Women Who Travel Podcast: A Solo Work Trip to Cannes, France
You can listen to our podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify each week. Follow this link if you're listening on Apple News.
In the first installment of our three-part solo travel series, Zakiya Gibbons, host of dating podcast Hang Up, recounts a pretty glamorous work trip to Cannes—and shares how she navigated moments of loneliness, figured out ways to prioritize downtime and actually see the destination, and even managed to squeeze in a date.
Lale Arikoglu: Hi there. I'm Lale Arikoglu, and this is Women Who Travel. Today, we are starting a three-part series about one of our favorite and most talked about topics: solo travel. The series will go beyond the glamor of solo travel and share what it's really like to go it alone. There are funny moments, occasions, connecting with locals, and also loneliness and overcoming fear. To start our series: “How to Survive a Work Trip When You've Gone Without Your Coworkers and You're in a Totally New Environment.”
Zakiya Gibbons: I would go to a panel, and then there'd be an open bar. The setting literally looked like the Love Island villa, so it was so nice. So it wasn't that corporate in the sense that it was buttoned up. It was pretty loose, but it was corporate in the sense that, "Oh, everyone is here to network, to work, to take meetings on the beach while they're holding a coconut."
LA: In June, Zakiya Gibbons found herself in the south of France at a prestige event called Cannes Lions, which describes itself as a festival of creativity. So-called movers and shakers in the entertainment industry all gather there to network and discuss new trends. When Zakiya arrived, it was quickly clear this wasn't a conventional conference setting.
ZG: The sparkling blue water, hot, and I see these kind of mini villas, after villa after villa, side by side by side by side. And I'm walking, and there's signs saying like, "Reddit, Amazon." All the big tech companies have essentially built, literally constructed, villas on the sand in a matter of a week.
LA: Zakiya is a dynamic host, storyteller, and the co-founder of an organization that champions racial equity in audio. She went to Cannes to represent her upcoming podcast, yet to be announced, but she also currently hosts another podcast.
I want to know a little bit about your podcast that you host. It's all about dating. It's not so much about travel, but the two things do overlap sometimes.
ZG: Yes.
LA: Who are you talking to? What's it about?
ZG: So my show is called Hang Up. It's a reality dating show in podcast form. It's kind of like Love Is Blind meets The Bachelor, but very queer and chaotic. So-
LA: So superior to both.
ZG: Exactly. Thank you. You get it.
LA: It's clicked. No follow-ups.
ZG: Yeah. So pretty much there's one star and they date six different callers, and they go on themed dates every episode, and a caller is eliminated until there's two final callers remaining. And that's when the tables are turned because the winning caller can choose an all-expenses-paid vacation with the star or take a cash prize. So there is a travel element.
LA: There is. But they can't take the vacation alone, they have to take the vacation with the person.
ZG: Yes. Yes. They got to seal the deal with the vacay.
LA: How many people take the vacation?
ZG: Spoiler alert. For people who don't like spoilers, cover your ears for this part. Okay. We have two seasons out. The vacation was chosen both times.
LA: Incredible.
ZG: Yes.
LA: Oh, I love this.
ZG: But that's not to say that other people in the running were going to choose it. Other people wanted to choose the money. So...
LA: Maybe the right person won.
ZG: Yeah. Exactly. Yes.
LA: You just got back from a kind of amazing work trip.
ZG: I always feel blessed whenever a trip is paid for. I will not complain, but up until this trip, the most fabulous place I'd gone to for work was North Carolina. And no shade. I'm from Georgia, so I love it. But to be flown out to Cannes, Cannes. Okay. I have to say, I have French friends, and I was like, "Y'all, how do I say Cannes? They're like, "Say it like Cannes." So I went there saying Cannes, and they're like, "Girl, say Cannes."
LA: Well, that's the thing. I'm like, as a British person rocking up into France and being like, "Cannes," they're just going to tell me to sort off. I mean, I was in Paris earlier this year and was trying my best to order in a restaurant with my friend who speaks very good French, and the server asked me what I would like, and I responded with a question. And then he basically ridiculed me and tormented me for the rest of the meal. At one point, wouldn't give me my wine.
ZG: No. Okay. You've also had your wine held hostage. That happened to me. Is that a French thing?
LA: I don't know, but we're going to have to get into that.
ZG: Yeah. We will.
LA: But before we get there, I do want to know what sort of traveler are you? I mean, you've done a little bit of work, travel. I assume you've done some personal, but what do you like traveling and what do you like traveling alone?
ZG: Usually, every year I go on one big trip with a couple friends. We're the travel crew, so we've gone to Alaska to chase the Northern Lights. We've gone to Cambodia. But going on this work trip to Cannes made me realize, "Oh, I haven't solo traveled since I studied abroad in 2012, and I hadn't been to Europe since I studied abroad in 2012."
LA: Study abroad is solo travel, but totally different experience.
ZG: It's so different.
LA: Totally different place in your life. Maturity level, finances, everything and different from going there for work. What expectations did you go in with for this trip?
ZG: So usually, the kind of traveler I am, I'm not a very type A person. I say I'm a type A minus, where I like to plan. I like to do my research. I'm a producer. So usually, my friends and I, we'll have a Google Doc of links, research, a loose itinerary because we're not all the way type A, but this time since I was like, "Okay, I'm going to go there for work. They're going to tell me where I need to be," so I just raw dogged it, which I'm... Am I allowed to say that?
LA: Well, given that there's an entire travel trend of men raw dogging on airplanes.
ZG: Oh, I forgot that they are using that word for that. Okay. That is not what I meant. Oh, I had my headphones in. I had my books. No-
LA: I was going to say, also for people listening who don't know what this is. It's this sort of... I don't know. I was going to say generation of men. I don't even know what to call it, group, community, who claim they're raw dogging their flights by not drinking water, not reading-
ZG: What?
LA: ... watching TV. I don't think they go to the loo.
ZG: Wait. Wait, that's what they're... Men are not okay. Why?
LA: One of them tried to describe it as this form of meditation, and I was like, "They're unwell."
ZG: Okay. No. Okay. I want to make it abundantly clear. I am not doing the man version of raw dogging. No. I had all the accouterments, but no, with me, my version of raw dogging is that I went in with no plan, no expectations, because I feel like I was just in a tizzy in my New York life and I was like, "Oh, my flight is tomorrow." And I just jumped in and was expecting to be busy with work things and not really have anything else to do. But it turned out my schedule was pretty loosey-goosey. So I had all this free time, but I didn't go in having done research, so I was just very in the moment. Honestly, just wandering on gummies.
LA: We'll get more into that. Let's get to the travel. How do you actually get to Cannes? Do you go via Paris, or how did you get there?
ZG: Usually, JFK doesn't have a straight flight to Nice, but I think to accommodate all the Cannes Lions folks, a day before the conference starts, there is a direct flight to Nice. So I took that, and then it's like a 35-minute car ride, and they put me up in this hotel, five-minute walk away from the beach.
LA: What was the car ride like? I mean, I feel like oftentimes on trips, big or small, it's not until I'm actually on some mode of transportation that I'm like, "Oh, it's happening." I've traveled across some sort of border or body of water or something, and I'm like, "Oh, I'm here. I'm doing it."
ZG: Yes. I know what you mean.
LA: What were you thinking?
ZG: I feel like it's always so hard to find the Uber after you get out of the plane. So I feel like once I got in the car and looked out the window, that's when it clicked. I'm passing all these luxury stores. I'm in the south of France.
LA: I mean, it sounds like you just kind of had to hit the ground running, but how did you ease the transition in from your flight, which is a long flight, into working and also exploring? Do you have a ritual? I mean, you travel so much anyway.
ZG: Yeah. I guess my ritual that grounded me was, I was so excited that I wanted to just hit the ground running, but my body was like, "Girl, you need to rest a little bit." So I watched some Netflix. I watched Perfect Match because I love reality dating shows.
LA: That is not basic. I got to my hotel on a trip. I was on a reporting trip to Kosovo a few weeks ago, got to my hotel, and the first thing I did was watch the Kardashians on my laptop because I got into my hotel room and it was really quiet and I wanted the company of some voices.
ZG: Okay. Literally exactly that. And at least for me, there's nothing more grounding than a reality show because that's what I do at home. When I [inaudible 00:09:16]... I'm just like, I'm putting on my comfort shows. So I just put that on in the background.
LA: You're like, "Now I just have the sound of all my old friends."
ZG: Exactly. So yeah, that's what I did.
LA: But you were there for work and for a reason-
ZG: I was.
LA: ... which was for Cannes or Cannes Lions. Lions? Now I'm questioning everything.
ZG: Cannes Lions. No. I think everyone just says Cannes Lions.
LA: Yeah. I'm like, "Let me just butcher this, Cannes Lions."
ZG: I am hosting a show for this big company, tech, media, and they have a big presence at Cannes Lions. And so, like I said, I'm hosting one of their podcasts. They wanted me to do a few interviews on the ground, and they did a great job of letting me know what was up and what to expect. But it was just my own lack of experience being in such a corporate space, a workspace with so much money. I come from public radio, so humble beginnings, nonprofits. And so when I got there, I was like, "Oh, now I know what you all mean by this is like a big international conference/party/award show."
LA: So it's like a corporate conference on the beach.
ZG: Okay. For me, as a chaotic media girly in New York, it felt corporate, but honestly, I was a little stressed, and then I'd be like, "Zakiya, this is a free trip. You're in the south of France, literally, why are you stressed out?" But it was like, "How do I act? How do I show up in this space?" I didn't know how to be.
LA: Well, then you are also like, "I need to be professional, but I also need to fit in in some sense with what everyone else is doing."
ZG: This was my first Cannes Lions, and I'm a contractor with this company that I was there with. So I also had the extra layer of feeling like the new girl at school who transferred in the middle of the school year.
LA: I mean, that's like a particularly intense scenario, but that's such a part of solo travel, which is rocking up in these spaces or rooms or bars or restaurants and just having to be comfortable with yourself and either not talking to anyone and being okay with that, or really putting yourself out there.
ZG: Yes, yes. No, I definitely felt that. I feel like I'm a pretty extroverted, mixy person. I like meeting people, but Capital N Networking stresses me out. So I felt myself becoming more of a recluse, being a little bit more shy, running out of my social battery quicker.
LA: Did you find any go-to ways to maintain a sense of authenticity in yourself when you were in work mode?
ZG: Like a lot of other younger Black women in the space, in general, when you're in predominantly white spaces and corporate spaces, we tend to find each other and see comfort from each other, friendship, dressing the part helped put me at ease because it gave me confidence, and people were coming up and being like, "Oh my God, where'd you get that dress?" And then I'd be like, "Oh my God, where did you get your dress?" And then we're just talking about clothes.
I borrowed clothes from my really stylish friends, and I feel like just dressing like that bitch made me feel, not only like me but me times five. It just made me feel really powerful and confident, and it was conversation starters.
LA: Which is the best entry point into any conversation.
ZG: Yeah. Exactly.
LA: And also when you feel good about yourself, that radiates off you.
ZG: Yes.
LA: When it comes to having downtime by the water at a conference that's basically on or close to the beach, can you feel comfortable rocking a bikini in front of delegates? Where can you go to enjoy this stunning coast in private? Stay with us after the break.
ZG: Like I said, Cannes Lions was right on the beach, so I was thinking, "Obviously, I'm going to go to the beach." But I don't want to be in my bikini amongst all of these semi-coworkers who I might be in a panel-
LA: Isn't that a weird work trip thing?
ZG: It's so strange.
LA: Why are we suddenly even in our underwear in front of each other?
ZG: Exactly. And I'm like, "I do not want to do that." And so it was really helpful that I ended up going to some other restaurant and my waiter's a local, and so I always talk to the waiters and the bartenders, chat them up, friendly, and I ask like, "Where do you like to hang out? Where is your favorite beach?" And so luckily he gave me the pro tip of the non-touristy beach where I could walk 30 minutes away, where I could be half naked in peace and not worry about seeing coworkers with my boobs and ass hanging out.
LA: And be in France and be among French people.
ZG: Yes. Exactly. Yeah. So hanging where the local thing.
LA: Tell me about the solo time that you were choosing and that you felt good in because you did a decent amount of exploring outside of your work obligations.
ZG: I did.
LA: Did you have any places or things that you had, whether it was on a spreadsheet, or it sounds like maybe just mentally bookmarked that you really wanted to do?
ZG: Yeah. So usually I would have a whole Google Doc. I had no Google Doc, so I was just on the fly, just... I mean, you'd know the answer. I was googling Vogue, travel, Cannes, Antibes, Lonely Planet, da, da, da, da, and screenshotting things. But I feel like I got the best recs from when I left the conference space and hit the actual streets and would just chat it up with people. I usually go in with research, but also I like to talk to locals, go to a bar, and be like, "What do you do for fun? Where do you like to hang out?" It's also my entryway into flirting. So there was this really cute girl. She looked cool, and so I was just like, "Where do you like to hang out?" Actually, let me rewind because this was the first day where I was like, "I am going to leave the ground. I'm going to go explore."
LA: I feel like in those circumstances, it feels like you've escaped, you've climbed over the walls.
ZG: Yes. That is what it felt like. I was just like, "Oh my God, me escaping." I remember I was playing Blood Orange in my apartment. I was just feeling vibey and dreamy. Popped a couple gummies. I was like, "I'm going to go explore."
LA: I'm in France.
ZG: Yeah. I'm in France. Because actually, right before then, I was hangry, and one thing I realized is that it's so hard to find food. I'm used to New York. You can find food at any time of day, but there was just certain windows. If you miss the food window, you're starving. So I was really-
LA: Yeah. Everyone in France, and if it's hot weather, they need naps, and so things just closed.
ZG: Yeah. I was just like, "But it's 4:00 and I'm hungry now." So I ended up finding food. I found some other Americans from Cannes Lions that had left the grounds, and they were really cool. They were giving me the lowdown on the conference and just Cannes and Antibes. And so they were just spitting all these recommendations, like really beautiful, bougie, and they're like, "Oh, you got to go to this hotel, go to the rooftop at sunset, get a drink. Go to this pool." And so I'm just taking all these notes, and I think just meeting someone that I genuinely vibed with, another person of color. His vibes, he was just this Latinx dude from LA.
I remember I finished my burger, paid the bill, plugged in to Google Maps all his recommendations, and I just got a car and I went to Antibes.
LA: Navigating the hours after work when you're on your own can be tough, if not brutal, at times. But after this short break, Zakiya's tips on how to cope.
ZG: I just kept getting thwarted. It's a hard word to say. Thwarted.
LA: Thwarted at Cannes Lions.
ZG: Yeah. It is a mouthful. I just kept trying to go to these nice places. I kept getting turned away, and part of me was like, "Maybe this was different cultural cousins." I'm used to New York, where I've never really been turned away unless a place is at capacity, which is like, "What can you do?" But I don't know, it felt like there was an undercurrent of... I was just like, "Is this racist?" Because I was assured like, "Oh, you can definitely get a seat at the bar." And then I show up, they look me up and down, and they just refuse me entry. But I'm like, "Okay, well, maybe there's just some other cultural things I'm not aware of. Maybe walk-in culture isn't a thing," but the more and more it kept happening, the more and more you can't help but to be like, "Is this racial?" or, "Is this French snootiness?" or, "Is this a mix of both?"
LA: And regardless of cultural differences, a restaurant is a restaurant. Wherever you go in the world, ultimately you walk in to get seated, and they expect you to. So if that's happening, you can't help but start to question it.
ZG: Exactly. Exactly. I just kept getting turned away, and then that was weighing on my spirit in a way that was honestly sad, especially being by myself. It felt even lonelier. So it was strange being lonely on a free trip in such a gorgeous place.
I kept getting thwarted to the point where... And then it started to wear on me like, "Oh, this is what happens when you don't have a plan." But then, me trying to be mindful in the moment, I was just like, "But go with the flow."
LA: Which is you're putting so much pressure on yourself.
ZG: Exactly. Which is my MO, which is why I was like, "This is an opportunity for me to break these patterns and lean into the moment of being on a free trip in the freaking south of France." Like, "No matter what, I'll have a good time."
So I stumbled upon this bar on the beach and I went, and there was a cute bartender. Well, he was fine, but... So I was there by myself, and I like to go to bars by myself.
LA: Hey, you know what? When you're in the mood, he was fine is more than enough.
ZG: Exactly. I was like, "Ding, ding, ding. This is how I'm going to spend my evening." And so we're flirting, and then they're like, "Oh, there's going to be live music." This band comes. Tell me why they're playing Bruno Mars covers. And I was just like, "This is not the south of France experience I was thinking."
LA: Also, the fact that you used plural for covers. I'm like, "I can tell you one song."
ZG: Oh my God. It was honestly insufferable, and I do not like being serenaded, but they literally picked up their instruments, their drums, their guitar, plunked right next to me, and they're like, "This one's for you."
LA: So then they're like, "There's a woman traveling alone."
ZG: Yes. And I was just like, "Can't a woman just travel alone in peace?" It was a nice gesture, but I was feeling so cringey. The gummies were hitting. I didn't know where to look. And the bartender I was flirting with, he was teasing me after. He was like, "You looked so uncomfortable."
LA: I was eating alone in a restaurant in Jamaica on a work trip. Very content. I had my book. I was having a lovely time. No one needed to bother me. And this older American man shouts across the restaurant to me just, "You alone?"
ZG: No.
LA: "Why are you alone?"
ZG: Why are you alone? Shouting?
LA: Shouting. And I was like-
ZG: Ew.
LA: ... "I'm fine. You're not."
ZG: Exactly. Don't project your insecurities onto me and make your aloneness my problem. I hate that.
LA: It was awful, but honestly, being serenaded by a full band sounds worse.
ZG: Yeah.
LA: What are your tips and takeaways from doing a solo work trip that now you've done this one that you'd share with other people?
ZG: Yes. So yeah, my tip would be know your itinerary, because I literally was just like, "Oh..." I didn't realize how much free time I would have. And so if I could do it again, I try to be a no regrets person, but if I'm just being honest, I think I would've done a little bit more research because then I would've known to book some of these fancy places ahead of time so that I could be like, "I have a reservation, bitch." I feel like be flirty. I just like to flirt, and I feel like flirting is a spectrum. There's platonic flirting, meaning you're just open, you're asking questions, you're curious, and then I don't know. I'm not a little romantic, wink-wink flirt. Me and the bartender ended up... Oh, yeah, getting just in the day.
LA: I mean, I was just going to say... I haven't asked a follow-up. Where did you guys end up?
ZG: Okay. So the band left me alone, and I was honestly a little shaken. I was like, "I'm too high for this." And then I was like, "This is my cue to leave. I've been here for a few hours." And so I started to leave, and the bartender was like, "Oh, you're leaving?" And I said, "Yes." And then it's like, "Well, can I get your number? Blah, blah, blah." Oh, yeah, that's another tip. Always have WhatsApp.
LA: That's a great tip. Yeah.
ZG: Yes. And so we exchanged numbers, and I had a few glasses of wine, and I was like, "Fuck it. Yeah, let's meet up for a drink." And then, yeah, no, we had a lovely conversation.
LA: And we'll leave it there.
ZG: We will leave it there.
LA: If listeners want to listen to you talk to other people about their dating escapades, where can they find Hang Up and where can they find you on the internet?
ZG: So you can find me, Zakiya, on Instagram, @zak_sauce, Z-A-K underscore sauce. You can find Hang Up, the show that I host on all the socials, @hangupshow. You can find Hang Up wherever you get your podcasts. That's two words, Hang Up.
LA: Zakiya, this was such a joy. Thank you for taking me along for the ride in Cannes or Cannes, however we want to say it. And I want to get you back on to talk about group trips because it sounds like you would have plenty of learnings and insights.
ZG: Oh my gosh, I would love that. I have been on some harrowing adventures that I would love to talk to you about, but thank you so much for having me. This was so fun.
LA: Next week, another solo adventure when we travel to seven South American countries in six months, including a trip along the Amazon. Thank you for listening to Women Who Travel. I'm Lale Arikoglu, and you can find me on Instagram, @lalehannah. Our engineers are Jake Lummus and Vince Fairchild. The show is mixed by Amar Lal at Macro Sound. Jude Kampner from Corporation for Independent Media is our producer with help from Michele O'Brien. Stephanie Kariuki is our executive producer. Chris Bannon is Condé Nast's head of global audio.
Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler
The Latest Travel News and Advice
Want to be the first to know? Sign up to our newsletters for travel inspiration and tips
These Are the World's Most Powerful Passports in 2024
The Oldest Country in the World Is This Microstate Tucked Inside Italy
This Rural Region in Spain is Paying Remote Workers $16,000 To Move There
