Hear stories about Guatemala, Morocco, Arctic Snow Hotels in Lapland, Finland and music festivals in Cali, Colombia. Nicole Phillip joins Matt from Orlando, Florida and talks about growing up in a Caribbean immigrant home, moving to New York City for college, and encountering racism on a study abroad trip to Italy. Matt and Nicole reflect on the various ways anti-Blackness and white privilege manifest around the world. Nicole then talks about her other travel experiences, starting with her European travels outside of Italy during her study abroad program. She then explains why Colombia is one of her favorite countries and shares her experiences in Cartagena, Medellin, and Cali, including attending the Petronio Alvarez Festival. Nicole also talks about her travels through Morocco, Guatemala, and her recent birthday trip to the Arctic Circle in Lapland, Finland. She shares the magical experience of visiting the Arctic Snow Hotel, drinking at the ice bar, sleeping in a glass igloo, going dog-sledding, enjoying a Finnish sauna, and seeing the Northern Lights.
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Hosted by Matt Bowles
329: From Racism in Italy to Black Beauty Ideals in Colombia: Empowering BIPOC Travelers to Navigate the World Safely and Confidently with Nicole Phillip
Episode #329: From Racism in Italy to Black Beauty Ideals in Colombia: Empowering BIPOC Travelers to Navigate the World Safely and Confidently with Nicole Phillip
Hosted by Matt Bowles
329: From Racism in Italy to Black Beauty Ideals in Colombia: Empowering BIPOC Travelers to Navigate the World Safely and Confidently with Nicole Phillip
Episode Summary
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About the Guest

Nicole Phillip
Nicole Phillip is a travel creator, social media strategist, and journalist who left corporate America to explore the world and help others do the same. Born in New York City to immigrant parents from Trinidad and St. Vincent, she grew up mostly in Orlando, Florida and is now a world traveler with over 250,000 followers on social media. Through her content, she empowers Black travelers and people of color to navigate the globe safely and confidently. She’s all about making travel accessible, authentic, and unfiltered, with a dash of wit and a healthy dose of humor. You can find her work in The New York Times, The Daily Beast, ABC News and many other outlets.
What You'll Learn
- Insights on Anti-Blackness and White Privilege Around the World
- Tips on Seeing the Northern Lights and Experiencing the Arctic Circle
- Tips on Visiting Cali, Colombia and Attending the Petronia Alvarez Festival
Links From the Episode
Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. If you click through any links and make a purchase, you should assume that Maverick will receive financial compensation (at no additional cost to you). We greatly appreciate you using our affiliate links because it helps to support the show and cover production costs of the podcast.
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WATCH NICOLE’S VIDEO TOUR OF THE ARCTIC SNOW HOTEL
READ NICOLE’S ARTICLE IN THE NEW YORK TIMES ABOUT EXPERIENCING RACISM ABROAD
JAMAICAN DANCEHALL ARTISTS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
AFROBEAT ARTIST MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
PLACES IN COLOMBIA MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
AFRO-COLOMBIAN FESTIVAL IN CALI
UNIVERSITIES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
PLACES IN FLORIDA MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
PLACES IN FINLAND MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
LOCATIONS WHERE THE INTERVIEW TOOK PLACE
- Matt: Asheville, North Carolina
- Nicole: Orlando, Florida
OTHER PLACES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
- Africa
- Antigua
- Arctic Circle
- Asia
- Barcelona
- Caribbean
- Cartagena
- Colombia
- Tallinn, Estonia
- Finland
- Florence
- Florida
- Ghana
- Guatemala
- Italy
- India
- London
- Manchester
- Mexico
- New York
- Paris
- Riga, Latvia
- Vilnius, Lithuania
- Morocco
- Lagos, Nigeria
- Riyadh
- South Africa
- Spain
- Stockholm, Sweden
CONTACT AND FOLLOW NICOLE
Time Stamped Show Notes
**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.
[0:59] Introducing Nicole Phillip
[3:00] Orlando, Florida
[4:37] Nicole’s Cultural Background and Growing up in an Immigrant Home
[9:08] Nicole’s Early Experiences with Travel
[10:35] Moving to New York City for College
[14:26] Studying Abroad in Italy and Encountering Racism
[29:56] Reflections on Anti-Blackness and White Privilege around the World
[37:40] Cartagena, Colombia and Black Beauty Ideals
[40:03] Medellin, Colombia
[41:45] Cali, Colombia and the Petronio Alvarez Festival
[46:49] Detty December in Accra, Ghana
[49:43] Morocco
[54:45] Guatemala
[56:15] Lapland, Finland and Seeing the North Lights in The Arctic Circle
Recent Episodes


Hosted by Matt Bowles
329: From Racism in Italy to Black Beauty Ideals in Colombia: Empowering BIPOC Travelers to Navigate the World Safely and Confidently with Nicole Phillip