Black people have always traveled. Even during the darkest periods of American history — through Jim Crow, through sundown towns, through the era when thousands of American communities would literally expel Black people who had not left by sunset — Black families found ways to see the world. They traveled carefully, strategically, and armed with knowledge shared through community networks. They built their own resorts, their own hotels, their own destinations. They refused to let fear or hostility define the boundaries of their lives.
Victor Hugo Green understood this when he published the first Negro Motorist Green Book in 1936 — a guide that listed safe hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and businesses that welcomed Black travelers during the Jim Crow era. Green described his mission as giving the Negro traveler information that would keep them from running into difficulties and embarrassments, and make their trip more enjoyable. The Green Book ran until 1966 and became a lifeline for Black American travel.
It is 2025. Legal segregation is over. And yet the conversation about traveling while Black is more relevant than it has been in a generation. The dismantling of DEI initiatives, shifting political winds, and documented discrimination in travel and hospitality have prompted a new generation of Black travelers to ask the same questions Victor Hugo Green was answering nearly a century ago: Where is it safe? Where am I welcome? How do I travel smart?
This guide answers those questions — practically, honestly, and with the conviction that Black people deserve to experience the full richness of this world without having to manage fear as a piece of their luggage.
The Modern Green Book: Tools That Help Black Travelers Navigate Today
The spirit of the original Green Book has been reborn in digital form — and today’s Black travelers have access to tools that Victor Hugo Green could not have imagined.
- Green Book Global (greenbookglobal.com) — The most direct digital descendant of the original Green Book. Founded by Lawrence Phillips — a Georgia Tech graduate who traveled 30-plus countries across all seven continents and documented his experience as a Black traveler globally — Green Book Global allows users to read and write destination reviews specifically from a Black traveler’s perspective. Each city has a crowd-sourced ‘Traveling While Black’ safety score, a road trip planner that identifies Black-friendly cities in the USA, and a database of Black-owned accommodations and businesses. Available as a mobile app and website
- Travel Noire (travelnoire.com) — One of the most influential Black travel platforms in the world. Features destination guides, travel deals, community stories, and cultural immersion experiences specifically curated for Black travelers. Their community-driven content has inspired a generation of Black travelers to explore destinations they never considered
- ABC Travel Greenbook (abctravelgreenbook.com) — Part of the ABC Travel Network multimedia platform, this modern Green Book helps Black travelers find community across the globe — going beyond what standard search engines surface to connect travelers to Black-owned businesses and welcoming spaces internationally
- Ebony Travelers (ebonytravelers.com) — A travel blog and community resource specifically focused on safe and inclusive travel for Black and Brown travelers, with destination-specific safety insights, tips for navigating microaggressions, and recommendations for welcoming hotels and experiences
- Black travel creator communities on social media — Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have produced a rich ecosystem of Black travel creators who share unfiltered, real-time accounts of their experiences around the world. Searching specific destinations combined with ‘Black travel’ or ‘traveling while Black’ will surface community reviews and insights that no traditional travel guide provides
Most Welcoming International Destinations for Black Travelers
The world is large and most of it is genuinely welcoming to Black travelers. Here are some of the destinations that Black travelers consistently rate as exceptional experiences — places where you are not a novelty, where the culture is rich and celebratory, and where your presence is met with warmth rather than suspicion.
- Ghana — The Year of Return and Beyond — Ghana’s ‘Year of Return’ in 2019 — marking 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived in America — invited the African Diaspora back to the continent and sparked a wave of Black American and Caribbean travel that has not stopped. Cape Coast Castle, Elmina Castle, Accra’s vibrant nightlife and street food scene, the Ghanaian people’s legendary warmth — Ghana has become one of the top destinations for African Diaspora travelers seeking connection to ancestry, culture, and belonging. Many visitors describe it as a deeply healing experience
- Portugal — Particularly Lisbon and Porto — Portugal consistently appears at the top of Black travel recommendation lists. Lisbon and Porto are diverse, cosmopolitan, historically connected to Africa through Portugal’s colonial past, and home to significant African Diaspora communities. The cities are walkable, affordable compared to western European peers, food-obsessed, and genuinely warm to visitors of all backgrounds. Black travelers report positive experiences across the country
- Colombia — Cartagena and the Afro-Colombian Coast — Colombia’s Caribbean coast, particularly Cartagena and the surrounding Afro-Colombian communities, is one of the richest African Diaspora travel experiences in the western hemisphere. The African roots of Colombia’s coastal culture are visible in everything — the music (Cumbia, Champeta, Vallenato), the food, the architecture, the festivals. The city of Palenque, just outside Cartagena, is a UNESCO World Heritage site and the first free town established by escaped enslaved Africans in the Americas
- Tanzania — Safari and Zanzibar — Tanzania offers two extraordinary and distinct travel experiences: wildlife safaris in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, and the spice island of Zanzibar with its Arab, African, and Indian cultural blend, stunning beaches, and Old Stone Town. Black travelers consistently report feeling welcomed and celebrated in Tanzania
- Brazil — Salvador da Bahia — Salvador is the most African city in the Americas — the capital of Bahia, where African cultural traditions survived slavery more intact than almost anywhere else in the western hemisphere. Candomblé religious ceremonies, capoeira, orixá traditions, Afro-Brazilian cuisine — Bahia is where the African Diaspora can trace its cultural roots in the Americas with extraordinary vividness and depth
- Japan — Consistently rated positively by Black travelers for its safety, cleanliness, extraordinary food culture, and respectful interactions with visitors. While stares in less cosmopolitan areas are sometimes reported, major cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka are experienced as genuinely welcoming and fascinating
- The Caribbean — Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad — For many Black Americans, Caribbean islands provide a travel experience where Blackness is simply the norm — where you are not an outsider but a guest in a culture that shares deep roots with your own. Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad, St. Lucia, and dozens of other islands offer everything from luxury all-inclusive resorts to cultural deep dives, music festivals, and culinary experiences rooted in African and indigenous traditions
Welcoming Domestic Destinations: Black Travel Within the USA
Domestic travel for Black Americans carries its own specific context — the legacy of sundown towns, documented racial profiling by police, and in 2025, a heightened political climate that has made some communities feel less welcoming than they recently were. Here are domestic destinations that Black travelers consistently recommend:
- Atlanta, Georgia — Often called the Black mecca of the American South. Home to the largest concentration of HBCUs in the country, a thriving Black professional and creative class, extraordinary food, and a cultural energy that is undeniably its own
- Washington, D.C. — Your home base, and one of the most Black-centric cities in America. The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, the U Street corridor, Howard University, Shaw, Anacostia — the DMV itself is one of the great Black travel destinations in the country
- New Orleans, Louisiana — Deeply rooted in African, Caribbean, and French cultural traditions. The birthplace of jazz, a food culture unlike anywhere else in the world, and a Mardi Gras experience that at its best honors its African Creole origins
- Harlem, New York City — The cultural capital of Black America for over a century. The Apollo Theater, soul food institutions, the churches of the Great Migration era, and a neighborhood that despite gentrification still pulses with Black history and creativity
- Baltimore, Maryland — Significantly underrated as a Black travel destination right in the DMV region. Rich African American history, a thriving Black arts scene, excellent seafood, and a community pride that runs deep
- Martha’s Vineyard and Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts — One of the oldest Black resort communities in America, referenced in the original Green Book. Oak Bluffs has been a Black summer destination for over a century and remains one of the most special domestic travel experiences for Black families
- Memphis, Tennessee — Civil rights history at every corner, including the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel. The birthplace of the blues and a food culture centered on legendary barbecue
Practical Safety and Smart Travel Tips for Black Travelers
Traveling smart is not about traveling in fear. It is about traveling prepared — with the knowledge and tools that allow you to fully enjoy every experience rather than being caught off guard by situations that a little research could have anticipated.
Before you go:
- Research your specific destination using Black travel review platforms — Green Book Global’s safety scores and community reviews give you real perspectives from other Black travelers, not just mainstream travel sites
- Check travel advisories from the U.S. State Department for international destinations, and also check community advisories from Black travel creators who have recent, firsthand experience
- Research the local laws regarding race, immigration, and law enforcement at your destination — particularly important for international travel
- Book accommodation in advance and stay in reputable, reviewed properties — reading reviews specifically mentioning the experience of Black or minority guests is valuable
- Share your itinerary with someone you trust — particularly for solo travel or travel to unfamiliar destinations
- Purchase travel insurance — this is important for all travelers but particularly when navigating healthcare systems as a Black traveler in foreign countries
While traveling:
- Trust your instincts — if a situation or a place feels wrong, leave. Your comfort and safety are always more important than seeing a particular attraction
- Know the local emergency numbers at every destination — not just 911 (which only works in the USA). International SOS cards or apps can be lifesaving
- Be aware of how you are perceived in your current cultural context — what reads as confidence in one culture can read differently in another. This is not about changing who you are but about being situationally aware
- Seek out Black-owned accommodations and restaurants where available — they are often the warmest, most culturally connected experiences and directly support the community
- Connect with local Black and African Diaspora communities at your destination — local churches, cultural centers, and community organizations are often the best source of insider knowledge and genuine hospitality
- Document your experience — your photos, reviews, and social media posts become the community knowledge that helps the next Black traveler make better decisions
Black Travel as Cultural Reclamation — Why It Matters
Travel is not just recreation. For Black Americans and the African Diaspora, travel carries a particular cultural weight. It is the act of going back — to Ghana, to Senegal, to the villages in Nigeria where surnames trace to before the Middle Passage. It is the act of going forward — to see that there are places in the world where your presence is not a social statement, where you are simply a person on a street in a beautiful place.
It is also the act of showing children what the world actually looks like. When a Black child sees that Paris welcomes them, that the Serengeti belongs to the whole human family, that Salvador da Bahia is a city built by their ancestors, that Tokyo finds them fascinating rather than threatening — something shifts in how they understand their own place in the world. That shift is priceless.
The original Green Book was, as one documentary filmmaker described it, a secret road map that created a kind of parallel universe for Black travelers. In 2025, that parallel universe is bigger, bolder, better documented, and more joyful than it has ever been. Black travel culture — the influencers, the apps, the travel clubs, the group trips, the community reviews — is a living continuation of what Victor Hugo Green started. Get involved in it. Contribute to it. And use it to take every trip you have been putting off.
Black Travel Style: How to Pack With Cultural Intention
No travel blog in the Fashion & Travel category would be complete without a word on style — and Black travel has its own distinctive aesthetic that is worth celebrating.
African Diaspora travelers are increasingly packing with cultural intention — bringing ankara prints and kente fabrics to destinations where those patterns carry meaning, wearing natural hair with confidence in places where it might be a novelty, and using fashion as a form of cultural ambassadorship that opens conversations and creates connections. The rise of Afrocentric fashion — bold prints, rich colors, traditional textiles reimagined for modern silhouettes — has given Black travelers a wardrobe language that is both personal and political.
- Research dress codes at your destination — both cultural and practical. West African countries have their own dress expectations around certain religious and cultural sites. Japan has specific protocols at temples. Research before you pack
- Pack versatile anchor pieces and build around them with culturally expressive accessories — ankara headwraps, statement jewelry, and fabric pieces that connect to your heritage can be worn in many ways
- Consider climate thoughtfully — natural fabrics like cotton and linen work well in hot, humid climates across Africa, the Caribbean, and South America. They also tend to photograph beautifully
- Support Black fashion designers and brands when building your travel wardrobe — there is a thriving ecosystem of Black-owned fashion brands producing both everyday and statement pieces that travel beautifully
- Wear your natural hair with full confidence — and pack the products you need rather than hoping to find them at your destination. Not all international destinations stock the hair care products that work for natural, relaxed, or protective styles
The World Is Yours — Go Claim It
Victor Hugo Green published his first guide in 1936 so that Black travelers could move through a hostile country with dignity, safety, and joy. Eighty-nine years later, the technology has changed, the legal landscape has changed, and the scale of Black travel has changed — but the fundamental desire is the same. To go somewhere beautiful. To eat extraordinary food. To connect with history and culture and other human beings. To return home changed by what you have seen.
The world is imperfect. There are places that will make you feel your Blackness as an obstacle rather than a gift. There are moments of friction and disappointment that no amount of preparation can entirely prevent. But there are also places — many more of them — that will welcome you, celebrate you, and show you something about yourself and the world that you could not have seen from home.
Plan the trip. Book the ticket. Pack the ankara. Go.
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