About this episode
Shakeemah Smith, aka The Passport Abuser, is a solo traveler who has visited 92 countries and helped more than 12,000 people ace their first solo trip. A former social worker from East Orange, New Jersey, she built her platform, Travel Like a Bawse, to teach practical strategies for traveling more affordably and flipping everyday bills into airline miles. She later relocated to Antigua and Barbuda, where she now lives as an expat.
In this episode, we talk about the personal shift that makes solo travel possible, how to travel for free without credit cards, and what it’s really like to move abroad and build a life in the Caribbean.
Shakeemah opens up about calling off her wedding three months before the big day, boarding her first solo flight to Paris in the middle of heartbreak, and realizing she didn’t know how to be alone. What follows is a conversation about self-trust, identity, and deciding to meet the “2.0 version” of yourself instead of waiting for permission.
We also get tactical. Shakeemah shares the exact systems she used to earn airline miles through everyday expenses like gas, groceries, utilities, and dining. And we talk honestly about leaving the U.S., adjusting to island life, and what it means to create safety and belonging on your own terms.
If you’ve been waiting for the right time, the right money, or the right person to travel with, this one might challenge that story.
Who would you become if you stopped waiting and just went? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you’ll share by sending me an audio message.
Tune In To Learn:
How growing up near New York City shaped her worldview and early curiosity about the world
Why ending her engagement forced her to confront her fear of being alone
The insights and exercises that helped Shakeemah move from emotional dependence to independence and from fear to self-trust
Why she believes solo travel is a fast track to trusting your instincts and enjoying your own company
The moment she decided to build a framework to help others take their first solo trip
How she turned 34 countries’ worth of lessons into a structured framework for new travelers
The overlooked airline shopping portals that generate miles without opening new credit cards
How to earn flights from gas, electricity, and everyday bills you’re already paying
The mindset behind “bills to boarding passes” and why it works long term
Why she moved to Antigua and Barbuda during 2020 and what that decision taught her about safety and lifestyle design
The cultural adjustments of living on island
