5 Black Owned Travel Companies You Need to Know | Motherhood Unplugged
- Dominique BAB
- Aug 12, 2018
- 3 min read
Despite what main stream media depicts, there are more African American's traveling now than ever. The urge to get out and see the world is what birthed the 'Black Travel Movement.' Also the sterotypes of blacks only traveling to places like the Caribbean, Vegas and Miami couldn't be further from the truth. If you simply log onto to any social media platform that myth will quickly be dispelled. With the usage of social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and the likes resources have become more readily available to the masses. Not only that but the visibility of 'us' across all platforms globetrotting to places like Cebu in the Philippines, Thailand, Iceland, Dubai, Cuba, Ireland and even safaris in Africa is more publicized. If people live there, chances are blacks have traveled there too. This movement has also sparked the idea that you could sell everything you own and travel full time! How amazing is that!
In the wake of this new found love of traveling the globe, black owned businesses have started up to bridge the gaps in the market providing products like my Travel PositiviTEES available here, groups like Nomadness Tribe, companies like Airfordable and even products like Blackgirl Sunscreen, all made specifically for people of color. Read on to learn about more for us by us Travel brands.
Have you ever heard of 'layaway' for airline tickets? Birthed from the struggle of not being able to go to her native country, Ghana, during school breaks, Ama Marfo created Airfordable. This black owned, travel company has made it much easier and definitely more affordable for people to book flights than ever before. Airfordable allows customers to book a flight with an upfront deposit and then pay bi-weekly, recurring installments until the flight is paid off. The best part is that there is NO CREDIT CHECK required. So if you don't have the bag now you can still #bookthatish and pay later.
Evita Robinson created the Nomadness Travel Tribe to gather like-minded individuals with a lust for travel. I'm personally a member and remember how excited I was to be accepted by the tribe a few years ago. It has been a pleasure to watch the tribe grow and morph into the brand it is today. Nomadness hosts group trips, has a web series, apparel, and annual travel conferences. Evita has also started the Audacity Fest, a safe space for urban travelers to gather and fellowship. The first conference is next month. Check it out here.
Remember the hashag #AirbnbWhileBlack well it's not secret that some of us have experienced discrimination when using Airbnb. Though the company has made strides to address the issue, those efforts have in turn birthed its competitor Innclusive. After experiencing their own share of Airbnb issues, founders Rohan Gilkes + Zakiyyah Myers set out to create their own online booking agency where people of all backgrounds could travel the world, book accommodation and do so with dignity. They now have accommodations if over 130 countries! Amazing work you guys!
Travel is synonymous with sunscreen and now you can apply it without the white reside on your brown skin. This is a revolutionary product made for us by us. We all know that melanin needs protection from the sun and using natural ingredients on your skin is always preferred. I love that this sunscreen is made with natural ingredients like carrot seed oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, almond oil and even avocado! A bottle of all this goodness is just under $20 and that's definitely a steal when it comes to great skincare products. Protect your skin with Blackgirl Sunscreen.
I couldn't end this post without talking about my very own black owned company. After traveling as a single globetrotter and now mother of 2 boys I decided to create a travel brand that catered to families like ours. Our brand encourages parents to unplug + reconnect with life through travel and adventures with their children. We carry travel tees for babies, toddlers, youth, men and women. Our Positivitees are made with love and aim to spread love through messages about self-esteem, healthy living and most of all travel. Check out full collection here and thank you for your support!
Happy Travels!
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