How do a nomadic Costa Rican-Polish-American and a British-Pakistani raised in Saudi Arabia start a travel company together?

Today, we're going to find out.

We're speaking with Sibu Szymanowska and Hira Aftab, co-founders of The Hybrid Tours, a travel company that uses the power of travel and storytelling to challenge stereotypes and foster connections with activists, refugees, and changemakers worldwide.

Use code GOINGPLACES to receive $100 off any of The Hybrid Tours' upcoming trips.

Reminder:

We are running a 10-day trip to Jordan from June 5-14, 2026. We'll visit the Dead Sea, Petra, Wadi Rum, Amman, and many off-beaten spots in between. We'll meet a renowned artist who designed the country's newest currency, spend time with the Bedouins in the desert, and more.

Go to https://goingplacesmedia.com/jordan for details on early-bird booking, which ends on Jan 4, 2026.

Going Places is an audience-supported platform. You can become a member for as little as $6 a month. Visit us at goingplacesmedia.com to learn more.

Thanks to our Founding Members:

RISE Travel Institute, a nonprofit with a mission to create a more just and equitable world through travel education
Radostina Boseva, a film wedding photographer with an editorial flair based in San Francisco

What you’ll learn in this episode:

Hira and Sibu’s origins in the human rights work
How a trip to the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan started it all
Traveling as a visibly Muslim woman
Meeting survivors of partition in Pakistan
What decolonizing travel really is
Creating travel content with a human rights lens
Sibu's lessons from 5+ years of full-time travel
Traveling overland from the West to North Africa
Hira and Sibu dream of starting the world from scratch

Featured on the show:

Follow The Hybrid Tours on Instagram: @thehybridtours
Check out upcoming trips with The Hybrid Tours
Join The Hybrid Tours newsletter
Watch Sibu's Instagram series on traveling from West to North Africa overland
Check out Hira's Instagram post on misconceptions about Muslim women
Check out Hira's organization, Our World Too, and listen to their podcast
Check out Baraka Destinations
Read about U.S. wheat flooding Jordan's markets
Join me in Jordan next June

Going Places is a reader-supported platform. Get membership perks like a monthly group call with Yulia at goingplacesmedia.com!

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Going Places with Yulia Denisyuk is a show that sparks a better understanding of people and places near and far by fostering a space for real conversations to occur. Each week, we sit down with travelers, journalists, creators, and people living and working in destinations around the world. Hosted by Yulia Denisyuk, an award-winning travel journalist, photographer, and writer who's worked with National Geographic, The New York Times, BBC Travel, and more.

Learn more about our show at goingplacesmedia.com.

Caucasus, Bosnia, and Pakistan with the Women Behind The Hybrid Tours