Lifestyle, Arts & Culture |
How a Long Beach man left gang life and started his own publishing company
By Tess Kazenoff
Long Beach Post
Feb. 20, 2023
Stanley James II says that the first thing he ever wanted to be was a gangster. But secondly, he wanted to help people.
James, who is now an author and founder of the publishing company, Gang Tales, grew up in North Long Beach in the area along Artesia and Long Beach boulevards.
As a kid, he had a good and a bad life, James, now 33, said.
“The first thing I see really going outside is Crips and Bloods and hustlers selling dope and everything,” said James. “But I had the other life too. I grew up in a house with Black Panthers, Martin Luther King—so I had the best of both worlds.”
While James had always loved to write, he had not grown up seeing himself as an author or a publisher, he said. He had dreams of rapping, of acting and of modeling—up until the eighth grade, he even wanted to be a basketball player, James said.
But by the time James was 12 or 13, he had begun selling drugs. When he was 17, he officially became a member of the Northside Four Corner Blocc Crips, a gang initially established in the early 1960s, known then as the Squarehood Crips before changing its name in the 1980s.
The next year, at the age of 18 and while a student at Wilson High School, James was arrested for the first time.
While James spent the next few years in and out of prison due to drug charges, it was during this time that he began writing poetry and short stories, which he passed around to other inmates, including what would become the basis of his first published work, “The Bust: Live By the Gun, Die by the Gun.”
At the age of 26, James was released from county jail for the last time.
“That’s the time when I really started taking life seriously,” James said. “I was going through a lot at that time when I wrote that book, ‘The Bust.’ I lost three best friends to a murder … I was going through it. And I just really felt at that time, I gotta leave it all behind. I just had a son. I was growing up, you know.”
James began selling his stories and poems in “chap books,” or pieces of paper stapled together, on the streets of LA, soon getting the attention of LA-based publishing company, No Brakes.
“If I could really hustle the illegal way, what if I just tried doing it the right way?” James said. “I just never looked back.”
Loosely based on James’ life, “The Bust” was published in 2017 by No Brakes.
James has since published several poetry and fiction books, and work on his 10th book is currently underway.
Realizing that authors may not always understand what rights they are signing away when working with publishing companies, James decided he wanted to create opportunities for other authors like himself.
“You can make a million just off the audio books alone, and you just signed off for all that,” James said. “So it’s my thing just to independently teach the people that work with me.”
Officially founded in 2020, James’ publishing company, Gang Tales, has taken on seven other authors so far, including fellow former gang member Travon Edwards, who belonged to the Eastside Rollin 20s Crips, a rival gang to James’.
Gang Tales authors retain 100% of rights to their work.
“I felt like I always wanted to give back once I get to a certain level, always wanted to pull the ladder down and bring out the voices that really get overlooked,” James said. “It really starts with: I just bring in people from the streets,” James said.
“We’re just trying to get people out of the street life,” he added.
In the roughly 10 years that James has pursued writing professionally, he has doubled what he earned in the streets, he said.
But for James, uplifting and creating opportunities for others who have been in similar situations has been far more rewarding, he said.
“Just seeing that I could do something positive and bring other people up that walked in the same shoes, like pretty much I walked in, like just that’s more rewarding,” James said.
And as for the future of Gang Tales?
“To be around for the next 100 years,” James said. “I’m really loving the journey.”
‘Hidden: Life with California’s Roma Families’ opens door to an unknown community
By Tess Kazenoff
Long Beach Post
April 5, 2022
Cristina Salvador Klenz was 20 years old and visiting her grandmother in Portugal for the summer when she first encountered the Romani people.
A college student and an aspiring photojournalist, Klenz’s curiosity was immediately ignited about the people her grandmother called “ciganos,” Portuguese for “gypsies,” who were living in a roadside encampment along the western coast.
Living without electricity and running water, as Klenz peered inside the shacks they lived in, she could see only blankets on a dirt floor.
“The people were so beautiful, and I just couldn’t believe the conditions they were living in,” said Klenz.
Throughout the summer, she visited the camp, as her interest in the Romani people grew.
After returning to the United States, her grandmother informed her that they were gone. Saddened by the news but undeterred, Klenz decided to create a photo essay illuminating the lives of the Romani people in the United States.
A few years later, in 1989, Klenz relocated to California, after she was hired as a photojournalist by the Press-Telegram.
Inspired to pursue her project, Klenz found that finding Romanis in the United States was not quite as easy as in Europe. Despite around 50,000 Romanis living in Los Angeles, and a million Romanis located throughout the United States, Klenz found it nearly impossible to find any.
As Klenz came to discover, most Romanis separated themselves for good reason. As an ethnic group driven from India over 1,000 years ago, after generations of enslavement, dehumanization and being ostracized, many choose seclusion over being subject to further prejudice, sometimes claiming to be Hispanic or Lebanese to outsiders.
When a colleague was finally able to connect Klenz to a Romani family, they declined to be photographed, citing concerns over stereotypical media portrayals of them as criminals or con artists and even witches.
But, Klenz was one step closer to her breakthrough.
After the Los Angeles Times published a story about a music store that carried Romani music, Klenz seized her moment, securing an invitation to a wedding through the store’s owner.
While this time, the attendees agreed to be photographed but refused to be in the book that Klenz hoped to create, but Klenz didn’t let this discourage her, organizing the photos into a sketchbook, and using it to approach other Romani families.
“I had something to show them, that I had already been in touch with other people in the culture, so that did help me establish trust,” said Klenz.
From there, while she continued to encounter occasional access issues, particularly with events—once, she was kicked out because she was wearing pants—the photo essay that Klenz had envisioned for years began to develop.
Klenz found herself dedicating more and more time to the Romani families she connected with, becoming immersed in their home lives, their celebrations and tragedies, taking her camera along each step of the way.
Her time with her subjects varied; some she spent a few hours with, one family she stayed with for three weeks.
“Every holiday, every vacation day, every lunch hour, I spent with the Romanis,” said Klenz. “Sometimes I would work my nine-hour shifts, and I would drive 50 miles to the Valley, photograph an event, and drive 50 miles back home.”
After three years of juggling her full-time newspaper position with California’s Roma families, Klenz decided to leave the Press-Telegram.
Living in a cramped apartment with her kitchen serving as a darkroom, Klenz dedicated herself entirely to the project, while earning a couple of grants and pursuing freelance work to pay the bills.
“It was scary giving up the opportunity of being a photojournalist, because I might never get another newspaper job,” said Klenz. “It was kind of a lonely time, because it was just the Romanis and my photography.”
Klenz’s insight into an intensely private group’s lives deepened, illuminating the struggles and effects of long-term oppression through her photography.
In 1968, Josef Koudelka documented the European Romani experience in the photo essay, “Gypsies,” but never before had there been a book published about the American Roma, and certainly not about the California Roma.
According to Klenz, the subjects she photographed didn’t believe a book would ever be published.
“They told me that nobody’s interested in us,” she said.
When Klenz was ready to publish her work, she was unable to find a publisher who aligned with her vision for the book.
“I think I reached out to at least 200 publishers, and I couldn’t find one, so I just dropped the project and I had to go on with my life,” Klenz said.
It wasn’t until nearly 30 years later, during the pandemic, that Klenz revisited her more than 10 binders filled with film.
Through rediscovering photos she hadn’t noticed the first time around, such as “Heels,” and “Brothers,” the image that became the book’s cover, Klenz was re-inspired to pursue publication, and she connected with Brown Paper Press, a Long Beach-based publication house that honored her vision.
On April 5, “Hidden: Life with California’s Roma Families,” a collection of 120 black-and-white photographs shot on 35mm film predominantly in Southern California and featuring several Long Beach families, was released, marking a dream for Klenz finally coming into fruition, and a door opening into the lives of California’s secluded Romani population.
Opening with a forward by Romani scholar Ian Hancock, and an introduction by Klenz and publisher Wendy Thomas Russell (also a former journalist at the Press-Telegram), viewers are guided through an intimate portrayal of the close-knit family structures that define Romani communities.
“It’s good that it took so long to finally publish this book, because we grow as people as human beings through our life experiences and it changes our perspective,” said Klenz. “Photographs ripen with age, and they become more precious once we look back at them.”
Emulating the life cycle, the photos flow through joyful celebrations of birthday parties and weddings, and sorrowful moments of illness and of anger, offering glimpses into the cultural traditions of five Romani nations.
While some common ancient customs are shared among the different nations, each nation is shaped by its own unique history, with its own dialect, geographic roots and practices.
“It was always a very fine line between taking too many pictures and not taking enough, just being able to read the situation and knowing how many pictures you can take without being too intrusive,” said Klenz.
She recalled the image, “Prayer Group,” in 1991, when she drove to Santa Ana to document a woman of the Mihais nation, a subset of the Kalderash nation.
“I remember thinking, I don’t want to be too intrusive, but I want to take these pictures, and I stopped for a little bit and the women said no, you can take as many pictures as you want,” said Klenz. “At the end, they prayed for me in Spanish, and they prayed for the success of my book.”
The next week when Klenz returned, she was told that the head of the Romani church said she wasn’t permitted to take any more photos.
“I was very grateful that I did get to take the pictures that one time and I took as many as I wanted, because then I wasn’t allowed back anymore,” she said.
Klenz hopes that viewers will gain a deeper understanding not only of the Romani culture, but how poverty and discrimination throughout centuries play a role today.
Most of the people Klenz photographed had only a first-grade education and were illiterate. While some photos show children smoking and teenagers marrying and becoming parents, others highlight the bonds of family and community.
“At first I really just wanted to document the culture and the traditions, but then I started to see some of the difficulties that people were having, but still that the people maintain their resiliency, their sense of humor and their passion for life, even though they encountered all these hardships,” she said.
Klenz considers her time with the California Roma to be insight into a different side of humanity, and a lesson on community.
“We’re all tribal people,” said Klenz. “It’s difficult to understand that when you live in a modern world, but that’s where we all came from, those are our tribal roots, and I think the Romani people really represent the essence of humanity.”
While “Hidden” has been years in the making, and Klenz is certainly excited for its release, the experience has been bittersweet.
With many of the Roma families moving frequently, sometimes out of state, Klenz had fallen out of touch with many people over the years, although she has recently reconnected with some through social media.
“I was very happy to reconnect with them, but it was also very traumatic because I had been very close with some of the children,” she said. “When I reconnected with one of the children, I just started sobbing on the phone because I had missed out on so much of his life.”
It has been particularly difficult for Klenz to discover that many of the people she photographed, including children, have died.
“I’m grateful that the project is getting out there and that people will learn more about the Romani culture, but my heart is breaking,” said Klenz. “The problem still continues, so it’s difficult for me to understand what they go through and why they have so many hardships still.”
Klenz hopes to receive a grant and follow up with everybody in “Hidden,” specifically to document the health struggles facing the Romani people.
Klenz is ready to return to the families she once knew so intimately, and continue uncovering the people who remain a mystery to most.
“I’ve been a mom for the last almost 20 years, so I’ve really devoted this time to my children and my children are growing up,” said Klenz. “I want to fill my empty nest with continuing to document the project.”
Purchase “Hidden: Life with California’s Roma Families” here.
Behind the Scenes with CSULB Design Majors
By Tess Kazenoff
Dig Magazine
Feb. 16, 2022
Ysabel Hilado
Ysabel Hilado’s design journey started at 13 years old after seeing pocket tees on Tumblr and deciding she could start making them herself as a way to earn some extra money.
With her grandma’s sewing machine and help from her father on the first couple of stitches, Hilado got to work studying Youtube and Pinterest tutorials.
After perfecting her pocket tees, she started taking orders through Facebook and Instagram, selling shirts out of her locker for about $15.
“I almost got in trouble, because technically you're not supposed to sell things in school,” Hilado said.
After deciding it was time to put entrepreneurship on hold and focus more on her construction and design skills, Hilado’s fashion sensibility took off.
She even landed on a season of “Project Runway: Junior” during her senior year of high school, and although she was eliminated in the second episode, the experience fueled her aspirations.
“(It) told me that I can pursue fashion design as a full-time career, and it’s something that I can really do as my life,” said Hilado.
After graduating from high school in Artesia, she planned to enroll in Cal State Long Beach’s design program.
Then, her acceptance was rescinded.
“I thought my world was about to end,” she said. “I was 18, you know, I didn't know what else I was supposed to do?”
After two-and-a-half years at Long Beach City College, Hilado transferred to Long Beach State and is graduating this spring.
Today, the now-23-year-old describes her design aesthetic as street chic, or streetwear with a feminine flair, often incorporating different proportions, colors and fabrics (although she particularly loves denim).
Her own laid-back style paired with a statement piece serves as inspiration, along with street style shots of celebrities such as Gigi Hadid, Bella Hadid and Rihanna. “That's pretty much kind of like that girl I envision… she's casual, she's cool,” said Hilado.
Hilado hopes to launch her brand in the next year or two and has been putting that plan into action by increasing her social media presence, particularly on Instagram and TikTok.
Although she has been using social media as a tool since she was 13, fashion blogging throughout high school, her social media following has developed substantially in the past three years.
Through her social media channels, audiences can learn how to shorten zippers, create ruffles or make a 15-minute wrap top.
“I also learned from online tutorials, so in a way, it's almost like giving back, and I hope I could inspire someone who also doesn't have access to a sewing class that they can learn through me,” she said.
She demonstrates the importance of thrifting and brings accessibility to upcycling, while also showing how inspiration can come from anywhere—such as precut fabric, or even chips bags.
Social media followers are introduced both to Hilado’s vision of her brand (to be called Ysabel Hilado), along with who she is as a person and a designer.
She also said “Hilado” means “spinning yarn” in Spanish, which is extremely fitting for her profession.
Even though many “designers like being mysterious,” Hilado takes a different approach, aiming to connect with her audiences.
“People (who have) messaged me and DMed me saying, ‘you really inspired me to pursue fashion design,’ it means a lot to me because sometimes I'll just be posting these videos and I'll be like, ‘I don't know who's gonna watch this, I don't know this will reach anyone,’ especially when I was first starting,” she said. “So I'm glad it has touched a lot of people.”
While social media can sometimes make it easy to compare yourself to others, Hilado reminds herself that everyone has their own journey, even in the moments when she feels unmotivated or stuck.
“I have to get out of that moment and . . . just remember that I am on my own path,” said Hilado. “I will get to where I want to be eventually.”
As she looks forward to creating her brand consisting of elevated basics bringing versatility and longevity to people’s wardrobes, Hilado can’t wait to start seeing people wear her pieces.
“I just want to start seeing how people style the pieces that I create because fashion is just a nonverbal form of self-expression,” she said. “And you never know how people can interpret a piece of clothing.”
As she moves forward in her career, Hilado is grateful for how far she has come in her journey of fashion design.
“If you told me when I was 13 that I was gonna be where I am today, I would not have believed it,” she said. “I didn't see other Filipino Americans who looked like me doing fashion design, and so I would hope that I am that person for people, especially people of color to see that they can be in these spaces.”
Richard Calabasas
Richard Calabasas, 23, was in sixth grade when he decided to start spending his allowance money on clothing. Surrounded by classmates dressed in what Calabasas described as “basketball shorts and stinky T-shirts,” he instead donned H&M and any affordable outfit that suited his budding personal style.
“My classmates were like, ‘why do you dress like a 20-year-old?’” said Calabasas.
Even as he taught himself to sew and allowed his passion for design to develop, he didn’t see it as a potential career until his sophomore year at his junior college.
Up until then, he’d been set on a career as an architect, a path that his parents (particularly his father, an engineer) encouraged.
Deciding to tell his parents, who are both Filipino immigrants, of his new plan was a nerve-wracking experience for Calabasas, he said.
“I was scared to tell them, you know, being Asian, parents kind of pushing you because my brother was a nurse and then a lot of my family's in the medical field,” Calabasas said. “So I was like, okay if I don't become an architect, will I be a disappointment?”
It turned out that his parents were more than supportive. They were happy as long as Calabasas pursued a college degree and recognized his potential and creativity, so Calabasas made plans to transfer to a university.
Then, his father was diagnosed with brain cancer.
When it came time to transfer into Cal State Long Beach’s design program in 2019, Calabasas was no longer sure he wanted to go.
“It was just tough because I was like, should I leave? Should I go transfer and continue higher education, do everything I need to stay in? Because maybe I won't see him, you know,” said Calabasas. “So I was just really down, but my whole family's like, ‘you have to go. This is for you, it’s what you want, don't let us hold you back.’”
Upon transferring, Calabasas was able to begin honing his skills as a designer, fueled by an environment surrounded by like-minded artists and students.
It didn’t last long though; in March 2020, when in-person classes switched to virtual, Calabasas made the move back to the Bay Area.
In May of 2020, his father passed away.
“We were going through so many things during that time,” said Calabasas. “There was the protests . . . It was COVID . . . then add school on top of everything, it was just difficult. I really had to train my head to be like, okay, your mental health is important, like really protect it and do really what you need to do to stay sane.”
During that time, Calabasas had to evaluate what truly brought him happiness, and stay away from what didn’t, he said.
In the midst of his grief, Calabasas turned his attention back to his sewing machine and began creating.
He began upcycling: purchasing thrifted clothing and breathing new life into it with his own designs, as he coped with his loss while working to keep his skills sharp amid online school.
His creations developed into “Ungood Studios,” a project focused on upcycling and rework, which Calabasas documented on TikTok, allowing him to sell out of some items.
“When you're a designer, and you see somebody wearing your piece that you made, it's really fulfilling . . . like seeing somebody use your art to make them feel good about themselves,” said Calabasas.
Calabasas considers most of his designs to be gender fluid with garments everybody could wear.
“But everything I've made, I would definitely wear,” he said.
From the outside looking in, his clothing could be categorized as “street style with a twist,” but Calabasas doesn’t feel boxed into a certain style or even a certain kind of design.
After Calabasas graduates this spring, he hopes to work with a fashion company as a junior designer, but he is still figuring it out. He hopes to work with creators in some sort of capacity, whether that’s through design or creating opportunities for other artists.
For Calabasas, the end goal is just to be able to create as a career, something he feels lucky to be able to do.
“Some people have to go into either a nine to five, or long hours, like a nurse, they work sometimes 24-hour shifts,” he said. “But being able to create, and just showing people art and providing that kind of outlet for people who are nurses, who are lawyers, who are doctors and stuff like that . . . . and just the general audience, and my own demographic of people who really like what I make, is going to be the most rewarding thing as a career creator.”
By Tess Kazenoff
Long Beach Post
June 24, 2021
Ollie the sea otter, Harpo the sea lion and the Aquarium of the Pacific’s 12,000 other adorable critters have won the hearts of the public through a phone screen.
In the world of the Aquarium’s now-viral TikTok account, penguins march with rainbow flags in a Pride Parade (1.4 million views), Harpo, the aquarium’s social media star, belts out in song to pop punk rock (405,900 views), and—the post that fueled the account’s rise in popularity at the start of the pandemic—an octopus eats a toy boat loaded with mussels.
Madeline Walden, the aquarium’s 29-year-old social media curator—and the woman behind it all—isn’t striving for perfection, but rather authenticity.
“We want to make learning fun,” she said. “We want to make it enticing to everybody, no matter what your education level is or, or where you are in the world.”
The local aquarium’s TikTok following has grown to an astounding 2.3 million, more than any other aquarium or zoo in the country, Walden said.
She started the account in January 2020, just before the pandemic. The marketing team was supportive of the decision, she said, recognizing the potential of the sometimes controversial app.
The account had a mere 160 followers through March 2020, and then came the silly octopus video, set to intense “Jaws”-like music, which boosted the aquarium’s account immediately to 100,000 followers.
One of the account’s most viewed videos, currently at 14 million, features Ollie the sea otter munching on a heart-shaped, frozen clam “cookie” for Valentine’s Day.
“Ollie, you are otterly adorable,” reads the robotic speech of TikTok’s automated text-to-voice feature.
“I know,” replies Ollie’s voice-over (and he’s not wrong).
TikTok is a video-sharing app owned by Chinese company ByteDance that allows users to share 15- to 60-second videos that often capitalize on trending music or jokes.
Devising mini narratives about sea otters, sea lions, penguins and other living creatures to both educate and entertain seemed like a perfect fit, even when the aquarium sometimes has to deal with the sad side of their business, such as when Maggie the sea otter died.
“We have these wonderful days of triumphs and celebrations, like the fun birthday parties and the feline singing contest,” said Walden. “We also have really down days when we unfortunately lose animals, because that’s part of life.”
While some videos are speedily produced to hop on a TikTok trend, which can change by the day, other videos take a couple of weeks to formulate.
Walden’s animal expertise has mostly come from learning on the job. She collaborates and brainstorms with the animal care department, constantly aiming to make each idea funnier, or reach even farther, while utilizing the team’s vast marine life knowledge.
On the aquarium’s TikTok, you can find videos ranging from a “Why do sea lions have black teeth?” explainer, which has accumulated 25.8 million views, to Harpo explaining his skincare routine (a sustainable seafood diet, and gentle saltwater exfoliation), racking up 531,000 views.
Walden said it is an honor to tell these stories, particularly about animals who have spent the majority of their lives at the aquarium.
She understands her audience (she’s spent hours utilizing the app herself), and she knows they want authenticity and the confirmation that life isn’t always picture-perfect.
Her strategy is working.
The aquarium has amassed 40.8 million “likes” total, but Walden’s intent isn’t just focused on numbers.
Harpo the sea lion barks for Madeline Walden, assistant social media manager at the Aquarium of the Pacific, Wednesday, June 23, 2021. Photo by Brandon Richardson.
She’s proud of the account’s success, to be sure, but she’s even more proud of the connections that the app has been able to forge, connecting people across the world since the account’s formation.
“We’re seeing comments saying, ‘I live in the U.K. and I’ve never heard of your aquarium, you’re on my bucket list now,’ and ‘I grew up in Long Beach, and now I live on the other side of the world, and how wonderful that I am able to follow my hometown aquarium on social media.’”
Walden is a Long Beach local herself and spent her childhood enjoying field trips and family excursions to the aquarium. She has now been employed at the aquarium for five years.
“The metrics and the numbers, they’re obviously great and awesome, but to me, it’s those connections that mean so much more, because those are people who are ultimately going to stay connected with us, and hopefully come back to visit one day,” she said.
Walden, who met her husband on MySpace and her bridesmaids on Tumblr, is no stranger to the power that social media has to connect, and hones this ability to create engaging content that makes science accessible.
According to Walden, starring animals and allowing their charisma to shine through has bridged this gap between the aquarium and the public, during a year when access to the aquarium was severely limited.
“Obviously this past year has brought a lot of hardship to the aquarium, but I really had this light in the dark with being able to create on TikTok and to connect to that community,” she said.
Join Walden live on the aquarium’s TikTok at 6 p.m. every Tuesday.
How to Solo Travel Like a Pro
By Tess Kazenoff
Dig Magazine
Nov. 18, 2021
Okay, I have to confess; I never used to think I’d like solo traveling. I had every possible concern you could think of from worrying about safety to being lonely. As much as I loved and craved the adventure of exploring new countries, doing it alone was never even a consideration in my mind.
It wasn’t until finding myself on my way to Chile alone accidentally (it’s a long story), that I realized not only was I capable of traveling alone, but I actually loved it! There’s something about the complete freedom of getting to dictate your days however you want that feels absolutely empowering and it’s something everyone should experience at least once.
But unlike me, you don’t need to do it by accident!
“Everyone is capable,” said Jessica Frankos, California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) student and study abroad peer advisor. According to Frankos, traveling comes down to three things: planning, self-confidence and purpose.
Planning
Research
Maybe you have a dream destination already in mind. For Frankos, it’s Peru. She was in the middle of studying abroad in Costa Rica, with plans to explore Mexico City and Peru by bus when the pandemic cut her trip short.
“It has (left) a little hole in my heart,” Frankos said. “Going to Peru is still a must.”
But if you’re not sure about that dream location, Frankos suggests looking into what cultures interest you.
“South Korea is a very popular destination for students right now just because of how much pop culture we’re receiving from there,” Frankos said. “It's all about having an appreciation and that will help you be more engaged, be present, and really consume that culture.”
Once you have a spot in mind, there are certain things you should research ahead of time, such as visa and vaccination requirements.
Speaking of vaccinations, knowing the COVID-19 protocols (and knowing that they can change) is of course extremely crucial.
Countries across the world have varied widely in their approaches to tourism, with some countries like French Polynesia requiring four COVID-19 tests in total, as well as proof of vaccination, added Beth Grier, a vacation specialist for the tour operating company Travel2. Some countries like Australia may still have their borders completely closed.
Check the U.S. Department of State website for your destination’s requirements. Grier predicts that vaccinations and testing will likely be part of the travel process for at least the next couple of years.
Budgeting
Travel doesn’t have to be expensive! Take it from me––one hostel I stayed at in Cambodia only cost $11 per night.
There are plenty of ways to save money on your trip:
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Track your flights on Hopper to get the best deal. The app will alert you when it’s the best time to buy.
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Stay in hostels! Not only are they more affordable than most hotels or Airbnbs, they’re also the best way to meet people. Use Hostelworld to search for spots, just be sure to read the reviews before booking.
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Travel offseason; flights, hotels and tours are usually cheaper.
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Visit countries where your money will go further based on the current exchange rate.
And as Frankos pointed out, study abroad is also a great option for students that doesn’t have to be expensive.
“You can do it in a way where it's accessible,” Frankos said. “There are so many scholarships and if you receive financial aid, all your financial aid will transfer over.”
Safety
Safety is usually people’s No. 1 concern about traveling alone––it was definitely one of mine. However, even if you’re not a Type A Capricorn like I am, there are plenty of steps you should and can take to ensure you have a safe experience while you’re away.
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Get travel insurance: Your typical health insurance may not work during a medical emergency abroad. Especially since the pandemic, this can be even more crucial. Plus, you may want that security in case anything goes wrong with your flights, or anything happens to your belongings. I’ve used WorldNomad and can personally say it’s saved me hundreds of dollars.
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Have copies of everything: Your travel itinerary, emergency phone numbers and your passport. I also like to note any local hospitals and the nearest embassy, along with the international number for my bank and my travel insurance information. I make sure this is emailed to me, emailed to someone I trust and even printed. Basically, I want to make sure that I’ll be in as good a position as possible in case anything happens to my phone, wallet, or passport.
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While you’re away, check in with someone at home every day.
These are all preparing for worst-case scenarios, but having all these things taken care of ahead of time will allow you to de-stress and enjoy the experience more.
Self-confidence
Personally, traveling solo upped my self-confidence immensely. Loneliness was one of my biggest concerns about solo traveling, but I found that it was even easier to meet people than on trips I’d gone on with a friend.
Plus, I found out that it was actually nice getting to spend time by myself when I needed a break from socializing. Gaining this comfort with being by myself, along with trusting in my ability to meet people, gave me so much strength that I didn’t know I had before.
“There's just a lot of personal growth that comes out of traveling by yourself because you're not reliant on problem-solving with someone else, you're just reliant on yourself and your own tools,” Frankos said.
Being able to embrace the possible challenges and mishaps that arise through solo traveling is part of the experience and working your way through them will only raise your confidence, as well as create memorable stories for later on. Throughout my travels, I’ve had everything happen from getting lost, to missing my flight, to losing my visa, and now I can look back and feel proud of how I handled those situations.
“Once you discover that you were able to figure it out on your own, if you get lost and then you get unlost––even as crappy as that was––you're able to look back and be like, ‘Wow, I got myself through that with using my own resources, my own soft skills, my own cultural competency,’” Frankos said.
If you’re ready to dip your toes into solo traveling, but aren’t ready to make the jump across an ocean yet, start small! There are plenty of places to explore in this area of the country, this coast and even within the state that will build up your confidence in traveling solo. Don’t underestimate the positive effect that taking this leap will have on you.
Purpose
For me, traveling is all about the experience of learning about the world and myself in the process. Traveling is an opportunity for cultural enrichment, to sightsee and hopefully relax and recharge a bit as well.
Understanding what you hope to gain from your experience is integral, Frankos mentioned, and it’s a question she always asks her students.
She chose to visit Costa Rica because it fit her academic needs as a study abroad program. “But also, I wanted to go because I wanted to learn the language, I wanted to get in touch with my Latin background,” Frankos said.
Travel provides so much personal growth on top of having an adventure. For many people, such as Frankos and myself, travel completely shifts your perspective of the world.
“(Travel) made me realize my privilege,” Frankos said. “It made me more confident, (improved) my soft skills and my ability to navigate through the world.”
The experience of traveling––with all of its challenges and hiccups––is invaluable. Once you go and explore the world, you never come back home completely the same.
And even if traveling isn’t completely for you, it’s always worth a try to venture out and experience something new.
“We live in this little bubble and there's so much more out there, and you just get cultured and you appreciate what you have when you come home,” Grier said.