Pack Light, Choose Joy: The Travel Reset We All Deserve
Black Girl Burnout
Kelley Bonner
4.7 • 764 Ratings
🗓️ 11 June 2025
⏱️ 41 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this uplifting and informative episode of Black Girl Burnout, host Kelley sits down with Kisha, a seasoned traveler and founder of Travel Niche Kisha, who has explored over 70 countries. Together, they discuss how travel can be a radical act of self-care, joy, and rest for Black women.
Whether you're hopping on a plane or dreaming from your living room, this episode offers a refreshing perspective on how travel—both near and far—can reset your spirit. They discuss everything from budget-friendly luxury to embracing rest over hustle while exploring new places.
This conversation is part of our Summer of YES series—an invitation to say YES to joy, rest, and meaningful experiences
Key Takeaways & Timestamps:
[04:00] Travel as Self-Care for Black Women
While working in social work, Kisha shares how travel became her antidote to burnout. Travel isn’t just about escape—it’s a form of healing and restoration, especially for Black women who carry so much weight.
[10:00] “Chase the Deal, Not the Destination”
Kisha reveals her game-changing travel hack: prioritize deals over dream destinations. She breaks down how she’s visited places like Curaçao and Peru for under $300, proving that luxury and joy don’t have to break the bank.
[18:00] Rest as a Travel Intention, Not an Afterthought
Kelley and Kisha discuss the trap of over-scheduling trips and offer tips on curating restful, joy-filled itineraries. From scheduling downtime to savoring slow mornings, they invite listeners to plan for peace, not pressure.
[27:00] Romanticize Your Travel Experience—Big or Small
You can still embrace a travel mindset even if you're not getting on a plane this summer. Keisha explains how to bring vacation energy into your everyday life with intention, local adventures, and a spirit of curiosity.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Black Girl Burnout podcast, Kelly here. And today we're having a little bit of a program note. |
| 0:05.3 | I am having our guest episode aired today instead of next week. So next week, the episode will be all |
| 0:11.9 | about how to infuse your life with micro joy, pleasure and delight. But this week, we are having a |
| 0:18.5 | conversation with Keisha from Travel Niche Kish Kish as she goes by on Instagram. |
| 0:24.6 | Keisha has been to over 70 countries and four of the seven continents. |
| 0:29.3 | And when she's not traveling, she's helping you get the best experiences, guides. |
| 0:34.4 | And she's a consultant helping you secure travel in a way that brings you |
| 0:39.0 | joy. Now, this episode is a part of our summer of yes series. And while we're saying yes to |
| 0:47.3 | joy and delight and all the things, we're probably also saying yes to travel. And so this |
| 0:52.1 | episode is for you if you love traveling. And even if you are |
| 0:55.7 | sitting there thinking, I can't afford to go anywhere this summer. That's okay. This episode's for you |
| 1:00.7 | too, because we talk about how to create the joy of travel and the experiences of travel without |
| 1:06.0 | ever leaving your front door. So let's jump into the conversation with Keisha. It's a delightful one, |
| 1:13.3 | and let's hear what she has to say. All right, Keisha, so excited to have you on. This is an example, |
| 1:19.3 | like you slid in my DMs. And I always answer my DMs. People don't believe me, but I do. |
| 1:24.4 | I answer every single DM that gets sent to me. If I missed your DM, just send it again because I know I usually miss it. I usually grab it and say hello. So you slid in my DMs and you're like, I love this podcast and I love traveling. And I'm like, it's coming up on the summer. We need to record an episode. We encourage people to like get out there and do and if they can't get out there and do what are some like manageable destinations and so i'm like keisha perfect timing thanks for that dm you want to be on the podcast |
| 1:50.3 | so with that said how are you doing today kisha i am good booked and busy good how are you |
| 1:58.3 | same i was just telling you we're we're airing this a little bit before |
| 2:02.5 | everyone's going to hear it. And the time difference has just happened. And I'm fighting for my life. |
| 2:06.9 | That's what I told Keisha. I said, it is. It's rough out here. I've lost all sense of time. |
| 2:13.2 | And I'm just trying to rally. I'm like, in my 20s, I was like, what, what is time difference? |
| 2:19.7 | I'm ready to go. |
... |
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