Navigating the World as a Solo Female Traveler and a Mum
Rikimah Glymph radiating her positivity
Episode 149 - Travelling w/ Rikimah Glymph - Solo Female Travel to 120 Countries (72 with her son) + Senegal is her favourite!
My latest Winging It Travel Podcast episode features Rikimah Glymph, who has traveled to over 120 countries, 72 of which with her son.
What an amazing journey and story!
Rikimah joined me for ninety minutes to talk about her life traveling as a solo woman and then with her son, who is only 12. Yes, he has been to 72 countries already. It has taken me 35 years to get to that point!
Rikimah grew up in California but now lives in Maryland to be nearer the political establishment in Washington, D.C. (more to come later).
She has only visited 15 states. Are you guilty of not seeing more of your home country?
She has hosted wellness retreats and logistics conferences all over the world. When she is not traveling, she dreams of her next trip! Her career in the travel industry made it a natural transition for Rikimah to purchase a Cruise Planners franchise.
Cruise Planners allows her to book the best travel itineraries for her wellness clients and offer deals and top picks for people interested in other types of travel.
Rikimah's infectious laugh and outlook on life and travel made this a fun recording.
Let’s dive into a few topics from the episode below.
No, really. You should get booking those flights to like Rikimah! If you scan the QR code below or click the QR, a link will open a new tab on Skyscanner! Book those flights with that link and help the Winging It Travel Podcast make a tiny commission.
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Lotus Pond in Taiwan
Rikimah’s first travel experience abroad was in South Africa, which was not the easiest place to start her journey!
Where did you visit for your first time out of the country? Was it somewhere similar or completely left field?
Despite traveling to some countries in Europe and Australia (which I consider similar to the UK), I always consider the answer to this question to be Bangkok, Thailand.
The culture shock hit hard. I didn’t know what had hit me, but after a few days, I was in the swing of things, and Bangkok is still one of my favorite places I have visited so far.
Rikimah was in South Africa on an exchange with UCLA. She told me her father had always told her to travel to Africa to understand her African heritage and culture.
This wasn’t a quick trip; this was a six-week placement, so Rikimah had time to return to the country, and she loved it!
However, she didn’t love the journey there, as it took 30 hours from California.
She has a rule nowadays that any long-haul flight is to be taken first-class only.
This trip kicked off Rikimah’s love for travel, and she was not waiting on anybody to go with her; she was intent on doing it solo.
Are you guilty of waiting for someone to travel with? Do you wish you could travel solo?
Rikimah describes someone who can not travel solo as having ‘co-dependency issues’ that need to be fixed.
I agree.
I understand that solo travel can be daunting, but what about going solo and joining a group? How about traveling solo in your own country?
Rikimah is a black woman traveling solo; she has immense guts and confidence to try it and loves traveling. She wants to visit as many places around the world as possible.
She has some great tips and advice on how you can get started.
All of these questions are answered in the episode, so dive in to get your inspiration!
Why did Rikimah move from the California dream to Maryland?
Rikimah explains that California is a bubble, a dream, a cushion from the outside world, and a place that can hinder your worldly knowledge about the world.
She wanted to get involved in politics to improve the USA and the world.
California, it is very hard to do that because many people are sheltered from the effects of government policy or the worries of other states.
They have balmy winters, one of the largest economies in the world, some of the best National Parks in the USA, and plenty of activities. That said, it does have its problems, as we see in 2024.
Rikimah needed to be near Washington, DC, so she left the university.
I got the impression from Rikimah that she doesn’t love living in Maryland.
It has extremely cold winters, which forces Rikimah to book trips (which is not such a bad thing then!).
She has her business set up there, and they are thriving.
She helps with wellness by holding wellness retreats around the world. This business thrived during a pandemic many years ago. She was ahead of her time.
Do you need help planning a trip? She has that covered, too, with Cruise Planners.
As a massive critic of cruise ships, I had to ask if that is exclusively cruise ships, and it isn’t.
The franchise started selling those packages and now branches out into other parts of travel.
She also confessed that she doesn’t like them either and has never been on one for many reasons. We are on the same page, Rikimah!
But she is stronger than me. She is looking to book a trip next year to see if she likes it; I hope she doesn’t, ha!
What I learned from Rikimah is that she is strong in her choices.
She will move to a ‘lesser’ place to do what is right, travel to a country she wants to visit without waiting for anyone and help you lead a better life.
What an inspiration!
Rikimah's book on helping you lead a better life
Where does Rikimah enjoy traveling the most?
Having traveled to 120 countries, there are a lot of choices; I struggle having been to over 70.
Rikimah’s answer? Senegal.
Have you been? I haven’t, and my knowledge is limited to their football team and having The Gambia straddle through the middle.
Rikimah is a confessed foodie and loves their national dishes such as Thiéboudienne.
She also loves the people.
If you find a country you love because of its food and people, then you are onto a winner—you can’t go wrong!
If those two conditions were just the criteria, I would have to choose Nepal.
As with most people who travel to many places, they struggle to name a second and third because every day is a different choice.
We also touched on a subject that isn’t so nice. This is a place where Rikimah didn’t like traveling, and the answer was Latvia.
She was made to feel the most unwelcomed she has ever been and called names, which are the worst possible, I think you can guess.
This is grim.
We have to call it out if there is an experience like this and say it is how it is for some people who travel to these countries.
I appreciate that on my podcast, we talk about all the positive things about traveling, and rightly so, but we do need to touch on the negative sides, and one question I ask is about a place they didn’t like visiting.
Do you have one of those too?
Check out my latest YouTube episode in Nepal.
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My Instagram promotion for my latest solo episode
Who is Rikimah Glymph?
Rikimah’s approach to wellness is based on her belief that we are happiest when we are living in line with our values, surrounded by people we love, and playing an active role in our community.
This approach is rooted in joy, travel, reflection, and hard work. BWell365 is built from that joyful work, sharing what she’s learned along the way with people who are also invested in taking care of themselves.
Our holistic approach is informed by Rikimah’s background in the movement – working alongside values-aligned progressive frontline and grassroots folks. BWell365 recognizes individuals as complex beings with varied, nuanced experiences. At BWell365, we understand the connection between all these aspects of our lives – how our values and passion fuel our personal, professional, social, and creative selves – and how that wholeness needs to be at the center of bringing balance to all the parts of ourselves.
Rikimah created a wellness journey for herself and her family that has led them to live happier and healthier lives. This approach is rooted in joy, travel, reflection, and hard work. BWell365 is built from that joyful work, sharing what she’s learned along the way with people who are also invested in taking care of themselves.
This episode is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Audible and YouTube. And anywhere else, you get your podcasts!
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