Love Lives Here…That’s how I like to remember my trips to St. Maarten. The Island is so beautiful and peaceful. It’s divided into two sides. The Dutch side & the French side. Both are great to stay on depending on what your looking for. The French is more for the locals. You’ll find a lot of the big houses and nude beaches there. The Dutch is more of the party side. But if you rent a car you can have the best of both worlds. Airbnb has always been my go to for places to stay. We typically rent houses so we reside on the French side. They use mostly Euros. So it’s best to convert your $ at your local bank before traveling. You can book your excursion on Expedia. That’s just my preference. They have boats to different islands. Snorkeling, jet skis, shopping tours etc. My favorite pass time is hanging on the nude beach. But the island has a lil something for everyone. You can also hang at Loterie Farm. They have a natural pool with cabana’s, zip lining, and hiking. Oh don’t forget to stop spots on the side of the road to grab a beer and a bite to eat. When you’re planning check the low and high season times. High season is more happening and lively. The low is quite and less things are open. You’ll find lots of people that look like you. So traveling while black isn’t a issue at all. You can take a solo trip or a group with family and friends.

I always say Cuba holds a special place in my heart! We visited May 2019. One of my good friends was born over there. So he connected me to the right people to make sure we had a unique experience. At the time you couldn’t book anything from US websites. So the best route was using a travel agency out of Canada. She booked our hotel accommodations in Cayo Santa Maria. It’s about a 5hr car ride from Havana. My boy had his friend pick us up from Havana and drive us down. The car ride cost us $200 US but was well worth it. We stayed at a all inclusive resort that was booked through the travel agency. Paid $70 a night for two people which is nothing! The report was beautiful but the food was very limited as far as selections. I didn’t want to pay another $200 to get back to Havana. So we took the local bus for $50 total. It took about 6hrs stopping at local rest stops. Once we got to Havana we navigated our way to our Airbnb. It was nothing fancy because we wanted to stay with the locals. But it was clean, safe, and affordable. I think we paid $30 a night. The locals are so nice and helpful. So they’ll tell you where to eat, drink, and party. Bring tons of cash though! They don’t accept US cards or currency. You can exchange your $ at the airport. At the time we got $73 for every $100. I’m a hustler so all prices for tours and excursions were negotiable. Honestly we should have done more touristy stuff. But we just wanted to experience Cuba the Cuban way! They treated us like their own. Loved our beautiful brown skin. Hell most of them looked just like us. This is a trip you should take. It’s like going back in time. The entire culture is a vibe. We wanna return so to be continued. Tip: Bring lots of cash Use Airbnb to book accommodations Book through Canadian agencies. They have less restrictions. Most people speak English You can buy a Wi-Fi card for $10 it’s 1hr but you can start and pause as you please. Don’t drink the water. They have camping water bottles on Amazon. It saves time and $$ Bring a portable fan. It’s crazy hot Rent a drop top for your tour of the city Don’t buy Cuban cigars off the street. Go to the government store.

My lady & I traveled to Paris December 2022. We flew out of Newark international airport on Delta airlines. Once we landed we grabbed our bags and headed to the local train. I did some research before hand and read that traveling by train was the best way to get around the city. On the first leg of our trip we spent 2 day at Disneyland Paris. Disney is alway magical so A+ rating’s on that! We stayed at the Residhome Val d’Europe. Which was 1 train stop from Disneyland’s entrance gate. From there we jumped back on the train into the city. Checked into Citadines Tour Eiffel Paris. They were located right across from the train station & a 15 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower. While staying there we visited the Palace of Versailles. Which is a lot of walking so bring comfy shoes. The next day we did the direct access Eiffel Tower Tour. It’s a must because most tours require you to walk up and don’t allow you access to the top. The last leg of our trip we spent on the other side of town. We stayed at the Idol Hotel. Which was pretty swanky!! The room was alot smaller then the others. But it’s a great location & the staff is awesome. While there we did the Black Paris Tour. Definitely recommend them if you want to learn the history of the Black Parisians. They take you all around the city and even inform you on places to go hang, party, shop, and eat. They can be found at http://blackparistour.com/. The last day we did a cabaret show. It was cool but I would have preferred doing Moulin Rouge. Which was sold out by the time I went to book. All in all Paris was great! We will return but during warmer months. We felt safe and welcomed as Black female travelers. So if you’re thinking about it. Be like Nike and Just Do It! Tip: Book everything in advance Use your local bank to convert your $ to Euro’s before you arrive. You need at least a week. Tipping isn’t necessary. It’s included in your bill. You can leave a tip but 1/2 Euro max. French food is awesome! Trying new things is a must. The French are super chill. So be patient, they are in no rush. Buy a Sim Card in the airport. It’s cheaper then your international charges They use Uber if you don’t like trains Check the weather! We were freezing in December Learn some French, it will go along way. Book the black Paris tour 1st. They’ll give you a lot of insight about Paris.