Going Places is a new series from TripIt that highlights frequent travelers to showcase their unique travel styles and insider tips.
Every traveler has their own preferences when it comes to taking a trip. Some prefer to travel in a group; others prefer their own company—and the freedom to roam as they please. But when it comes to traveling as a couple, Joy and Hugh Zei—AKA, Afrostylicity—have found a balancing act that works for them.
Whether it’s tackling their ever-growing bucket list or brainstorming ideas for their Instagram, this Dallas, Texas-based duo works together to create content—and memories—on every trip they take.
Partners in life, business, and travel
Before Joy met her husband, Hugh, she took mostly solo trips. She found that she really enjoyed that style of travel over, say, group trips.
“Sometimes group travel can be frustrating because people want to sleep in, or not take advantage of the short amount of time you’re in a destination,” shared Joy. “There can be a lot of competing priorities when it comes to group trips, so I found I preferred the freedom of solo travel.”
But now, Joy favors traveling with Hugh over any other kind of trip.
“We have the same travel style—we both like to plan ahead; wake up early; maximize the experience,” she said.
“When we travel, we’re also creating as much dope content together as possible,” added Hugh. “We plan ahead, but we’re also spontaneous about creating our content—and that’s what makes it so much fun.”
If you hadn’t guessed, Joy and Hugh are travel content creators and bloggers. Their goal is to unearth hidden gems during their travels so they can report back to their fans and followers about the best things to do when visiting a destination. They cover everything from deals on flights, hotels, and activities to reviews of the destinations they’ve visited.
Their top tip for planning a trip? “Let flights lead the way. Find a great flight deal first—everything else comes later.”
Plan, prepare, produce content, repeat
Flights – check! Now what?
“We use TripIt to keep us organized every step of the way. It takes away the overwhelm of planning a trip,” said Joy. “It’s our version of a daily planner. We use it to create trip itineraries and keep track of the places we want to write about for our blog.”
“TripIt takes away the overwhelm. It’s our version of a daily planner.”
When they’re on the go, Joy and Hugh rely on TripIt’s flight and gate change alerts to stay on top of any changes.
“During our trips, we leverage TripIt to plan our days. We can easily view the reservations we’ve already booked and forwarded to the app, and then we fill in the gaps from there,” said Hugh.
After their trips, the duo also uses TripIt to reflect back on where they’ve traveled and what they’ve done so they easily recap their experiences for their followers.
The islands are calling…
From the sounds of it, Joy and Hugh are experts at maximizing their time while traveling. So, what’s one place they recommend everyone should visit?
“Kauai, Hawaii,” said Joy. “It has this natural beauty that feels untouched. It’s a whole different vibe.”
Hugh agreed. “It’s a place we could go to over and over, and still discover something new each time. For anyone who wants to visit Kauai, we encourage you to just get out there and explore. There’s activities for everyone.”
Planning their return trip to Kauai aside, what other destinations are on Joy and Hugh’s radar? Bora Bora, Bali, Ghana, Maldives, Nigeria, Paris, and Turks and Caicos—for starters.
As for what’s next for this travel-loving pair: “We’re headed to San Antonio, Texas! And after that, we’ll let our curiosity about other people, countries, and cultures guide us,” they said.
Want to keep up with Afrostylicity, check out their travel tips, and learn about the hidden gems they’ve unearthed along the way? Follow them on Instagram and their blog for their adventures near, far—and always together.
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