Miss USA 2016 Deshauna Barber-Echols doesn’t let the intensity of her migraines or powerful career moves slow down her worldwide jet-setting. Now a motivational speaker and host of the Sour Loss Sweet Lessons podcast, the army veteran and former beauty queen chatted with Travel Noire about her favorite destinations, travel essentials, and her epic recent honeymoon. In honor of June being Migraine Awareness Month, Barber also shared insight on how she deals with them while taking the world by storm.
Barber detailed that she’s been dealing with migraines for “well over a decade now,” but only received a diagnosis regarding the condition a few years ago.
Overall, the former beauty queen highlighted three major things that can be helpful while traveling with migraines: be prepared, know your triggers, and listen to your body.
She noted that as someone who suffers migraine attacks, there are times when you “cannot control the elements” or what might trigger you. Despite that, knowing sensitivities to a lack of light, sound, water, food, and sleep can trigger her attacks has helped her navigate traveling for her various roles.
A Ubrelvy patient and advocate, Barber noted that the migraine medication is one of her travel essentials.
“When I board the plane, I try to make sure I’m as prepared as possible with any preventative measures. So, I like to get on the plane and have a set of dark sunglasses and some earplugs. I like to make sure that I have a bottle of water, but I also like to make sure I have my medication,” she told Travel Noire.
“It’s only related to my speaking engagements, but another travel essential is always making sure I have a backup outfit for my speech,” Barber shared. “I’ve had moments when my beauty supplies exploded in the suitcase and destroyed my outfit for a speech. Lesson learned.”
When talking about her top travel destinations, the newlywed couldn’t help but gush over her honeymoon spot first.
“So, for my honeymoon, I went to Thailand. It was my second time going there; I first went to Bangkok. We were there for three days. And then after that, we went to Phuket, and we were there for four days,” said Barber, who married Marvin Echols III in December 2023. “It’s one of my favorite, favorite, favorite countries because I think the people are so loving. No matter what you look like or where you come from, they’re just truly incredible people … I think the weather is also really amazing. And then the beaches and stuff like that — it’s just pure peace.”
“And then I’m a huge fan of the Dominican Republic. I constantly go there — once a year. I get an Airbnb, a rental car, and I just travel through the island and experience the culture. The people are so nice, and it has the most beautiful beaches. It’s literally one of my favorite islands,” she said before adding that she also loves Jamaica and Mexico.
“I’m a foodie,” Barber declared. “So, Jamaicans and Mexicans love, love, love spicy food. They have pepper sauces that are the hottest pepper sauces I’ve ever tasted. I’ll go into the stores to try to find bottles of pepper sauces that I can bring home.”
