Alexa Moore of Lil Ms. Awkward on Building a Travel Career

At Ultimate Break, we strive to learn more about diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. So, we chatted with Alexa Moore, AKA Lil Ms. Awkward. Alexa's a full-time travel content creator, digital storyteller, writer, and overall social media wiz from the DC area. She motivates her 160,000+ social followers—primarily women of color—to travel the world. Her stories and videos have been featured in articles for Buzzfeed, USA Today, Travel Noire, Matador Network, and PureWow. She's also collaborated with world-renowned travel companies and brands such as MSC Cruises, Airbnb, and United Airlines. She’s got the ultimate “cool girl” energy. Read on for her advice on building a travel career.

I think it’s deciding what you want to do as a job that allows you to travel. Nowadays there are so many different paths. Do you want to create inspiring travel content as a travel content creator? Do you want to keep your current job but maybe take it remote and become a digital nomad? Do you want to teach abroad? Narrowing that down first would be my first step so you can game plan for the future.

I actually have a blog post that has an FAQ on how to become a travel creator.

How did you get the courage to start something new? biggest tip would be to focus on what you love about travel first. I think a lot of people go into this field because they think it’s an easy way to make money. While it can be lucrative, it often takes a lot of time to monetize. But it’s effortless to lose sight of your mission, especially as things get busy.

I would also recommend networking across, rather than always networking up. Issa Rae talks about how important this is. We always want to go up, but sometimes, our best resources and connections come from our peers! Get into a community with other creators with similar goals and interests.

Next, I would say work to perfect your craft. Master that editing software. Invest in courses that will allow you to create content more efficiently!

Finally, remind yourself that you deserve to be in this space!

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take - Wayne Gretzky” - Michael Scott

My favorite Office moment is my mantra. I think there’s a lesson in every new experience we have. Whether it be a good or a bad one. Whether it’s “Wow, I’m going to do this again,” or, “nope, not doing it.”

If you don’t try, you’ll never know. Honestly, I got to the point in my life where I realized I would be way more regretful if I had never done it than if I did.

probably wouldn’t have used my Tumblr username as my Instagram handle. While I don’t live with regret, I do think having a more travel-focused name would’ve been a little more lucrative. Plus, I’m no longer very awkward. I would create a consistent (and realistic) posting strategy for my content. I would start pitching brands earlier. Turns out you don’t need thousands of followers to work with brands.

1. Noise-canceling headphones — airports and planes are so noisy, so it’s my way to keep the peace.
2. Travel adapter — not every outlet is the same in every country!
3. Tripod — because being solo isn’t gonna stop me from getting my content!

I want to go to Devil’s Pool in Zambia! It’s where you can hang off the edge of Victoria Falls. I’m afraid of heights and can’t swim well, but I have a dream.

Colombia was one of the best trips I did! Since I’ve been before, I didn’t do a ton of preparation. Here’s what I generally do before any trip:

• Double-check visa and passport requirements (US travelers can find this at travel.state.gov)
• Check the upcoming weather report for the destinations I’m going to
• Let the bank/credit card company know that I’ll be out of the country
• Download offline maps of the areas I’ll be visiting (I use Apple Maps or Google Maps)
• Check the CDC portal and my travel doc for any country-specific medical needs
• Make sure I packed my power adapter/converter
• Ensure I make copies of my important documents like my passport and flight itinerary
  I knew for the Colombia trip we’d be traveling to three cities with very different climates.

I tried my hardest to pack carry-on only (I failed every time) and tried to be intentional in what I was packing. Mosquito spray and sunscreen were the most important items I packed!

Absolutely! I’m gearing up for my second trip with Ultimate Break, to Vietnam. On Ultimate Break trips you have a Tour Director who’s not only there to guide you through the journey but also to ensure your safety throughout the trip. When I was in Colombia, my Tour Director, Gregorio, made sure to do check-ins with all of us. If there was anything we ever needed, he was there.

Ultimate Break also has a 24/7 incident and safety response team if you ever need anything. I also loved that while I was traveling alone, I so quickly made friends who looked out for me on the tour if I ever needed anything!