Never Host a Trip Somewhere You've Never Been

Tiffany Heard's first passport stamp was Ghana. Six weeks of study abroad, and she cried because she had to come home. She found out about the trip by eavesdropping on a conversation in a computer lab, which she will tell you is the whole reason she's here. Five years later she runs Hues of Africa, a company built around coloring and activity books and culture immersion trips. She's published Hues of Africa and Hues of HBCUs, has a third book on the way called Hues of Love, and has taken close to 100 travelers to Ghana, Tanzania and Thailand. This conversation covers how she makes history fun enough to hold a 22 second attention span, what it feels like to get a naming ceremony in a village with elders standing around you, why she takes every group to the slave castle even when some of them say they don't want to go, and the advice she gives anyone thinking about hosting trips: never host a trip somewhere you've never been. She's also funny about the realities of it. The woman who wanted to leave a bad review for a slow restaurant in Ghana. The KFC runs. The cooking class nobody wanted to go to and everybody loved. And the honest arc of her business, which went from four travelers to one traveler to nineteen, and would have ended if she'd quit after the round that lost money. IN THIS EPISODE 0:00 Intro 1:38 Welcome 2:13 Why coloring books were the entry point 3:41 What was missing in how Africa gets represented 4:53 Her first trip to Ghana, and crying on the way home 5:59 How she found out about the trip by being nosy 7:15 The Target conversation that became a business 8:00 Naming ceremonies, the slave castle, and coming home 11:51 Can you go to Ghana just to party? 13:29 The three books, including Hues of Love 15:08 What she's learned about herself as a host 17:00 A review in Ghana don't mean nothing 18:14 Can you come solo? 19:59 The misconception about what a group trip costs 21:28 Her proudest moments, including the pitch competitions 25:19 Advice if you want to host trips 27:32 Designing the whole experience, from book to trip 30:32 Upcoming trips and where to find her 32:18 Running the whole thing by herself 33:57 What she wishes people understood about business 36:00 Four travelers, then one, then nineteen 39:19 Why every single activity is intentional 42:40 Picky eaters, vegans, and whether kids can come CONNECT WITH TIFFANY AND HUES OF AFRICA Website: huesofafrica.com Instagram: @hues_of_africa Travel page: Sweet Tiffies Her podcast: International Interludes, Love and Dating Abroad Books: Hues of Africa, Hues of HBCUs, and Hues of Love, out now with conversation cards Upcoming trips: Tanzania at the end of October, Thailand on November 9, and Ghana December 28 through January 5 SPONSOR This series is supported by Off the Grid, a podcast for small business owners who want to leave social media without losing their clients. Find them at offthegrid.fun ABOUT THE SERIES This episode is part of 31 Days of Black Business, a noseyAF series released daily throughout August 2026 featuring 31 Black business owners. Find the full series at noseyaf.com ABOUT NOSEYAF noseyAF is a podcast about art, activism and social change, hosted by Chicago artist and filmmaker Stephanie Graham. Newsletter: noseyaf.com/newsletter Instagram: @stephaniegraham Email: stephanie@missgraham.com Support the show: buymeacoffee.com/stephaniegraham Produced, hosted and edited by Stephanie Graham Lyrics: Queen Lex | Instrumental: Freddie Bam Fam | Cover Art: Emma McGoldrick #Ghana #Travel #BlackTravel #Tanzania #SmallBusiness 🌐 More of my work: www.missgraham.com 📬 Get on the list—studio updates, no fluff: www.missgraham.com/newsletter 📸 Daily visuals + behind-the-scenes: instagram.com/stephaniegraham 🎧 noseyAF—conversations with people doing things differently: www.noseyAF.com