by Solo travel as a black woman is not just a simple act of pleasure or healing. It is a powerful and challenging movement that overcomes the layered fears of racism and society that have held us back for so long.
Traveling solo as a woman is generally a daunting venture, but black women have to think beyond their gender to the immediate fear of how they will be treated once their skin color is noticed. The presence of a black woman will provoke a spectrum of reactions, from harmless but loaded stars who feel unwelcome to racist attacks.
Traveling solo as a black woman is a “triple whammy,” says London-based travel content creator Pelumi Nubi, who since January has been on a transcontinental road trip from London to Lagos, Nigeria. “I’m traveling alone, I’m black and female. It doesn’t get any harder than this,” she says.
Along with her backpack, she is in constant fear of not knowing how she will be treated every time she crosses a new border. But those moments are indented she says, because she does not want to be “ruled by fear.” Sometimes her worries were forgotten, which surprised her at the “kindness of the people”.
Nubi, who until recently was doing a biomedical degree before she retired from travelling, describes herself as “a traveler at heart”. Her passport has already expired after visiting 80 countries so far. “I just wanted to connect these two places that I consider home,” she says from her latest stop in Guinea-Bissau, a tropical sun haven in West Africa. “It’s very quiet here,” she says. There is less hustle and bustle compared to Dakar, Senegal, where she was a few days before.
When she’s not driving or exploring, she’s sleeping in her Peugeot 107, parked on a campsite. From riding the iron train through the Sahara Desert and walking tours in Chefchaouen to watching the sun rise over the Atlas Mountains, Nubi’s trip was amazing.
Her journey was inspired by Kunle Adeyanju, the Nigerian motorcyclist who cycled from London to Lagos in 2022, and her incredible feat inspired the idea that no black woman had ever done a similar journey and that she would the first person. Nubi is not only taking in the sights but making history along the way.
Black women need to think beyond their gender for the immediate fear of how they will be treated once their skin color is noticed
“I was curious, has any other black female traveler done this before,” asked the Nigerian-born 29-year-old in London. “I felt there was not enough representation. I know black women…they do different types of exploration, but I don’t think the media shows this or that it’s represented enough,” she says. After a year of preparation, she set off in January across France, Spain, Morocco and then through Western Sahara en route to crossing 17 countries before arriving in Lagos.
The visibility of black travelers has been a major issue for a long time, which led to the birth of the Black Travel Movement, a global campaign that began in 2013 and focused on promoting and properly representing black travelers. The movement is this generation’s version of The Green Book, a travel guide first published by Victor Hugo Green between 1936 and 1966 and used at that time as a guide for African American travelers in the era of Jim Crow and “sun towns “. A collaborative study by the Women in Travel CIC, and the University of Surrey School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, has revealed the issue of diversity and inclusion in UK tourism marketing, which is preventing many people of color from holidaying in certain countries. The report also revealed that safety and concerns about racism were many of the contentious factors for ethnic travellers.
Although no longer operating due to financial constraints, Nubi was one of the co-founders of The Black Explorer, a print magazine launched to elevate black travel, which is often missing from the media. “Our vision was to increase black travel, to show that we travel too, that we also take our space and put our stories out there too,” she says. “People want to do these kinds of trips, but they don’t see themselves or someone like them doing it,” says Nubi. Her quest has always been to empower solo black women travelers “in a society that always tells us we can’t.”
“That’s why we have to make a conscious decision to push the norms. I refuse to live an ordinary life,” she says. Nubi documents her journey of more than 6,000 miles to her growing 16,000 followers on Instagram. Countless women have already noted in her comments that they are inspired to pursue their own adventures, she says.
For many women who wish to travel solo, safety is always a concern. A survey by the online travel agency, Tourlane, revealed that almost 50 percent of women who were thinking of taking a solo trip did not go there because of concerns about their safety. Despite this, the number of female solo travelers is increasing, and female-led tours are very popular. According to Condor Ferries, 73 percent of travel agents found that female travelers take more solo trips than men. Research from booking.com, which surveyed 27,000 travelers across 33 countries, predicted a potential rise in women traveling alone this year, with 54 percent indicating plans to travel solo in 2024.
When I crossed into Morocco I broke down in tears
Nubi told the people Nubi says, “I want people to see that at the end of this journey, I have made it. And maybe then ask what else in their lives they consider impossible.”
“When I went into Morocco I broke down in tears, because I had this huge expectation, I really felt that I might not achieve it, almost like a public failure was what worried me more even more so than personal failure. And when I did it was just like, wow, if I had listened to people I wouldn’t have made it this far.”
Being an avid solo traveler, Nubi has a lot of sage advice for those who want to take the plunge and travel alone. Here are five of Nubi’s tips and suggestions for solo travel.
Make up your mind
Nubi’s first piece of advice before going on a solo trip is to make up your mind completely. If you have any doubts or concerns, dispel them before you make the leap to travel across the continent alone. It is important that you also decide for yourself, says Nubi. That way when the noise “comes” later you don’t have to back out.
Do more individual activities before you leave
If you are thinking about sitting in a restaurant alone or going to the cinema alone, it is important that you try to stick to the idea of spending time alone. It’s like a muscle you want to stretch, says Nubi. After a while, “it’s less foreign because you’ve done it in your comfort zone,” she says.
Start local
Before Nubi started her solo travel experience, crossing six continents, she started exploring countries and cities near the UK. “I think people feel the need to travel across the ocean. My early days I was just exploring Europe,” she says. Even going on a weekend getaway to the other side of the country is quite an achievement and you’d better prepare for your solo trip out of the country.
Set yourself up to meet new people
It is not an entirely individual experience. As you travel around the country, you will need to interact with locals and other solo travelers. “I think people feel that when they go, they’re going to be so isolated. But that is not the case,” says Nubi. The locals have a wealth of knowledge, and talking to them can give you insight that you wouldn’t find in a travel brochure.
“Do walking tours, or stay in hostels where you can meet people, or share activities like cooking classes… just things that would naturally bring other travelers and give you the opportunity to meet new people while you travel,” a she says.
Stay connected
This one is one of the most important things when you land in a new country. You might get lost in the excitement of your travels, but it’s important to stay in touch, if anything goes wrong.
“Because of that connection or that constant connection with your family, with people you trust, it gives you that extra boost of confidence, if anything goes wrong, I can call for help,” says Nubi.
When traveling alone as a woman, take other precautions such as not revealing that you are alone or posting in real time on social media Nubi adds.
An oft-repeated hack for solo female travelers that Nubi emphasizes is wearing a “fake wedding ring,” to draw back unwanted attention, especially at immigration or border control offices, where “mostly male it’s bigger,” she says.
Nubi’s final advice is don’t have regrets and don’t push back on big adventures whether it’s near or far.
