"Travel means connection. Travel means romance, it means adventure, it means intrigue, it means sometimes even a little bit of danger— it means all of the things that make life worth living. For me, travel is just the opportunity for newness.”
Hi fellow travelers,
I’m Sierra Sorrentino, part of the awesome team of interns at Travel With Meaning! I produced Ernest White II’s episode and am so excited for you all to listen to this passionate travel storyteller (and feel as if you are...of his travels as you hear his eloquent, crooner-embodied voice). Ernest is one of the several inspiring guests appearing on this season of TWM™.
He has lived in sixed countries and his favorite destinations include South Africa, São Paulo, and San Francisco. One could say Ernest’s love and intrigue for travel started during childhood as he took up an interest in geography— collecting pamphlets, brochures, and maps from countries throughout the world. His growing travel muscle propelled his curiosity about the world which, in part, led him to sign up for a summer foreign exchange program in Sweden.
Jet-setting aside, Ernest is also a producer, journalist, founder and CEO of Presidio Pictures, and host of television travel docu-series FLY BROTHER with Ernest White II— which is currently airing in the United States on Public Television Stations, Create TV nationwide, and can be streamed on PBS.org and Revry. In fact, the show won a Silver Telly Award and was a finalist for the 2021 Newsweek Future of Travel Award.
This Fly Brother and Jacksonville, Florida native has an undergraduate degree in political science from Florida A&M University and a MFA in creative writing from American University.
His love of literature is apparent in not only his writing, but also when sharing his travel stories. Ernest speaks like an eloquent novel. Passion and love naturally emote from him— something that pulls people (me especially) to his aura.
To say entering and curating success in a predominantly white field, such as the travel industry, is inspiring is an understatement. We rarely see people of color in travel, which excludes several diverse people, cultures, and stories. This gives a misrepresentation of what the real world is and, generally, shows it through a whitewashed point of view. With his blog turned TV show, Ernest created a space where travelers of color could get inspired by seeing someone like themselves have all these fun, dreamy adventures and tell them this could be you someday soon. He reinforces the idea that the world of travel is open to all regardless of your race or economic background. Ernest and his team work to the best of their ability to have Fly Brother highlight and include others who have often been overlooked or ignored from the travel narrative.
Also, as Instagram influencers become increasingly dominant on our feeds and explore pages, so has the notion that we all need to post perfect, flawless pictures that makes others have FOMO of our lives and travels. The focus on real, authentic connections is gradually disappearing. However, with Fly Brother, Ernest is re-introducing to us on how to foster those authentic connections and why we as a society are in need of them now more than ever.
So, you’ve made it this far and haven’t checked out Fly Brother yet? I’m impressed with your restraint, but make sure to catch up on season one before season two— airing in January 2022.
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