Welcome back women travelers, solo travelers, travel hobbyists and travel influencers to the final episode of Season 2 of "85 Percent," where we wrap up this season by sharing the captivating trails blazed by women in the travel industry. From Gabby Beckford's transformative hike in Iceland to Stephanie Jones' unexpected spiritual journey to a warmer-than-anticipated Antarctica, we'll unveil how travel sparks growth in the most unexpected ways. Hear Catarina Rivera's empowering solo adventure in...
Oct 30, 2024•31 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Welcome back women travelers, solo travelers, travel hobbyists and travel influencers! This episode is sponsored by Intrepid Travel. Find your Only Intrepid moment! In this episode, I speak with Zina Bencheikh! Zina is a trailblazing executive from Intrepid Travel. Together, we delve into the transformative power of travel in empowering women and fostering cultural understanding. From Intrepid's innovative Women's Expeditions and the launch of Wanderful's Woman-Owned Map spotlighting women-owned...
Oct 23, 2024•29 min•Season 2Ep. 16
Welcome back women travelers, solo travelers, travel hobbyist and travel influencers!! In this episode, I speak with Kim Callender and Arabella Bowen, the co-founders of **SoloTrvlr**, a travel app designed to empower women by providing trusted, local advice for solo adventures. With backgrounds in tech and travel, they bring a wealth of experience to the platform. Arabella, formerly a leader at Fodor’s Travel and AFAR, was inspired by her transformative solo journey through Southeast Asia. Kim,...
Oct 16, 2024•36 min•Season 2Ep. 15
Welcome back women travelers, solo travelers, travel hobbyist and travel influencers!! Get your popcorn ready for another exciting episode of the "85 Percent Podcast." I'm your host, Beth Santos, and today we dive into the transformative power of travel with our inspiring guest, Vanessa Fondeur. Join us as we explore Vanessa's remarkable journey from her Dominican roots to trailblazing travel inclusivity for the Latine community through her initiatives, "Latino World Travelers" and the "Latino T...
Oct 09, 2024•32 min•Season 2Ep. 14
Hey everyone, it's Beth Santos here and we are continuing to celebrate Women in Travel! In our latest episode of 85 Percent, we dive deep into an inspiring conversation with Alexa West, a best selling travel author who transformed her heartbreak into a thriving career. Through solo traveling, Alexa shares how she found purpose and stability through solo travel, even without a traditional support system. From teaching abroad to publishing The Solo Girl's Travel Guide, to publishing The One Way Ti...
Oct 02, 2024•27 min•Season 2Ep. 13
Welcome to another episode of 85 Percent . Today, we dive into the transformative journey of Catarina Rivera, a remarkable advocate for disability inclusion and accessibility and the creator behind the popular Instagram channel @BlindishLatina. A deaf-blind traveler, Catarina takes us on a solo trip to Montreal where a moment to herself creates a lifelong confidence in herself as she travels the world. Join us as Catarina talks about her journey of acceptance, the significance of accessible trav...
Sep 25, 2024•32 min•Season 2Ep. 12
This episode is a treat for your ears! I had the opportunity to speak with Stephanie Jones, the visionary Founder & CEO of the Cultural Heritage Economic Alliance, Inc. (CHEA), a pioneering organization dedicated to transforming the travel and tourism landscape through innovative, sustainable initiatives empowering BIPOC businesses, professionals and students. Stephanie shared her journey from growing up with limited travel opportunities to becoming a published author and luxury travel enthu...
Sep 18, 2024•28 min•Season 2Ep. 11
I'm thrilled to share with you the latest episode of 85 Percent , where we dive deep into the world of travel, empowerment, and incredible personal growth stories. In this episode, I chatted with the amazing Gabby Beckford, the award-winning travel entrepreneur behind Packs Light. 🌍✨Her audience is women who aspire to a life of adventure lived on their terms, and Gabby delivers in many ways from her inspiring content, to her Saas start-up that amplifies funded travel opportunities SeekPTO, and ...
Sep 11, 2024•25 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Welcome back to "85 Percent," the podcast where we celebrate the diverse experiences of women in travel! In today's episode, we delve into the captivating story of Nikki Vargas, a travel journalist who faced a life-altering decision at the awe-inspiring Iguazu Falls. Nikki's journey takes us through the complexities of calling off her first wedding, grappling with her Colombian heritage, imposter syndrome and ultimately finding resilience and happiness in her career and relationships. Join us as...
Sep 04, 2024•29 min•Season 2Ep. 9
Get ready for an exciting new season of the 85 Percent podcast! In Season 2, we're kicking things up a notch by deep-diving into the favorite travel stories that were defining moments for some of our industry's most remarkable women, featuring guests like award-winning author Nikki Vargas and Gen Z expert Gabby Beckford. Plus, we'll be sharing YOUR real travel stories too — that's right, straight from the mouths of our own listeners. Submit yours on our website, and it could be featured in an up...
Jul 03, 2024•11 min
Jen Ruiz holds many titles including lawyer, a TEDx speaker, #1 Amazon Bestseller, 2018 Reader's Favorite Award Winner and the 2023 Bessie award winner for the category "Most Impactful Piece of Writing”. Before her 30th birthday, Jen decided to take 12 trips in 12 months. She not only surpassed her goal completing 20 trips in 12 months, but within those 12 months, her whole life changed. Join me and Jen as we discuss: Study Abroad Comfort Zone Travel Immersion Travel without borders Cultural Rel...
Jan 11, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Kirstie and Christine are an award-winning multicultural LGBTQ+ couple using their platform and production company On Airplane Mode to inspire others to follow their passions all while celebrating who they are and who they love! They started their platform from the ground up to empower women and the LGBTQ+ community to have their voices heard. In under two years, they are proud to have built an engaging and loyal following of half a million, success across multiple social media platforms, and re...
Jan 11, 2024•23 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Yulia Denisyuk is an award-winning travel photographer and writer who turned to travel journalism after serving in the US military and working as a Fortune 500. She’s written for The New York Times, National Geographic, TIME, Conde Nast Traveler, BBC Travel, and more, on unique assignments that have brought her to share a roof with nomads in Mongolia and learn the art of Imigongo with artist collectives in Rwanda. But Yulia’s wild and adventurous stories are only the beginning of her journey – t...
Jan 11, 2024•26 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Joelle Sfeir and Nada Raphael are co-founders of Tourleb, a socially responsible tour operator owned by women and based in Lebanon, and a finalist at 2023's Bessie Awards for Travel Startup of the Year. Although their company began by accident, they have been nothing but intentional in making sure they work within their values including giving back to the community and providing a safe space for their guests. In this episode, you will hear how passionate they are about Lebanon as well as the imp...
Jan 11, 2024•27 min•Season 1Ep. 5
I have another amazing episode for you! If you didn't get an opportunity to listen to the inspiration words of Lola Akinmade, my third guest, click here right after you listen to this episode. Did you know a cruise ship is christened? I was blessed enough to be chosen by this episode's guest, Carol Cabezas, to be the godmother to the Azamara cruise ship. Carol Cabezas is the President of Azamara, an upmarket vacation company focused on Destination Immersion experiences. Carol joined Azamara in 2...
Mar 29, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 4
I have another amazing episode for you! If you didn't get an opportunity to listen to the inspiration words of Nour Brahimi, my second guest, click here right after you listen to this episode. In this episode, I am speaking with Lola Akinmade. Lola was born in Nigeria, educated in the United States and is based in Sweden. She was named one of eight 2022 Hasselblad Heroines and the 2018 Travel Photographer of the Year Bill Muster Award recipient. The great Lola started her career behind the camer...
Mar 22, 2023•45 min•Season 1Ep. 3
I have another amazing episode for you! If you didn't get an opportunity to listen to the inspiration words of Martinique Lewis, my first guest, click here right after you listen to this episode. In this episode, I am speaking with Nour Brahimi. Nour is THE FIRST female Algerian travel Vlogger, Travel content Creator, visual storyteller, and EU goodwill ambassador. Nour uses her trips to inspire fellow women to step into the unknown. With more than 1 million followers across social media, at age...
Mar 15, 2023•48 min•Season 1Ep. 2
WELCOME TO 85%! I am so excited the first episode of this podcast is dropping on International Woman's Day! I cannot imagine a more wonderful introduction into this podcast than to introduce you to Martinique Lewis. Martinique AKA Marty is an award-winning diversity in travel consultant, President of the Black Travel Alliance, both Travel and leisure, and Travel pulses ''Most influential people in travel''. And don't forget creator of The ABC Travel Greenbook! The number one resource connecting ...
Mar 08, 2023•44 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Women make 85% of travel decisions, so why are we not seen in 85% of travel marketing? What is shown to us when it comes to the "traveling woman"? Two narratives: either we're having a life-changing transformation and devouring pasta OR we're getting kidnapped and in fear for our lives. It's never somewhere in between. As the founder of leading women's travel community, Wanderful, and creator of an incredible series of events, festivals, and activities for women travelers worldwide, I KNOW there...
Mar 01, 2023•4 min
