The Ultimate Guide to Black Travel

The Challenges of Black Travel

One of the most underrepresented and ignored categories in travel is that of Black Travel.  There is a willful exclusion of black travelers in the tourism industry. For example, consider your typical advertisements related to travel. In most cases, you will see white or fair-skinned models in marketing materials but very infrequently will you see those with darker skin. Although black travelers may patronize the very same businesses as their white counterparts, they are not given the same attention. 
 
Travel is important.  Traveling is an opportunity to see the world, explore different cultures, and learn more about yourself than you ever thought you could imagine. Black people deserve to be able to travel and have their needs met just like other demographics. 
 
When 2000+ black travelers were asked “Why do you travel?” in our Black Travel Survey, our top response was Mental Health. 
 

58% Of Black Travelers surveyed travel to help maintain Mental Health

 
We know travel is fun but it is also meaningful, in particular for the Black community. Not only is it one of life’s greatest educators but black people use it for both emotional and psychological health. 

It is Green Book Global’s ultimate vision, to inspire and empower black travelers to confidently explore the world. In order to help achieve this, we have created the Ultimate Black Travel Guide.  We will ensure that black travelers are well equipped for seeing all that this world has to offer. 

Table of Contents

01 – What is the Black Travel Movement

02 – Best Cities for Black People 

03 – Worst Destinations for the African American Traveler 

04 – Black Travel Survey & COVID Impact 

05 – Cheap Places to Travel 

06 – Cultural Nuances of Black Travel 

07 – Black Travel Groups 

08 – Dope Destinations for Adventure Travel 

09 – Black Bloggers That You Need to Know 

10– Foodie Destinations for the Black Traveler 

11– Black Travel Tech. An offering of Green Book Global  

Best Cities for Black People

As a Black Traveler, it is an unfortunate reality that there are some destinations that will be more welcoming than others based on the color of your skin.    

It becomes even more complex when you start to break out “black” people as African American, African, Afro-Latinos, Afro-Europeans, Caribbean, etc.  Black people are not monolithic and when you start to consider these sub-groups it is undeniable that some are more welcomed than others. 

We wanted to take all this into consideration and provide a list of Our Top 7 Cities for Black People when considering a destination to travel to. 

Worst Destinations for the African American Traveler

Just as there are great cities for Black Travelers there are also some ones that should be avoided.  

We have actually created a Destination Search Tool that can help in picking cities based on the threat of racism. The travel tool summarizes thousands of Traveling While Black experiences for hundreds of destinations and outputs a set of ratings and scores. 

Based on our findings, we have provided a list of 11 of the worst destinations for the African American Traveler. 

Black Travel Survey & COVID Impact

The COVID pandemic has been horrible on a global scale but it has really hit the black community quite hard. This pandemic has changed the way we will look at travel for the next decade. Because of this, it was important for Green Book Global to capture the voice of black travelers so as the travel industry is reshaped black travelers are kept in mind. We surveyed over 2000 black travelers and captured trends on all things travel including COVID.

Cheap Places to Travel

Travel is an amazing phenomenon. Ibn Battuta said it best:  “Traveling – It leaves your speechless, then turns you into a storyteller”  

There are so many destinations to choose from but we understand that many of us are on a budget.  As a result, we wanted to provide some destinations that are cheap but that are also still remarkable. 

Cultural Nuances of Black Travel

“Love black people like you love our culture”. This is what comes to mind when thinking about the state of the black community.   

All too often, “others” will love our music, our fashion, our creativity, our swag, our culture, but don’t actually love black people. Because so many things about black culture transcend us, many destinations will have preconceived notions about black people.   

Television, radio, and the internet feed into those notions. So, when someone with limited real-life interactions with black travelers has an encounter, the experience can range from one of curiosity to downright disrespect.  Therefore, we created a guide on 5 cultural nuances you should be aware of when exploring the world as a black traveler. 

Black Travel Groups

Being part of a community of travelers that look like you and share similar interests will have a dramatic impact on any trip.  This is a point that the travel industry has ignored as the black travel demographic has historically been excluded. As result, black people have banded together to create Black Travel Groups. 

Black Travel Groups create a safe space and provide a sense of community.  It provides a vehicle for questions to be asked, authentic fears to be addressed, and a level of comfort knowing that you are exploring a destination with people that look like you.  There is an assortment of Black Travel Groups that organize trips that range from luxury, adventure, to a really good turn-up! 

We have put together a list of our top 9 Black Travel Groups that can help provide you a sense of community as you get those passport stamps. 

Dope Destinations for Adventure Travel

Who doesn’t like a bit of adventure?  Depending on your risk tolerance, we outline destinations and activities that may give you severe heart palpitations to a tamer thrill-seeking experience. 

We have something for everyone in this list if you are looking for a bit of adventure travel. 

Black Bloggers You Need to Know

Bloggers and their content are a phenomenal way to learn more about destinations, amazing food, and the latest travel fashions for a trip.  However, as the blogger market has become so saturated, it is increasingly difficult to find bloggers that are actually worth reading.   

Moreover, if you want to find bloggers that are relatable and are a person of color that adds another dimension. With this in mind, we created a list of Black Bloggers that you should follow that have a wide range of content that is perfect for you. 

Foodie Destinations for Black Traveler

One very important aspect of Black Travel is the food!  However, when looking at recommendations for food on platforms like Yelp, Tripadvisor etc. there is no way to determine if that person’s pallet is similar to your own. 

If we are being honest, the typical pallet of a black person is drastically different. Having our history tied to the Caribbean, Africa, Latin or South American Countries, and the “South” we are used to food having flavor.  

We have created a list of 10 cities that are perfect for the black travel pallet and will have you smacking your licks in delight. It is our goal to usher you into a premature food coma while at the table. 

Green Book Global’s Black Travel Data and Tech

We have created a tool that can help travelers find destinations based on their own input criteria.  Find destinations that have a low threat of racism but also have the perfect mix of Romance, Affordability, and Adventure.