389: Culture-First Travel: Marissa Strang on Egypt, Cuba and Centering Women’s Stories in India

About this episode

Marissa Strang discusses her immersive travel experiences and their impact on culture-first travel and community-led tourism.

Hear how immersive travel experiences challenged stereotypes and deepened Marissa’s commitment to community-led tourism. ============================ Get the Monday Minute my weekly email with 3 personal recs for travel, culture, and living beyond borders you can read in 60 seconds. ============================ ON THIS EPISODE Travel creator Marissa Strang shares how immersive travel experiences across Cuba, Egypt, Jordan, Iceland and India shaped her approach to culture-first travel and community-led tourism. She reflects on studying Afro-Latin dance in Cuba, taking her first solo trip through Iceland, honeymooning in Egypt, and experiencing Jordanian hospitality while challenging common Western stereotypes about the Middle East. Marissa also discusses visiting women-led businesses in India, learning about tourism as a tool for economic empowerment, and using travel storytelling to highlight local communities and underrepresented perspectives. This episode explores cross-cultural travel, women-led tourism, identity, hospitality, and the impact of intentional travel experiences on the way we understand the world. → Full show notes with direct links to everything discussed are…

People in this episode

Host: Matt Bowles

Guest: Marissa Strang

Topics covered

• culture-first travel
• community-led tourism
• women-led businesses
• cross-cultural travel
• intentional travel experiences

Keywords

• immersive travel
• community-led tourism
• women's stories
• economic empowerment
• travel storytelling

Mentioned in this episode

Places: Cuba, Egypt, Jordan, Iceland, India

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