“I only feel like I’ve arrived when I’ve had a meaningful exchange with someone.”
Joanna “Jo” Franco is a full-time traveler and co-founder of the travel company Shut Up and Go. She began as a YouTube personality and blogger which gathered an international following of people inspired by her and her co-founder to travel. Through Shut Up and Go, she highlights the adventures and stories of people across the world. She also supports body positivity, equality and diversity across her platforms. Franco continues to share her traveling adventures and advice as a woman of color through her company and social media.
Nationality: Brazilian-American
Industry: Entertainment Media & Travel
Q: For those who want that lifestyle of travel, but don’t know how to get started (or think it’s still a privileged way of living) how can this new website help them? – Forbes
A: “Our website [shutandgo.travel] only houses articles from writers who leave their comfort zones and shut up and go. The key thing to know though is that while there has always been a “luxurious” allure with travel, in addition to the good ol’ fun parts of adventuring the globe, our writers also talk about the relatable and not so sexy parts of travel: how to shut up and go with limited budgets, and social anxiety. In fact, 95% of our staff is under 23 years old, and are studying abroad or living abroad at the moment. If they’re not fully living abroad, they’re still making time to travel within their own countries because it’s a spirit that doesn’t require a plane ticket. It’s their stories and guides that highlight their struggles, the visa process, and the budgeting strategy that will ultimately help readers beyond just the aspirational aspect. In addition to the written and social media content (we also post stories on our Instagram daily that offer help, information, or entertainment), we have relationships with language schools, accommodation sites, and flight booking search engine, Skyscanner, to offer cheap flight deals. We’re showing them resources they didn’t know existed in the midst of globally-minded content they’ve never seen before.”
