Across New Skies
Across New Skies captures the raw, funny, and unforgettable stories of Native travelers leaving home soil for the first time. From airports to oceans, each journey is a reflection of identity, memory, and bold first steps.
Across New Skies
Rae Goes to India
Welcome to the very first episode of Across New Skies. A podcast where Native stories take flight.
In this debut episode, Jessica sits down with Rae, who shares the story of her first trip overseas to India. From booking flights and battling airports... to experiencing joy in a different culture. Rae opens up about what it meant to carry her Native identity across the world. It’s honest, funny, reflective and the perfect way to kick off the journey.
Got thoughts or want to share your own story? Reach out!
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Episodes drop on Thursdays.
Skeg Tash, good day, and welcome to Across New Skies, the podcast where Native stories take flight. My name is Jessica, and I'll be your host. A little about me and the podcast really quickly. I'm a proud member of the Tohono O'odham Nation. I've been overseas twice, once to Iceland in 2017. I ran off with an old boyfriend, but you know, that's a story for another time. And then I went to Ireland in 2022. This time I went with my aunt. And while I'd call both of those trips successful, they were full of anxiety and uncertainty, mostly because of my own fears. The brain can really amplify your concerns. Nothing too crazy happened, but I worried a lot about logistics. Did I have the right documents, the right credit card? Are the reservations correct? Did I even have the confirmation numbers, you know? So many things to keep track of. Then in 2024, my mom was getting ready to go to Ireland, her first international trip. She was going with the same aunt I had traveled with. She had a lot of questions for me, and while I tried my best to answer them, I realized her travel fears were different from mine. She was more concerned about staying warm, packing the right clothes, preparing for the weather. All the things that I didn't really think too much about. It made me wish that there was a podcast I could point her to. Something she could listen to while she was out for a walk or cleaning or driving or just living her life. Somewhere she could hear from other people like her with real worries, real stories. I couldn't find that podcast. So I decided to start it. That's how Across New Skies was born. This podcast is for you, the listener, to hear about travel anxiety, first-time travel fumbles, unexpected lessons, and hopefully even bigger triumphs. And you know what? This is new. I don't have all the answers, but we're going to continue moving forward and hopefully we can learn together and this podcast will eventually take its shape. Now, before we get into today's conversation, I want to take a moment to acknowledge something. I know we're living in a time where things feel unstable, you know, politics, the economy, cost of living, you know, it's all real. And if you're indigenous or a person of color or someone who's already felt the weight of borders and policies, you know, traveling internationally can come with even more layers of stress and uncertainty. There was a part of me that wondered, you know, should I even be doing a podcast about international travel right now when so many people are just trying to get through the week? But here's why I believe these stories matter, especially now. They're not about luxury or escapism. They're about memory. They're about heart. They're about how we carry our identities, our humor, our fears, our dreams into these new spaces. Whether someone chose to travel, had to travel, or found themselves on a journey they never planned, these stories show the deeply human side of movement. And I believe that's something worth sharing. So with all that said, let's get into our very first conversation. This was recorded in the comfort of the guest's home. So don't be surprised if you hear a dog or a cat make a little cameo. That's part of what makes these stories so real. So here we go.
Speaker 01:Hi, my name is Rae Damon and it's Rochelle, but I go by Rae. And I am Dakota Humpati, which is Crow Creek Sioux Tribe from South Dakota. And I'm also Diné, or Navajo. I would say my clans, but I'm still practicing on how to say them in Navajo.
Speaker 00:And where did you travel to?
Speaker 01:Okay, well, the first place I traveled, at least out of the country, was India. One of my really good friends, her name is Nirthi, or Nikki. I grew up in Utah, and she was going to BYU. Because a lot of Indians are conservative Indians. Her older brother went to BYU as well. So I met her and it was like we connected because we were like one of the only two like brown people around them parts. So we just became really good friends. Like I think we met through roommates or friends like that. And she got me hooked on chai. I drink chai all the time now, thanks to her. But mostly I met her mother when she came out from college. India. She's from Hyderabad, India. And her mother came out for Christmas. It was the year that the movie The Holiday came out because we went and saw it in the theater.
Speaker 00:I love that movie, first of all. Which is perfect for this. Yeah, what year was that?
Speaker 01:Let's look it up real fast. Because... She had come out for a month and they don't, well, at least they didn't celebrate Christmas. So they were kind of confused on why everything was closed, except of course for movie theaters. So 2006, I met Nikki, met her mother and her mom had cooked all sorts of Indian food that they could find. There is a Hindu temple in Springville, Utah. And so we went to it. And I went with them because I'm curious. I'm not going to go. And they had put the two dots. They put two little dots when you go through.
Speaker 00:On your head.
Speaker 01:On my forehead. I got a little gishna. It's basically the elephant. And if you rub his tummy, he's supposed to swallow up all your problems and stuff. I still have it from there. Anyhow. Afterwards, I remember going to the store and I ran into one of our family friends who was actually from Salt River. She was going to play basketball at Utah, one of the schools up in Utah. And she's like, hey, what's going on? And I'm like, oh, nothing. Just, you know, she goes, what's on your forehead? Are you bleeding? And I was like, I totally forgot I had those two dots. It was like a red and a yellow. Anyways, and so after that, like I've always, Nikki and I had talked about, you know, going out to India. And so in 2020, And Nikki at that time had moved back home. We had stayed connected through like social media, emails, things like that. And then I get this message from her that she's getting married. And it was like a year out. So I'm like, oh, absolutely. I've always wanted to go out there. So I had planned my trip. And I'm one of those people at the time I was like, I'm going to pay the cheapest amount possible. So I watch for tickets. I travel. I actually did my own scheduling of different tickets of different places. So for instance, I left out of Phoenix to LAX because it was like a 124 round trip. I went to LAX and then from there I went to Germany, had an hour layover in Germany, and then flew into Mumbai.
Speaker 00:So you were doing your own research and becoming your own travel agent in order to find the cheapest deal.
Speaker 01:The cheapest deal. And at the time... And I'll get to what happened in Mumbai. They kept telling me, what are you doing? What are you planning? I'm like, no, I want you guys to worry about your wedding and don't worry about me. Well, what happened when I flew into Mumbai, I had an hour to catch my next flight from Mumbai to Goa because she was getting married in Goa and didn't encounter customs. There was a three-hour wait. I had an hour to catch my flight. And they have two different airports. One is international and one's domestic. I was supposed to go to the domestic one. So I missed my flight. Oh, no. So it was at the Mumbai airport. And then for some reason, at the time, I could not get my internet to work. Again, I'm in the new country. I'm like trying to figure everything out. Luckily, the flight wasn't that expensive. It was like $120 online. One way or 140. I can't remember one of those.
Speaker 00:So it's 2019.
Speaker 01:Yep. So right before the pandemic. Right before the pandemic. Yeah, before the pandemic. And also, I had just gotten hired at Salt River as their social media specialist. And when I said, hey, I already have this trip planned. I remember the HR person was like, well, we'll let them know. Because I'm like, I'm going to be gone for like a week and a half. And I had already decided. I was like, if they don't let me go. If they say, no, you have to come into work. I wasn't going to accept it. I'm like, because this is like a one in a million chance of me going to see my friend.
Speaker 00:And it's her wedding of all things, too.
Speaker 01:Exactly. And then so my mom was all stressed out about it. But it's fine. It turned out we were good. So I fly out to Mumbai. And meanwhile, I get a hold of Nerti or Nikki. And I said, yeah, I'm stuck at the airport. But the closest flight I could get out was not until later that evening. So I spent the entire day at the Starbucks in Mumbai. At the airport? At the airport. Because where it was located, I remember asking a guy, I'm like, do you think I could just walk to the other one? He goes, no. And there's slums in between. And he goes, it's dangerous. You cannot walk. You need to take a taxi, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I was like, and again, for some reason, a lot of stuff wasn't quite working. Like my internet, I couldn't... For some reason, my MasterCard wasn't working. They prefer Visa. Like there was all these little tiny hiccups. And I remember sitting in the airport thinking I totally could just like full on cry right now. Like, you know, like you get super stressed
Speaker 00:Yeah.
Speaker 01:And I'm like, no, I'm okay. It's going to be okay. So I went to the Starbucks and let Nikki know. Unfortunately, I did miss their, you know, night, the night before dinner. Right. And I was like, let me just get to my hotel. And so finally, I got onto the plane and that was the first time I'd ever seen. Sorry. I know my cats. That's okay. It was the first time I'd ever seen. They had the misters inside the plane. Inside the plane. You know, like here in Arizona, you have the misties during. Yes. They had the misters inside the plane. Wow. And then I remembered them going up and down with a cart full of. fragrances that they wanted to sell. And it's not the first time though. That's not the first time. Second time we'll be in Madrid. But anyhow. So, yeah. So, they had the misters in. And how long was your flight? It was going to be... It was like an hour and a half. Okay. It wasn't very long. My goodness. It was super close. And I even looked at trains because I heard, you know, they have a lot of trains. There's options. Yeah. So, I was like, you know what? When I talked to Nikki, she was like, no, just to get the flight. Just get here. Just like, just get here.
Speaker 00:Right.
Speaker 01:And I remember getting there. It was really late in the evening. It was almost like midnight. Luckily, Nikki and her husband... I guess this guy, he owned his own taxi company and he gave us their WhatsApp because they use everywhere outside of the U.S. use WhatsApp. Yeah. So she's like, here's his WhatsApp number. Just call him and let him know. And I'm like, OK, great. And so and he goes, oh, I'll just, you know, I'll come pick you up tomorrow because the next day I was going to go stay at. The wedding menu that they had already set up for us. So where did you go that first night? So the first night I went to my hotel in Goa. I flew into their little airport. He came and picked me up. But I also like I remember driving through because there's a lot of, you know, dogs and animals all over the place. And anyways, so I get to my hotel. I just remember just like. just like decompressing. At the same time I was trying, I called my mom and I just, and I think she was more, I think she was upset. The fact like she was stressed about me going overseas by myself. And here I'm telling her all this stuff that's happening. And she's just like, ah, you know, native moms are like, ah, I told you, I told you or something, you know, to that effect. But anyhow, the next day, I was wearing a sari for the wedding. And I just bought some random one. I think it was like $35. I learned how to actually do it myself because there's a certain way that you're supposed to put the sari on. You bought that here in Arizona? Yeah. Well, I bought it from India, but I had it mailed to me because I wanted to practice to put it on. Anyways, and so I practiced doing that. And then the taxi guy came and got me. And she had her wedding at this beautiful venue. a resort next to the beach and there was monkeys in the trees. First time I ever seen monkeys. We kind of did like a glamping. So we stayed in this like big giant tent. Me and my friend, our friend from Utah, she came with her cousin. And so luckily it was air conditioned. Oh, that was your thing. So we went in November. It was November. And the reason why they pick November is generally it's usually cooler during that time in India. Well, they had a heat wave. Oh, no. And so I was like, I just remember constantly sweating. It felt like Arizona in the middle of the summer. And I was like kind of feeling self-conscious because I'm supposed to be wetting. You know, I'm wearing makeup. I have like fake eyelashes and everything. And they said, no, this is hot for us too. So I was like, okay, well, as long as you guys are like in the same uncomfortableness, great. Were they sweating too? Oh, yeah. Everybody was sweating because it was just– and I'm glad that they did. They had like air-conditioned areas. Yeah, when I got there, they were getting ready for the traditional wedding because she's Hindu and he was Christian. And his last name was Hernandez. And I was like– and then the guy, the taxi driver, he had like a bobblehead Jesus on his thing and he had a cross. And I was like– And his last name was Hernandez. And so I asked him, I'm like, can I ask you? I'm like, why is your guy's last name Hernandez? And what does it come down to? Colonialism. Wait, they're
Speaker 00:Indian? Yes. Oh, they're Indian.
Speaker 01:They're Indian with the last name Hernandez. And I was like, because I, you know, and anyways, I guess Goa was a port for Portugal, like where the ships came in. Because you see a lot of like the colonial Spanish style architecture there. And like the stuff that I saw in Spain, you saw there and I'm like, huh. And so they're Christian and they were baptized kind of like how as natives, like we'll have certain last names. They don't necessarily mean that we're like, my last name is Damon and that's Irish. Right. Doesn't necessarily mean, well, actually on my mom's side I am, but Damon's my dad's side. But anyhow, so it was because like they converted to Christianity And then I guess whomever had given them their baptismal name is how they inherited it, if that makes sense. Yeah. So there's a lot of like Hernandez's in India and Goa particularly. So anyway, so they were going to have two types of weddings. They were going to have their Hindu wedding and then they had their just like normal vow kind of Christian-esque wedding at this beautiful resort. And They, one of the things is like when I had finally showed up, they're like, oh, so you're Ray. We're so glad you got here. And of course I got a lecture from auntie because they call their elders either uncle or auntie. So auntie, which is Nikki's mom, like you should just told us we would have gotten like, I'm sorry. I didn't want to bother you at the wedding. And she's like, next time. I'm like, okay, next time. But when people ask me like about the food, Like I love Indian food. I love going to Indian restaurants out here. Nothing, nothing there now is what we have here. Everything here is pretty much Americanized for the most part. I think they're going, there are some restaurants that are kind of doing a lot more of their traditional depending on what region they're from. But like, I can't like, there was this one, it was like a porridge, but it's savory. It had like peas in it. It had spices. It was so good. They're donuts. Same thing. Chutneys. Galore. Lots of spice. Lots of spice. I couldn't stop eating it and my skin looked amazing. I was sweating and I was jet lag. Oh my gosh, jet lag is real. Jet lag is so real. But it was just amazing food. It was good for the soul. It was good for your body. I don't think I always lose weight when I've traveled outside the United States. And I'm eating a ton.
Speaker 00:Do you think it's because the U.S. put so much stuff in their food?
Speaker 01:And you're walking.
Speaker 00:Yes. You're walking a ton. And then Nikki's dad did say, goes, next time you come, you stay two weeks. You stayed. Because I was only there for a week. Because, again, I just started a job. Blah, blah, blah. And so... I think as far as the most memorable part of that was we did discuss why we're called Indians here in the United States. They're like, okay, why are you called that? Because they didn't know. We can't assume that everybody knows our history. You know what I mean? That United States doesn't, they don't know United States history. They're not learning about United States history. On top of which- Particularly Native history. They're not going to know because it's very stereotypical, right? I remember when, and we'll talk about it, when I went to the UK, I Googled how many Native Americans are in the UK and Indians came up. We don't even have our identity. So they were like, so how come you guys are called Indians? And I had to give them a history lesson on this lost sailor, this dumb sailor. Can we swear on this? Dumbass. Don't fuck. Yes, I was going to say that too. He basically got lost. He thought he was in the West Indies. And he essentially, our name became Indian. And I always tell people, because they're like, you're not from India. So why do they call you Indian? I'm like, it's because of this dumbass that gave us that name. And I truly believe- My personal opinion is that the United States kept that for us to make us feel foreign in our own land, to make us feel like we weren't fully from indigenously from here. Because we have, you know, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Yeah.
Speaker 01:You know, Indian is everywhere. But again, there was already an entirely different country.
Speaker 00:Yeah. What did they say when you told them and gave them that history.
Speaker 01:They were really... Surprised but not, because remember, they were colonized by the British. They were under colonial British rule under their empire for many, many years. Mumbai used to be called Bombay. And they actually still sometimes will call it Bombay. They'll say, oh, yeah, yeah, she's flying out of Bombay. And that was the name that the Brits gave them versus what their traditional name, which is Mumbai. So colonialism pretty much is like affected tons and tons of countries. And So but again, they were receptive. They weren't like, well, you shouldn't be called that. They were like, well, why are you called that? You know what I mean?
Speaker 00:They just were confused and wanted to some clarification.
Speaker 01:absolutely. And it also opens up again, you know, connection to other people, other cultures in learning that. And that's why I was like. Because, of course, they would ask me questions about my tribes and stuff like that. When I first went over there, Nikki said, she goes, you're not going to have any issues because you look like us. You know, people coming up or trying to, you know, the tourist traps. For the most part, people did leave me alone. However, our friend who is white, you know, yeah, she had tons of people coming up to her. You know, just kind of that stereotypical type of touristy thing. Yeah.
Speaker 00:I'm like, how can we take advantage of this person?
Speaker 01:Exactly.
Speaker 00:What can we get to buy?
Speaker 01:But she also, you know, I heard her bartering and whatnot. I think the funniest part though, is that after like the wedding, we, again, food phenomenal. And we went to this one restaurant, all of us, all the whole, like the closest wedding party. We got there and then our friend and her cousin were going to come later because So we're sitting there, we're chit chatting. We're just, you know, diving in. I'm eating lots of spicy stuff. Like I love spicy. Anyways, well, she gets there and she sits down and they're like, oh, we're going to bring you like they're going to bring the drinks and stuff. We had already had our drinks. And so we're just waiting for them. Well, then they just started to like, we're like, oh, yeah, go ahead. Dig in wherever you want. Bad idea because it was too spicy for them. Her poor skin, her poor alabaster skin was turning pink. Her face was so flush. I'm like, they have this one. They have like a lot of yogurt there to help. Because if you eat dairy, it kind of helps counteract. I told her, I go, just take a spoon. Get into that. Just get into that yogurt right now. Because her face was bright red. So I was like, okay. And then finally they were like, we need the drinks now. Because they were just like full on red. So finally they brought the drinks. So when you do order food over there, is it like how it is here where you could get it? Different levels.
Speaker 00:Different spice. Okay. But you guys enjoy the spice, so you got the spicy.
Speaker 01:Yeah. We were just, again, just saying, yeah, go ahead, dig into whatever was on the table because we were eating family style. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That was a big mistake. So they were okay. As my dad would say, it was good for them. It builds character. Yeah. But yeah, that was, I think after that, I think that's when I really kind of caught the traveling bug. Afterwards, when I went to the airport, I went with Auntie and then Nikki's sister-in-law. And they got me right up at the front. They just went up to the guard. They're like, she needs to get on now. She needs to get up in there. And they caught me through.
Speaker 00:To your flight back home?
Speaker 01:Yeah. They just put me there like, we're not going to make sure you're not going to miss this one. Because I was flying into Mumbai. And then I was taking the Swiss flight. I had a layover in Switzerland. I had actually a, I think it was like a nine-hour layover in Switzerland. So I got to go to Switzerland. And these are the, this is what you booked. And I didn't know that. So when I got, cause I was like nine hours and of course I Googled it. I'm like, what can I do in Switzerland for nine? I was flying into Zurich. So I flew into Zurich. I put my stuff in a locker and I took the train. Everything's in French, jumped on a train, went to Midtown. It was like six o'clock in the morning. Okay. Let's, let's back up. Let's back up a second. I'm so curious as to why, This this is your first trip out of the country. How were you so comfortable doing all of this stuff? Now, I understand you had kind of a little bit of trouble getting in there, but you you you handled it like a rock star. You know, you went you decompressed once you got to your hotel and then then your trip started. But for people who don't who are afraid of these things like I don't like me, you're giving me like I have some anxiety because I think it. I think now I could probably handle it. But my first trip, I don't know. I think I would just stay in the airport for nine hours. How were you? Were you just always adventurous? Did you always want to travel? Was there something you wanted to do and you just wanted to take advantage of it? Walk me through what you were thinking. I think that's an interesting question because I never thought of it that way. But I like to prepare. And I always do well under pressure for the most part. a situation arise, the first thing, and I think it's just my upbringing is collecting my thoughts. Like, okay, positives, negatives. Like I start to kind of divide stuff up. Like what can you control what you can't control? And, and then in regards to traveling, I don't know. I maybe it's because like, I've always been encouraged by like grandparent. I have this, my stepmother's mother always encouraged me to travel for some reason. I don't know why. You know, she's a very conservative woman, conservative values and stuff. But she always was telling this, like me, one of her only grandkids, daughters to travel. And I'm like, oh, okay. Because I remember seeing her like in Egypt. My dad and my stepmother had traveled to like New Zealand and Australia. My stepmother was in England for like three months or something for her job. So they'd always bring back stuff. And I don't know, I guess it was just maybe because I... wanted to travel and I felt comfortable traveling, it didn't seem scary to me at all. Right. But on the flip side, when you were on your way over there, you stayed however many hours at the Starbucks and you didn't leave the airport at all. Well, I just, the reason is, is because I couldn't get the internet to work. And then when I would try to use the Uber, it kept like It wouldn't go through for some reason. It wasn't until it was getting closer to my flight. I'm like, okay, I need to figure out how to do
Speaker 00:Right.
Speaker 01:And then finally, either it connected or I got in a different area. I finally was able to, or change my settings. I don't know how, but all of a sudden I was able to get the Uber because I would have liked to go and see the city and do all that other stuff. Yeah. I could not get it to work. I couldn't get the cash out because of the MasterCard. There were some issues with that, like all the hiccups that I kept having. I actually what I did do at Starbucks is I just because I like to write or I'll write down like experiences or I'll think of like storylines or things like that just to get my mind off of what's happening. So anyways, by the time I got because I'll tell you when I get to my second round of international travel, much, much smoother. But yeah, I think because I. The worst thing I could have done is just panicked. And the last thing I want to do is be sitting in some airport with, you know, crying my eyes out and I get headaches when I cry. And that's kind of like my thought process is like, if I start crying and I can't stop, I'm going to wear myself out. I'm going to have, I'm an ugly crier. I'm going to have puffy face. I'm going to get a headache. I'm going to get, you know, it's going to make the situation worse. Exactly. Like, but my brain is going crazy. Work on what it is that you can do. Like, what is it that you can get through? So when I finally got that Uber, oh, I did take a picture with my Uber driver because he came and picked me up. And I'm like, and he goes, like, I think it was giving the peace sign. That's when I knew I'm like, I'm good. We're going to be good. It's going to be fine. And also after talking to Nikki's family, they're like, Next time, let us help you. We'll let you, you know, we'll tell you where you need to stay. If you want to come stay with us. I was again thinking, oh, I don't want to bother them because they're planning a wedding.
Speaker 00:Yeah.
Speaker 01:So there was those kind of mix up. It was also a mercury and retrograde. And if you know anything about mercury and retrograde, you're not supposed to travel during that time. And it was full on mercury and retrograde. So I blamed it on that.
Speaker 00:And so by the time you went to Switzerland, like you were coming off this great, trip that you already had and it was just probably a bonus that you know yeah you got nine hours to go yeah
Speaker 01:whatever you want i will i like i said i got uh the little bit of french i have i got into the train and went into midtown i walked around it was super early though like so there wasn't i mean there's coffee shops open it was the cleanest air you will ever breathe in your entire life it was like walking into an oxygen tank and i have asthma And then I found out that they do not, Switzerland doesn't have any gas cars. Oh, okay. None. They had a ton of bikes. People were going up to fountains and filling up their jug, like their hydro flask, their water bottles with water. Wow. It was like cleanest place I've ever been. It just, I mean, I can still even like smell that air. It was so clean. And I went from almost a hundred degree weather to like, 45. Oh, wow. And so I was walking, I had like a decent jacket on, but, and I layered up, but I just remember there was a bridge that has all those locks on it.
Speaker 00:Oh yeah. I was
Speaker 01:walking along it and this guy was there. He goes, he goes, take picture. Can you take, I was like, yeah, sure. You know, there's that universal, like, can you take our picture or take my picture? So I took his picture. He goes, do you want me to take yours? I'm like, no, I'm good. I had, you know, again, I'm dealing with a very like long trip. I didn't get very much sleep. The night before, just because I'm coming from a big wedding and staying up really super late and no makeup on. But I just walked around and just kind of chilled and then got some breakfast, got some chocolate, went back to the airport and then jumped on my flight. And that went from Switzerland to LAX. It was a direct flight to there. Pass. But yeah, it was definitely an adventure trip. But I wanted to go again. And so, yeah. So that was my first. That was in 2019. How old were you? 43, 44. Somewhere around there. Yeah. That's really cool. Yeah. Yeah. It made me think I was like, I have to do math now. I've lied so much about my age. I can't even remember how old I am anymore. But yeah, I think like I always actually it's funny you say that because today I was like, I could have gone on so many different trips when I was younger. But I don't think I would have handled. the situations that would have arised and what happened with me. When I did get to India, everywhere you go, this is totally random, but my first impression is, you know, actually, so you have to go and use the restroom, is they have those handheld that you go when you spray yourself because they have a massive problem with waste. So there's hardly places anywhere with toilet paper. You just have this little bidet. Yeah. So you had to get used to using that. Oh yeah. That was, it wasn't too, it's just the drip drying. You gotta wait a second. You're like, well, okay. Wish they had a little bit of like an air thing in here, but. But other than that, yeah, I just definitely wanted to go back. Food was phenomenal. I would like to go to like places. I'm not a huge, even when I travel like domestically, I'm not a big, I have to see sites type of tourist. I kind of go with the flow. I don't like itineraries. And I think it's because when my stem mother would plan a trip, it was like 8 a.m. This is what we're doing. 10 a.m. This is what we're doing. 12 a.m. You know, I just I just want to go. And my very biggest first trip was when I went when I was 15. I went to New York City. Love fell in love with New York City from Orem, Utah to New York City. You'd think I'd be afraid and I wasn't. Maybe that's kind of why. I don't get scared of how boring Utah was. Right. How exciting these other places was like an adventure.
Speaker 00:Yeah, I guess I can see that. And maybe I'm not giving myself enough credit because I do feel like I have an adventurous spirit, but I do feel
Speaker 01:like I do have an adventurous spirit, but I do feel like I'm constantly afraid all the time. That's I think that's my mom. She was super stressed out. She was so stressed out about me going across the country. Has she been out of the country? No, no, no. She had stupid kids before she could do that. I always tell her, I'm like, I wish you would have been more adventurous.
Speaker 00:So at least you went in the time where there were cell phones and you could call her and you could talk to her and everything like
Speaker 01:that. And well, and also looking back on it, like my grandma died. who, like I said, I saw, I remember seeing pictures of her on a camel in Egypt. She started traveling after her husband died. When I was, let's see, my dad and my stepmother got married when I was around like eight or nine. And before that, though, her husband had passed away from MS. So she spent the majority of her marriage taking care of her husband. After he had passed away, she did a lot more traveling. And she did it on her own. And she was just like this older white lady, you know. She was in groups and stuff, but I don't know. Maybe it's because I saw her pictures or I've seen other... I can't really think of who else I've seen from my family, my direct family, who has done that, who has traveled.
Speaker 00:Yeah. Well, I think if I think about my trips, I've never traveled solo by myself. I think now I could probably do it and not have such anxiety, but it took me a while
Speaker 01:to even... Get up the nerve. And I want to travel everywhere I look. I'm like, I want to go there. I want to go there. I want to go there. But it took me a while to get the nerve
Speaker 00:to to go with another person, you know, and my two big trips have been with another person. And right
Speaker 01:now
Speaker 00:I'm currently
Speaker 01:planning one. I'm the planner on this one for me and my mom. And I'm enjoying every second of doing that. So I'm less afraid now because I have that experience. But I think I could handle solo travel. But for that to be your very first trip out of the country solo, that is remarkable. Well. Another thing, too, is also I'm going to go see a friend. True. You're not there alone. Yeah, I'm going to go see. And that's like if I was to say, like, for instance, I think one on my list is to go to Columbia. Like, I think I've heard some really great things from solo travelers, particularly women of color, solo travelers that have said that they've had a great time. And of course, I think you're always going to risk some sort of... Oh, actually... Now that I'm about to tell you on my way from when I flew back into the domestic airport, I had to go from the domestic airport back to the international airport in Mumbai. And I got a taxi. I got an Uber driver, but it wasn't, you know, anybody we knew was just a random dude. We are traveling. And that's the thing. Like when we're driving through town, it's remarkable, but also very interesting to see like you pass the slums. I'm talking, they make, they're making homes out of whatever they can. Tons and tons and tons. Cars are going 45 miles per hour and there's kids that are about two feet away. Normally, as Americans, we're like, oh my gosh, like they're too close. But anyways, my driver, we pull up to this roundabout and everybody there is driving all over the place. He pulls up to the roundabout, stops, gets out, goes into these bushes. I'm pretty sure he went to go use the bathroom. I'm sitting there like, Okay, this is odd. I did not fear for my life for any reason. I just thought, okay. I wasn't in fight or flight mode. I was just, okay, what are you doing, dude? Comes back in, jumps back in the car, and we go again. So clearly he had to do something. And there was a whole bunch of men that were around this area. But again, like... I think anybody, any other person would have said, oh my gosh, like something, something could have happened, you know, which obviously I, I guess my thing is when it comes to safety is what, you know, taking like, I remember taking self-defense in my early twenties and this woman had said, and not to get into the serious, but at the same time, it is an issue that happens to particularly women and women of color is you have to make the decision. If you are ever attacked, what are you going to do? Like what's your plan?
Speaker 00:Yeah.
Speaker 01:And mine has always been, I will fight for my life. Like I will do whatever it is I can do. I will gouge whatever I can gouge, fight, you know, slash to whatever I can to get out of that situation. But it may, she made a good point is if you decide that now, if it happens, you're automatically going to snap into that.
Speaker 00:You
Speaker 01:may take a second, but snap into that. Always remind yourself. So I think that's always been my defensive part is like, if anything ever would have happened. And to be real, like when I'm in my younger twenties, do you have any like, like, you know, guys, apartments we've gone to hanging out. We don't know them. We just met them at the club. You know what I mean? Like we just met them at a bar and we just were going randomly to their house. Like there's so many things like that. So as far as traveling though, I do have, and this is not as sponsored, you know, thing. I do have, um, On my phone, my mom can see where I'm at. I have no issues with her seeing where I'm at. The other thing is I have what's called a birdie and it just makes the loud noise. You can travel with it and it does keep track of your GPS. So those are kind of some, I think some options just to have some sort of, because obviously I can't travel with a weapon.
Speaker 00:No, of course. I think a lot for me, yes, you make a great point. It's like, especially as women of color, we do have to worry about Physical attacks and things like that. I think for me, and I'm not saying I'm not afraid of things like that. I think I kind of am sometimes, but I'm kind of like you. I'm just like, if it happens, it happens and I will fight to the death. Right. But I think I'm mostly afraid. So when I traveled
Speaker 01:the first time, I was so scared that I had done my passport wrong and maybe they printed it wrong or something. And I'm going to get to the airport and all these plans that I have, they're going to be like, You dummy, you got the wrong passport. Like I went to the wrong website, you know? So I was constantly, and I think still today, I'm still afraid of like, am I going to have all the right documents when I want to go there? Am I going to be stuck? Cause I've seen the movie terminal. I've seen the movie with Tom Hanks. I don't think I've seen that. Where he's stuck in an airport. Like, I don't want to be stuck in an airport, you know? Well, I was. But I was at Starbucks. I mean, this was for a long, long, long time. But yeah, those kind of things I'm kind of anxious about, nervous about. I want to make sure I'm making the right decision always. Right. I don't like being caught off guard. I like to do my research. Yeah. I think doing my research, at least for India. But the other thing, I was going there for a wedding. Now, I am trying to plan another wedding. trip back, hopefully at the end of this year, if not going into 2026. And then of course, all the craziness that's happening with traveling nowadays. Basically, I'm like, I just want to go and see my friend, you know, Nikki, and just go and hang out with her, do whatever. If I happen to go and see certain sites, great. If not, like I'm a more of a like, I want to, I don't want to say pretend, but I just want to feel like I'm just like immersed in this culture, immersed in what's happening around me versus here's my to-do list. I feel like that would give me more anxiety. And I kind of did that when I was going to the UK and I just ended up just kind of scrapping it and just going, you know what? I'm going to go hang out with my friend Emma and we're just going to have, you know, good conversation and good food. I think that's my main thing is just food. As long as I'm like fed really well, I think I'm okay. Yeah.
Speaker 00:So it's almost like try not to, or I shouldn't say try not to, I think everybody's different, but for you, your expectations are not extremely high. It's just about the vibe and the people you're going to
Speaker 01:go see. Absolutely. And like the idea of going like on a cruise, I'd hate it. I would hate it because like they have like the itinerary, but stuck on a boat with a whole bunch of people, you don't know. That does not sound like great to me. And, you know, this next trip, like I said, I probably I'll be in Hyderabad, which I've never been before. And it's in southern India, southern middle India. If I did make an itinerary, then I'd probably I want to head back up to like go up to New Delhi and go see some of like they've got these amazing elephant statues up there. They're called something, but I can't think of it right now. I think that would be on my bucket list to go see or the Taj Mahal.
Speaker 00:Mm hmm.
Speaker 01:That's pretty much it. Anything else, though, point me into a good food direction. A good place to sleep and good food. And I'm now to the age where I want to be comfortable. Oh, I completely agree with you. I don't want a hostel. I don't want to share a room. I don't know. I want a private bath, shower, and a big bed all to myself. That I can just sleep and feel comfortable in. And that's what I'm looking for. I will spare money on my flight, you know, like taking my carry on, not checking something in splurge on where I'm sleeping.
Speaker 00:Yeah.
Speaker 01:Also the safety factor. You know what I mean? So those are the I think that's where I'm that's where I would spend most of my money. So you have traveled other places as well. Were those solo as well? And your India trip, the next one coming
Speaker 00:up, is going to be solo as well.
Speaker 01:I'll head up there by myself.
Speaker 00:Well, it sounds awesome. And it sounds like you've learned a lot and you're excited to keep traveling and all that. And it was really awesome talking to you about your travels. Now, if you could give advice to maybe somebody who's solo traveling for the first time, what advice would you give them?
Speaker 01:What advice would I give them? I think just if anything is like, you know, as far as going with the flow, you know, going with what is being presented to you. So if there's an issue with if there's issues, you know what I mean? Like you kind of have to just take a moment, get to your final destination is the main thing. Get there safely. Otherwise, as far as like even planning and looking at going, I think as soon as you purchase that ticket. Like you're already halfway there. A lot of people are so like, they say like, Hey, I'm going to go and do this. And then they wait and wait and wait, purchase that ticket. Like watch on Google flights, see how much you want to see where you want to go. I'm also the type of person, like for the longest time though, I could easily eat at a restaurant by myself, go to the movies by myself, which is something not a lot of people can do.
Speaker 00:Yeah.
Speaker 01:And understand like when you're going to these places, I'm going to be honest with you. Nobody's going to care that you're by yourself. Like nobody cares. And just to having that confidence to be able to do that, that's your first step. Just go just, you know, and, and also like, again, have like a, my backup plan or at least my emergency plan is that my mom sees where I'm at. Right. She knows where I'm going. She can like, you know, easily see on iPhone trying to, you know, look at things as far as, safety, know where your embassies are, which is one thing I didn't do. And somebody I think had asked me about that. Like, what would you have done in a scenario where you had to go to the embassy? I'm like, you know what? I have no idea. So I think stuff like that. But again, just think on the positive. Think on the positive that things can work out. And your backup plan, get all your facts first. That's the thing my dad always taught me. Get your facts first. Get all your facts first. Figure it out. And then you can make decisions on what you're going to do in the case of something happening. Yeah. But I think step one is just buying that ticket. Buy the ticket. Buy the ticket. Buy the ticket. Get your passports. Yes. Get your passport. Buy the ticket. And then just go travel. Shout out to Ray. Thank you so much for being on the pod. We actually talked for much longer and covered a few more trips. But for the sake of time, I had to cut it short. Sorry about
Speaker 00:that. Just know this, she definitely has the travel bug. Now, before we say goodbye, I thought I might give you guys a couple of things you might want to Google. eSIM, it's a digital SIM card. You know what? And I'll be honest, I still have to look this up myself. I've only heard that that's what I'm going to need for my next trip. And this is like to ensure that your cell phone works in whatever country you're going to. The difference between domestic and international terminals, especially if you've got a connecting flight, you don't want to miss it. Ganesh, that's the elephant-headed deity that Ray had mentioned. I gotta look that up. Something about it
Speaker 01:puts all your troubles in its belly. I can't remember what she said. And finally, mist systems and planes. Yeah, you
Speaker 00:know what? I gotta look that up myself too.
Speaker 01:Thank you so much for listening. If you want to send me an email, you can send it to acrossnewskiespodcast at gmail.com.
Speaker 00:Give me all your suggestions. Do you want more aviation history? Do you want some maybe some aviation trivia? I kind of want to stay away from like policies and regulations just because they change often. But you let me know what you
Speaker 01:guys want. All right. And if you don't
Speaker 00:want to send me an email,
Speaker 01:social media is your
Speaker 00:thing. You can find the show
Speaker 01:on Instagram and Blue Sky at Across New Skies Pod. And that's it. That's all I got. Insert catchy end of episode tagline here. It'll come in time. I'll catch you guys later.
Speaker 00:This podcast is for entertainment purposes only.
Speaker 01:While the stories are based on true events, details may be misremembered or creatively retold. I don't fact check. I'm not a travel expert. So please don't take anything here as legal or travel advice. Some portions of this show may use AI-assisted tools to enhance production. And remember, these stories belong to the people who tell them. I'm just here to listen. Theme music by Permission. Ecstasy on Park Ave by Secret Tween. Across New Skies is hosted, edited, and produced by me, Jessica Joaquin.