from Austria, by the way. So we were on this trip, and it was one of those mornings where you have a leisure day, so I took...

Raffaele: Hi Julie! Where are you?

Ankita: I took my people out for breakfast in Udaipur, and we're just sitting there. It's the city of lakes, so it's really beautiful. We're sitting down for coffee with a view of the lake. It's so surreal, so beautiful. And it's one of those moments where you actually start getting comfortable with people and you open up a little.

I'm usually a person who's very fun, very bubbly, who always has ideas and something we can do together. But there's still a side of me that never opens up in front of people. When you're in the right company, though, sometimes it does. So we started by appreciating the things we had seen in India, that's how the conversation started. And somehow it went in different directions, and we all started sharing our personal journeys. I never do that. I told her that too, that I had never done it before. But somehow parts of me opened up, the past traumas and everything. You talk more about it, and then you cry about it a little, and over breakfast, with a really nice smoothie bowl and coffee, all of us are crying. So that trip is really memorable, because of the bond we had. It's still very fresh in my memory right now. Yeah.

Raffaele: That's quite powerful. You can cherish that moment forever, and it doesn't always happen. I mean, I guess every traveler, every trip changes you a little bit. But there are some special occasions where you get that bond, as you said, and you can go deeper and deeper into any aspect of life, and it's something quite...

Ankita: Yeah, absolutely. It does.

Raffaele: Priceless. It's pure luck sometimes, finding those people along the way that you can connect with and let it all out, and I'm very glad it happened on one of your group adventures. But now, talking to you, I get why it happens. I feel like I could share anything with Ankita. Like I trust her.

Ankita: Yeah. There are a few things, a few memories, that are really difficult to express in words, because in that moment, the ones who were there, we felt the bond. You experience things differently. A lot of people come to India for adventure, a lot of them come for a vacation. But a lot of them also carry heavy emotional baggage, and when they leave, they feel much lighter. I've seen a lot of young people come and discover the confidence they thought they never had, but it was right there all along. So sometimes it's moments like these, where you know you have a safe space to talk about what you're dealing with. I think that really makes a big difference.

Raffaele: If you could whisper one thing to someone who's nervous about their very first group adventure, what would you tell them?

Ankita: Yes. If I have to talk in the context of India, I would say just come with an open mind. Some people are traveling solo, and they shouldn't try to fit in. Just be who you are. Some people are nervous about making friends, some are worried that they're going to slow down the trip. But I feel that travel has this incredible way of breaking barriers. By the end of most trips, people are laughing over jokes, over the memories we created together, and you're hardly nervous anymore. You think, why was I even nervous in the first place?

So if your adventure happens to be in India, just come with an open mind. Be open, come here to make friends and experience life. By the time a lot of people are finishing their trip to India, they think they came here to discover India, but they end up discovering a part of themselves that was hiding somewhere in plain sight and just comes forward. So yeah, don't be nervous, don't be scared, trust the local person who's going to be there to show you the beautiful country you came to experience. It changes everything.

Raffaele: I think India has a special power of allowing people to look even more inside of themselves. Do you agree?

Ankita: I feel so too. I come from a very small town. Where I live now is in the mountains, and that's since getting married. But I come from a very small town close to Varanasi. So coming to Varanasi every now and then was like a ritual for us, watching the ceremonies that happen on the banks of the Ganga. It's a very spiritual town. Varanasi is known as the spiritual city of India.

Raffaele: It's such a spiritual destination. Why do you think that is?

Ankita: I've seen it in people, of course. When I'm there with my group and I'm explaining the rituals to them, the things that happen, how people here have a different viewpoint on life, how they are living their life and how they look at materialistic things. Of course, how I am explaining it and how you are understanding it would be very different versions, because you have your own background and knowledge, and based on that you decipher it. So sometimes when people explain to me what they felt about this place, what they felt about India and how they were able to connect, it surprises me, because everyone has their own version.

So yes, India does have a way of making you peek a little bit more inside of yourself. And I always say that when you're coming to India, don't compare it to anywhere else you have been. Let India surprise you, because it's very different. The culture is very strong. If you give it time, it has a way of making you feel very special.

Raffaele: I can agree with that, from my own humble experience. One quick thing, because you mentioned Varanasi and I haven't been there yet, but it's one of those places where you're like, okay, that's crazy, what happens there. Can you explain to us, to all the listeners, what actually happens in Varanasi and why it's so important?

Ankita: Yeah. Okay. Varanasi, we say, is of course a spiritual town. A lot of people have it on their bucket list. There was a couple traveling with me who had solo traveled across India a couple of times, but this time they chose to come with the group, and I asked them why. It was because they were visiting Varanasi and they were quite intimidated by the thought of it. Varanasi, being a spiritual destination, is a bit powerful. It can be overwhelming, and it can be intimidating to people too. When people look up Varanasi on the internet, you are told about cremations, you're told about things you wouldn't understand unless a local person explains them to you, and there are things happening right in front of your eyes that might make you feel uncomfortable.

Varanasi is the India you thought you were coming to. It's very raw, it's not polished by anything. In India there are still places that make you feel royal, where the hospitality is amazing. But Varanasi is just very different. It is very blunt, it is completely untouched.

So when we go to Varanasi, we do a lot of activities. We take a boat ride down the Ganges for the sunrise, and for the sunset we see the ceremonies performed by the priests on the banks of the Ganga, and it's really beautiful. It's done with different elements. You see the fire being circled around the Ganges, then the water being sprinkled, the incense, and people chanting the name of the god. It's a very powerful spiritual experience.

However, the contrast to that is that when you're taking the boat ride, you also see a few places, ghats is what we call them, which are stone staircases that lead down to a holy river. On some of the ghats, two of them in particular, we also have the cremation ceremony happening, which goes on 24/7 right on the banks of the Ganges. So sometimes you actually see bodies being burnt.

And being a local person, I help them understand how we view life, and what our view of the body is. When someone dies, it's the soul that is freed. In Varanasi we don't mourn death, we celebrate it. Of course, it's easier said than done. If it were someone in my own family who had passed away, then of course, the grief, you can't talk about such a thing. But the general view is that death in Varanasi is celebrated. The soul has been freed from the prison of the body, and the soul is free now. So it's a ritual we do by burning the body, so that the body can go back to the five elements of nature, which are fire, air, earth, water and sky, and then the soul can enter the body of another person and be reincarnated.

It's a very long topic if we talk about reincarnation and moksha and how the soul is able to break the circle of life and death. It's a very long topic, but it's also very fascinating. I keep studying these things every now and then so I can refresh my knowledge and share more with people. It's still very fascinating to me, how our scriptures are viewed and what they actually meant when they talked about cremation and souls and bodies and everything.

In the same way, it's very fascinating to people too. I've had trips where people got overwhelmed, because they relate it somehow to someone who has passed away recently in their family, and it becomes a powerful emotion. So people do have a release. People feel much lighter when they leave Varanasi. So we say Varanasi is an entirely different experience in India. Whatever you have thought India looks like, that is Varanasi.

Raffaele: I think you summed it up quite perfectly. Does everyone get cremated in India?

Ankita: Not everyone. Cremation is usually done in Hinduism, for Hindu people. There's one community within Hinduism that does not get cremated, but generally Hindu people do get cremated. In a lot of religions that came out of Hinduism, like Jainism and Buddhism, and there's Sikhism too, people also get cremated. But yes, in Hinduism people do get cremated. That's our belief, that once a body is cremated it breaks the prison of the body. The soul breaks the prison of the body and is free to enter a different body, or to unite completely with the higher consciousness and break the circle of life and death.

Raffaele: May I ask you, do you believe in reincarnation?

Ankita: I do. I've done yoga courses and I've studied a little about the different scriptures and the knowledge and everything. Of course it's up to every individual to believe, so I'm not saying my point of view should be believed by everyone, but I do believe that the body is governed by something, a consciousness, which is the soul. And this body is a very mortal form, it's made out of substances and everything. But the soul is not made out of anything, no atom, no molecule. It's just a soul, which is invisible, and it's still there.

So when we pass away, because the mortal body does have an expiration, when that happens, what happens to the soul? Based on the karmas that you have done in this life and in the past life, you kind of get your next life.

Is this going to go on the internet? Just a quick question. Is this going to be edited? If yes, then I can go into much more detail. This is how I can talk very openly, no? So just edit the good part.

Raffaele: I can edit it if you want.

Ankita: There are a few things that you do in life which will not be tolerated at all. Like if you kill someone. There are a few things, and this is counted as bad karma. So if you do a lot of these bad karmas repeatedly, of course the next life that you get will not be as a human being, it will be as another species, because even dogs have a soul, even cats have a soul, other animals also have a soul. So we say you have to pass through this many species to become a human.

And being a human is one of the greatest blessings that you can get, because a human being has a consciousness, a consciousness that will help you decipher that this is materialistic and this is spiritual, and this is where I have to go forward in my journey. A soul has a journey of getting into a body, living the life, dying, and it just keeps happening every time until the soul is perfected enough to unite with a higher consciousness, we say. When that happens, the soul is free, it breaks through all these circles. It will never be reincarnated. We say souls get reincarnated, which is good, reincarnation is good. But not being reincarnated would be the greatest thing. It's very deep. It's very fascinating.

Raffaele: It's super fascinating. And the point at the end, I guess, is just be kind to one another, because otherwise the karma could punish you.

Ankita: Yeah, absolutely. And do good things to yourself too, because in the journey we sometimes forget that we are also human beings. So be good to yourself, be good to other people, be kind, spread positivity, because you never know how your presence can impact someone's day, someone's mood in that moment. So just be the nicest person, be the nicest version of yourself, and just be happy. There are so many things to be happy about in the world.

Raffaele: And positive. Absolutely. And I mean, you've led trips all over India, and you didn't just lead trips, you've also built a community, we can call it, online too. What is it like sharing your country with travelers from all over the world, and how has that changed things for you?

Ankita: Yeah.

Raffaele: Because you have quite a big following for what you do, on Instagram especially.

Ankita: Yeah, I think that's because in the marketing job I had before Intrepid, I was actually a community manager. I was handling a group of bloggers from the travel segment, the food segment, the fashion segment. So my job was to build a community of bloggers together. It was a very fascinating job, I used to enjoy it a lot.

And that's when I started solo traveling to the southern parts of India. This is back in 2015, when traveling was not so common, and women traveling in India was not at all common. So when I started posting my journey on Instagram, again, back in 2015, when Instagram was only used for pictures, the golden era of Instagram, the starting version of Instagram, I found that I received a lot of messages, particularly from women who were curious about how safe it is to travel as a woman in these parts, and whether it's really scary or something like that.

So I understood them, because I had the same questions myself before I finally, randomly, booked my bus ticket one day and decided to travel. Yes, there are parts of India that are really safe to travel, and then there are parts of India that we hear stories about. So decide where you are going, I would say. There are a few rules and regulations that I built around myself if I'm going to solo travel, and that's what I did. I used to go and enjoy the place I went to. I went to places in Kerala, which are beach destinations, and then Alleppey, which is really beautiful, because the nature is really nice, the backwaters of Kerala. But I used to come back at the right time, because being a woman, again, I'm not really sure of the surroundings of a new city. So I used to come back on time and everything.

When I started sharing about all of these things, I realized that my following was growing slowly and gradually. So I launched my blog too, which was called Soulful Safarnama. Safarnama is an Urdu term which means documenting your travel journey. Very recently I switched from that name to Stories with Ankita, because it's much easier to remember. So that's how I used to get a lot of questions from people. And then when I started writing my blog, that's how my following grew, slowly and gradually. And when I finally joined this job of guiding people all across India, I was traveling full time.

Ankita: And when you're traveling full time, you're creating content full time. So I was showing people parts of India that, when we are leading trips for Intrepid, of course we go to the famous cities, the cities that you really need to tick off the bucket list, but we also go to areas that are very remote, that you would never have thought existed in the first place. There were so many villages that I went to, and I never even knew the names of these villages. And this is coming from me, as an Indian person.

India is a big country, absolutely. But then I started sharing all of these stories of local people, of local life, village life, slow travel, offbeat travel.

Raffaele: In your defense, India is also super big.

Ankita: I did have a lot of curiosity from people asking, where is this? Tell us more about it. We really want to visit. So I think that's how it started growing, slowly and gradually. And of course there was a dip during COVID, when we were not traveling, and then I had to switch to fitness. That's when I got my yoga certification. So my community is a mix of fitness people as well as travelers, I would say.

But it's just great, because I have always been creative, and I just love capturing things and telling a story. So when I'm able to share a piece of India through my version, through my eyes, and people are able to see how different and beautiful India is, I'm sure I'm creating a spark or an inspiration in people's hearts, that they must visit India. Maybe not now, maybe tomorrow, but they must.

Raffaele: And the great thing is that you do it with a lot, a lot of authenticity, which I bet is the reason you get that point across and get so many people following you and understanding more about India, discovering more about its culture and traditions. So thank you for being out there, one of those storytellers of your country. Okay, before I let you go, we're playing a little game.

Ankita: Thank you. Yeah, thank you.

Raffaele: This one is going viral right now. I'm going to name some classic Indian dishes and you rate each one out of ten. Okay?

Ankita: Yes, okay. But let me tell you, I'm a vegetarian. So if you say butter chicken, I always recommend it to people at some of the destinations, which is amazing, but I've never tasted it myself. So I'd have to say, not applicable.

Raffaele: Okay, disclaimer noted. But gut reaction, no rethinking, and you have to be honest, even if you start a fight, all right? Butter chicken.

Ankita: Yes, okay. Good in some parts of India.

Raffaele: Okay, you need to give it a number from one to ten.

Ankita: Okay, if people are trying it from the outside world, butter chicken, eight out of ten.

Raffaele: Okay. Masala dosa.

Ankita: Ooh, nine out of ten.

Raffaele: Ooh, okay. Biryani.

Ankita: Eight out of ten.

Ankita: Ten out of ten.

Raffaele: No, wait, we're not supposed to do it like that. One step back. We've got ten spots, okay? And you name them from the worst, ten, to the best, one. Okay?

Ankita: Yeah, okay. So number one is samosa, I would say.

Raffaele: Okay, samosa is the best. Already taking the first spot.

Ankita: Samosa, the best. Biryani, if I have to say, fifth. Spot five is biryani. Butter chicken, third. There are places in India that make really good butter chicken. Masala dosa, six.

Raffaele: Fifth place. Okay. Paneer tikka. So we've already got the podium. Then, sorry if I'm mispronouncing this one, chole bhature.

Ankita: Two. Can I switch paneer tikka for chole bhature, please? Chole bhature is so good. It is so good. I used to hog the bhaturas and cholas like anything. We'll switch chole bhature to two and paneer tikka masala to four. Is four taken?

Raffaele: Masala dosa has six, so that can stay. So we need to swap it with paneer tikka.

Ankita: Okay, yes, paneer tikka. Paneer is really good, yes.

Raffaele: Yeah, but we need to give it a four.

Ankita: Yeah, that's okay. Let me also tell you, out of one to ten, all of these dishes are fantastic. You have to try all of them. I'm just rating them according to my preferences.

Raffaele: Okay, last four.

Ankita: Pani puri, for me it's up there, but not everyone likes it. So I would give it a seven.

Raffaele: Okay. And then we've got rogan josh. Never heard of that one.

Ankita: Rogan josh is really good. It's mutton rogan josh. There are parts of India, a few parts of Rajasthan actually, that make really good mutton rogan josh. We'll give it eight.

Raffaele: Okay. Dal makhani?

Ankita: Dal makhani is good. Ten. Buttery, creamy.

Raffaele: Okay. But that makes it the worst in the ranking.

Ankita: No. I don't like this list already, because all the dishes are amazing. I can't say it's the worst.

Raffaele: Okay, last one. Gulab jamun.

Ankita: Can we put samosa and gulab jamun together as number one? Because it's the greatest combination ever. And gulab jamun with ice cream, oh my god. If I was the Prime Minister of India, I would declare it the national dessert of India. Gulab jamun with ice cream. Hot gulab jamun with ice cream.

Raffaele: We'll do that, we'll do that. Okay, it was a bit of a mess, but we established that Indian food is definitely awesome. And honestly, my god, I was shocked by how good it was. There are a lot of Indian places run by Indian people here in Vienna as well. My favorite is Indisch, right behind our office.

Ankita: Yes. You have to try all of them.

Raffaele: And it's amazing. But when I went to India and tried the real Indian food, I'm sorry, it was a whole different level. The colors, the spices. And to be quite honest, I was very afraid it was going to be too spicy. They were nice to me, I guess.

Ankita: Yeah. Of course, there's a perception that Indian food is very spicy. There are parts where, just by the color of the food, it looks spicy, but not every Indian person eats very spicy food. We want to taste the flavors. So when we talk about spice, it's the spices that we mix. Of course, if you say hot, they will make it hot, the kind where you just want to gulp down something as cold as Antarctica. They can make it that spicy too. But usually Indian people eat it nice and mild, where you can actually taste the flavors without burning your mouth.

I've actually had this with a lot of people. They say, we've tried Indian food, we've had butter chicken, there's this place we go to and it's really nice. And then they taste the butter chicken here and the rogan josh here, and they go, I think we're going to go back and have a chat with them, because this is not the Indian way of making butter chicken.

Raffaele: Yeah. And that's the point. There's so much more.

Ankita: So it's really nice to hear that.

Raffaele: Ankita, this was so much fun. Thank you for being here and for sharing all of it. Where can people find you and come travel with you?

Ankita: Yeah. If you want to find me on Instagram, I'm Stories with Ankita, and it ends with a double A. You can just DM me if you have any questions, especially if you're visiting India for the first time. That's where you can ask me anything.

Other than that, I'm usually out doing a lot of trips for Intrepid. So if you do want to travel with me, you can book an organized adventure through Intrepid. And if you're lucky, you'll have me as your guide.

Raffaele: Or through TourRadar, absolutely. Well, that's another one. If this made you want to pack a bag, you know what to do. So, see you on the next episode. Thank you so much, Ankita.

Ankita: Absolutely. Thank you, Rafa. Bye.

Sue: Somehow I ended up in it. I fell into the creek. Not only do I love Europeans, I love Italians. I love Italian men. Do it scared.

Raffaele: Hello everyone, I'm Raffa and welcome back to Adventure Together, the show where we sit down with the people who make travel unforgettable. Before we start, a tiny favor: if you enjoy this conversation, hit subscribe. It helps us grow and bring you stories from all over the world. Today's guest is someone I've really, really wanted to have on the show for quite a while. Sue is a solo travel creator who inspires women to explore Europe and the rest of the world with more confidence, travel smarter, and step outside their comfort zone. Dear Sue, welcome.

Sue: Thank you. I'm super excited to be here. Thank you for having me.

Raffaele: It's a pleasure. It really, really is. How are you doing today?

Sue: Aw, thank you. I'm doing well. How are you?

Raffaele: Good, I'm good. I'm kind of feeling summer fading away. It's ending, and that makes me a little bit sad. But I'm also really looking forward to autumn: the leaves, all the orange colors, putting some warmer clothes on.

Sue: Yeah, exactly. It'll be nice. I'm looking forward to the same thing.

Raffaele: And plus, it has been such a very, very hot summer over here in Europe. I don't know how it was in New York, but damn, it was way too hot.

Sue: Yeah, you guys had a lot of heat waves over there, from what I saw.

Raffaele: Yes, yes. What about over there in New Jersey, New York?

Sue: It's always hot here in the summers. We have really hot summers and very cold winters, which I don't know if people know. So I'm a little sad summer's over, but also excited for the fall, going apple picking, going to a pumpkin patch or a winery.

Raffaele: Yes, all those cutesy things.

Sue: Yes, all the fun things that we do here in America.

Raffaele: Well, today's episode might not sound like it has the most creative title, but believe me, it does. It's called Podcast with Sue. Now before you judge me, let me explain. Sue and I recently traveled together in Morocco. What a crazy experience, right?

Sue: Amazing. Yes. Crazy for sure.

Raffaele: If you were there with us, you'll know exactly why I'm calling it that. It all started during a cooking class. We were filming some content and somehow Sue became the star of her own cooking show. Suddenly it was Cooking with Sue, then it became Making Argan Oil with Sue, then Horseback Riding with Sue. By the end of the trip, somehow every activity became "with Sue." So today it's Podcast with Sue. Now, before we get into Morocco, before the RISE program, before all of that, do you remember? We actually met at TBEX in Dublin about two years ago.

Sue: Yeah, we did. In one of my favorite places in Ireland.

Raffaele: Exactly. I don't even know if you remember this, but I remember walking away from the whole event thinking, that girl is going to do something very big.

Raffaele: I had this feeling because I saw the way you were connecting with people, the way you were interacting with everyone around you, and I really remember thinking, she's got something special. So fast forward to today.

Raffaele: You've become a TourRadar RISE Ambassador, you joined our first RISE fam trip in Morocco, and now you're putting together your own group trip to Ireland. I'd say the prediction worked out pretty well. So it's really good to finally have you here.

Sue: Thank you. Yeah, I'm excited to be here, and I feel like I'm just getting started. This is just the beginning.

Raffaele: You are, you really are just getting started. But let's rewind all the way back, because before the travel content, before the community you've built, you spent nearly a decade working in different fields, right?

Sue: Yes. So I'm a Jill of all trades, I would say.

Raffaele: Meaning?

Sue: So we have a saying, you know, Jack of all trades, but I'm a woman, so I say Jill of all trades. It means you have a lot of skills. You've done a lot of different things. You know how to do a lot of different things. For me, I've had a lot of different careers. I went to school for marketing, and what I loved was being a digital project manager for marketing agencies. I guess maybe there's a little tech in there too. But in addition to that, one of my most recent career paths was being a lifeguard in Southern California for a couple of years.

Raffaele: Please help me. Help me, I'm drowning.

Sue: That was me. I was saving people, I was teaching swim lessons and stuff. I've worked in the restaurant industry for a long time as well.

Raffaele: Lifeguard with Sue.

Sue: Yeah. Swimming with Sue. So yeah, I've done a lot of different things. Back in 2020, when COVID hit, I decided to start a virtual assistant business. I was working with coaches and people like that, because it was my dream. I really sat down with myself and I asked, what do I want my life to look like? And it was always the same answer: I want to travel and work remotely. That's always what it was. And then I started my virtual assistant business, then became an online business manager, and did that for maybe three or four years. And then I switched over to the travel niche once I saw how everybody was growing on Instagram back in the day, kind of just doing their own thing and being successful at it. And I thought, this is my true passion. So why am I not following that?

Raffaele: Why not? And today you're kind of balancing content creation alongside another job while building this amazing community of solo female travelers. Take me back to your first solo trip. Where did you go?

Sue: Yeah, so my first solo trip I did back in 2022, I believe. I went up to San Francisco, so it was a domestic solo trip. As you know, I travel a lot to go to concerts and festivals, and I really wanted to go see Paul McCartney. It's always been my dream to see Paul McCartney.

Raffaele: Wow. Just a legend.

Sue: Yeah, you know, no big deal. No big deal. So yeah, I went to San Francisco to see Paul McCartney. I was there for a weekend. It was really great. And then a couple of months later I went on a solo trip to Europe for the first time. I was there for about two months, maybe two to three months, and I visited so many different countries, so many cities, and I did all of that completely by myself. But I think the trip to San Francisco kind of warmed me up a little bit. And I went to Europe because I went to a music festival by myself. I went to Primavera Sound in Barcelona.

Raffaele: Beautiful.

Sue: It was incredible. Incredible. And I thought, well, I'm already here. With Europe everything is so close to each other, so I thought, might as well travel around. So that's what I did.

Raffaele: But back to the initial one, the first one. Were you nervous about something specifically?

Sue: I think I was nervous about being bored.

Raffaele: Okay. And then what happened?

Sue: Then I realized there's really no way to be bored, because there's just so much to see. You're in a new environment. If I was doing that where I'm from, okay, maybe I've already seen it a million times, or I'm walking the same paths I've always walked. It's not as exciting. But when you're in a new place, there's so much to see. You're smelling different smells, seeing different scenery, restaurants, different people. You're in a completely different environment, so all your senses are heightened and you're just taking everything in. That was my way of not feeling bored, because there was always something new to see or explore while I was there.

Raffaele: Okay. And when did you think, maybe I can actually build something around travel, around content creation?

Sue: Yeah, when was it? It was in 2023. So the year after is when I decided to make a pivot. Because I saw other people who were traveling and doing it, and I thought, I can do this as well. Like I said, Instagram really showed me what was possible, just seeing other people being able to do that. And then I realized, yeah, this is actually my passion. I have so much experience. Everyone already knows me for this. So I might as well lean into it and make a career out of it, really.

Raffaele: And if you had to describe what that first solo trip changed in you in just one sentence, what would you say?

Sue: In one sentence, honestly, the first thing that comes up for me is that it made me want more. You get addicted to it, you know?

Raffaele: You do get addicted to travel, that's true.

Sue: Yeah. I'm just like, more of this please. More of just traveling and seeing new places and meeting new people. I don't know, I just feel like life is too short to spend in one place. So yeah.

Raffaele: Agree, agree. And if you do have the opportunity to do it, do it. And you've traveled to so many places already. What's the wildest, funniest or most unbelievable story you've collected along the way? The one your friends always ask you for: please tell me that story again.

Sue: Okay, so I'm gonna go back to when I was in Barcelona.

Raffaele: So at Primavera Sound.

Sue: Yeah, Primavera Sound in Barcelona, 2022. It was the first time they were back since COVID, and it was the twentieth anniversary of the festival.

So in addition to the festival, the three-day weekend, they also had artists performing around the city, in different venues you could go to for free as part of your festival ticket. So I was standing in line to try and get in to see this band that I love. And, as one does when you're waiting in line for something, you start making conversation with people. Right? So I started talking to these two guys behind me. They were from Germany, and we just had a whole conversation.

And then we didn't end up getting into the venue because it was already packed. But I was like, okay, maybe I'll see you guys around, have fun at the festival. The next day was the first day of the festival, and I was trying to find one of my friends that I had met at a different festival in Los Angeles who was also going to be there. And I'm looking for him in a sea of thousands of people. And I'm like, where is he? Where is he? And I'm making my way through the crowd for a good 10 minutes. He's like, I'm over here on the right side. I'm looking, looking, looking. And I find him and I'm like, oh my God, hey, how's it going? We hug.

Sue: And then right in front of him were the Germans that I had seen the day before, which I thought was so crazy. Isn't that wild?

Raffaele: Bizarre.

Sue: Thousands of people were there watching the concert, and they happened to be right in front of my friend. And then we ended up exchanging information. Yeah, yeah.

Raffaele: The world is cosmopolitan, a hundred percent.

Sue: One of them I still talk to. I visited him in Germany last year. He came to Italy when I was there a few weeks later and we just hung out in Rome. So it's a story about how I made these friends randomly. It just felt like fate. I'm like, okay, you clearly need to be in my life.

Raffaele: Followed me.

Sue: Yeah, you followed me. Exactly. I just thought that was crazy.

Raffaele: Okay, any other trip? Because I mean, you've traveled a lot. A lot. Especially for an American. You've visited so many countries, also just in Europe.

Sue: Yeah, yeah. I'm trying to think of crazy stories.

Raffaele: Or a beautiful one.

Sue: A beautiful one. Hmm. I know, sorry, I'm not giving you much to work with here.

Raffaele: You should say, when I met Raffa in Ireland. I mean, I'm giving it to you.

Sue: You're like, hello, I'm waiting. Okay, that was a nice story about your friends, but what about me? Your other friend. Well, our meeting was very special. Our meeting was very special.

Raffaele: It was, it was.

Sue: First of all, again, we were in Ireland, so I was already happy to be there. And I didn't know what to expect, and you made me feel very welcome, and we had a whole conversation.

And then we just kept in touch after that, and then you invited me to Morocco and to be an ambassador. I love TourRadar. You guys are my people.

Raffaele: Thank you, thank you. Well, travel isn't always perfect. So now tell me about a moment where everything went sideways instead. A moment where you were completely on your own. Just tell me what happened, because I know the story, I just want to hear it again.

Sue: Yeah. So this was off of that Ireland trip, actually. Because again, anytime I'm in Europe, I'm like, I'm already here, I might as well go to new places that I haven't been to. So I was traveling for almost five weeks. I was at the end of my trip. My last stop was in Germany, and I went down to Milan to catch my flight back home to America.

I was there for about two days, and I was like, let me go up to Lake Como. It's only about an hour on the train. And I was up there in Lake Como and it was beautiful, first of all. I was walking up this hill to go see better views of the lake, and I saw this cute little waterfall, like a creek. And somehow I ended up in it. I fell into the creek.

It's okay, I'm good. Everything's fine.

Raffaele: Sorry for laughing. I just know that, thankfully, you're fine now.

Sue: I fell. I fell. I don't know what happened.

Raffaele: Badly. Very badly.

Sue: Yeah, I think I was dehydrated. I hadn't eaten much that day. And I just woke up in the creek and I was like, oh my God, this is crazy. And then I had to literally dig myself out. Not dig myself out, but I had to climb up the steep incline.

Raffaele: Yeah. Who did you end up asking for help?

Sue: There was this very sweet Italian man who came up to me, this older man, maybe close to sixty.

Raffaele: And you fell in love.

Sue: Exactly. Now we're married.

But yeah, I was just walking on the street and I was bleeding from my head and I had no idea. And I was by myself. I wasn't traveling with anybody at that point. I was bleeding from my head and this guy just came up to me. He's like, oh my God. The Italian word for blood is sangue. Sangue.

Raffaele: Sangue, sangue.

Sue: Yeah, he's like, sangue, sangue. I'm like, what? And then I was like, oh my gosh, yes, you're right. So he didn't speak English. I can understand Italian, I used to take Italian back in college, and I speak Spanish, so it's similar. So I was trying to get by with my Spanish and his Italian.

And then he walked me to the hospital. There was a girl along the way and she was like, oh my God, what happened? And he was like, she fell, I'm taking her to the hospital. He's like, come on, come with us, come with us. And then she just came along.

And then yeah, they dropped me off at the hospital and they gave me stitches and did a head scan and all that stuff. And again, I was by myself, injured in a foreign country, and had to figure all that out on my own. So that was kind of scary. And then traveling back wasn't fun.

Raffaele: It was scary. Did that experience change the way you travel? Or did it simply make you more confident, you know, thinking, I should be a little bit more careful about that thing, or maybe bring something with you that you didn't think you needed in that moment?

Sue: Yeah, it definitely made me realize that I should have travel insurance first. I know, I know, I know.

Raffaele: You didn't have travel insurance? Sue, come on. Well, it was a long time ago, let's say that.

Sue: Yes, yes. So yeah, travel insurance for sure. Stay hydrated. Stay hydrated. Because Italy gets hot, even if you're up north. I mean, you were just talking about the heat waves. Yeah, you're Italian, you know. It gets hot.

Sue: Yeah, I'm trying to think of what else.

Raffaele: I don't know, did you have your emergency contact already saved in your phone?

Sue: Yes, yes, I did. Emergency contacts on my phone. Obviously I always share my location. I pretty much tell someone where I'm at, what I'm doing, all that. So I was able to call my mom as well. And then my sister called the hospital to get information on me. Apparently they don't have HIPAA laws over there, because they just gave her whatever information she asked for. She was like, my sister's in the hospital. They're like, yeah, she's in this room and this is what's going on. Not even, are you related?

Raffaele: We trust you, we trust you.

Sue: Here's our social. Yeah, it was funny.

Raffaele: Well, one thing you're really known for is helping women feel more confident traveling alone. Let's talk about that a little. There's still this idea that solo female travel is inherently dangerous, but from your experience, what's actually true? What are women usually most afraid of before taking their first solo trip, and what actually happens once they're there?

Sue: Yeah. So I think the thing women are most afraid of is getting kidnapped, which is very real. I mean, it does happen. I'm not saying it doesn't happen.

Raffaele: I mean, I guess it comes from a genuine risk that it can happen.

Sue: Yeah, exactly. So I think the best thing is just to prepare yourself as much as possible and be aware of your surroundings.

Mostly it's a safety thing. That's the number one thing. Am I going to feel safe? Especially someone like me, a woman of color going to predominantly white countries. I love Ireland, and it's mostly white people. And here in America, some people experience racism and things like that. So it's, is that going to happen when I'm in a country like that as well, or if I want to go to a certain place?

So a lot of people are scared of that. Scared of, if something happens, am I going to know what to do? Am I going to be okay? What happens if I get hurt somewhere? What happens if my luggage gets lost, or this or that? There are just so many what ifs, and I think that kind of paralyzes people from actually doing the thing. It holds them back from traveling, because of all these things that could go wrong.

And you're in a different environment. You're not at home. Being in your own environment removes a layer of stress. It adds a layer of comfort, I think. But you're somewhere else. You don't know the language, something happens, you don't know how to get around. Maybe you land and your phone's not working. There are just so many things that can happen.

So my goal is to educate women and show them, one, look, I'm doing it and I'm fine, everything's great. And I'm not saying that every single place is going to be safe. You also have to take precautions on where you travel. I tend to go to predominantly safe countries. It really just depends on where you go.

Raffaele: It does.

Raffaele: It does. But you did create a safety guide called, probably my favorite title, "Don't Get Kidnapped". So what's one safety habit almost nobody talks about? Not the obvious advice. What's something you personally never travel without doing, and what's something you used to do while traveling that you've completely stopped doing?

Sue: Yeah. So the one thing I would say that's maybe not a typical tip is to learn how to trust yourself, your gut and your intuition. If something feels off or something feels wrong, just don't do it. And as women, we tend to be polite and go along with something even if we don't want to, or don't feel comfortable doing it, just because we don't want to say no or come across as rude.

But also, lie. If someone asks you if you're traveling solo, you can say no, I'm with my friend. You don't have to say, yeah, I'm by myself. Say, my friend is here, my friend is coming, or I'm waiting for my friend, or even my boyfriend. You can even wear a ring, buy a fake ring and put it on your ring finger, if that makes you feel more comfortable. Because you're never going to see these people again, probably. So to help with your safety, I would just also lie.

And obviously, I'll never travel without travel insurance again.

Raffaele: It's a statement now.

Sue: It's a big safety one. I do generally try to stay safe. I'm not going to go off with strangers in the middle of the night to some random place. I don't do things like that. I know some women might not feel comfortable walking around at night in some places. So I do it. Again, it just depends.

Raffaele: It depends on the destination.

Sue: Yeah. If I'm in a major city and there are a lot of people out and it's late, for example, if I'm in Dublin, people are out late, then I'm not really walking alone. Even though I'm by myself, I'm not alone. You know what I mean? So yeah.

Raffaele: All right, well, those are good recommendations for sure.

Sue: I don't know if that helps.

Raffaele: Let's change gears a little. Another topic people know you for is dating abroad. Where did that come from?

Sue: Yes. So this happened, when did this happen? First of all, I don't know what it is, but I just love Europeans. I love Europeans.

Raffaele: Are you flirting right now? Sue, come on.

Sue: Not only do I love Europeans, I love Italians. I love Italian men. I don't know. I've dated a lot in the US and it hasn't worked out for me. So I'm just like, you know what? Why don't I just try something new? And everybody knows my love of Ireland. I love my Irishmen, so I'm like, why not try and find an Irish man? What have I got to lose?

Raffaele: Nothing. Nothing.

Sue: So it came to the point where, when I would go to Ireland, you can change your location on different dating apps. So I would change mine.

Raffaele: Okay. So you do use dating apps when you're traveling sometimes.

Sue: Yeah. So I would try to set up dates before I'm even there. I'm already swiping and talking to people and trying to organize things. And then I'm on the apps.

Raffaele: You're not organized.

Sue: And when I'm there too.

Raffaele: We could say you are a very organized traveler.

Sue: Yes. That's on my to do list. I'm like, okay, I've got to pack, I have to get travel insurance, I've got to update my location on my dating app. So yeah.

Raffaele: What's the best date you've ever had abroad?

Sue: The best date I've ever had abroad. Okay, so this was my worst date, but it was also fun. Let me just tell you real quick. My first date with this guy I had been talking to for a few months. He was from Ireland, obviously, and he met me in London, and we went to the Harry Potter studio, the Warner Brothers studio tour.

Raffaele: Super cool.

Sue: So yeah, we did that. It was amazing. I had the best time. Not with him. It was not a good date with him. But the activity.

Raffaele: But the place, the location.

Sue: Yeah, the activity was amazing. The activity was great. So yeah, I would have to say that's probably, like I said, the best and the worst.

Raffaele: All the guys out there are taking notes on how to succeed. Keep taking notes, guys.

Sue: Yes. Exactly.

Raffaele: Okay, but it was a very cool activity. That was the best date because of the activity. But then on the opposite side, what was the worst?

Sue: See, it was with him. It was that date.

Raffaele: It's a double faced date.

Sue: I was just telling my friends about this the other day.

Raffaele: He did everything right except what?

Sue: It was weird because he didn't want to take any pictures of anything. You're in the studios where they filmed all of these Harry Potter films. Oh my god, I want to take pictures with everything. He didn't want to take pictures with anything. And then I'd be like, can you take a picture of me? And he'd be like, okay, I'm done. I was like, oh my God.

Raffaele: Rude.

Sue: Oh my gosh. And then, what else? I don't know. Then he bought me a bottle of water, and later on I was like, can I have some more of my water? And he's like, I drank it all. He finished my water and didn't tell me.

Raffaele: There you go.

Sue: I was like, oh my gosh. Yeah. I'm planning on making a whole reel about this, actually.

Raffaele: Please do.

Sue: Just delving into the entire date.

Raffaele: Just do not tag him.

Sue: No, no, no. Absolutely not. It might be a multiple part series, maybe a three part series.

Raffaele: He probably is listening right now, so let's say hi.

Sue: He looks happy though. He looks happy. No. All right, fine.

Raffaele: I dare you. So you're still stalking him. Who knows? Maybe there's gonna be a second date where he can redeem himself.

Sue: Gosh. My gosh. No, no, no. He's with someone now and he looks very happy. So I'm like, good for you.

Raffaele: Damn it.

Sue: Good for you.

Raffaele: Well, tell me, what is something that dating in another country taught you?

Sue: Man, what has it taught me? Well, I think one, dating cultures are different in different places. I mean, it seems obvious. It seems obvious. But even though I'm dating in countries where they speak the same language, the customs are just different, you know? I feel like over there they're not as open, whereas I hear, even from my Irish girlfriends who come over here, they're like, yeah, the men are very forward. Very open, and they tell you what they want. Whereas over there they might be more reserved. So yeah, that's what that taught me.

Dating abroad has also taught me that just because someone has a sexy accent and lives in a cool country does not mean that they're any better than someone I would date over here. I've encountered a lot of the same type of men in both places, here and over there. Because I know we romanticize dating abroad, like, you're from this country and whatever. And it's just, yeah, the same problems still exist in other countries when it comes to dating. So that kind of helps put things in perspective, and it helps me not get swayed by an accent. Which Americans love, by the way. They do. Yes.

Raffaele: They do, apparently, from what I heard. Best country to date in?

Sue: Best country to date in. I've only really dated in Ireland, so that's what I would say. I don't know. But maybe I need to expand.

Raffaele: Yeah, we circle around. I thought you had a super romantic date in Rome, in Italy at least, huh?

Sue: I did, with the German man who came to visit me, the one that I met in Barcelona. Yeah, we did have a romantic weekend together, so that was nice. So I guess German too. I don't know. I don't think I've ever dated an Italian man though. No, there is actually one that's been obsessed with me for a couple of years. He's actually also from the north.

Raffaele: And you're talking about me. Again.

Sue: He's also from northern Italy, so I don't know. So yeah.

Raffaele: Well, you've really built an incredible community while balancing another job. So how has your relationship with content creation changed since you first started? You've also been focusing more on YouTube and TikTok lately, for a while, then went back to Instagram. Tell me a little bit about it.

Sue: The way that it's evolved for me is that now it's not only about travel. It's not only about dating. I've started to incorporate other parts of my life as well, just because my whole thing is I need to be having fun. If I'm not having fun with it, then I'm not gonna do it. I'm not gonna want to do it. So me making content, there are so many times where I'm making something and I'm just laughing to myself. I'm like, this is so funny. I just have fun making the content.

If I do a voiceover, typically I will have a script. Every now and then I'll just ad lib it, and I'll watch my video and say what I was thinking at the time as I'm watching it, when I'm recording my voiceover. But I try and mix in a bunch of different types of videos. So I like doing mini vlogs and putting those on Instagram, and on YouTube too, uploading them as shorts. I do have some safe, educational travel videos on YouTube. And then I usually just repurpose to TikTok. Whatever I make on Instagram, I'll repurpose to TikTok, repurpose it as a YouTube short.

But my strategy is just, I have my pillars and I make sure I'm hitting on those pillars: dating, travel, adventure, and my life in general. I feel like I'm also starting to document my life as being single at my age, looking for love, glowing up, trying to better myself and all these things that I'm doing, and just really incorporating more of me and my life into my content, and not trying to box myself in and confine myself to just a couple of different things, you know? So yeah, that's what I would say.

Raffaele: I love that you say glowing up, because that's true. I mean, you've already been glowing since the day you probably came to this earth. But that's true. One thing that I love about you is that in real life, and I had the pleasure to meet you and spend more than a week together, you're so genuine. What you portray on your social channels is exactly how you are. Or if anything, you're even sweeter, you're even kinder, you're even funnier. I wish people could spend more time with Sue. Do you have advice for someone who's thinking about becoming a travel creator today?

Sue: Yes, just do it. Just go for it.

Raffaele: What is your advice?

Sue: Who doesn't want to get paid to travel the world? You know? My advice is to just start learning. Find some creators that you like, see what their style is, what they're posting about, what's getting traction, see what people are commenting. And the questions that they're asking, because that's information, that's content that you can create. If someone asks a question, that's really good market research. It's like, this is what someone wants to know about.

Raffaele: To know, yeah.

Sue: And this is what someone wants to hear about. Obviously, try and find your niche. What kind of travel are you into? That's the thing with travel and the travel niche, there are so many different kinds. There's family travel, van travel, solo travel, couples travel, adventure travel, luxury travel. There are just so many different things. So see what it is that you like the most and what you think you'd have the most fun posting about.

And then also, don't be afraid to pivot. If you start in something and you're like, actually I don't really like this as much, or maybe I'm feeling more drawn to this thing instead, you can pivot. That's okay. But as long as you just start and start posting, then you'll learn more about editing, hooks, what people are looking for, how to make engaging videos. The only way to really start learning is to just start doing it. And to be okay being bad at it in the beginning. I have to remind myself that too, even when I start other things. I'm like, okay, I just have to do it more to get better at it. That's really it. You just have to do it. Exactly.

Raffaele: Makes perfect sense.

Sue: It really does. It really does. So yeah. Just go into it, ask all the questions. You can ask me questions too. My DMs are open if you have any questions about anything. I can talk about my journey and all that. It's just a really beautiful community and I feel like there's so much support and love. And I think it's a really fun niche to be in. So yeah.

Raffaele: It is, it is. Well, now let's finally get back to Morocco. For anyone listening, picture this. A van full of creators and travel agents and advisors driving across Morocco together for eight days, long drives, music blasting, everyone singing, especially Sue. And literally, somehow, every single time you ended up with the aux cable. Every single time. So let's go back to that van, and it's your turn to choose the music. What is the song that is playing? And there are only two right answers.

Sue: From that time?

Raffaele: Let's see if you remember.

Sue: Well, definitely "One More Time" by Daft Punk.

Raffaele: One more time.

Sue: And then the other one is "Riptide".

Raffaele: Yes.

Sue: No, there was another one here.

Raffaele: Marek, that's true. But your other favorite one was "Hotel Room Service" by Pitbull.

Sue: Yeah, yeah, Pitbull. That's right.

Raffaele: Wait, did you end up going to his concert?

Sue: No, I think it's next week, but I'm gonna be in Europe. I have seen him before though, and he is incredible. Incredible.

Raffaele: Mr. Worldwide?

Sue: Anyone who has a chance to see Pitbull live, you have to go. You have to go. But yeah.

Raffaele: And looking back to that trip, what did Morocco give you?

Sue: What didn't Morocco give me would be a better question. First of all, that was the first group trip I've ever taken, because I just do solo. I'm by myself, which I love. And I was like, I don't know, all right, whatever, I'll do a group trip. And it was just so incredible. I don't have enough nice things to say about it. I think the group that we were with was the best group ever.

It was the best group ever. Everyone was just so fun and kind. And being able to experience all these new places with you guys, and we're all strangers. I only really knew you. I don't think I knew anybody else going into this. So we all meet as strangers, and then at the end of it, we're literally best friends. In a week's time, we were best friends. And I still keep in touch with a lot of the people that were on the trip too.

Raffaele: That's beautiful.

Sue: I still keep in touch. Yeah, we still talk. I just had the best time. I had the best time. The activities were really fun. Our guide was awesome. I loved Abu. He was so great.

Sue: So knowledgeable. And yeah, like I said, those long car rides, I think those were the best, because we were able to bond so much. When there's no activity planned or whatever, it's just, okay, you're all together in this bus for four hours, and then that's when we really had fun and bonded and grew.

Raffaele: What was your favorite activity? Because we've done so many, from cooking with Sue to so many other things. Was there one that was your favorite?

Sue: I really liked the horseback riding. The horseback riding on the beach was really cool. Yeah.

Raffaele: Essaouira, I mean.

Sue: Oh my god, that town, that city. I was like, I have to go back. I think between that and the ATVs, those were really awesome too. Yes.

Raffaele: In the desert, the Agafay Desert.

Sue: Yeah, that was really, really fun. Everything was great. Everything was great. All the food was amazing. I had a really fun time. I loved it. I loved it.

Raffaele: Yeah. One thing I noticed was how quickly a group of complete strangers, as you said, became genuine friends. It's funny how travel does that. You can spend months living next door to someone and never even learn their name, but spend a week traveling together and suddenly it feels like you've known each other forever. Why do you think travel creates those kinds of connections?

Sue: I think because for us, travel is such a big part of our identity. It's just who we are, it's ingrained in us. So when we meet someone else who loves travel, we're already connected on a deep level. I feel like it just skips a bunch of steps. You already have this bond.

Because you're connected on this identity level, you know? So it's like, you like this, I also like this, we're going to get along. We're going to get along. And I think that just makes it so much easier to build a relationship off of, because you already have that foundation, you know?

Raffaele: Yeah, you said you're skipping some steps, and it's so true. If I think about it, just the fact that you're close physically to somebody else, that you're literally entering that personal bubble, which usually in normal life you keep for yourself, or if anything you let your friends, your colleagues maybe enter that bubble. But in that moment it's literally a stranger that you open that bubble for.

And it is allowing you to behave in a different way, without putting up barriers, because you know you're going to stick together, so we better jump that bridge to actually become friends, or at least start a conversation, hear each other out, listen more, learn more from each other. And I think that's beautiful.

Sue: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. I feel like it's because in a normal relationship, or when you meet someone new, you have to talk a while to even start scratching the surface, you know? But when you meet someone who loves the same thing, it's different. Even when I go to a concert, everyone's there for the same exact reason that I'm there, and we're singing along to the same things. You're just connecting on this deeper level, instantly. Instantly. You know? So you know you're going to like those people. I love it. It makes me happy.

Raffaele: And now you're doing something really cool, because you're creating one of those experiences yourself with your Ireland trip. At TourRadar we call these hosted trips. For the ones that don't know it, you bring your community along on an organized adventure and travel with them, while a professional local operator and guide take care of all the day-to-day logistics.

So you get to focus on your community and actually enjoy the experience with them, and you also earn commission for every traveler who books. What made you want to go from joining these kinds of experiences to actually hosting one yourself?

Sue: Yeah, so it's so funny, because I was never anyone who dreamed of hosting a group trip, like it's my dream. I know a lot of creators host them, but honestly, the demand was there.

Raffaele: People were writing you, DMing you.

Sue: Yeah, yeah. A lot of people wanted me to make this happen. I shared my experiences, because for those of you that don't know, this trip is for us to go to Ireland to find love. So it's specific.

Raffaele: There's a specific theme.

Sue: Romance, love, and even just self-love. It could be whatever they want the trip to be, but it's centered around finding love.

And yeah, I posted about it and I was like, hey, I might plan a trip if anybody wants to come, talking about my own experiences. And I ended up getting over a thousand people on the wait list. Over a thousand.

Raffaele: Wow. That's a lot of people.

Sue: A thousand people on the wait list. I was like, oh my god, this is crazy. And I was like, all right, I guess I'm planning a group trip to Ireland. And I have people on the wait list for next year. People want to go to Scotland too, so I'm like, all right, I'll plan a Scotland. It's just turning into this bigger thing than I could have ever imagined. So it's really exciting.

And I know, after having done my first group trip, how powerful it is and how amazing it is. Especially for women who want to solo travel but not be alone. They don't have to worry about any of those things I said earlier, any of those things that might be holding them back from solo traveling. If you go on a group trip, everything's already pretty much taken care of for you. You just have to show up, you know?

Raffaele: And enjoy the moment.

Sue: Exactly, exactly. So I think this is a really good way to help people in my community start experiencing travel, even if they may not be ready to solo travel quite yet.

Raffaele: And will you go to the matchmaking festival as well? Am I right?

Sue: Not only am I going to the matchmaking festival, I'm having a one on one session with the matchmaker himself.

Raffaele: Whoa. You've got everything prepared.

Sue: Yes, yes. So we'll see, we'll see. I'm hoping I come back with a match. Yes.

Raffaele: Hopefully, hopefully. Well, I'm sure you're going to have an absolute blast in Ireland, and all the travelers that will come with you. And for anyone listening who's thinking, I'd love to do something like that, but I don't have a huge following, you actually don't need one. Creators, travel agents, advisors, community leaders, you can host your own trip. Just search TourRadar hosted trips and you'll find everything you need to get started.

But all right. Time for a quick game. Green flag or red flag? No overthinking, just your first instinct. Okay, are you ready?

Sue: I'm ready. Yes.

Raffaele: Are you ready?

Sue: Yes. I don't even know what the topic is. Is it travel? Okay. All right.

Raffaele: Just green flag, red flag. Okay?

Sue: I'm ready.

Raffaele: A hostel with its own bar.

Sue: Green flag.

Raffaele: I knew you were going to say that. Landing at 2 a.m. with no plan.

Sue: Red flag. Red flag, yeah.

Raffaele: A guy offering to walk you back to your hotel.

Sue: Red flag.

Raffaele: Sharing your live location with your mom.

Sue: Green flag.

Raffaele: Posting your hotel while you're still staying there?

Sue: Big red flag.

Raffaele: Renting a car in a country you've never driven in before.

Sue: Green flag. Yeah, why not?

Raffaele: Booking an organized adventure where you don't know a single person.

Sue: Green flag. Green flag. Yes.

Raffaele: Right answers. One more little game, quick fire. Okay, first thing that comes to your mind. Are you ready?

Sue: Okay, I'm ready.

Raffaele: Best city in the world for solo travel.

Sue: Gosh, why does Rome come to mind? I don't know. Yeah, Rome.

Raffaele: Okay, let's say Rome. Most overrated city in Europe.

Sue: Gosh, would it be bad if I said Barcelona?

Raffaele: Well, people in the comments are gonna be raging.

Sue: I need to go back. I need to go back. It was beautiful, but my experience there wasn't great. So, yeah.

Raffaele: We're gonna give it a second chance for sure. All right. Best airport to get stuck in.

Sue: In general?

Raffaele: General.

Sue: The best airport to get stuck in? This is random, but the airport in Hawaii is really nice, in Honolulu.

Raffaele: Aloha. One city you'd move to tomorrow.

Sue: I really love Rome. I'm going with Rome again. Yes.

Raffaele: There you go. I like these answers. Worst date abroad in three words.

Sue: Gosh. Annoying. I don't know why that's the first thing that comes to mind. Gross...

Sue: And long. Too long.

Raffaele: The date?

Sue: Yes, the date. The date was too long.

Raffaele: Country with the friendliest people.

Sue: I'm saying both Ireland and Italy.

Raffaele: Okay, I agree.

Sue: I know I talk a lot about Ireland, but I love my Italians. I love my Italians.

Raffaele: One thing that's always in your backpack.

Sue: One thing that's always in my backpack is a mini speaker. I love to travel with a mini speaker.

Raffaele: 'Cause you always need to get the party going.

Sue: Yeah, exactly. You already know. A speaker, yeah. It's a mini one.

Raffaele: Good, good. Do you have one? Of course.

Sue: It's pink, because I love pink.

Raffaele: Did you bring it to Morocco?

Sue: I might have. I might have.

Raffaele: We always had speakers around, so there was enough noise.

Sue: We were always listening to something. We were always listening to music. Yes, exactly.

Raffaele: Okay, last question. Imagine there is a woman watching this right now. She's been dreaming about taking that first trip, maybe solo, maybe with a group, but fear keeps holding her back. If you could tell her one thing, what would you say?

Sue: Do it scared. Because you're gonna be scared. I don't think the fear goes away until you're on the trip and you're actually doing it, and you go, actually, this is not that bad. I don't think that fear goes away. Sometimes you just have to do things scared.

Even me. There are places I've never been to that I was planning on maybe traveling to, and I'm a seasoned solo traveler, but I'm still kind of like, I'm actually a little nervous about going to this place. I've never been here, or I've never been on a flight for this long. There are still things that I deal with as well. But I'm like, just do it anyway. Prepare yourself as much as possible. Ask whatever questions you need to ask. Do your research so you can feel confident. But you're gonna be scared. It's a scary, big thing that you're doing. But just do it anyway.

Raffaele: Because it's worth it.

Sue: A hundred percent. Yes.

Raffaele: So thank you so, so much. This has been such a fun conversation. Where can people find you?

Sue: Yeah, so people can find me on Instagram. Pretty much my handle is just my name everywhere. So, Sue Almonte.

Raffaele: Sue Almonte.

Sue: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube. I just started a Substack, so if you want to follow me on Substack, I'm gonna be diving more into solo travel and my dating stories and all that on my Substack.

Raffaele: Lovely.

Sue: So yeah, come and say hi.

Raffaele: And to everyone watching, if you've been putting off that trip you've always dreamed about, tell us in the comments: where would you go if fear wasn't part of the decision? And if you know someone who needed to hear Sue's advice today, share this episode with them. Thank you so much for watching. Safe travels, and I'll see you in the next episode of Adventure Together. Thank you, Sue.

Sue: Thank you. See you next time.