Blog Posts — WILL DRINK FOR TRAVEL

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain

A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a conversation on #BlackTwitter about why the continent of Africa isn't on more black Americans' vacation wish list. Since I've spent most of my year in Zambia, the conversation piqued my interest.

I was floored and saddened by the ignorant and downright asinine comments made by people attempting (and failing) to be Twitter funny. I'm not going to call out individual people, but I screenshot some responses just so I could respond to exactly what was said. Here are a few of my favorite (read: the dumbest) tweets:

"I see enough blacks daily. Why would I want to see more of y'all but darker?"

Wow. Self-hate much? Tupac said it best. "The blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice. I say the darker the flesh, then the deeper the roots." Black is beautiful. Period. And guess what? Just because an American is black, they're just that...a black American. That happens to be different than a black Ghanaian, for example. They have two totally different backgrounds and perspectives on life.

Further, plenty of people of various descents live in Africa. South Africa is a great example of this. There are people of African, European, Asian, and Indian descent born and living in South Africa, so being black and African isn't mutually exclusive. But I'm pretty sure the person who made this comment knew that already (insert sarcasm here).

"I don't imagine Africa good for anything except safaris. I know I'm wrong though."

Yeah, you are. While safaris are a great benefit to visiting the continent, they aren't even offered in all parts of Africa, so it's a very limited point of view. Many countries in Africa have bustling cities, beaches, mountains, and more.

"It's expensive."

This may be true, but not always. South African Airways just had a deal to Johannesburg for about $500. That's better than most deals you can get to some parts of the Caribbean or Europe. As is the case for other destinations, there are ways to save money by using credit card and hotel points, Groupon, and other online resources. You need to plan and prepare for possible expenses with any major travel.

"There's nothing I want to see in Africa except the sphinx and pyramids."

Why is that? Because that's what history books told you that's all there is? Why hold such a limited view of what there is to see? There are many notable sites outside of Egypt, including Victoria Falls in Zambia & Zimbabwe, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Table Mountain in South Africa and Aksum in Ethiopia, just to name a few. Don't get me wrong, the sphinx and pyramids are on my wish list too; they're just not on there alone.

"Because it's too hot for me."

Guess what? Africa has seasons. SURPRISE! It's not hot all of the time. Dry and rainy seasons vary from country to country. But if you do some research (hint, hint), helpful links like this one come up and can help you plan the best times to travel.

"I'm not trying to get sick."

What does this even mean? Sick from what? Malaria? Yellow Fever? Or just your ignorance?
There are vaccines and pills for everything under the sun, not to mention DEET mosquito repellent. And if you do happen to get diarrhea or the flu while visiting, there are pharmacies and hospitals where you can get medication. Imagine that!

"Black Americans have the same idea of Africa that other Americans have. It's desolate and dangerous."

I'm not going to lie and say there isn't any truth to this. There are some places that are desolate and dangerous, just as there are some desolate and dangerous places in the United States. It's all about perspective. If you do decide to visit somewhere dangerous, register with the State Department's STEP program, research, and use common sense while you're there.

"Why would I want to go?"

Because Africa is great. And I hate to speak in general terms (I realize Africa is a continent, not a country); however, I've been to 6 out of 54 African countries and I fall deeper in love with the continent with each place I go. Each country is different, with varying landscapes, languages, cultures and customs. No country is the same. That's why you should want to go.

The biggest point I want people to takeaway from this post is to not be one of those people who says, "I don't want to go there or do this" without knowing why. Some of my greatest trips have been to places that weren't necessarily on my radar, but I was open-minded enough to go and had the time of my life. Don't let the media and what other people say influence your decisions to see what the world, including Africa, has to offer.

About the Event

'Women of Color Travel' began in 2015 as a way to bring women of color together to discuss their experiences in travel media. Last year's event was organized by Jessica van Dop DeJesus, The Dining Traveler, in Washington, D.C. and brought together notable DC-based women in the industry. Our second annual #WomenofColorTravel event happened last week in New York City and it was nothing short of amazing. Hosted by Jessica, Metanoya Z. Webb of Globetrotting Stiletto, and me, the theme was 'Be Part of the Conversation.'

This year's sold-out event was held in Hostelling International (HI) NYC's lovely ballroom that served as the perfect event venue. I've actually never stayed in a hostel, but I was immediately a fan of HI. The property was gorgeous and not at all what I expected when I think of the word 'hostel.' I didn't have a chance to tour the rooms, but the common areas were lovely and well-maintained.

To start the night, we enjoyed soft drinks, beer, and light snacks in HI's urban garden. After cocktail hour, Metanoya and I gave opening remarks (Jessica was there in spirit!), followed by Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon's (otherwise known as JetSetSarah) keynote address.

Each attendee received gift bags with items from Caudalie, and had an opportunity to win an 4-day, 3-night vacation package to the U.S. Virgin Islands, a 1-night stay at the National Harbor with passes to ICE! and the Capital Wheel, and a gift card to Cocotique. Amazing prizes, if I do say so myself!

Keynote Address and Panel

If you're in the travel industry, you're familiar with JetSetSarah. She's tiny in stature but big in personality and overall, just a very lovely and spirited person. It was a pleasure hearing her speak on being a women of color in the travel industry. Sarah said she felt there was no better person to tell the stories of the Caribbean than her, which is the focus of her travel writing and brand. She made note that until recently, she did not see people who looked like her doing what she did. Some days it feels like she has 10 bosses as a freelance writer, and she has to prove herself to them every time, a sentiment that many people of color have in their professional careers. Sarah offered inspiration to travel media saying, "Use your gift. Be brave and don't wait for others to show you your gift." She said, "If no one else is going to open up doors for us, we have to band together and bust that door down!"

Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon giving the Keynote Address

Following JetSetSarah's amazing speech, our panelists took the stage, including Kimberly Wilson (Travel Writer and Social Media Manager for The Grio), Yvonne Pearson (Tourism Marketing Coordinator at National Harbor), Keisha Nelson (Account Executive at USVI Tourism), Imani Rodman (PR Executive at M Booth) and Diana Limongi (Founder of DLG Media). Moderated by Felice Léon (Host at The Root), each panelist spoke of their experiences as women of color in travel media.

Left to Right: Kimberly Wilson, Yvonne Pearson, Keisha Nelson, Imani Rodman, Diana Limongi, Felice Leon

Panelists reflected on how women of color can make our voices heard in the travel space and get brands to recognize us as influencers, how we can use our media to inspire other women of color to travel more, and how tourism boards and public relations firms can target women of color to promote their brands.

Reflections

During our inaugural event last year, I blogged about how there are plenty of women of color travel bloggers, they are not being included as much as they should in travel media. I still stand by those remarks. I see bloggers on major press trips and women of color travel bloggers are hardly ever included. Our perspectives are different than our white and male counterparts.

I left #WomenofColorTravel more inspired than ever to continue the mission of Will Drink For Travel. While my blog is not targeted specifically to people of color, I hope to always be serve as a positive representation of women and black travel bloggers. The landscape of travel is changing and it's time for destinations and brands to take notice.

Thank Yous

Thank you to Hostelling International NYC for being such amazing and accommodating hosts. HI offers tourism scholarships for students and professionals 18-30 to change the world through a mission. Their goal is to get more people of various backgrounds to travel, which is noteworthy and much needed! Thank you to our sponsors U.S. Virgin Islands, National Harbor and Cocotique. We look forward to hosting this event again next year!

Check out more photos from the event below. And if you missed Metanoya, Shannon Haynes (Parlour Magazine), Evita Robinson (Nomadness Travel Tribe) and me on The Grio discussing our experiences as women of color who travel, check out the video here.