Solo Travels with Abigail

Most of us make a bucket list or daydream of all the incredible places we’d kill to visit one day, but never actually muster up the courage to venture out there to do it. Everyone besides Abigail Akinyemi. Abigail A., also known as the Lady Who Travels, has turned her thirst for travel and exploration into a lifestyle. 

From Thailand to New Orleans, this travel influencer adventures to different locations at least four times a year residing in each location longer than a week if her schedule permits. In 2019, she traveled somewhere new every single month of the year. 

Abigail stopped waiting around for people to travel with and began solo traveling in 2017 after her spring break trip to Cancun, Mexico didn’t come together her senior year of college. When her friends backed out of the voyage, she decided to venture out alone and never regrets that decision. “Honestly, I was nervous, I was scared, I had all these preconceived notions in my head of things I’ve heard, but it went off without a hitch. I got to meet somebody from a Facebook group, Erika, and we’ve been on three trips together so far. So, take that leap, you know!” said the adventure seeker.

Five years later, she’s visited five different continents and cultivated amazing friendships with people across different corners of the world. Through her brand, The Lady Who Travels, Abigail focuses on her perspective while solo traveling, sharing tips on financial budgeting, safety precautions, and inspiring her followers with exotic destinations. Officially launched on her website last April, this brand is blossoming on social media as people are slowly returning to travel.

This New York-based nomad wants to use her platform as a content creator to influence the world to take their lives into their own hands. “You don’t have to wait until you lose x amount of pounds or do x amount of things, or until you have a partner or that ultimate girl group to go enjoy your life with. You don’t have to wait for that, you can go out and have a good time and enjoy your life now,” said the 25-year-old world traveler.

Abigail A. is not only demystifying solo travel but is breaking the stigma around what someone in luxury should look like. “As a plus-size Black woman, it is rare to see myself portrayed in the media as a traveler. I want people to see that we exist and have a great time,” said the influencer. Black women in luxury are finally being normalized. Luxury isn’t usually associated with Black women. We aren’t always presented as elegant or living in comfort in the media, often due to social and systemic factors. Seeing content creators like Abigail embracing the finer things in life and embracing the comforts of travel with ease shows the world what Black women deserve.

“Any type of travel is considered a luxury because travel is not necessary for survival. I feel like people think they need to be on a yacht 24/7 to be considered ‘Black women in luxury’. I feel it’s important that people know it’s accessible and that it comes in every shape and size,” said Abigail.

Her content is relatable and authentic, from the foods she doesn’t like to the surreal views that make you wish you were there with her. From her enchanting reels to her visually artistic food and landscape, her entertaining content never fails to disappoint. 

The most exhilarating trip she has been on thus far was her first time experiencing Thailand. This culture shock was ‘like a different world’ from the time zones, to the language, and the wildlife. On her excursion to see the elephants during this trip, Abigail found that she can thrive in any situation. “I was by myself and everyone in the group was from China and they did not speak English but I had a ball, you can really communicate with anybody with a smile,” said the adventure seeker. “Don’t be anxious all the time walking around, you just gotta be confident and go have fun. That’s what it’s for.” She goes into every trip with an open mind and tries to simply say ‘hey, where are you from?’ to spark conversations.

Solo travel has allowed Abigail to restore trust in herself and her intuition all while increasing her self-confidence. “People should travel solo so that they can get in tune with their inner self and experience something they never have before, as well as create those memories for themselves. I totally get going out with people and doing things, but have you ever made the decisions you want based on your own needs? Like, do you want to go jet skiing right now or do you just want to sit on the beach? You can change anything at the last minute because it’s only you that you have to deal with. Trust your intuition. Trust that you can go so far from home and you can be okay. I feel like that type of confidence stays with you even after your trip,” said Abigail.

Traveling has allowed her to widen her mindset and expand her vision, revealing aspects of life that she didn’t even know were possible. While holding down her 9 to 5 job, Abigail A. manages to indulge in all the luxuries the world has to offer and takes us all along for the ride.