African American Traveler – 11 of the Worst Destinations in the USA

Racism, be it overt, covert, systemic, residential, educational, political (this list can go on) makes it challenging for black travelers to enjoy the same opportunities and lifestyle of their white counterparts.  An unfortunate reality is that racism and discrimination are embedded into nearly every aspect of our lives, which includes travel.

Well, if you are a black traveler, specifically an African American traveler who is planning on seeing the world, here are the 11 of the worst destinations that you may want to avoid or exercise extra caution. Being dark-skinned in one of these 11 destinations will likely impact your experience in one way or another.  That is also why we created the first black travel review site which has crowd-sourced Traveling While Black experiences for hundreds of destinations all over the world as well as tips and recommendations of how to stay safe but also enjoy your trip.

Nevertheless, if you haven’t looked at our list yet, you might be surprised by some of the destinations. Or, you might not.

1. Germany

While travelling to Germany it is important to know that country’s constitution forbids racial discrimination in general. “No person shall be favored or disfavored because of sex, parentage, race, language, homeland and origin, faith or religious or political opinions. No person shall be disfavored because of disability,”

But, after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minnesota police department, there was was a reinvigorated push to remove race from the constitution because  “Only racists believe there are different human races,” Left Party MP Jan Korte  (sigh- eye roll)

If one other person says I don’t see race I will….

But I digress. So, if you are an African American traveler in Germany, it would be wise to avoid Wisner and the eastern part of Berlin such as Marzahn and Hellersdorf, as these areas could potentially turn into dangerous situations. It is hard to have progress when you can’t admit there is a problem and it appears that Germans can be very ignorant about the racism that is prevalent in their country.

2. Russia

Russians aren’t known to be the friendliest of people but that is just where it starts. Although physical violence is not very common against African or African American Travelers in Russia, ill-treatment of Black visitors can be a cause for concern. It has quite a low score for Traveling While Black with a rating lower than 3.9/5  However, in some of the anecdotal comments of black travelers on our site, the experiences range from great to slightly below average.

Why? Well, most black travelers visit the metropolises of St. Petersburg or Moscow.  However, once you venture to some of the smaller towns that is where you should definitely be a bit more careful. Additionally, racist sentiments towards blacks may be more covert, in particular for black tourists. If you have darker skin though, you may be questioned longer on trains or border crossing, or your baggage may be rifled through by officials more often than those of Russians or white travelers.  Head on a swivel is all I would say.

3. Greece

To understand the far-reaching extent of racism in Greece, you have to understand the context of its history and the rise of the Neo-Nazis organization the Golden Dawn.  This political party emerged in the 1980s and consists of Holocaust deniers and full-blown racists that actually won seats in parliament in 2012. This like the KKK winning seats! They used the 2009 financial crisis as an opportunity to propel themselves into power. In 2013 a Golden Dawn member killed an anti-racist musician, Pavlos Fyssas, and after the trial started in 2015, it took until 2020 for a conviction! 68 members of this political party were convicted of murder or attempted murder and the political party was actually ruled as a criminal organization.  Also, just so you know this party-endorsed Donald Trump.

As recent as 2018 the Athens-based Racist Violence Recording Network (RVRN) documented a 14-per cent increase in racist violence. Although this isn’t great it is much better than the change from 2016 to 2017 when the hate crimes tripled!! These attacks ranged based on religion, race, and ethnicity.  The majority of attacks have occurred in Athens, primarily in inner-city neighborhoods.

So with the recent conviction of the Golden Dawn, and the uprising of the public against them, I do think Greece, in particular, Athens may be in a better racial climate but that is the backdrop that you are walking into as a black or African American traveler.

4. Spain

Spain has had a reputation for virulent racism for a very long time. Many tourists of African origin complain of their poor reception by Spanish citizens. Additionally, you may hear stories about Spain’s tradition of Black face for the 3 wise men during Christmas, a bias towards hiring those of Spanish descent despite their qualifications, and refusal or poor service at restaurants.

Spanish leaders are called upon to take greater steps toward removing discriminatory and racist practices against Africans and other immigrants in the country.

For some context, after the injustice done by the arrest of two African-American government employees in Barcelona in 2009, the U.S. State Department gave a warning that “racist prejudices” could bring about the arrest of African-Americans who go to Spain. This notice was taken back two days before first lady Michele Obama toured the country

Take a look at black travel reviews for Barcelona on the review portion of our site for some recent stories.

5. Italy

Italy is another example of high racism and unjust treatment of our African or African American Travelers or ex-pats. Anyone who is noticeably not of European descent will have an increased chance of being looked down upon by Italians. Some of this was triggered by the 2014 European Migrant crisis which eventually turned into anti-immigrant sentiment. 

Some of the time, a black traveler in Italy will have to deal with stares, however, many a time Black women have reported a high incidence of gawking that brings about inquiries for prostitution, especially in the smaller towns. Black face is a thing here too!  Some other ways in which Black tourists face problems are while booking hotels or eating at restaurants. Hotels often tell Black tourists they are full for the night or restaurants will delay in servicing you.

6. China

Lord have mercy, where should I start. A person of color or African descent touring China should not be shocked if they are continually stared at by over entitled Chinese locals. They will take pictures, rub your skin, touch your hair, and ask you questions that reveals their insensibility and lack of interaction with Black people.  This lack of personal space becomes an even bigger problem during COVID.

Chinese racism is associated with class divisions, ignorance, colourism and ethnocentrism that prevail within Chinese society.  Even high-paying black NBA players can’t avoid discrimination and be called the N-word.  Also, if you saw how Africans were treated during COVID, you will understand why you should exercise caution.

Residents of China also look down upon other Chinese people with darker skin. They strongly believe that the whiter skin has more value and avoid being tanned at all costs.

7. India

Even in a country like India where the majority of the population is brown, racism is practiced here. This is especially evident in the case of African students in India. How they are treated while extending their visas or getting accommodation in the country, the stereotypes are very prominent. They are viewed with suspicion as they are believed to have many stigmas attached to them. 

Racism in India is also linked with the caste system which is a part of the hierarchical system here. Dalits, untouchables and people of color are treated aggressively. Their color and status in society become the basis for Indians to showcase their prejudices. 

8. USA

The United States is a country where much of a person’s the wealth is passed down from previous generations or depends highly on you career choices. Career advancement, property inheritance, real estate, and owning securities/stocks brings is what helps to bring prosperity but this has been deprived or made intentionally difficult to acquire for African Americas for so long. With the history of segregation, Jim Crow laws, systemic racism, and intentional lack of investment in black communities, residential segregation, there is large discrepancy between African American and White Americans. In fact, in the United States, black women earn only 63% of what white men earn.

Additionally, the United States has an extensive history of systemic racism and violent treatment of black people. Black people in the United States are more likely to be pulled over by police and there have been years of black people receiving harsher punishments for crimes than their white counterparts. As we have seen with recent events, and also brought to life through an extensive study by the National Academy of Sciences in 2019, black men are more likely to be tortured and killed by police than white men.

Some of the worst U.S. cities for African Americans

It should come as no surprise that the U.S. has some destinations that are absolutely terrible for African Americans. You would think these destinations would be heavily focused in the South, when in fact some of the worst place for African Americans are in the Northeast and the Midwest.

9.Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie is a metro area of roughly 278,000 citizens on the south shore of Lake Erie. Because of the vast differences between black and white citizens in terms of socioeconomic factors, health, and income in the city, Erie rates as one of the worst cities for African American travelers.

Erie had one of the highest black mortality rates of any United States metro area. In Erie, 1,053 in every 100,000 black inhabitants die every year. The mortality rate is almost 30% higher than the white mortality rate of 792 deaths per 100,000 white residents in Erie. Despite the significant discrepancy, Erie’s government has not done anything to address the underlying issues.

10. Syracuse, NY  

Unprovoked violent incidents against African Americans are very prevalent in Syracuse. Syracuse is one of the numerous metro areas where the drop in manufacturing jobs since the middle of the 20th century has created financial challenges. 37% of black residents live in deprivation and poverty, more than three times the 11.9% white poverty rate. 

There is a significant discrepancy in unemployment between Syracuse’s black and white residents which has contributed to the vast wage gap. A black household in Syracuse earns roughly $30,362 a year. This is just 50.6% of the white median household earnings.

11. Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee is one of the Rust Belt cities that has left many unemployed. Despite the city being nearly 40% black, Milwaukee is still one of the worst cities for black people. The issues for black people start as young as kindergarten with Milwaukee suspending more black K-12 students than any other city in the U.S. Their schools also have the greatest achievement gap between white and black students.

Milwaukee is also the city that incarcerates the most black men in the country with more than half of men in their 30’s and 40’s having served time.

When black residents of Milwaukee were interviewed by the Journal Sentinel, many explained their perspective on public safety concerns stating too much gun violence and reckless driving which has adversely affected their communities.

Final Words

Traveling While Black and Living While Black is unfortunately still concerning in this day and age. Although no one’s experience will be 100% the same, the destinations outlined here are areas that you should exercise some additional caution if you are an African American or African traveler.

I also recommend that you check out the main site for black travel reviews. We have thousands of tips and experiences from black travelers from all over the world.

Thanks to the ease of travel, the world has never looked this small. No matter how much you have travelled in the past, there is always a risk of traveling to an unknown destination. Because people of color are often greeted with racist remarks and insults, my hope is that after reading reviews on our site you will feel more at ease when traveling to your next destination.

Racism is a pressing, morbid problem which we need to talk about, unlike the eleven above-mentioned destinations.