1. Who She Is: Monica Williams is a journalist for a New York newspaper known for its dot drawings. She grew up in Detroit and Philadelphia and has also worked as a journalist in Boston, Detroit and Cincinnati. Sometimes, she blogs about her insatiable wanderlust at www.blackbroadabroad.blogspot.com. 
2. Imported To: Most of the 50 United States and Central American countries, South Africa, Zambia, Iceland, Poland, Italy, Belize, Denmark and more.
3. Imported Wish List: How much time do you have? The thing about traveling is that it makes you want to travel more. I NEED to explore more of Africa. I want to visit Asia. Beyond that, the salt flats of Bolivia, most of Colombia and Ecuador, the Plains states and Alaska in the U.S., Turkey, Croatia… You name it; it’s probably on my list.
4. Inside My Imported Chocolate Box: I think lots of people over pack (myself included). You really need only a passport; everything else can be bought. But I must have a camera, 2 SD cards (in case one gets lost), two credit cards (in case one gets lost), lots of batteries (can be expensive abroad), books and cash.
5. Top Five Places I Recommend You See: Paris for shopping; Rome and the U.S. south for history; New Orleans and Charleston, S.C., for food; Belize and Costa Rica for natural wonders.
6. First Three Hours In A New Country/Place: I convert my money, throw down the suitcase or backpack, grab a map and start walking.
7. First Three Days In A New Country/Place I: visit the must-see touristy sites, eat street meat and try to meet locals.
8. How Do You Mane Tame Your Hair When Abroad: Mostly braids or go natural. I used to carry a straightening comb but it was always flagged by airport security.
9. Chocolate For Your Thoughts On Women Of Color Traveling: Don’t listen to the naysayers who will tell you that a woman of color doesn’t belong in [insert country].
10. Chocolate For Your Thoughts On Women Traveling: If you wait on someone to accompany you, you might be waiting forever. People always ask if I’m fearful of going to “strange places” alone. Of course I am, but passion trumps fear every time.
11. Best Imported Moment: Recently, I went to Poland, a place that definitely took me outside of my comfort zone. I’ll never forget my visit there to Auschwitz, where an estimated 1.1 million died in the concentration camps.
12. How Do You Make Your Dream Of Travel Come True: I tend to eschew a lot of material possessions: expensive shoes, cable, iPads, fancy cars to save for traveling. I also stalk airfarewatchdog and Kayak for flight deals and stay in budget lodging.
If you’re an Imported Chocolate of the moment, or know one, I would love to profile you! Email me at jennifer@imported-chocolate.com
Tags: African American Women of Today Travel, Black Girl Travel, Black Travel, Black Travel Blog, Black Travel Blogs, Black Women Travel, Black Women Traveling, Travel Advice, Traveling With Nautural Hair
Nice to ‘meet’ Monica and hear about her travels.
I agree – we so overpack. I hate coming back and seeing things I never wore or needed.