#AdornedAbroad Solo Trip Essentials

Keep reading for a complete packing list!

On my Instagram and in real life, I’ve been promoting #AdornedAbroad to encourage women of color to get out there and see the world, to take up every space on this planet despite the misperception that we don’t travel or aren’t welcome!

View this post on Instagram

I always think it’s funny when people say “pull the race card”, as if it’s a handy little tool I can pull out of my pocket and put back whenever I feel like it. On the contrary, being Black affects my every day experiences, especially when traveling. My Blackness cannot be pulled, stretched, evaded or masked. It forms and shapes my interactions with people in every waking moment. My blackness intimidates, and entices, and confuses, and inspires. I knew that wearing my @adornedbychi Black & Proud Tee would draw attention, but couldn’t have guessed how much (yes, this is a Nigerian Partnership between two boss creators, #UseJOYOFODUatcheckout ) When I heard these Italian men making fun of me at breakfast, I moved my tripod over to them and said “Be in the picture, then.” And I had the last laugh😌 But really, I’m starting #AdornedAbroad for a reason. What I look like should not limit the spaces I’m able to inhabit or visit. And if you look kinda like me and you want to do the same thing, DO IT. Use Instagram ( @blacktravelista @adornedbychi @blacktraveljourney @blacktravelfeed @blackgirlstraveltoo @hey_ciara ) and Facebook @girlslovetravel to TAKE OVER ON YOUR OWN!💖👏🏾 Okkrrr?

A post shared by Joy Ofodu (@joyofodu) on

On the contrary, my recent solo trip was an amazing opportunity to exchange cultures with folks in Madrid, Naples, Amalfi, Positano, Ravello, Rome & Dublin!

Though I didn’t explicitly pre-plan my daily itinerary, I did ensure that all of my belongings fit on my back! Here are my #AdornedAbroad travel essentials for an 8-day solo trip:

Packing & Misc.

  • Travel-sized backpack
    It’s advertised as a Men’s backpack, but when have I ever let that deter me?
  • packing cubes
    Watch my IG Story Highlight “FJTW” to see how I used each cube!
  • journal & pen
  • water bottle bag
  • appropriate currency & credit/debit cards
  • city maps (obtainable in destination country)
  • mini umbrella
  • fanny pack
  • passport
  • paper copy of your passport (for safety)

Clothing

  • shirts (4-6) I packed 2 from AdornedbyChi!
    I told the story of these shirts in the Instagram post above, but no words can express how grateful I was to bring these tiny slices of home & identity with me on my international trip! For any girls traveling solo or anyone thinking of a cool gift for a boss in ya life, consider one of these tees!
    Use code JOYOFODU for a discount by 5/28!
  • bottoms (3)
  • dresses (2)
  • comfy shoes: 1 sneaker, 1 sandal
  • bra (1) / socks (4) / undies (7)
  • bonnet (1)

Toiletries & Vanity

  • brush
  • lil lotion
  • moisturizer
  • toothbrush/toothpaste
  • shower cap
  • makeup BASICS
  • tweezer
  • nail clippers
  • deo
  • bandages
  • basic meds: pain, motion, anti-inflammatory, upset stomach, allergy, dailies

Tech

Yes: all of that fit on my back & I never had to stop for baggage claim or miserably roll a checked bag over Europe’s infamous cobblestone streets. If you use these tips to pack, let me know how your trip goes!

signature sign

 

Published by Joy Ofodu

As a celebrated voice actor and Creative Executive, Joy Ofodu has drawn over 30M views to her original digital comedy content and countless more to inclusion-centered, global marketing campaigns at Instagram. Under her self-titled media company, she has grown a highly-engaged community of more than 200,000 online daters and meditators in just two years. Joy is the host of Dating Unsettled, an audio show designed to validate women daters, available now on all podcast platforms. Joy’s voice can be heard in her partnerships with HBO Max, Adult Swim, The Daily Shine, Skybound Entertainment, Meta, Credit Karma, Netflix, DIRECTV, Upenndo! and more

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s