283. How to Turn Your Bills into Free Travel with Shakeemah Smith (The Passport Abuser)

Financial Feminist

Her First $100K

Education, Self-improvement, Business, How To

4.7 • 6.6K Ratings

🗓️ 28 April 2026

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

What if every bill you're already paying could get you closer to a free flight? Today I'm talking to Shakeemah "Keem" Smith — founder of Bills to Boarding Passes, solo travel educator, and the woman her family literally nicknamed The Passport Abuser — to talk about how she's traveled to nearly 100 countries without paying out of pocket for a single flight in three years. And no, you don't need a high-limit credit card or a six-figure salary to do this. Keem breaks down her Bills to Boarding Passes method, the airline partnerships most people have never heard of, why solo travel might be the most powerful thing you do for yourself this year, and the exact first steps to take this week, no matter your income, your debt situation, or your starting point. You’re gonna want to share this episode with a friend! Ready to turn your everyday bills into free flights? Sign up for our FREE Bills to Boarding Passes workshop with Keem & Tori: ⁠https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod⁠ Compare the cheapest flights from all major airlines at ⁠Skyscanner.com⁠ Visit https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod to find our credit card recommendations and any other resources mentioned on our show! 00:00 Intro 01:36 Your Bills Are Your Boarding Passes 04:07 Airline Miles vs. Credit Card Points: What's the Difference? 07:05 How Airlines Make Money When You're Not Flying 09:32 Earning Miles on Your Utility Bills (NRG Partnership) 11:03 How Keem Got to Her First 20 Countries for Under $100 13:55 How to Travel for Free Without a Credit Card 16:22 What Started Solo Travel: A Friendship Betrayal in Amsterdam 19:10 Learning to Enjoy Your Own Company at 30 21:29 Traveling as a Black Woman — Safety, Research & Real Talk 28:24 Actionable Steps for the Woman Who Thinks She Can't Afford to Travel 31:44 Japan for $6 — Three Times (and Other Receipt-Worthy Receipts) 35:19 Treating Retailers Like You Treat Men: The 2-Out-of-3 Rule 38:44 Country That Surprised Me Most: Kuwait 39:31 The One Thing I Always Pack: A Carbon Monoxide Detector 41:27 Worst Travel Disaster: Saint Kitts Airport Scam 44:45 Best Flight Deal: $5 Flights as a Lifestyle 45:42 Most Underrated Solo Destination: Antigua and Barbuda 47:20 Final Message to the Woman Who Thinks Travel Isn't for Her Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Today's guest has been teaching me how to travel for free for over four years, and she has taken
0:05.0	multiple international trips from Japan to South Africa to Paris for less than $10.
0:11.0	We're talking travel hacking today, but not just credit cards.
0:14.6	Today is one of the most actionable travel episodes we've ever done.
0:18.1	So if you see all of the posts, whether it's from me or somebody else,
0:21.3	talking about how to travel for free, this is the episode you need. Today's guest has traveled to
0:26.3	nearly 100 countries for less than a cup of coffee. Yes, really. Shikima Kim Smith is a solo
0:33.0	traveler who has taught over 12,000 people how to turn their everyday bills into free flights and how to
0:39.1	ace their first solo trip. Her family gave her the name the passport abuser because she spent
0:43.8	more time around the world than at home. And she is here to not only give us actionable resources
0:50.2	to earn more miles, to be able to take cheaper, more luxurious trips, but also to show
0:57.8	our community that this is possible for you. There's so many misconceptions about travel hacking
1:02.9	and credit card points, but you don't even have to have a credit card to learn from Keem about
1:07.9	how to travel for free. I met Ke Kim in 2022. We were at a small business
1:12.1	entrepreneur mastermind of people who are making more than seven figures in their businesses.
1:16.2	And I was not only so impressed by her, but also was like, oh, you're teaching me stuff that
1:21.8	I don't even know. And that's why I've invited her into our community to teach our first ever
1:27.4	travel workshop.
1:29.0	So after you listen to this episode, go to her first hundredk.com slash ffpod to sign up for free.
1:35.3	Let's get into it.
1:41.2	But first, a word from our sponsors.
1:43.8	If you're struggling to figure out where to start with your financial journey, if you're so overwhelmed
	...

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