“Is that safe?”
If you’ve ever told someone you’re traveling alone, you’ve heard it. Usually from your mom. Sometimes from a TikTok stranger. Occasionally from that voice in your own head at 2 am.
So I brought in the expert. Dr. Pauline Hoffmann is an infodemiologist (translation: she fights misinformation for a living), a St. Bonaventure professor, author of Fake News, Witch Hunts & Conspiracy Theories, and owner of The Beekeeper’s Bookshop. She’s also a master scuba diver who swims with sharks for fun and has traveled the world, including many trips to Uganda.
Fun fact: Pauline was my grad school professor back in 2010. Sixteen years later, I finally got her on the mic, and she did not disappoint.
We talk about how to tell real risk from a scary headline, why she doesn’t tell her mom about the shark dives until she’s home safe, how a $37 raffle win turned into a real bookstore, and why the best travel prep might be a novel.
In this episode:
What’s really going on when a friend’s warning makes you want to cancel your trip
How Pauline vets a TikTok warning, a news story, or an AI answer (spoiler: double-check the AI, too)
Her first shark dive, a hammerhead so close she said “we’re dating,” and why she treats wildlife like she’s a guest in their house
How Uganda “found her,” why it was nothing as she expected, and her Ugandan clan name (the water buffalo, fiercely loyal and not to be messed with, basically a Leo)
Conflict resolution on the road: “Give him what he wants, he’s driving the bus”
The “what the hell have I just done?” moment that comes before every big leap, and why it only gets three minutes
Why she reads fiction and journalism by local writers before every trip
How to avoid looking like a target (hint: put the map away)
Is there anti-American sentiment abroad? Our honest take
Off-season travel and Pauline’s dream dive destinations
Episode chapters:
00:00 Sixteen years of friendship, from professor to podcast guest
03:01 “Is that safe?” and the psychology of travel fear
06:18 How to vet TikTok warnings, headlines, and AI answers
08:40 Diving with sharks and what Jaws got wrong
14:39 Uganda, the water buffalo clan, and banana-leaf soccer balls
25:08 Keeping your cool when things go sideways abroad
31:28 The $37 raffle that launched The Beekeeper’s Bookshop
36:30 Solo travel guilt and the beauty of a do-nothing day
38:18 What to read before your next trip
40:45 Ditch the map and blend in
43:44 Anti-American and anti-tourist sentiment
48:22 The off-season travel hack
49:14 Pauline’s dream destination
Connect with Pauline:
Website: datadoyenne.com
The Beekeeper’s Bookshop: thebeekeepersbookshop.com
Substack: @datadoyenne
YouTube: @datadoyenne
Instagram: @pwhoffmann
Facebook: pwhoffmann
Follow Megan / Belong to Where You Are
Solo Travel Sisterhood (free community)
Substack: belongtowhereyouare.com
TikTok: @belongtowhereyouare
Instagram: @belongtowhereyouare_
