By Reynaldo Mena
Stefany Hernandez set out to do two things after a trip to Greece: to create content that would help others to travel and find useful information for PlusSize individuals, which was non-existent.
“I love to travel. My husband and I have been doing it for 8 years. It’s something we’re passionate about. But we noticed in our first few years that there was no information for Latinx or PlusSize people,” says Hernandez, as she is known on social media, in an interview with Parriva.
She was born in San Francisco to Salvadoran parents. She has always tried to maintain that part of her culture, even though she has visited some of the most exclusive travel destinations in the world. Her popularity is increasing, and she is currently involved in several projects to consolidate her plans.
“I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to do. Before the pandemic, I couldn’t do it, but being on pause due to Covid gave me the time to organize the content I had produced and start designing my social media and my blog,” says Hernandez.
Stefany has her Instagram and TikTok page called Wandering Stefany. She is also the COO of LatinxTravelClub, which empowers the Latinx generation to travel the world and make known the opportunities they have.
“When I started traveling, I realized that we are not represented. You see brochures of resorts and don’t feel identified with them. Photos of white, very thin people, have nothing to do with us. But when we go to those places, we realize that the majority of the people who attend those exclusive sites are people like us, not like those in the brochures,” adds the influencer.
On that trip to Greece, and specifically to the island of Santorini, she found out that 67 percent of tourists were similar to them, but there was not enough information. “They don’t know where to buy certain things. Some tours are not designed for PlusSize people,” says Stefany.
After starting to publish her experience and advice, people began to look for her. They needed more information than the companies provided. Stefany and her husband have become expert travelers. They do it at least once a month, either within the country or abroad. This project has taken her to visit 23 countries, get to know them thoroughly, and learn from them.
“Traveling is very important. We nourish our culture. We learn how people live. It’s important to understand things about politics, family, culture. It brings us awareness of the world we live in. We see how we are all connected, and also, you get to know some wonderful places that you had no idea existed,” elaborates Stefany.
She shares her time as an influencer with her work as a social worker in Contra Costa County. There, she is responsible for carrying out investigations into abused or disabled adults.
Stefany Hernandez thinks that this job led her to her passion, which is traveling.
“My job as a social worker is very emotional. I experience things that impact me. It’s only logical that I needed a balance; I felt like I had to do something to be happy,” she says.
Hernandez dismisses the lack of resources as a reason for not traveling. She says that good planning is all that is needed.
“If you plan, you can gather enough money to do it. For example, I only use credit cards that give me points for airlines, so I get free flights or large discounts. Also, if you buy a cup of coffee a day, save that money, and you’ll see that you can find the resources to take a trip. There are hundreds of things you can do,” advises the influencer. “We have to change small things to make it happen.”
Another important part is planning. She spends a lot of time researching the price of airlines on certain dates and days. She checks the price of hotels, the days she wants to travel, and then disciplines herself to that plan.
“It’s very important not to use credit cards just because. We have to do it when we have the money to pay them off. It’s hard for us Latinos. We think we have credit cards only to get into debt, but that won’t help us travel,” she concludes.
Stefany Hernandez: “Traveling is very important for mental health.”
CONTACT:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wanderingstefany/
COO @latinxtravelclub
hello@wanderingstefany.com
hoo.be/wanderingstefany”
