 Welcome everyone, thank you so much for joining us today. If we're meeting for the first time, my name's Habiba from The Trek in Pels and for the last few weeks, we've been inviting travelers from all over the world to share their travel stories. We started first with featuring Tanzania and East Africa and now we are opening these live streams to people from all over the world. And today I am joined by a traveler that I admire a lot and she inspired a lot of traveling. So today I'm joined by Zeynep from Travel with Zeynep. She's a fellow Moroccan traveler and I'm going to let you introduce yourself Zeynep. Okay, thank you so much Habiba for this warm welcome. So, so glad to be with you on this live finally. We made it. I'm Zeynep or Zeynep as it is because you know, like in Morocco we say Zeynep, but it's Zeynep in classical Arabic. And I've been talking about traveling solo female travel since I guess 2014, 2015. And I started the page on Instagram, on Facebook. It started with this page on Facebook, Travel with Zeynep, where I was posting content in Arabic and in English. And I did an Instagram account, but like I lost it. It was entirely dedicated to traveling. And then for like reasons that are out of my control, I just like stopped blogging altogether for some time. But I did a lot of blogging and currently I'm trying to develop my brand into content creation, but like a more diversified portfolio of content, ranging from video to blogging to, yeah, so like photography also. And it all stems from my love for humanitarian photography because I did some humanitarian work in the past few years and it inspires me to do more photography and explore my talents and develop my talents for photography and videography. So I'm so, so glad to be here. And yeah, so let's get into it. Let's get into it. Yeah. All right, so let's start from the next question. I just have a question before we go. Like, how do I share this with people? Like with my following, like do I send messages or what? So people who follow you, they will already receive a notification once you go live. So, yeah, they should already get that. Otherwise, I'm seeing, I'm seeing like few people from my friends already here. So, yeah, that's cool. Okay. All right, so let's start from the next question. Zeynab, where were you born? Where were you raised? And how did your love of travel start? I want to know from the very beginning and then take it all the way up until now. Okay. So I'm Moroccan, born and raised in Morocco, Casablanca. And I can't really point out like when my passion, like my real passion for traveling started. But I can remember that when I was a little girl, I used to like do a photo colleges of far away places of the universe, like of stars and galaxies and stuff like that. And I also used to read a child magazine, child friendly magazine that was, the name of it was Majid. I don't think that there is like a Moroccan or an Arab type didn't read Majid. Like it was like the highlight of every week because yeah, it came right from the Gulf area. And so I was obsessed with Majid. I was obsessed with Majid. Like I used to read all these stories of people who go to far away places and like Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Antarctica. You know, it was so fascinating for me, the little girl from the like very small kartier neighborhood in Casablanca. So that was something that really ignited that love for discovery and traveling. And I got all pumped up when they published a poem that I made about, I remember like olive trees in Morocco or something like that. So they published that for me. So, and since then I was like, okay, I can go places. I mean, if I got published on Majid, it means that I can do much more, you know? So yeah. And then like after graduating from university in Rabat, I went to the US to complete my bachelor degree in international relations. And that was like my first big international solo travel. But before that, I went to Paris to receive an award for about Arabic. And it was just like a concours. I don't know how to say concours in English, like an assessment in the language of Arabic. And that was the very first time I had my passport done on Majid. Yeah. It was back in 2010, 2009, 2010. That was the first time I made my passport. And then I went from there to Morocco and then to France to finish my master's. And then I did another master's degree in Italy in development studies. And since the time actually I started traveling in Europe, that's when, because I became financially independent by then. So like I could afford somehow like small trips and short trips now and then and here and there. So yeah. And the rest is history. The rest is history. Yeah. So and then because of the nature of my studies, I went to Djibouti and from there I went to Burundi and currently I'm in Mali. So Zaynab today is joining us from Mali and she's done a lot of traveling in Africa. And we know how both of us, we love Africa. I mean, we're African, but I know that every region in Africa is different. So what was your experience traveling to different regions of the continent and living in many countries at the same time? Yeah, it was wild. It was interesting, very, very unique experiences in different corners of Africa. And like, I like what people think when you go to like different parts of Africa, you experience hardships. Of course you do, but like it's very unique. You just have to open your heart and your mind and experience everything that it brings you. So for instance, in Djibouti or the Horn of Africa region, because it's very close to the Gulf area, especially Yemen and Saudi Arabia and all these countries. So it was quite something that I felt very connected with because people, Djibouti is like majority of Muslim country and people speak Arabic. There are some people who can speak Arabic. And so they have this kind of like tribal, rural customs that are very fascinating to me. And like the ethnic diversity is very unique in that part of the world. And because of the nature of my work also, like it just made a special cocktail of experience. I was introduced to and then I went to Burundi and Burundi. Oh my God. It's a different part of the world. Like you are in the heart of Africa. You are in the great lakes region. And it's like, you know, because in this part of the world with Rwanda and DRC, it's a region of the world that experienced a lot of traumatic historical events. So people tend to be very, I won't say narrow minded, but fearful, fearful of the stranger and very cautious. So for instance, it took me like over three months to feel welcomed or feel, because I was living there. So like, or feel integrated. Because, you know, when I go to a country, I don't necessarily look for the expats community. If I, well, of course you meet the expats community because you work with them and you socialize with them. But like, I more look for local people, like Burundi themselves or Jibushis themselves, because that's how I can experience the country firsthand. They know the, I'm a guest there. Even if I live there for like an extended period of time, they're the key to really understanding the customs, enjoying the food, knowing a lot, much more than you would know if you just stay in very limited circle of people that are completely foreigners to the country and culture. You see, I just, I don't wanna go on like explaining because I see some questions coming up. What we will do with that, with the questions. So we'll tackle the questions as we go. I saw some questions about the topics of this conversation or discussion. We're basically talking about travel in Africa and Zaynab from Travel with Zaynab is sharing her great travel stories. And then we will be talking about solo travel specifically. So Zaynab, we see that in your content as well. I feel like you're not traveling as a typical tourist who goes to the main attraction, but you're always immersing yourself in experiences that are very unique. Like the other day I saw your video in the wedding with the Tuareg tribe, which was so impressive. Tell us more about that experience. Oh my God. Oh, wow. That one. You won't believe, but back in 2018 or something like that, I made like a list of resolutions. Travel resolutions for the new year. I don't remember which year, but I remember clearly that I made a list of travel resolutions. And one of the resolutions was, well, I was very wide in my expectations and stuff. And so one of the resolutions was to go and live with the Tuareg community for a month. So I had already the idea that I want to meet and to experience the Tuareg culture firsthand. It's somehow manifested, you know? And I would like to... Sorry to interrupt you, Zaynab. I think we might have some people who don't know who the Tuareg are. Maybe we'll start with explaining who are the Tuareg. All right. So the Tuareg people are the inhabitant Otokton, inhabitant of the Grand Sahara. So they are a community that is distributed on different countries in the Sahel area of Africa. So we find them in Niger. We find them in Mali, in Algeria, in Chad. So they are an Amazigh. I don't use the word Berber because it's a negative. It has a negative connotation, but they are Amazigh. We have Amazigh people in Morocco as well. But these are Amazigh who are completely different from the Amazigh we have in Morocco. And they have their own language, which is Tamashek, which is also a variant of Tamashek language, which is a language of North Africa, inherent language of North Africa. So the story goes as so. I was, it was a Saturday or something. And I was feeling uninspired for the day. I had no plan for the day actually. I just wanted to go somewhere, like have a coffee and then go do my nails. I love to do my nails. So I was in this local salon sitting, doing my nails. And then suddenly two ladies, like all wrapped in their Malfa Andra came in with their little girls and they were waiting for their turn to get their hair done and makeup done and stuff like that. And then the lady, I heard the lady speaking Arabic. And I was, wow, okay. And I asked her, do you speak Arabic? And I asked her in Arabic. And she answered in perfect Moroccan dialect. Wow. I was. And she told me years in Mauritania, studying Arabic literature. Wow, I was intrigued. And then she, I was like, what are you doing? And like, what, and she said, we have a within. And it was, there is something that you need to know about the Tuareg community in Bamako. They are, when they have a within or like a social gathering as big as a within or funerals or anything, it's the, there must be only one per week or like per, like, I don't know, one at once. It's not like at a time. It's not like they can have many Tuareg within happening in the same day because all the community needs to go to that one within. So can you imagine that all the Tuareg of Bamako were at that wedding? It was something that I've been in something like before, you know, so. And she was like, yeah, you can come. You can join us. You can imagine. I had nothing to wear. Like I was really like dressed casually for the day. I was not planning for anything. Don't worry. I have a suitcase full of dra. You can have one. I was just like, she left me no choice. And I'm glad she didn't because I had the time of my life. I had a really good time. It was something that I've never experienced before. Like, we didn't see the bride. We didn't see the groom for like three hours or four hours a day of celebrations. And different ceremonies like tea ceremony, the ceremony where the ladies, they show like the gifts that the groom or the husband bought for his wife or to be his wife. And there's also something else they do. It's called griyo here in Mali. It's a Bambara kind of culture. Bambara is the largest ethnicity of Mali. So they do something called griyo. And griyo is someone who sings. Who sings chants eloj. What is eloj in English? Eloj. Madihe. That's a difficult one. They sing good stuff. They sing good, good stuff about the family, about the guy, the family of the groom, the mother of the bride. It's like, it's an endless ceremony. And it's so interesting. You know, it's something that is very different from what we do in Morocco. We have something called negafa. Negafa is the lady who prepares the bride and the groom for the city and all of that. But this is completely different. These, they sing, as much as you give them money, they sing for you. All the good stuff that you want to hear about yourself, you will hear them that day. Everything. It was very unique, yeah. And when they sit to dance, they dance with their hands. They don't move. Like the real, the real, the real twerky women, they don't dance standing. They dance, they sit, and they dance with their hands. It's very graceful. It's very beautiful to watch, really. And we have something similar to this in Morocco, southern part of Morocco, in the southern regions. Ayun, Tantan, Dakhla, yeah. And even the women in the videos that you shared, Zaynab, they look so pretty and beautiful. They just have this charm that's very unique. And you're also, you're blending that with them, too. You blend easily, like you blend easily, too. I was there, when I was there, like people were addressing me in Tamashek. Not just the language. Yeah, they were talking with me in Tamashek and then I'm like, just with this only. I'm sorry, I thought I understood anything. And then they realized, oh, she's a foreigner, okay. But it just, yeah, we look alike because you know, North Africa, Tuareg and all of this, we have like quite similar genes. So we look alike, yeah, a lot. We do. So we have a few comments coming in. Kery is saying, love what you guys do, be an inspiration to the rest of women's out there. Thanks, thanks, Kery. We have wedding songs like that, too, a group that comes to our wedding and do that. I'm not sure what weddings are we talking about, but thank you for your comment. That's Insta Baishi. Which country is that? I'm not sure, I don't remember. Okay, so this is your experience in Mali. When you are traveling, I mean, we have some unique culture back home in Morocco, being in North Africa. And so when you travel in other sides of Africa, do you feel like there are some similarities, there are some differences? What are some of the big cultural shocks that you had in Africa? Okay, I wouldn't say like big cultural shocks, but like a very specific perception of women traveling by her own, that is very disturbing sometimes. It's the truth, because when a man, like I just see this inside our Moroccan community of travelers, when there is a man, a Moroccan traveler, adventurer, who goes places, you know, like they receive a lot of encouragement. They receive a lot of support, and as if they're like making an extra, you know, like something heroic and all of that. Yeah, but like when the woman does the same thing, the same way, she's stereotyped, she's labeled. She's, no, but like, aren't you afraid? What are you going to do alone? Why are you traveling alone? Why aren't you traveling with a guy? Why aren't you traveling with your brother? Why aren't you traveling with your husband? Like, you know, I receive a lot of these questions, like it's constant, but like, you know, I decided, and it's also linked to the appearance of the woman. Like a woman, an adventurer, a traveler, is not expected to look a certain way when she's doing adventures. Like she has to look a certain way. Like she has to look like a boy, she has to be very, you know, like dressed in a certain way that doesn't draw attention. I totally agree with that when you are inside local communities, and we will get to that when we will talk about like tips and tricks for safety for solo female travel in Africa. But there is this like, kind of like labeling that goes along the way. You are most expected to wear dresses and like, and post a picture, wearing a dress and post the other day a picture wearing your boots, climbed in Kilimanjaro. You know, it creates dichotomy in the minds of, especially like the male community or the male followers. Like, no, you have to stay in one box, this box, and don't go out of that box. What I'm trying to do through my account is to change that completely. A woman adventurer can do anything and can be anything and can dress any way she pleases and still be a woman adventurer and go places and do amazing stuff, create content, meet local communities, tell amazing stories of people she meets, like give accounts of unique customs and traditions. Her way, because everybody has a way of telling a story. It's not because you went, thousands of people went to Tanzania. Have you? Thousands of people went to Tanzania and Kenya and they told stories about those travels. But every time, it's different. And thanks God that we are different and that we are into ways of telling stories. Otherwise, we won't see all these different sides of the same story from different angles and experience different things. Everyone, when they travel, they experience different things and the experience is unique and it doesn't invalidate other experiences or other ways of telling the same story, you see? So for me, that's what I'm trying to do through my account and as I told you, I lost my old account. Unfortunately, it was not hacked or anything, it's just that I lost complete access to it and I can't retrieve it and I was trying to do that through my other account, but on this account, I'm trying to reinvent the wheel and to say that like, voila, when you go to Parc National du Mali of Mali, this is what you can do and you know, every experience is different. I'm just trying to portray an Africa that is visitor and tourist friendly. You can do this even in the most harsh of situations and settings. Mali is a country that we know as a war zone and it is a politically unstable country, but there are a lot of stunning stuff to do, a lot of amazing stuff to experience in this country, from the food, to the custom, to the weddings, to everything, everything. There is a large spectrum of stuff that you can do here and pretty much in every African country and we have what we call end-taped potential in Africa. So there is pretty much everything for all kinds of tastes. You can do everything in Africa and experience it your way without jeopardizing your security and safety and all of that. Absolutely. I love this Zaynab, I love that you brought this up because this is what's beautiful about the travel community is that every single person out there is different and they have different history and they bring a different perspective. So even if we both, for example, we travel to the same countries, the stories that you're going to say or share with the world and the stories the other travelers are going to share are going to be different, which is beautiful because you get to see the world a different way every time. Also about Africa, I feel like, I mean you have traveled solo to most of these countries in Africa and a lot of people find Africa to be intimidating. Not only it's raw, it's not raw, it's difficult. So for you as a solo female traveler and you've been doing this for a long, long time, what are some of the tips that you can share about traveling solo in Africa specifically? Plan ahead, prepare. Okay, I must be honest, I don't do this systematically because I like the sense of adventure. Like I have this crazy idea, like just recently I was thinking, okay, I will go to the airport and I will buy, it will be like a sort of an experiment and I will buy the cheapest ticket. I will find what is the cheapest ticket and when it will take me. So I have this kind of ideas but I don't recommend it. I recommend planning ahead of time because as you said, Africa might be intimidating especially with the low coverage, like media coverage. It's starting to change with a lot of travel startups and ventures that are trying to get the information out there. So if you do like your research, use YouTube, use Instagram, send emails, inquire about like the vaccines that you need to get before you travel your accommodation, your transport, all of this. You need to have like at least like a roadmap with like bullet points and it will procure you a sense of safety and confidence also when you are traveling to that country especially if you've never been there. Africa is not a beast, it's not dangerous, you have to use your common sense also like you won't go to a war zone, right? You're like, you know, you will follow the news and all of that, you go to places where you can travel, obviously. So that's my first tip. Second tip, blend in. Blend in, keep a low profile and be humble when you are, because you know, yeah, you're paying huge amount of money to get there. You want to experience, you want to have a wide experience. It depends on your objectives of the tourism or the travel, but I really recommend you to say humble because the end, first and at the end, you are a guest in that country, it's not your country. Those people have a set of values, the community that you are visiting, they have set of values, they have set of unspoken codes, cultural codes and norms and just like generally unspoken rules that they do, you know? So get informed about that, be prepared and also have a tire that is comfortable and that won't get you a lot of attention. Especially if you're a woman traveling alone. Like, yeah, when I'm traveling, it's not like I'm based in Mali, I will go out to this restaurant and it's different. It's a different kind of experience. When you're based somewhere and you dress somehow to go some places and stuff, it's completely different when you are traveling or discovering. You have to be humble and you have to dress accordingly and blend in as much as possible. Keep a low profile and try to make friends who are like-minded, who would have your back. You never know, you never know what might happen. When you are moving somewhere, like share your location systematically with a trusted party, but really someone that you can trust. Get a local SIM card, of course, when you get there. There are a lot of things that go along the preparation. Be confident in your approach. When you are wandering in new places, act like if you have been there already, that you know the place, even if you don't know the place. That's like a lot of pressure. People will just ignore you. I think you don't exist. Just do it. Be confident. I like your tip, Zaynab, about talking to people, just being friendly, because you never know what experiences it could lead to. When you said you went to get your nails done and just with a smile, you talked to this random person and it led to a great experience. So it's always good to initiate conversations and be friendly, right? Yeah, absolutely. But you also need to be, as I said, use your common sense. You will get there with time, like read through the lines and the spot, the red flags and all of that, but that you will acquire it with traveling. If you don't experience, you won't learn. So you have to get there. Out there, experience and learn. The good and the bad, but you need to be prepared and cautious so that the experience doesn't lead you somewhere that is dangerous for your life or for your physical integrity or anything. Absolutely. So I have to say, Zaynab, when you inspired my travel to Tanzania, and I don't remember what year it was, but you were posting about Zanzibar. And I would see, I read your blog. I was really reading your blog and Facebook and I remember seeing you at the Giraffe Manor in Kenya. And then I saw your pictures in Zanzibar with the fruits, trays, and I just told myself, you know what, this is a place that I'm going to. So what was your experience like traveling in Tanzania since it's one destination that we're trying to promote a lot? Yes, okay. Okay, my story with Tanzania is very, very unique because I remember it was in 2016 or 2017. I don't remember, but it was my birthday and I had worked as an au pair. Okay, because when I was in Europe, I was doing my studies. I was doing my master's, but I could do my master's remotely. Like I could combine the remote classes and the physical presence. So I chose to do au pair, experience another country through being an au pair. So I went to Germany for six months and I worked and I was very lucky because I was with a family that was very well off. So I was well paid. It allowed me to save a lot of money. And I was like, okay, I want to gift myself something memorable. And I started looking through internet about like, and I found a very good deal. Like you can't believe how much was the ticket. It was like a round trip ticket with Turkish airlines. I remember very clearly, 570 euros from Frankfurt to Zanzibar. Wow. Round trip with Turkish airlines. So I was like, no. So I will get this ticket. And you know, I bought it like in six, 10 seconds. I bought the ticket. So I was going to Zanzibar. I was going to Zanzibar for my birthday. I went to Zanzibar and I tried, since that I had the page that was very, very active by then. Like I had like 1000 of likes on the post that I write and stuff. And I showed this to a hotel that I liked and they were like, yes, yeah, do some work for us. And they will give you a free stay for five days. And it was a luxury hotel. It's not like it's a small boutique hotel, family owned and run by the family. It's a family of German people, but they were born and raised in Tanzania. So they speak Swahili, like local people and everything. And they would occasionally invite me to have like dinners with family and stuff like that. And to go do some experiences, like ride a bike, go out in the ocean for sunset, take pictures, write a blog post about them. And they were very satisfied because right after my trip, I remember that Anwar, I don't know if they're watching, but like Anwar, who was the manager, told me, you know what? We got a lot of traffic from the article you wrote. And we're so happy we had it and all of that. So I was, you know, okay, in my mind, fake it, until you make it, right? But I was like, I've never done this before, man. But I didn't tell you this, like I kept this to myself. And I just did this and I was so happy. And you know, I told you, if you don't experience, if you don't experience the thing, you won't know what it will lead you to. And you know, it led to a great friendship. It led to a great friendship. And the last time I was in Tanzania, I met with them. They are located in Jambiani for anyone who is interested, they are called the Blue Oyster Hotel and they are located in Jambiani. And they are the best boutique hotel in Jambiani. They are the friendliest crew there. People are amazing. The food is stunning. Everything was great. And I met them, like last time I was in Tanzania and it was just in August 2021. Yeah, no, not 21, 20, August 20, I met them. I met the whole family and Anwar and his brother and all of that. So this is like what was the highlight of my trip to Tanzania. I've never done safari in Tanzania, but I did safari in Kenya. In Tanzania, I was just in Zanzibar and in Dar es Salaam. In Dar es Salaam, I went to meet my dear friend, a man who I met in Russia during the youth international youth forum and we kept in touch. And when I was in Tanzania, I told her, oh no, come on, come on in, let's do Dar es Salaam. So she showed me Dar es Salaam. You know, this is what I cherish from traveling. It's the friendships and the awesome local people that you meet and you can create amazing things, you know? You can really do amazing things. It doesn't have to be lucrative, really. It doesn't have to be lucrative. It's just, you know, like a human. Let's talk about like the human side of all of this. This is what I cherish from my travel experiences. That's awesome, Zaynab. I didn't know. So you technically had your first collaboration or hotel collaboration in the word of travel in Tanzania, which is amazing. That's really nice. And a long time ago. So we have a few comments coming in. InstaVeishi, I'm really enjoying this conversation. Thank you. Thank you for joining us. This is too cool from you. That's awesome. So this is an even, like you said, with your blog. I think it was so well written that when you read it, you feel like you are living there. It's not just a typical blog where you're talking about best places to see top 10 destination and so on, but it's really unique. So that's why if you guys are not already following Travel with Zaynab, I highly encourage that you do because, and I really mean it, it's not follow it. One second, I'm sorry to interrupt you. And also people who joined from my account, follow Habiba, check in Pals, Habiba and Alex. Follow her, yeah. I really think that it's important because sometimes we get lost in the word of content creation. Sometimes the same thing keeps repeating itself. You keep seeing the same photos, the same destinations, but you rarely find someone who talks about unique experiences where you are truly connecting with people and the land. There is that human aspect of it, which is really incredible. So I appreciate what you share, Zaynab. Thank you so much. Oh, I wish this conversation doesn't end. You know, I don't want it. And we're having a good time. So let's say you're traveling to Arizona. Wait for when I come to Arizona. Yes, yes, I invited you many times and the door is open for you to come whenever. Thank you. All right, let's see. So this is travel in Africa. Do you have any future plans this year to go and explore any other African country or anywhere really in the world? Oh my God, my bucket list is so, so long. And I just think that we don't have enough time in like, we need an entire life to explore all. Like I'm talking about people who have a genuine passion for discovery. So when you have that, you feel like you don't have enough time to cover everything you want. And we pray God that we, you know, he gives us long life and that we can do all of that. And the next place I wanna go, the next place I wanna go is South Africa. I want to go to South Africa. I wanna go to, and I want to do the Virunga National Park in DRC where the, like you have the anti-poachers. You have one of the most popular stories of gorilla protection and the wildlife conservation. So that's something I really wanna do. I want, I wanna go to India. I want to go to India, India intimidates me. India and it scares the hell out of me, really. I don't know, but like I should not be scared. It's just that, yeah, it needs a lot of, I think India, you need to be really mentally prepared to go to India. So yeah, there are a lot of places I wanna go, but mainly I want to be able to create content, the professional way I'm aiming for. That's an objective that I started to work on since last October. And I've been shooting here and there. The whole content creation is very intimidating at the beginning, so I'm learning along the way and trying different kinds of content and learning. And inshallah, I will be able to post regularly. By the way, I have a YouTube channel. It's brand new, I have only two vlogs. I'm also aiming to do some translation. Habiba also has her own YouTube channel, masha'Allah. Doing great. Check her last video where she details like the life of content creation, part-time wise. So as you know, I have a full-time job but doing a lot of stuff on the side. Doing a lot of stuff like including content creation, entrepreneurship, a lot of stuff. So my brain is just that, you know what I'm talking about. It's just that I need better planning. I need to get better at planning and inshallah everything will go as planned, you know, and as I want. And I wish for everybody to fulfill their wishes and their dreams for 2022. It's gotta be an exciting year, inshallah. An exciting year. Thank you, Zaynab. I hope, I mean, I'm excited to see you go and explore new places. And I do hope that eventually our paths will cross and we'll get to travel together and go and explore new places too. That'll be nice. I'm confident about that. We will do that. Let's get some questions and stuff. Yeah. Yeah, so we have a comment from Instavation. About your comments on India. She said, I don't blame you. I am from India and I'm scared at times. I think planning for India can be intimidating because it's such a large country. So that's understandable. And who else? So, I think we missed a lot of stuff. It's just that the comments keep disappearing. I don't know why. Yeah, if you guys have any questions or if you have any questions that we missed earlier, you can post it. Can you write them? We will have this moment to answer the questions. Can you just write whatever questions you have? I see a lot of questions when I post the posters on my story. So it's the moment to ask these questions because, yeah, we're here. So have you guys here also? She can answer questions. Yeah. That's awesome. So why do we're waiting for questions, Zaynab? When you travel to the United States, what are some of the places that you travel to? And what was your experience coming here for the first time? Hey! Traveling in the US, my dear. I went to study in the US. So back then in 2012, I was an experienced traveler. Complete an experienced traveler. Like, I did a lot of mistakes, really. And I was afraid. I was not courageous. You know, like I was skeptical. I was cautious. But I was mainly based in DC, Washington, DC. And I was a full-time student at the American University. And I would occasionally go to Maryland, Virginia, Philadelphia. I went to Tappe, I don't remember. It's in the south. Florida? Yes, yes. I was there on a weekend trip. And that's it. And of course, New York, because I landed in New York. So I spent like two days in New York. And out from the US, I spent a week in New York. So, yeah, that's it. And I was just an experienced traveler. I didn't, I like, the US is a place I want to revisit. Like, like a lot of other places, by the way, like Indonesia. I need to go back to Indonesia. I need to remake all the things that I missed on my last travel and my last trip because I didn't travel as I want. I want, I was there with someone, but I didn't, I didn't travel as I want. I would have wished to travel and Malaysia as well. So these are places I want to redo, revisit, fresh and remake memories. So and content, of course, and make content. Well, very nice. So we have, I think, 10 more minutes. If we're not seeing any questions here, maybe we can talk a little bit, Zaynab, about how do you build confidence when you are a new traveler? I mean, I know for you, you've been to so many countries. You are very confident. You are a confident traveler. But for someone who's just starting, especially if they're traveling alone, how do you go about building that confidence over time? Yeah, it's like, do your research. You know, use the internet. Do your research. Watch videos, hear experiences from experienced travelers. Ask, go to forums, send emails, inquire, you know? It's always good. Like the amount, it's tremendous, the amount of information that is out there. So you can already start with that. Then start with yourselves. You know, because you know, like that lack of confidence about traveling, it doesn't come from nowhere. It comes also from within. Because if you're not confident in yourself, first of all, like, you know what you want and you know what you're worth. And you know how to set boundaries and to say no and to stay cautious, but use your common sense. Don't be afraid. Don't be fearful of everything and anything. Like this like unreasonable fear. No, don't be like that because then you ruin the experience for yourself. Just, you know, learn how to set boundaries. How to say no, because especially if you're a female traveler, you'll get a lot of attention. It's inevitable. You will get a lot of attention. But that's from where comes my tip of try to blend in by using like a dressing like local people and stuff like that. So learn how to set boundaries and say no. Like for instance, if someone will come ask you for your phone number, just don't hesitate to say no. No, I should give you my number, you know? Yeah, things like that. Be cautious, you know? Like don't drink things that are open and stuff like that. Like just be cautious, you know? Because you don't want to end in situations that can be deadly, you know? And we know a lot of, it happened to a lot of female travelers. So be sure to see the person if you're traveling with people choose wisely with whom you're traveling, people who want to ruin the trip for you, people who are like think the same way, people you get along with, people who are easy to communicate with, you know, things like this. You just, you don't, because you're spending your money, you know, on the trip. You don't want to ruin it, you know? You don't want to ruin it for yourself. So act accordingly. That's all. And I guess, like you said, confidence is something that comes over time. The more you do it, the more you travel, the more you get out of your comfort zone, the more you meet people, the more confidence you become. It's just a question of time. Yeah, exactly. And I just want to say something. Okay, this is, this comes from my personal experience. It's just like, just like few years ago, I was, you know, like a very adventurous and all of that, you know? Like I had a very high self-esteem and confidence in the way I was traveling, the way I was approaching the world and all of that. But like once you meet like certain people who don't have like the same vision or the same values and stuff, and unfortunately you might be, you get influenced. You can, you can become influenced by that. My advice is to choose your cycle wisely. Is to know, to be surrounded with people who understand your vision, who understand your crave for traveling and for adventure and all of that. Because, you know, they might stop you. They might hinder you. And you don't want to, you don't need that. You know, when it happens to a lot of people, I know, I was one of them and I know a lot of people to whom it happened. So don't let that happen to you. The most important thing is to realize that and then get out of that. Because, you know, you get comfortable in it. And now I might say that I'm relearning, relearning how to be out there and to just fully experience the land, the people, the country, you know? So, yeah, that's also another thing I wanted to share. I love it. I think it's very important because you surround yourself with people who are confident and who are going to help you in one way or the other, you boost your confidence. Yeah, you don't want to hinder you, exactly. Look, people who are confident about themselves and in what you're doing, they won't hinder you. They will push you forward. Absolutely. This is something that we also advise in the word of hiking and backpacking. You always want to tag along with people who have more experience and people who can push you to become a better version. Zainab, there is a question for you that I don't want to miss. This is a question from Simo. And he said, for Zainab, why Africa? Vacation in Africa, for example, Tanzania is pretty expensive. Do you have anything that you want to add in there? Okay, that's a question I received from Abdullah also from Somaliland. I don't know if you're here, Abdullah, but he asked me this question yesterday. You know, since that I have a full-time job currently, it's, I just save. You know, and it's also about priorities. What is important for you in life? Is it important for you to buy clothes every month, to go to expensive places every now and then, to afford like, I don't know, expensive, I don't know, whatever. You know, it depends on your priorities. For instance, my priority is to live the best life I can. And that's for me to be able to see the world. That's a priority for me. So, I orient my efforts and my finances towards that goal. And it just becomes intuitive. I don't have to think a lot about it because it's what I want. It's a priority for me. So, I use, I work, I use my savings to travel. Yeah, I work, I save, because I don't get money from the sky. Of course, you gotta work for the money, you know? So, and use the money for where you want to, for the things that you enjoy in life. It's as simple as that. Yeah, because, you know, I get a lot of this question, like, okay, you're a female soul traveler, like, who pays for your travels? You know, because people, they have a lot of assumptions. Like, they have a lot of assumptions, like, who pays for your travels? Who pays for your stays and all of that? It's, yeah, the answer should be obvious. And this question should not be asked to women because are you gonna ask this question to a man? Like, it's the same process, you know? I also wanna add to that, Zaynab mentioned earlier about how she was able to land a collaboration for her trip in Zanzibar. So, she basically leveraged her skill of taking photos to get a free stay in one of the hotels in Giambiani. So, it's not just a question about money. Obviously, you need money to travel, but you can also be a little bit creative. What are some of the skills that you can leverage? Are you a good writer, photographer, videographer, storyteller? Can you monetize travel for free or even travel for cheap? So, that's something to think about. That's also something that is very important. There is a traveler, an Algerian vlogger that I love so much. His name is Hubei, and he's just a genius vlogger. And I'm learning a lot from him. Like, I keep watching his videos to learn, like the tricks and stuff. This guy is simple. It's very simple. It depends on what you want from travel. Do you want to experience the area or the country in the cheapest way possible? Are you aiming for luxury resorts? It depends on your objective. What is your objective from time? Is it to meet local people? Is it to, I don't know, like to post pictures that you are in this hotel and that hotel? Then, you need to choose what you want. And, as Habiba said, use your skills. Hubei also uses his skills in editing, in a website configuration and all of that to learn projects, to finance his travels. You gotta work. You gotta work to make money to travel. Easy, you know? But you need to be creative. Get creative, use your skills, login, photography, videography, website development, anything, coding, anything, anything. Especially now with COVID and the situation in the world, like we can work virtually. You, we can work from home or anywhere in the world, provided you have a laptop and a strong and solid internet connection. So you can get really creative with your income streams and what you can do with that. And it will get you places eventually. Absolutely. And it's interesting because travel right now is a lot easier than before. There are so many ways to make it happen. It's not that travel is expensive, but sometimes we're just not flexible. I mean, if you want luxurious vacations and travel and staying in resorts, that's going to cost you. But if you're flexible and you're willing to rough it, you can still make it happen. Absolutely. I totally agree with that. Awesome. We have been going for one hour and I really enjoyed this. Oh, because it was nice. That's why, that's why. Absolutely enjoyed it. Me too, me too. I was looking forward to this. It's nice to meet another fellow traveler and learn. And I did, there's so much that I learned from you too. So thank you so much for your time. Thank you so much for having me. Okay, so before we close out, do you have anything else that you wanna share, Zaina? I mean, just be yourself and pursue the thing that you love the most, whatever it is. Don't let negative people, negative energy, negative situations get between you and what you desire the most. Do it, because there will be a time when you will regret not doing it earlier. That's it. That's awesome. I love it, I love it. Thank you so much, Zaina. And thank you for everyone who joined us today. Thank you. Thanks for everyone who joined us today. Be sure to go and follow Zaina and share your adventures with us. This live stream is going to be shared for those who were not able to watch it earlier. I appreciate you, Zaina. I appreciate you and giving us of your time. And I can't wait to see more of you. Yeah. And I can't wait to come visit in Arizona. Yes, come visit us. You will love it. It's a beautiful thing. I will, I will, I will. All right, take care of yourself and happy new year. Thank you. Thank you everybody who are here. Bye-bye, happy new year.