6 Ways International Solo Travel Benefits Black Women

I’m officially joining the chorus of people who extol the benefits of travel. I do realize that travel is a privilege. That’s why I don’t preach that everyone must travel or else live an incomplete life lacking substance and culture. No, that ain’t it. (You read right. That ain’t it.) But when asked I will happily talk about how travel, and specifically solo travel as a Black woman, has enriched my life. Yes, I’ve been asked. I can’t guarantee all that follows will be everyone’s experience. It’s mine, with all the nuance that being a Black woman and U.S. citizen brings. Nonetheless, here are what I found to be the benefits of international solo travel:

1. Solo travel affirms your beauty.

There are Black people in Europe but you have to know where to find them and you have to go at the right times. When I went to Paris in October, I saw hardly any. When I returned in July and hung out with the right folks, they were everywhere. During the time I was in European countries and saw few people who looked like me it affirmed my beauty, although maybe in a different way than how you’d think.

I was grateful for my brown skin, full lips and afro-textured hair. It felt good to stand out. This is likely because for the most part no one treated me overtly different. My standing out wasn’t the basis for discrimination. That’s not to say there is no racism abroad. There is and people who say there isn’t are lying.

However, as a tourist Black woman from the U.S. I felt relatively little fear of people using my race against me. Without that part, standing out made me feel uniquely beautiful against a backdrop of people with starkly different features from mine. Almost as though having the opposite effect of growing up in the U.S. where whiteness is standard of beauty. It’s also the standard in Europe but the difference is that it wasn’t my home. I didn’t need to belong. I just needed to represent.

Even in some of the majority-Black or PoC countries I’ve been to I stood out for my hair alone. I could write at length (and probably will, so stay tuned) about the various kinds of attention my hair has garnered abroad. When Black women wear our hair, the world reacts. Literally. That’s powerful af.

2. You can compare desire/appreciation for Black women in other parts of the world.

Let’s be honest. Desirability matters to many of us. As long as desirability is tied to resources (for women), it’s going to keep mattering. Here at Not The Wifey Type I emphasize the importance of centering yourself. Finding and going where you’re appreciated is one way to do that.

As Black women from the U.S., especially darker-skinned Black women who experience colorism, it’s nice to see how our appreciation may vary abroad. Colorism and the influence of European beauty standards are global, true. Yet seeing my desirability in other countries helped me look beyond the breadth of U.S. borders. Which brings me to my next point…

3. Solo travel broadens your horizons for what’s possible.

For much of my life I never imagined life outside the U.S. Then I met people who had been doing life outside the U.S. in their own unique ways. In Morocco I met a couple from the States who told me they went to college in England because the tuition was cheaper than back home. Something that had never occurred to me.

While going through customs at the border between Montenegro and Croatia I met a man named David. David had been living abroad for years, home-hopping. He’d stay as long as the country or region would legally allow, then move to another region to live until he could come back. He had no permanent address. His passport barely had space for new stamps. He went where wanted to go when he wanted to go. Now, this truly nomadic lifestyle is not for me. But it exposed me to the reality that there is life outside the U.S. and it helped me imagine what mine might look like. Being able to see yourself in new possibilities is the first step to achieving them.

4. You learn what you’re made of…in good way.

So much of what people praise Black women for is about our “strength” and “resilience” in the face of adversity. There is supposedly nothing we can’t withstand and we’re only the better for withstanding it.

Look how she takes care of her kids all by herself with no help. #BlackGirlMagic

You working 3 jobs to make ends meet? That’s a real woman.

She held him down through infidelity and unemployment. A queen.

But how often as Black women do we get to learn what we’re made of through means that are solely for our edification? Why do we consider Black women’s strength and resilience as results of hardship only? Aren’t there other ways Black women can come to know their resiliency besides struggle?

The answer is yes. There are few situations that make me feel as self-actualized as navigating a city on the opposite side of the world. Maybe it’s strange but I feel a certain thrill from not knowing a single soul. I’m an introvert so the peace and anonymity is blissful. And when I want to open up to others, I can. I can initiate conversation with or entertain conversation from people I inevitably encounter while traveling.

It’s a source of pride to map out my own course. I often forego tour guides because I love the freedom of figuring things out as I go along and trusting that I can handle myself. I’ve had some minor blunders but ultimately I’ve never failed myself. Best of all, seeing myself in this light didn’t require suffering or sacrifice.

5. Solo travel might even raise your standards.

Solo travel is not contingent on relationship status. But if you’re single (and even if you’re not) it can cause an expectation adjustment. There are countless beautiful places in the world to see. I’ve taken myself to see a few. I’ve had a picturesque dinner at a table so seaside that one slip and my silverware would be lost in the Aegean forever. I watched the sunset from lookout points in some of the oldest Italian cities. I took selfies at the light show on the lawn of the Eiffel tower. All my own doing. When I was younger I never fathomed I would do any of that. Now? I wouldn’t dream of being with anyone who didn’t think I deserved what I’ve already done on my own.

6. And you could make lifelong connections.

Not only will you be able to imagine different things for yourself, you may potentially meet people who will change your life. You’re less likely to make these connections when you’re not traveling alone. When we have company, we tend to stay engrossed with our friend group or companion because it’s comfortable and familiar. When we are alone we tend to open ourselves up to the people and places around us.

I’ve met many people who changed my life. I’ll never meet most of them again, but they still left indelible marks on my life trajectory. As for those it’s likely I’ll see again, who knows what those connections may turn into? For me, they are options reminding me that this American life is not all there is. I love hearing from them and they remind me of some of the happiest times I’ve ever had.

If you’re ready to get your adventure started, check out the next post in this series on how to plan your first international solo trip!

Have you solo traveled before? Scared to take the plunge? Either way, tell me your thoughts and experiences below!