Traveling While Black: A Modern Guide to Safe, Joyful Journeys
“There will be a day sometime in the near future when this guide will not have to be published. That is when we as a race will have equal opportunities and privileges in the United States. It will be a great day for us to suspend this publication for then we can go wherever we please, and without embarrassment.”
— Victor Hugo Green, The Negro Motorist Green Book
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed discrimination on paper, but the lived reality for Black travelers tells a different story. Even today — decades later — racism, bias, and threats to safety follow us, no matter the destination. In 2023 alone, Black travelers took more than 184 million trips, representing billions in economic impact. Yet the outdated and harmful myth that “Black people don’t travel” still circulates.
History tells us otherwise. In 1936, Victor Hugo Green created The Negro Motorist Green Book to help Black travelers move without fear during the Jim Crow era. It listed safe hotels, restaurants, barber shops, service stations, and other welcoming spaces from California to Mississippi. Today, we may not carry a pocket-sized Green Book, but that doesn’t mean we should navigate the world blind. Our community continues to create resources that allow us to travel with confidence, connection, and joy.
Travel with Community, Even Solo
It’s exhausting enough to research safety and comfort at home, let alone across countries, states, and cities. You don’t have to do it alone. A wealth of social media groups exist where Black travelers share real experiences and insights on destinations around the globe. Lean on these communities — they are a modern extension of Green Book wisdom.
Nomadness Travel Tribe
https://nomadnesstraveltribe.com/Black Girl Solo Travels
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1159731917405589/Black Gay and Lesbian Travelers
https://www.facebook.com/groups/blackgayandlesbiantravelers/
Use Tech as Your Travel Ally
Travel planning is already overwhelming — add the layer of navigating it as a Black woman, and the to-do list grows even longer. From researching safe destinations to finding inclusive activities, let technology lighten the load. Here are apps and sites that connect you with your community and make travel easier:
EatOkra
Connects you with Black-owned restaurants and offers discounts. Available on iPhone and Android.TravSolo
Keeps you connected with friends and family in real time without broadcasting your location publicly. Also links you with verified locals, and saves your travel photos and videos to share later.Instabridge
Offers free Wi-Fi access in over 190 countries.Blapp
Helps you discover Black-owned businesses locally and online.
Don’t Let Them Define Your Journey
Despite the obstacles inflicted on us — then and now — we continue to rise, building a resilient, unshakable community. This is not a call to put yourself in harm’s way as rebellion; your safety always comes first. But do not let the weight of racism or bias rob you of exploration, joy, or cultural connection.
Travel is not just movement. It is freedom. It is resilience. It is a reminder that we belong everywhere the world has to offer. Regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender identity, or ability — you are worthy of safe, beautiful, and transformative journeys.
