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. 

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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:

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

Your Perfect Pink Destinations

With Valentine's Day coming up, I thought we might look back at some pink destinations, because you don't always have to go to the stereotypical romantic locations to celebrate your love. Yes, I enjoy Paris, but I also love Palm Springs, which is perfectly pink.

Did you know there are so many places you can go that a covered in pink homes, castles, beaches, and even religious sites? This isn't an exhaustive list, but a sprinkling of destinations that can pink up your travels.

If you're looking for a great destination that can also be budget-friendly and easier to get to and get around in, check out Palm Springs. From free art to rainbows and mid-century architecture everywhere. Nassau in the Bahamas can also put you in the middle of a pastel paradise. The government buildings are all pink, the Atlantis Resort is a sprawling pink hotel and casino, the zoo has a flamboyance of flamingos that are the stars of their own show, and you can take a million pics of yourself among exotic flowers in the botanical gardens. Here's a very old post to help you plan a trip.

Complete your Pink/Barbie trip with some new travel goodies: 

• pink carry-on
• pink walking shoes (men's)
• pink sleeping mask
• pink sunnies for men or women
• a Barbie eye palette from NYX or my personal fave palette from Colourpop
• men's pink linen short set
• pink scoop-neck monokini
• pink swim trunks
• hot pink halter maxi dress
• pink anti-theft backpack
• pink anti-theft day bag
• kid's 3-pack of t-shirts

Do you have a favorite pink travel destination? Let us know!

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links and I maybe receive monetarily compensated if you make a purchase through any of them. This enables me to keep this blog running and bringing you travel tips, so thanks in advance.

Welcome to Meow Wolf's Convergence Station

In 2021, Eric and I took a road trip to Las Vegas to visit with family and experience Omega Mart, an interactive art installation by Meow Wolf that I'd been waiting 3 years to open. There are other massive installations that they've done, but last year we finally had the chance to visit the one in Denver, Convergence Station. 

Meow Wolf is an art collective that wanted to do something huge and different that got people interested in art, and what started in a warehouse has turned into a phenomenon that has people traveling the country to get to one of their locations.

Why are they so special? Because it's a ton of different forms of art, very fun and weird, and there's an overarching story and mystery you can solve in each one. Each one has a different story, but also somewhat ties into other locations, which you'll see Easter eggs for while you're exploring. 

Convergence Station tells the story of a transit worker who was on her bus route and drove into a portal that opened up, now that other dimension is slowly taking over and morphing things into weird versions of themselves. People are losing their memories, which are used for currency. Before you lose yours, you can take on the mystery of the Forgotten 4, 4 people who disappeared and nobody appears to remember, except through missing persons posters up all over "town". 

You can choose to buy a Boop Card and try to solve the mystery, or you can just wander around and take in all the amazing, weird, and awesome stuff everywhere. A card is just $5 and you can use it on future visits, in case you don't do everything on one visit, which I completely understand. We arrived right at opening and stayed for 6 hours, and I'm sure we still missed some stuff. 

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You take the elevator up to the "street" level, where you'll find stores and businesses and even an art gallery, but nothing is what it seems. Dotted around the street are both public phones and Boop stations for you to learn part of the story of why Convergence Station exists and what became of the Forgotten Four. 

There are secret things everywhere you look, and that's sort of half the reason to visit. Anything can be a door or a secret passageway. Anything can conceal a tiny diorama or game or interactive art. 

This portal is actually a walkway that is as awkward as it looks, but also takes you into a completely different area. Your visit takes you through a bunch of different floors, levels, and environment. You're going to be walking and crouching and sometimes crawling, so wear comfortable clothes and good shoes.

Everything is weird here, but also amazing, and you're going to want to see everything, which can be super overwhelming. You can meet new friends here and you sometimes end up teaming up with strangers to learn how to do certain things or help each other with a challenge. You don't have to, but it's fun experiencing something so interesting and new with new people. 

You can end your story in the security room of Panopticon, where you can both see people in other parts of the building and also call other phones. While we were there, Eric called a phone in Omega Mart and spoke to a visitor there. When we finally figured out the mystery and did everything we were supposed to do to "get credit" for it, the people in the security room were excited to see it and were encouraged to keep going. 

There's something surprising around every corner and behind every door and there are so many places that create stunning and unpredictable photo ops. It's one of those things you can't really explain to someone if they don't know anything about it, but pictures help.

You can't leave and come back, but with your admission, you can stay as long as you want. There's a quick service restaurant in the lobby, which isn't terrific but it's not spendy and it has filing dishes like nachos and rice bowls. That way you can refuel and then continue your exploration of this weird and everchanging landscape. And, if you're lucky, you might even meet the Yawlp. He's awkward and sad, but he's my new favorite cryptid, because who isn't really? 

Have you ever been to a museum that was so amazing that you wanted to tell everyone about it? Tell me about it in the comments!