Visiting Places Along The Civil Rights Trail

The older I get, the more I realize that our education in Black history (and history in general) was woefully lacking and highly whitewashed. I'm always so upset to learn how cleaned up much of our learning was, when actual history is anything but neat and tidy. It's messy and complicated and though it can be heartbreaking to learn the truth of how people were treated, and are still being treated, knowing history is what helps us move forward and do better. 

As you know, I have been trying to do a better job of giving you ideas of what to do and where to go when you travel, so you can learn new things, eat delicious food, connect with amazing people, and come home a more well-rounded person. This starts with me making more posts about the important thing, especially now when our country is trying hard to erase even the few things we did know. 

This is, by all means, not a conclusive list, so check out the Civil Rights Trail website, where you can sort by state or type of landmark. You can view another list of places I suggest traveling, another infographic, and each day this month, I will be posting a story or article about Black creators, pioneers, or history on Facebook. I will also probably post a round-up of those at the end of the month, for those of you who aren't on Facebook or are trying hard to leave it. 

You already know one of my favorite places was the National Museum for African American Music. Some of these landmarks or museums can be easily overlooked, so I encourage you to do a bit of research before you travel anywhere, to learn more about their history regarding marginalized communities. Do you have a favorite place to learn about Black history? Post it in the comments!

Saving On a Romantic Getaway

As someone who hasn't celebrated Valentine's Day since I was a teenager, and even then didn't love it, I say make the holiday whenever you want and skip the crazy prices on the day/weekend/week itself. Take a getaway later in February or even March. Your money will go a bit further and you won't be fighting with a ton of other couples for overpriced "romance packages". 

Here are ways you can get away for less:

Use Groupon for things to do or places to eat

Groupon is an amazing site that offers deals on a wide assortment of things, not least of which is dining. I always set up notifications for my upcoming destinations and have the app on my phone, so I never have to print out a certificate if I don't have to. Dining certificates can be purchased quite often and many times you can grab a half-off gift certificate to a new local restaurant or one just trying to bring in new customers. 

We've used it for city tours, dinners, escape rooms, and even concerts. Sign up at Groupon for the destination of your next vacation (they cover many international locations as well as the United States and you can change your notifications at any time) and eat and go to attractions for less!

Scour Travelzoo's Top 20

Travelzoo has a Top 20 each week that they put out with their best deals, but you can also search for trips and portions of your trip directly on their site for cheaper activities, tours and more!

Invest in a city attraction card

If you have a list of must-dos on your list, check the ones offered on the city card of that destination to see how many are offered on that card. You can save up to 55% on a list of attractions and activities when you use GoCards or CityPASS. If they aren't available for either of these cards, because you're going out of the country or just because they aren't, just Google "city card [destination city]" and often you'll find something that works.

Get a vacation rental

Hotels can be expensive and don't give you great privacy or make you feel like you're that far away from others, so I usually opt for a vacation rental. You can find something for any budget and for however you like to travel. We almost always go for Airbnb when we aren't staying in a timeshare and are doing a stay of more than a couple nights. We've stayed in everything from a studio up to a three-bedroom, apartments, homes and even an Airstream trailer, from one night to one week and have been happy with our choices and always felt safe and like locals. 

Pick one splurge meal

If you're on a strict budget, pick a splurge meal and go to affordable restaurants the rest of your trip. If you have a bit more leeway in what you're spending, choose one meal to go big on. I do some research before I go and try to make reservations at restaurants I definitely want to eat at and choose the meal that won't totally break our bank. When we were in Palm Springs, I mostly chose breakfast to reserve and then filled in with more affordable options. If you're on a really tight budget, I recommend using the kitchen in your vacation rental.

Rent someone else's car

I try to use my own car when I can, but I am a big car renter. Rentals have almost always been kind of expensive, but since the pandemic and the rental companies sold off most/all their fleets they have been outrageous pretty much at all destinations now. I have been exclusively using Turo for my rental needs for 4 years now. Cars are owned by individuals and you rent from them through the app. I've had cars dropped off for me and also done contactless pick-up. Both have been great and all the cars we've had have been awesome. Think of it like Airbnb, but for cars.

Sign up for Turo for free (they will ask for your driver license info to do a quick background check on your driving record) and get a $25 credit, + refer a friend and you both get a $25 credit once they travel with Turo.

Hopefully, these tips can help you take an alternative Valentine's Day getaway, or even a regular trip another time of the year. What are your favorite romantic destinations?

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, I may be compensated monetarily. Thanks in advance for any purchases you make. It helps me continue to run this blog and bring you my best budget travel tips.

Travel Apps That Support Black Travel and Travelers

Today marks the first day of Black History Month, and even if our new government doesn't celebrate it and is doing everything they can to stop teaching Black history of any kind, I will always lift up Black travel, travelers, and experiences, because the U.S. was build by Black and brown people, who were native, brought here against their will, or came seeking a better life. 

Photo by Humphrey Muleba on Unsplash

I don't know about you, but I try to support and learn about local businesses in my home city and wherever I travel. I want small businesses to succeed and in particular Black-, Asian-, and women-owned businesses are at the top of that list. At home, I frequent 2 Asian-owned coffee shops quite a lot, not just because they have stellar coffee, though that doesn't hurt. 

For Black History Month, let's talk about the apps that can help you find Black businesses, learn more about Black History, celebrate Black culture, and support Black creators/technologists:

Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash

EatOkra

This app features Black-owned restaurants and eateries. It's how we've found amazing places to eat near home and also close to accommodations when we've traveled. It's not exhaustive, but it's pretty good and worth the space it occupies on my phone.

Soko

Farmers' markets are some of my favorite ways to connect with a new community. I always look for markets wherever I travel. It's a wonderful way to talk to locals, learn about their culture, and eat new foods. Soko is your app to find those local markets. It means "market" in Swahili. Unfortunately, it's only available for U.S. farmers markets, but that's okay, because you get to help actual people, not corporations, and that money gets put right back into the community.

Airfordable

No one wants to go into debt to travel, and that's often hard to accomplish, because travel is expensive. Airfordable was created by a Black woman who wanted to help people stay out of debt, but still travel the globe to gain more experiences. For an up-front fee, you can make installment payments for flights you want to book, so you can continue to pay for other necessities along the way.

Photo by Ricardo Resende on Unsplash

Babbel

If you're hoping to travel to other countries to learn history and culture, you may want to learn the language spoken there. Limited to some of the most spoken languages in the world, Babbel can help you prepare for your trip. For example, there are lots of countries with large Black communities that speak Portuguese as the official language. Just a few of these are Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, and Cape Verde.

Photo by Adam Kring on Unsplash

More Than a Mapp

Wherever you go, you can find points of interest and historical markers for Black history. Set you location in the app and then you can use the interactive map to point you to important places and then learn about what makes them significant through words, links, photos, and videos.

Photo by Adi Goldstein on Unsplash

Green Book Global

The first Black travel review app for destinations. If you're a Black traveler and want to go somewhere safe for  you and your companions, this is where you should look. Not only do they look at all the aspects of travel, not just physical safety, but provide you with ways to connect more with the Black community while traveling. 

Photo by Jessica Lewis on Unsplash

Black History Quiz

Got some time to spare? Test your knowledge and expand what you've already learned through quizzes. You can't move on until you get the correct answer, so you can easily learn what you don't know. What a great way to "waste" time.

Photo by Roman Kraft on Unsplash

Hayti

Support Black writers by exploring the day's news in all genres, but also listen to podcasts, watch slideshows and more, right from your phone, all by prominent Black journalists that may give you a new perspective of current stories.

Photo by Trevor Vannoy on Unsplash

Honorable Mentions: National Parks App

While this app doesn't explicitly give you Black and African American historical information, the National Parks have been preserving Black history and stories for visitors. With over 400 parks, each having a rich backstory featuring Black culture and notable points in history, you can get outside and also learn more about this country's past with elevated multi-generational Black stories. Learn more on their website.

The podcast Fanti

Not an app, but part of an app you probably already have on your phone to listen to other podcasts you love. Fanti is a pop-culture podcast run by Black hosts who talk about fandom and other relevant topics that they enjoy, but effect the Black community and fans in an entirely different way than it's white audience (i.e. when you love the art, but the artist is problematic, or vice versa). The episodes are great for downloading and listening on long plane/train/car rides. You might also like Code Switch, The Nod, What a Day, or 1619.

I hope some of these will help you travel more easily, plus educate yourself while having fun traveling. I know that they can really be a great addition to trips and help you fill in time with something educational, important, fun, or tasty.

Share your favorite travel apps with us. Bonus points if they are Black-created or celebrate Black culture.