The Gambia: Finding Kunta Kinte’s Village in Juffureh
Juffureh and Kunta Kinteh Island (formerly James Island) turned Alex Haley’s genealogical search into a global pilgrimage site. Pair the river excursion with Banjul’s craft markets and Kololi’s beaches for an easy, English-speaking West Africa entry point.
Zanzibar Beyond the Beach: Stone Town’s Omani-African Story
Zanzibar’s Stone Town is a UNESCO World Heritage old town where Omani Arab, Persian, Indian, and African cultures physically collided â the Sultanate of Zanzibar was the seat of Omani power in East Africa from 1698 to 1964. Beyond the famous white-sand beaches, travelers can walk the old slave market site, explore Swahili Coast architecture, and dive into a food and music culture found nowhere else on earth.
Bangkok: Southeast Asia’s Easiest Entry Point for Black Travelers
With a well-established Black expat and teaching community, incredible street food, affordable luxury, and some of the best-value flights in Asia, Bangkok is a natural hub-city entry point into Southeast Asia. A 2026 rule change trimmed the visa-free stay for Americans, so timing the trip right now matters more than before.
Bali on a Budget: Why This Island Is a Black Traveler Favorite
From Canggu’s co-working cafes to Uluwatu’s clifftop resorts, Bali offers a rare combination: genuinely affordable luxury, an active Black traveler and remote-work community, and a visa process most Americans can complete online in minutes.
St. Helena Island, South Carolina: Penn Center and the Heart of Gullah Geechee Culture
Penn Center on St. Helena Island is the living heart of Gullah Geechee culture, one of the first schools founded anywhere in the South for the formerly enslaved and a retreat site for Martin Luther King Jr. and the SCLC. It anchors a Sea Islands trip most travelers never think to plan.
Tulsa’s Greenwood District: Black Wall Street’s Rise, the 1921 Massacre, and Its Rebirth
Greenwood was the wealthiest Black community in the country before the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre destroyed it. Greenwood Rising, the history center that opened in 2021, tells that story in full alongside the original Black Wall Street footprint you can still walk today.
Selma, Alabama: Walking the Edmund Pettus Bridge Where Bloody Sunday Changed America
Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge is the single most photographed square footage of the American Civil Rights Movement, yet most visitors only ever see it from a bus window. This guide walks the full route from Brown Chapel AME to the bridge, plus the National Voting Rights Museum most tour groups skip.
Black Lisbon: Cape Verdean Culture, Cova da Moura, and Portugal’s Reckoning With Its Past
From the hillside neighborhood of Cova da Moura to new historical markers confronting Portugal’s role in the slave trade, Lisbon’s Black story is complicated and very much present-tense. This piece covers where to eat, listen to morna and batuku, and learn.
Rotterdam Summer Carnival: Europe’s Caribbean Party You’ve Never Heard Of
Rotterdam’s Zomercarnaval (Summer Carnival) brings Caribbean, Surinamese, and Latin American diaspora communities together for a multi-day parade and street party every July. It’s often compared to Notting Hill Carnival but draws a fraction of the American tourists â for now.
Montgomery, Alabama: Inside the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice
Bryan Stevenson’s Equal Justice Initiative built the first major U.S. institution to confront slavery, lynching, and mass incarceration as one continuous story. Pair it with the Rosa Parks Museum and Dexter Avenue Church for a full day that reframes how most visitors think about the Civil Rights Movement’s roots.
