Traveling is Supposed to be Fun. But Being Black You Need to be Mindful of Where You Choose to Vacation.

Even something as enjoyable as traveling needs to be assessed as a Black person in this world.

3 min readJun 14, 2021

Have you ever wanted to travel to a place but then questioned those plans because you weren’t sure if that place would be welcoming of people that looked like you? Many modern day countries do not have a great history when it comes to race especially for a Black and Brown people. If you are from the LGBTQ+ community then that is also something you need to be mindful of when traveling. In a world where being anti-Black seems to be universal, it could complicate your plans to get away from your every day problems on vacation.

In this episode, The So-Called Oreos discuss our experiences traveling abroad and the concerns we had in certain countries. Janae explains how she felt like an outsider in Spain where citizens tend to be pale, thin and small while she is a 6 foot tall bigger Black woman. Kia on the other hand, explains how she had a completely different experience as a petite person and maybe she didn’t necessarily pay attention to stares or microaggressions. Kia also talks about China having the biggest culture difference of the places she has visited. The way the country approaches Black travelers can make you feel similar to either a “celebrity” or an “alien.”

Amari opens up about being discriminated against on a trip to Pittsburgh and Rachel explains how the America’s history makes her concerned about traveling in the South.

With everyone discussed, should you research the racial history in the country you are visiting? Is that the safest approach or would that ruin your trip?