Take the Leap of Faith and Travel the World
“Travel is about the gorgeous feeling of teetering in the unknown”~Anthony Bourdain
As a Black traveler, don’t let fear hold you back from seeing the world. It is understandable to question whether you will be accepted into a new space, but I challenge you to delve a little deeper and allow yourself to experience the wonders of this world. Traveling while Black enables you to reclaim agency while resisting narratives deemed to limit your experience and potential. So with this being said, I have curated some valuable tips to help you conquer your fear:
- Be confident in who YOU are
Being confident in yourself enhances your travel experience. When you have accepted the person God has created you to be, you are allowed to embrace new situations, navigate challenges, and fully immerse yourself in different cultures and experiences.
- Practice Resilience
When you are traveling solo or with a group, there will be obstacles that you encounter. How you choose to face these challenges will determine your trajectory in life and travel in general. For example, during my time in London, I was racially profiled on two occasions. While these interactions were upsetting, I did not let them consume my energy or dictate my time abroad. I acknowledged the events that took place and maturely moved on from the situation. Looking at the grand scheme of things, the good has far outweighed the bad, and I believe having resilience allows me to fully absorb the place I am traveling to.
- Stay Curious
Do not let one person’s travel experience determine your view of the world. A major component of elevating your life as a traveler lies in your ability to question the unknown. If you are unsure of the area you are traveling to, do your research and find answers to things that concern you. This may look like: joining a Black travelers group, or finding Black Travel Bloggers to help ease the stress.
- Here are some Black Travel Bloggers that I find encouraging:
These bloggers give an inside look into the beauty of travel with refreshing authenticity, so you should check them out!
Travel is one of the most important things we can do as human beings. The reason consists of one word: perspective. When you step outside of the life you are used to or comfortable with, you can see a unique perspective of the world and where you fit in it. Through travel, you are granted one of life’s most valuable teachings, wisdom. It forces you to look introspectively and allows your mind to wander. Overall, exploring the world makes you a compassionate member of society, and I hope that sharing my experience and tips has helped you to see that you are worthy of taking up space and that travel is the best way to do so.
