Going Places Yulia Denisyuk

Imani Bashir is a world-traveling storyteller, mother, and advocate who's lived in five countries across four continents, including Egypt, Poland, and Malaysia. Her work focuses on culturally immersive social media content highlighting various atrocities and initiatives to support marginalized communities worldwide. Get ready to be immersed in this important topic: how do we travel in a way that is generative (to use the term on everyone’s minds right now), and not destructive?
Imani has worked with The New York Times, Cosmo, The Washington Post, Travel + Leisure, and many others. She just took on a new role as the director of communications at BEAM, which stands for Black Emotional And Mental Health collective.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
Imani's experience of being a Black digital nomadHow living abroad shaped Imani’s global citizenshipTraveling with kids & mom culture in the US and abroadTravel as a way to gain empathy for immigrantsTravel media industry’s handling of GazaThe ethics of press tripsThe history of Black Islam in AmericaMisconceptions about IslamDid anything change since the murder of George Floyd?
Featured on the show:Learn more about Imani on her website Read Imani's story, Life As a Black “Digital Nomad” Isn’t the Same Read Imani's story, A Reflection on What It Means to Be a Black American MuslimCheck out the work of BEAMSign the Travel Industry For Palestine initiativeListen to the Upstream PodcastFollow Imani on TikTokFollow Imani on Instagram
Get more information at: Going Places website
Join our Going Places newsletter to get updates on new episodes and Yulia's travel storytelling work. Subscribe at goingplacesmedia.com/newsletter!
For more BTS of this podcast follow @goingplacesmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on YouTube!
Please head over to Apple Podcasts and SUBSCRIBE to the show. If you enjoy this conversation, please share it with others on social and don’t forget to tag us @goingplacesmedia!
And show us some love, if you have a minute, by rating Going Places or leaving us a review wherever you listen. You’ll be helping us to bend the arc of algorithms towards our community — thank you!
Going Places with Yulia Denisyuk is a show that sparks a better understanding of people and places near and far by fostering a space for real conversations to occur. Each week, we sit down with travelers, journalists, creators, and people living and working in destinations around the world. Hosted by a...

Today, I’m sharing a story I wrote for Conde Nast Traveler called In Jordan, a Community Disrupted Awaits Travel’s Return. I traveled to Jordan this February amid the ongoing war on Gaza by the Israeli government. This story was the outcome of this trip. 
Featured on the show:Read Yulia's CN Traveler story, In Jordan, a Community Disrupted Awaits Travel’s ReturnListen to Episode 113, Palestine, Orientalism, and Solidary Movements with Matt Bowles on Apple Podcasts or SpotifySubscribe to Yulia's Going Places newsletter to get notified about Yulia's October group trip to Jordan
Get more information at: Going Places website
Join our Going Places newsletter to get updates on new episodes and Yulia's travel storytelling work. Subscribe at goingplacesmedia.com/newsletter!
For more BTS of this podcast follow @goingplacesmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on YouTube!
Please head over to Apple Podcasts and SUBSCRIBE to the show. If you enjoy this conversation, please share it with others on social and don’t forget to tag us @goingplacesmedia!
And show us some love, if you have a minute, by rating Going Places or leaving us a review wherever you listen. You’ll be helping us to bend the arc of algorithms towards our community — thank you!
Going Places with Yulia Denisyuk is a show that sparks a better understanding of people and places near and far by fostering a space for real conversations to occur. Each week, we sit down with travelers, journalists, creators, and people living and working in destinations around the world. Hosted by Yulia Denisyuk, an award-winning travel journalist, photographer, and writer who's worked with National Geographic, The New York Times, BBC Travel, and more. 
Learn more about our show at goingplacesmedia.com.

If I could summarize this conversation with one phrase, it would be something Shannon said: “When people meet each other they find out that the other is not so other.”
Shannon Stowell is the CEO of the Adventure Travel Trade Association, an organization for travel industry partners that believes travel can be a powerful force for good in the world. Shannon has spent over 30 years working in adventure travel, e-commerce, outdoor retail, and environmental science. Shannon and I met in person on a trip to Jordan this February, and we immediately connected around our shared belief about what travel could be. 
In this conversation, Shannon takes us to Kurdistan, an autonomous region in Northern Iraq, where Shannon traveled with his son in 2017. You’ll learn about the meaning of the Kurdish saying “The Kurds have no friends but the mountains,” and what it feels like to visit the Yazidi sacred village of Lalish. We also discuss Shannon’s must-see places for people like me who have already traveled a lot, the Tomorrow’s Air initiative led by ATTA, why Shannon believes travel is a privilege, not a right, and what is a soft ambassador.
What you’ll learn in this episode:
How Shannon defines adventure travelShannon’s trip to Kurdistan in 2017What living off the grid in nature is likeWhat Maslow's hierarchy of needs has to do with modern depressionMust-see places for people who've already traveled a lotThe impact of media on destinationsMeeting the current moment: travelers' role in times of strifeThe story of “To kill a white person”What gives Shannon hope right now
Featured on the show:Learn more about the Adventure Travel Trade AssociationCheck out Explore Mesopotamia tours in Iraqi KurdistanRead The New York Times story about KurdistanCheck out Shannon's book, Riding The Hula Hula to the Arctic OceanLearn more about the Tomorrow’s Air initiativeFollow ATTA on Instagram
Get more information at: Going Places website
Join our Going Places newsletter to get updates on new episodes and Yulia's travel storytelling work. Subscribe at goingplacesmedia.com/newsletter!
For more BTS of this podcast follow @goingplacesmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on YouTube!
Please head over to Apple Podcasts and SUBSCRIBE to the show. If you enjoy this conversation, please share it with others on social and don’t forget to tag us @goingplacesmedia!
And show us some love, if you have a minute, by rating Going Places or leaving us a review wherever you listen. You’ll be helping us to bend the arc of algorithms towards our community — thank you!
Going Places with Yulia Denisyuk is a show that sparks a better understanding of people

Welcome back to Going Places!
Matt Bowles is a veteran location-independent entrepreneur and host of The Maverick Show. I recently sat down with Matt to do a two-part series for his show. Matt has been doing activism work in solidarity with the Palestinian movement for the past 25 years, and in this conversation, we cover how he and I first became aware of the Palestinian struggle and movement, Orientalism, the asymmetry of power, the student encampments currently taking over the US and the world, what activism inside solidarity movements looks like, and more. If you like this conversation with Matt, head to the Maverick Show to listen to the full two-part interview series we did on his feed. 
What you’ll learn in this episode:Matt's story: joining the Palestinian solidarity movementWhat Orientalism looks likeHow the asymmetry of power is related to injustices around the worldMultiple ways to become an activist
Featured on the show:Listen to The Maverick Show's episodes with Yulia: Episode 282: Growing up in the Soviet Union, Traveling Through Africa, and Falling in Love with Jordan and Episode 283: The “Travel Industry for Palestine” Petition, Unpacking Orientalism, and Writing Great Travel StoriesVisit Travel Industry For Palestine to learn moreFollow Matt on Instagram
Get more information at: Going Places website
Join our Going Places newsletter to get updates on new episodes and Yulia's travel storytelling work. Subscribe at goingplacesmedia.com/newsletter!
For more BTS of this podcast follow @goingplacesmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on YouTube!
Please head over to Apple Podcasts and SUBSCRIBE to the show. If you enjoy this conversation, please share it with others on social and don’t forget to tag us @goingplacesmedia!
And show us some love, if you have a minute, by rating Going Places or leaving us a review wherever you listen. You’ll be helping us to bend the arc of algorithms towards our community — thank you!
Going Places with Yulia Denisyuk is a show that sparks a better understanding of people and places near and far by fostering a space for real conversations to occur. Each week, we sit down with travelers, journalists, creators, and people living and working in destinations around the world. Hosted by Yulia Denisyuk, an award-winning travel journalist, photographer, and writer who's worked with National Geographic, The New York Times, BBC Travel, and more. 
Learn more about our show at goingplacesmedia.com.

Welcome back to Going Places! We’re speaking to Jen Ruiz, a lawyer turned full-time travel writer, blogger, and content creator. Jen is a 5-time Amazon bestselling author, 3x TEDx speaker, and 4-time award-winning journalist. She is also the solo female traveler behind Jen on a Jet Plane, with an audience of over 350,000 social media followers.
In this conversation, Jen and I discuss dating while traveling, our strategies for finding a partner for life, why we don’t want to put all our eggs into one basket as entrepreneurs, and what passive income streams Jen is currently working on. Jen will also share her approach to achieving so many incredible accomplishments in the span of several years, like self-publishing a book, becoming a TEDx speaker, and getting a book deal based on an article she wrote 5 years ago. The book in question, 12 Trips in 12 Months is available to pre-order!
What you’ll learn in this episode:Jen's story: Giving Up Dating to Travel the WorldThe evolution of travel journalismChallenges and opportunities in monetizing travel journalismHow Jen is diversifying her income streamsNavigating the volatility of freelancingFinding love and building relationships as a digital nomad
Featured on the show:Jen's book, 12 Trips In 12 Months, is available to pre-order now!Check out Jen's story, Giving Up Dating to Travel the WorldGet Jen's free list of 17 flight alert websites and apps to get notified of flight deals (business class, too!) Jen's Ted Talks: The Power of Flying Solo; Why Can't We Be Friends?; Remote Work FreedomCheck out the Jen On A Jet Plane websiteFollow Jen on InstagramFollow Jen on TikTokFollow Jen on Facebook
Get more information at: Going Places website
Join our Going Places newsletter to get updates on new episodes and Yulia's travel storytelling work. Subscribe at goingplacesmedia.com/newsletter!
For more BTS of this podcast follow @goingplacesmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on YouTube!
Please head over to Apple Podcasts and SUBSCRIBE to the show. If you enjoy this conversation, please share it with others on social and don’t forget to tag us @goingplacesmedia!
And show us some love, if you have a minute, by...

Welcome back to Season 10 of Going Places, everyone!
I'm your host Yulia Denisyuk, an award-winning travel photographer, writer, storyteller, community builder, podcaster, filmmaker, educator, and entrepreneur working on stories from around the world for top global publications, traveling to places like Botswana and the Arctic Circle, and producing stories about people that live and work in those places that I’m excited about.
Going Places is my show that sparks a better understanding of people and places near and far. We hope to foster a space for real conversations to occur as we celebrate humanity in all its forms and hope to build bridges, rather than walls, with our work.
How does one move through the world in this moment in time? This will be the central question we will explore on the show this season. How do we stay engaged with the world that has so much injustice and pain in it? How can we, through our individual actions, improve the situation around us? How do we stay open to the joys of travel while recognizing how our political and societal structures impact, and often oppress others? 
These are all complex questions that I don’t have an answer to. But I am inviting a host of smart and kind people on the show to help me tackle them.
Thank you so much for listening and stay tuned for the first episode coming to you next week!
Get more information at: Going Places website
Join our Going Places newsletter to get updates on new episodes and Yulia's travel storytelling work. Subscribe at goingplacesmedia.com/newsletter!
For more BTS of this podcast follow @goingplacesmedia on Instagram and check out our videos on YouTube!
Please head over to Apple Podcasts and SUBSCRIBE to the show. If you enjoy this conversation, please share it with others on social and don’t forget to tag us @goingplacesmedia!
And show us some love, if you have a minute, by rating Going Places or leaving us a review wherever you listen. You’ll be helping us to bend the arc of algorithms towards our community — thank you!
Going Places with Yulia Denisyuk is a show that sparks a better understanding of people and places near and far by fostering a space for real conversations to occur. Each week, we sit down with travelers, journalists, creators, and people living and working in destinations around the world. Hosted by Yulia Denisyuk, an award-winning travel journalist, photographer, and writer who's worked with National Geographic, The New York Times, BBC Travel, and more. 
Learn more about our show at goingplacesmedia.com.