Kareemah Ashiru talks about growing up in Lagos, Nigeria, and then moving to the U.S. and attending high school in Toledo, Ohio as one of the only Muslims in her school. She explains how her love of travel developed growing up, and how she navigated her strict parents who had traditional cultural expectations in order to pursue her dreams of living abroad and traveling the world. Kareemah shares some of her travel highlights from Spain, the Basque Country, Turkey, Morocco, and Peru, including her experiences connecting with the local Muslim communities. She then talks about founding Hijabi Globetrotter as an online platform to highlight underrepresented travel stories from a Muslim perspective and reflects on how it has grown and evolved over the years. Kareemah also talks about founding the “Muslimahs Who Travel” group as a supportive community for adventurous Muslim women who travel. She then shares some of her top budget-travel hacks, tips for solo female travelers, and her #1 piece of advice for Muslim travelers. Kareemah also suggests specific ways non-Muslims can be better allies to Muslims. And, finally, she reflects on how travel has impacted her and what travel means to her today. FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE AT: www.TheMaverickShow.com
Episode #159: Founding “Hijabi Globetrotter” and Building a Travel Community for Adventurous Muslim Women with Kareemah Ashiru
Episode Summary
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About the Guest
Kareemah Ashee-ru
Kareemah Ashee-ru is a Nigerian-American content creator, world traveler, and founder of Hijabi Globetrotter—an online platform that highlights underrepresented travel stories from a Muslim perspective. She also runs the “Muslimahs Who Travel” group, which is a safe space for amazing and adventurous Muslim women travelers from around the world. It’s a judgment-free community for members to connect, meet up, share stories and advice, and talk about the issues impacting their day-to-day. Kareemah has been featured in New York Times, The Huffington Post, and Airbnb Magazine.
What You'll Learn
- How to Navigate Traditional Parental Expectations to Pursue Your Travel Dreams
- How Adventurous Muslim Women Travelers Can Join a Supportive Community
- How non-Muslims can be better allies to Muslims
Links From the Episode
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#1 BOOK THAT KAREEMAH RECOMMENDS
#1 PERSON WITH WHOM KAREEMAH MOST WANTS TO HAVE DINNER
TOP 3 FAVORITE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
TOP 3 BUCKET LIST DESTINATIONS
LOCATIONS WHERE THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE
OTHER PLACES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Australia
- Brazil
- British
- Columbia
- Europe
- Ghana
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Mongolia
- Morocco
- Nigeria
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Peru
- Russia
- South Africa
- Senegal
- Barcelona, Spain
- Madrid, Spain
- Turkey
- USA
WRITERS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
TOP 3 AFROBEAT ARTISTS
TOURIST SPOTS THAT KAREEM VISITED IN SPAIN
COUNTRY WITH THE BEST JOLLOF
CONNECT WITH KAREEMAH
Time Stamped Show Notes
**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.
[2:02] Kareemah’s Experience in Queens, New York
[3:43] Growing up in Nigeria and Developing her Interest in Travel
[4:47] Moving to the U.S. at age 16
[6:51] Navigating High School in Toledo, Ohio as a Hijabi Muslim Immigrant
[9:03] Living Between Nigerian and American Culture
[10:30] Navigating Traditional Cultural Expectations to Pursue Her Dream of World Travel
[11:46] Kareemah’s First Solo Trip to Spain
[13:06] Matt and Kareemah discuss their Experiences in Madrid
[18:25] Kareemah’s Experience in The Basque Country
[20:37] Traveling in Andalusia and Connecting with Islamic History
[22:45] Kareemah’s Experience in Morocco
[26:00] Kareemah’s Experience in Turkey
[28:00] Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu
[32:54] Visiting Cusco and the Sacred Valley
[33:42] Connecting with the Muslim Community in Lima, Peru
[35:58] Founding and Growing “Hijabi Globetrotter”
[39:12] Co-Founding the “Muslimahs Who Travel” Community
[40:42] Budget Travel Advice
[42:38] Tips for Solo Female Travelers
[43:40] Tips for Muslim Women Travelers
[44:42] How Non-Muslims can Be Better Allies
[45:47] How Travel has impacted Kareemah
[47:58] The Lightning Round
- Which Country Has the Best Jollof
- Why You should Visit Nigeria
- #1 Book Kareemah Recommends
- #1 Person with Whom Kareemah would most like to have dinner
- #1 Piece of Advice Kareemah would give to Her 18 Year Old Self
- Top 3 Travel Destinations
- Top 3 Bucket List Destinations
- Top 3 Afro Beat Artists
[55:44] Contact and Follow Kareemah
