Now online communities and influencers are inspiring a new generation of global explorers.

ByKellee Edwards

Few people would relish being told where they can and can’t go.

But that was the reality for African Americans living in the Jim Crow era.

Vanessa Wilkins personal travel photos from Childhood at Old Faithful

Mario Rigby in Zanzibar.Courtesy of Mario Rigby

Thankfully, the originalGreen Bookis no longer a necessity for the African American community.

Yet we still have concerns.

Others are charting new courses and, in turn, inspiring more Black travelers.

Kwin looking at a memory of elephants grazing at Amboseli National Park.

Toronto-based eco-explorerMario Rigbywalked from Cape Town to Cairo between 2015 and 2018, sharing his adventures on his blog.

And when we travel around the world, we show others those different representations.

The momentum continues to grow, and Rigby, Robinson, and I are far from alone.

Zim Ugochukwu in India

Andcountless other influencers, like fashion-mindedCedric Wood, are motivating Black people to travel, too.

ByTanya A. Christian

In 2012, attorney Sheila Ruffin noticed a gap in the travel market.

“I thought to myself,Wow, I should change that,” Ruffin recalls.

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Everywhere I turned, I was in the majority.

I didn’t stand out.

Experiencing cultures across Africa let me reconnect with my ancestors.

Mario Rigby snorkeling in Zanzibar

Mario Rigby in Zanzibar.Courtesy of Mario Rigby

The Caribbean is also key for Carl Napoleon, the founder ofCarnival Jumpers.

Some advisors strive to build community among their guests.

Cole Banks, Atlanta-based founder ofSisters Traveling Solo, also focuses on creating connections.

Portrait of unidentified people on the wooden steps of the Idlewild Club House, Idlewild, Michigan, September 1938.

A snapshot taken in 1938 in Idlewild, Michigan, a resort town that welcomed African Americans and became known as the Black Eden.The Abbott Sengstacke Family Papers/Robert Abbott Sengstacke/Getty Images

“I see it happen on every single trip.

“.

Black Travel Movement statistics

Jenna Brillhart

Evita Robinson sitting on the steps of a townhouse in Harlem, New York

Evita Robinson, seen in Harlem, New York.Matador Network/Courtesy of Evita Robinson

Roy Woods Jr with quote

Image Courtesy of Roy Woods Jr.

Skylar Kearney with quote

Image Courtesy of Skylar Kearney

A group of women in front of a tiled facade in Fez, Morocco

A Sisters Traveling Solo trip to Fez, Morocco.Courtesy of Sisters Traveling Solo

Three women looking at street art in Cartagena, Colombia

A tour of Cartagena, Colombia, organized by Sisters Traveling Solo.Courtesy of Sisters Traveling Solo

Travel advisor Kareem George poses for a photo on a small street in Seoul, Korea

T+L Travel Advisory Board member Kareem George, visiting Seoul.Courtesy of Kareem George

A group of women practicing yoga in Bali

Morning yoga in Bali, during an OMNoire retreat.Courtesy of OMNoire

Women planning trip with map on wooden table

aerial top view overwater villas in lagoon of tropical island

Woman working on laptop in airport hall