Episode•November 21, 2022•58 min

Twitter Spaces Replay 11/14 | Ep. 169

Every Monday at 9 PM exclusively on Twitter, Tiffany hosts a Space called FinNoir: A Space for Black Money Talk. This Space features a variety of black voices in personal finance to give their perspectives, information, and thoughts on money topics that affect the black community. This session discusses our favorite places to travel, both domestically and abroad. We also discussed if there were any issues when traveling while black at any of these locations. Hosts: Tiffany Grant & Rahkim Sabree Speakers: Markia Brown, Steven Stack, Camari Ellis, Nia Adams, Jonathan Thomas, Renita Young, Tamika Howell This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy

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Key Takeaways

1
Traveling internationally becomes significantly more affordable once you're already abroad due to cheap regional flights and trains.
Europe offers $20 flights between major cities like Munich to London
Local airlines within regions allow hitting multiple countries on one long-haul trip
No-tipping policies in Europe keep meal costs lower than expected
2
Staying with locals or using Airbnb provides more authentic experiences than resorts or hotels.
Authentic local food versus commercialized resort offerings
Deeper cultural connections and understanding of daily life
Often more economical than traditional tourist accommodations
3
Currency exchange rates and strategies significantly impact travel costs.
Exchanging money at local banks before travel often yields better rates than airport exchanges
Local exchanges in destination countries can be cheaper than home country exchanges
Southwest Airlines allows repurchasing tickets for refunds when prices drop
4
Travel provides perspective on different standards of living and challenges assumptions about developing countries.
Many countries labeled 'third world' have drivers and house help as standard
People with fewer material possessions often report higher happiness levels
Cultural exchanges reveal misconceptions on both sides about American vs. African life
5
Domestic U.S. travel offers diverse experiences from wine country to Alaska cruises.
Puerto Rico requires no passport as a U.S. territory
Martha's Vineyard offers a welcoming experience for Black travelers
Cross-country road trips reveal America's geographic diversity

Intro

This episode of FinNoir: A Space for Black Money Talk features a lively discussion about favorite travel destinations both domestic and international, with candid conversations about experiences traveling while Black.
Tiffany Grant hosts alongside Rahkim Sabree with speakers including Markia Brown, Steven Stack, Camari Ellis, Nia Adams, Jonathan Thomas, Renita Young, and Tamika Howell sharing their travel experiences and insights.

Tiffany Grant Rahkim Sabree

– Episode Introduction and Speaker Intros

Tiffany Grant opens the FinNoir space and introduces speakers including Markia Brown (The Money Plug), Renita Young (financial journalist), Ronnie Good (CPA), Anthony (About That Wallet podcast), Stephen Stack (debt-free millionaire), Jonathan Thomas, Nia (Perspectives), and Robert Metzger Jr. (Family Abide podcast).

– International Travel Favorites: Jamaica and Belize

Tiffany shares her transformative experience in Jamaica, staying with locals rather than resorts. Markia recommends Belize, particularly Hopkins village where Garifuna people maintain African cultural traditions including weekly drumming.

I feel at home there. Pre-pandemic, I probably went to Belize about four times a year.
– Markia Brown

– Europe Travel Insights and Experiences

Markia describes Alice Springs, Australia and traveling through Europe, noting how affordable regional travel becomes once abroad. Jonathan emphasizes Europe's connectivity and the value of exchanging currency at local banks before travel.

Europe is probably the only place where I didn't feel black. Like I felt welcome. Blackness wasn't on display.
– Markia Brown

– Mexico, Caribbean, and Barcelona Experiences

Stephen recommends overlooked Mexican destinations. Anthony shares his Trinidad and Tobago Carnival experience. Rahkim discusses the Dominican Republic and his transformative solo trip to Barcelona that led to writing his first book.

I went to Spain to escape depression... what I ended up writing became my very first book.
– Rahkim Sabree

– Africa Travel: Kenya Experience and Cultural Exchange

Renita shares her three-month experience living in Nairobi, Kenya, discussing cultural misconceptions between Black Americans and Africans, and the surprising standard of living including drivers and house help as commonplace.

We're glad that you're here. More of you Black Americans need to come here and experience the continent because we want to see you.
– Kenyan locals (via Renita Young)

– Domestic Travel: National Destinations and Road Trips

Markia warns against Missouri while Kamari recommends Kansas City. Tiffany advocates for cross-country road trips. Speakers discuss Puerto Rico (no passport needed), New Orleans, Hawaii, wine country, Alaska, and Martha's Vineyard as top U.S. destinations.

Everyone should do like a cross country road trip at least one time in their life because the U.S. is beautiful.
– Tiffany Grant

– Travel Hacks and Planning Tips

Kamari asks about optimal flight booking timing. Robert shares the Southwest Airlines price drop refund strategy. Nia offers to help plan group trips including Cuba. Speakers discuss using apps like Hopper and Google Flights for price alerts.

Whenever you buy a ticket from Southwest, if it goes on sale for cheaper at any given time, you can repurchase the flight and they'll give you the difference.
– Robert Metzger Jr.