Who Are We?
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FounderHello Everyone, my name is Akira and I am 26 years old. I graduated with a BA in Communications and minor in Africana Studies. During my time there I joined the national student exchange where I was able to attend the University of the Virgin Islands and Minnesota Twin Cities.
The first time I traveled outside the country was with an organization affiliated with my high school. Arriving in Panama was such an eye opening experience as I discovered, my bubble in Oakland California was exactly that, a bubble. This trip sparked my love and enthusiasm for travel. I began to explore as much as I could with hardly any money, but my passion always made a way. Once I got to college, I started planning trips throughout each year for my friends and I to take. Coordinating these experiences easily became a hobby of mine, along with creating a space for my friends to feel safe leaving the country for the first & many more after that. I believe that everyone, if possible, should get outside of their comfort zones and see how breath-taking and educational this world can be first-hand. Fly Like Us will allow the opportunity of providing other people their first journey outside of what’s familiar, and that is what I am most excited for, to ignite that fire for travel within you!
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FounderHi guys, my name’s Gianna, and I’m a fun loving gal who’s got a passion for travel in her veins, and community in her heart. Growing up I spent many of my formative years traveling with my mom, exploring new cities, tasting new food, and meeting new people. It didn’t take long for me to fully incorporate travel as part of my identity. As I got older, and traveler G gained a little more experience, I started taking trips with my friends. Taking them along with me to places I had previously been, and creating new memories in places I had never been before. With each trip I took, my love for travel blossomed. I soon started to notice that I no longer loved the simple act of traveling or exploring on its own; I found that I grew a deep appreciation for sharing my travel moments with the many people in my life, and being there to see it all come together for them. Watching friends I’ve made, both new and old, light up as they immerse themselves in new cultures, and gain fresh perspectives on the world around them, has been one of the most fulfilling and purposeful experiences I’ve ever known. I am so excited to be taking the next step and branching out to unlock more of the world with many more of you!
Throughout our adventures, we have experienced the difficulty of traveling solo, of being a woman in an unfamiliar place, and the special considerations that can come along with being a person of color when on any trip. We know just how important it is to feel safe and comfortable when in a foreign place. Our mission is to give other people, who want to travel, but are intimidated by these hurdles the opportunity and the space to experience all of the beauty that the world has to offer, without all the worry. Whether you’ve been itching to travel but don’t want to go alone, you’ve never been out the country & wouldn’t know where to start, or you really want to see new bits of the world but worry about your safety, we want to help. Let us help empower you to step out of your comfort zone and have an adventure, safely, all while forming real connections with people and making lifelong friends. We can’t wait for you to fly with us!
“traveling offers A VARIETY OF vantage points that will open many portals within yourself”
— Fly Like Us