How many incredible Black Travel Influencers are you following?
One way we can all be better allies is by taking the time to listen to people with different backgrounds & experiences to our own. Through hearing different stories and experiences, we become more aware of our own behaviours. It empowers us to recognise and call out microaggressions and gain an overall more rounded perspective.
Read my full resource guide to 100 ways to be an Anti-Racist ally here
One way I do this is by actively diversifying my networks, the content I consume & who I follow online. Be it LinkedIn, Netflix or Instagram.
Travel influencing on social media is such a visual medium. And it’s one that has historically been predominantly white, thin, able bodied and gender conforming. So I wanted to share with you some incredible Black travel influencers and Black travel content creators that you can start following online for a more diverse picture of the wonderful travel industry.
How To Support Black Travel Influencers Online
The Instagram algorithm will push the content that you engage with the most. So don’t just mindlessly tap “follow” and leave again. Take some time to actually check out these incredibly talented Black travel influencers, engage with their content, watch their stories and be sure the algorithm knows it’s something you want to see in your feed regularly.
Whether the word “influencer” makes you cringe or not, the people in this list are the true definition. Going beyond the #spon and questionable trips to Dubai, influencers bring personal and human perspectives to a once heavily filtered and single-minded space. These changemakers are unapologetic in bringing greater representation to the travel industry.
NB: If you’re not a fan of Instagram, many of them also have YouTube channels and blogs which I’ve linked to so you can still hear their stories and follow their journey.
Incredible Black Travel Influencers You Need To Follow
Ciara Johnson: @hey_ciara
Born in Houston and featured in Forbes, Cosmopolitan and Elle, Ciara travels the world solo and takes gorgeous pictures while doing it. She has a blog and Instagram on which she empowers women to travel solo. She also uses her platform to challenge myths & stereotypes about Black travellers and share lessons on Black History.
Karl Shakur: @karl_shakur
Photography say WHAT! Karl is an adventure photographer and visual artist based in Kansas. His art is stunning and always makes me wish I had a creative bone in my body. You can also get his prints for your own home on his website.
Zenovia.Stephens: @Blackadventurecrew
Zenovia Stephens runs Black Adventure Crew and Black Kids Adventure Inc. She uses her social media & website to inspire and encourage other Black families to travel and explore the outdoors. She is also one of 3 Founders of Black Hikers Week.
Tash Thomas: @Tash.Uk
Tash is one half of the incredible @_breakingthedistance and an absolute powerhouse. With her girlfriend, she talks about all things travel, LGBTQ+ Relationships and Inclusion & Diversity. She’s also a mega-talented performer and part of a Little Mix tribute group… so you’re really missing out if you don’t drop her a follow.
You should also check out her epic blog series from Black History Month, high-lighting Black, LGBTQ+ Icons.
Glo Atanmo: @glographics
No travel list would be complete without Glo. She started out as a travel blogger, sharing her experiences as a solo female Black traveller. Since then, her account has evolved from a purely travel blog to a powerful educational resource for Anti-racism, entrepreneurship and all around bossing life. Glo is a total inspiration for me, and the reason I started my travel blog way back in 2016.
Her Ally Resource Guide is a perfect place to start for anyone looking to educate themselves in this space.
Francesca Murray: @onegrloneworld
Francesca has a 47k following on Instgram and uses her platform to inspire travel especially around the Caribbean and lifting the veil on being a travel content creator. Yesterday, Francesca held a Clubhouse room in partnership with some other Black and white travel creators, where they discussed how we can all be better and genuine allies vs performative “black square posting”. It was an inspiring conversation and one I learned a lot from.
Jessica Nabongo: @thecatchmeifyoucan
Jessica is the 1st black woman to travel to every country in the world. If her stories don’t inspire you to travel the world, I don’t know what will! In 2019 she gave a TED Talk on her journey too. You can watch her TED Talk here.
Kyanna Simone: @Thekyannasimone
Kyanna is an LGBTQ+ & Travel Content Creator on YouTube & Instagram. She openly discusses her discomfort with labels and identifying with a particular identity and share pictures from her travels (mostly across the US).
Mally Walker: @Brokeassgirltravel
Mally Walker is a travel content creator on Instagram and YouTube who inspires people to explore the world and travel more, without needing to quit your job to do it. Her website also promotes the group trips she runs.
Nasir Fleming: @nasirfleming
Nasir Fleming is a content creator who covers all things queer and travel-related. He shares his experiences on YouTube and Instagram of living the digital nomad life as a freelance writer and full-time traveller. His writings and words can be seen in The Huffington Post, CNN, The Matador Network, and other publications.
Aisha & Lexie: @Thequeernomads
The Queer Nomads were my guests on the Skyscanner Lesbian Travel Pride panel last year and are amazing. Aisha is from London and Lexie is French. They are both involved in the running of UK Black Pride and use their joint Instagram account to share insights into their experiences travelling as a queer & Black couple.
Also – Check out their GoFundMe page for supporting Aisha’s startup Moonlight Experiences.
Jeff Jenkins: @Thechubbydiaries
Jeff is the founder of ChubbyDiaries.com, an online community for plus size travellers who are passionate about seeing the world, experiencing new foods, and learning clever hacks along the way. He has so far featured in Forbes, T+L, Lonely Planet, NYT, Google and more. He is also chairperson of the Black Travel Alliance, an organisation born out of the BLM movement last summer which supports Black content creators around the world and pushes for greater representation in the travel industry.
Jumoke & Kym: @Thetriplecripples
Jumoke Abdullahi and Kym Oliver are the London-based videography/podcast duo behind The Triple Cripples, a website dedicated to “increasing visibility and highlighting the narratives of black and non-black women, femmes and non-binary people of [colour], living with disabilities.” Jumoke’s personal Instagram @Jayonlife shares insights into her travels as a person with disabilities and guides to how accessible the cities she visits are.
More Black Travel Influencers?
And there you have it. Hopefully you were already familiar with some of these folks and found some new people to add to you lists too. There are so many incredible travel content creators out there, so I know I will have missed some. Please drop your suggestions & favourites in the comments and let’s keep the conversation going.
