The host of the critically acclaimed podcast, Ratchet & Respectable, Demetria L. Lucas is an American award-winning author, journalist, and media personality whose platform, #seesomeworld, is bringing people together through travel.
HOW DID YOUR MEDIA JOURNEY BEGIN?
I always wanted to be a writer of some sort. I majored in English at university and intended on being an author. However, I took a journalism class in my final year and decided to pursue magazine writing first. Once I landed my first internship at VIBE magazine and saw my name in print, there was no turning back.
YOUR PODCAST RECENTLY CELEBRATED ITS 500TH EPISODE. TELL US ABOUT IT…
I felt there was a void in content for audiences who look like me, are around my age, and have similar educational backgrounds. If I felt it, I figured other people did too, so I created the content I wanted to engage with. I like to think of my podcast as everything women talk about in our group chats: relationships and marriage, politics, books, pop culture, TV and film, and concerts. I often pull topics from my actual group chats to discuss.
WHAT MADE YOU TO START DIVIDING YOUR TIME BETWEEN THE US, GHANA, AND SOUTH AFRICA?
I moved to LA in 2019, and I just didn’t love it. In fairness, I moved less than a year before Covid and had just settled in when the city shut down. But then I was contemplating ‘where next’? I’d been to Accra, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Nairobi, and Morocco, and always had a great time. I had friends in Accra and Johannesburg, so I gave up my apartment in LA and moved to Accra for six months. I used it as a launch pad to explore other African countries. After that, I moved to Johannesburg as much for the city’s vibes as for conveniently exploring Southern Africa.
TELL US ABOUT #SEESOMEWORLD…
In 2012, I was somewhere outside Cape Town, standing on a boulder that jutted far out into the ocean. The guy I was travelling with snapped a photo of me, and I posted it on Instagram with the hashtag #seesomeworld. I started using it for all my travel adventures, which were pretty frequent, and it caught on.
In 2022, I moved to Ghana and had been documenting my travels extensively online. People saw and wanted those experiences too. I began hosting #seesomeworld trips to Accra to introduce my audience to my happy place. My business partner (and bestie) and I recently expanded the trips to Cape Town. We’re adding another African city in 2026.
WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT FROM YOUR #SEESOMEWORLD TRIPS?
A good time! My goal is for our travellers to experience the fun things I share online. We go to historic sites and take in the culture, but we mostly brunch, lunch, and dine in scenic places, gallivant on boats and yachts, and enjoy the most beautiful places – and spas – a city has to offer. We have a dedicated team to capture all the amazing memories – good angles only!
YOUR CAREER HIGHLIGHTS?
Creating 500 episodes of my podcast. My blog, A Belle in Brooklyn, being turned into a book. My second book, Don’t Waste Your Pretty, becoming a movie. Quitting my day job in 2011. It was the scariest thing I’d done at the time, but without taking that risk, I wouldn’t have the career or life I have now.
YOUR TOP FIVE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS AND WHY?
Isla Holbox, Mexico: It’s a sleepy beach town with no cars and clear, calm water. Amazing food. Strong tequila.
Lamu, Kenya: It’s old world meets new. Sprawling luxurious villas and transportation by boat, foot, or mule.
Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya: Chasing lions and leopards with a big camera lens is a civilised way of ‘hunting’. And the pictures are amazing.
Bahia, Brazil: Black women are celebrated there like no other place I’ve been. It’s like living in the pages of True Love or Essence magazine.
Paris, France: I lived there for a while. Paris is unrivalled in museums, fashion, and all-around glamour. I felt like I was living in a movie.
WHAT IS LUXURY TO YOU?
Having options, the ability to chase your dreams, not having to settle, and feeling safe.
YOUR TOP FOOD SPOTS IN CAPE TOWN
Brunch: The weekend food vendors at Old Biscuit Mill – I love a lobster taco. Sonny & Irene’s.
Lunch: Lobster & Burger – the best fried lobster sandwich on earth. Plus, truffle fries. Marble for the pistachio risotto.
Dinner: The Nines and Wilde Vy Bistro.
TRAVELLING IS…
When I feel most alive.
