Female Travel: The Ultimate Guide for WOC
Ok, so you have made the decision to leave.
Whether you are going at it alone, or heading out with your travel buddy, you’re still going!
Now you need and want to know HOW to go.
I’ve got you!
We are going to go over the basics of how to head out on your first (or one millionth).
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Let’s dive in.
First and foremost, don’t let others scare you with their opinions.
If you have an idea of a destination, don’t share it with too many people. As a women, and a WOC, you already are thinking about whether or not you will be welcomed. It’s natural and valid.
Do your own research and make a judgment call from there.
I can tell you right now, people are curious, depending on where you go, they will look at you. Do your best to remember that you are there because of your curiosities as well, and try not to shut down and shut out.
That could 10000000% ruin your trip.
You don’t want that.
Planning & Research
I am sure as a woman and if you are a woman of color specifically, it’s a natural question for you to wonder if the place you want to go will be a welcoming and safe place for you to go. Google is you friend. This is the first thing you should look up while getting into planning planning.
Just know that no place in the world is 100% safe.
- Save
- Flights
- Visa & Vaccine
- Accomodation
- Wardrobe
- Pack
- Go
I don’t mean to encourage you to jet to Delhi on your very first solo extravaganza, but I do encourage you to do your research and keep an open mind while doing so. One persons experience might not be yours.
You might want to know that I felt safe af in places such as Tokyo, Scotland, Germany, Paris, Taiwan, Singapore, San Francisco, New Orleans, Mexico City and Myanmar.
Hair
After you have picked where you are going, figure out what you will be doing with your hair. This is important.
If you are going someplace tropical and you plan on swimming, hiking, zip lining, or just sitting in the sun in general. Do you want to have your natural hair out?
Don’t laugh, but below is what my hair looked like after a week in the desert, shoulda made time for some braids, huh?
Do you have time to style your hair every day?
Maybe some braids or snap a wig on and go in the morning. Whatever works for you, I find braids easiest in hot places and a blow out for the dry cold climates. Nice moisturizers do well with our hair in colder dry climates, If you don’t want to do anything to your hair make sure you at least bring moisture.Of course we all have our own easy going yet cute, ready in a flash hairstyle. Whatever that is for you, commit to it for your trip.
The water alone can do a number on your crown.
I will note here, if you are getting your hair braided, be sure to either buy cute fabric and hats as souvenirs or bring some with you so you can protect your scalp from the sun. It doesn’t matter if you are in the desert or London, if you are traveling, the chances that you will be outside for extended periods of time are pretty high, trust me.
I got pretty bad sunburn on my scalp in San Francisco en route to India and ended up with huge flakes in my tribal braids while I was in India.
BTW sunburn frickin hurts!
F.Y.I. P.Y.T I will have you know either way, if you are heading to Asia, or some places in Europe you WILL attract attention.
There might be instances where people, usually women, wiLl reach out to touch your hair and have a closer look.
I don’t associate this with being in the states and having people ask to touch my hair, when I wear it out.
I think of it as a pure curiosity instead of a…zoo petting situation. Of course, you know if and when you are in that situation, I have never felt this in any of my travels.
I have never felt disrespected when this has happened, but I do want you to be aware that it probably will happen. You should use it as a segway to understanding something about the person you are engaging with.
Who knows, maybe you will get a dinner invite. Wink Wink nom nom.
Activities
In your research process you will come across the main things you wan to do on your trip.
Write these things down and write the dates you want to do them.
Figure out if you need to reserve a position, tickets, or table and do so. Nothing worse than flying to the other side of the world only to find that you cant get into the museum that day or that there are only a specific amount of individuals permitted to enter a park and you have to turn around and leave.
Flights
This seems to be everyone’s main concern.
Buying your flights can be tedious, if you let it.
I find it exciting and I take my time with it.
I suggest taking two weeks, wayyyyyy ahead of time, to look at flights and see how much they cost, compared with different times and days.
Pay attention to if you need to pay for your meals, carry on, luggage before making a final purchase
I will be releasing an Ebook that DETAILS everything in this blog post and then some, including how I booked a $400 flight from the United States to Tokyo or my $175 flight from Paris. Just be sure to grab the free goodies at the top or bottom of this page so you can be sure to be notified.
Get excited!!
Nervous excitement begins to build during all of these tasks, enjoy it!
Check for Visa and vaccines
Some places require more than just your passport for entry, sometimes you need to pay extra and fill an application for a
Visa depending on where you go they can be over $150 make sure you look up these some as inexpensive at $40.
This is something you should be googling when choosing a destination just to keep in mind the price points and the dates you would need to apply before your departure.
Vaccines are sometimes required. I am not certain about how our future will be with international travel and these COVID concerns, all we can do is wait and see. This is also something to keep in mind ahead of purchasing flights. Inquiring with a physician and planning what, if any, vaccines NEED to be administered.
Packing
I don’t know who needs to hear this but..You don’t need to take your whole life with you!
Depending on cold or tropical weather you can figure out what clothing to bring easily.
It’s the respect that seems to be lacking in some of the IG influencer posts.
If you are planning a trip to India and you show up with nothing but tank tops and shorts in anticipation of the how South Asia sun, you would be sadly mistaken.
Your best bet is to google search around for “acceptable clothing in…” or “what do women wear in…”.
Or subscribe to this blog and get all that information sent to you as it comes out
Wink wink.
When packing rememeber…
Your bonnet, and any hair care products that you absolutely can not leave behind. Depending on where you are going you can absolutely find hair care products for you, but not always and you will be surprised at where are the haves and the have nots.
I made the mistake of not bringing any hair care products with me to South Africa(under the very wrong assumption I would be able to purchase necessities at stores), only to be stuck with Head and Shoulders and other not so compatible (for MY hair)products at the markets that I was shopping in.
Weird, I know. Thankfully there were other curly haired girls in my hostels that were willing to share conditioners here and there.
If you need birth control, or other prescriptions, let your doctor know so you can stock up them ahead of time. Even if you are going for a short period of time, maybe bring some extra f possible, incase you misplace for forget something important.
Speaking of Bonnets and Conditioner…
Bringing regular sized hair products in your checked luggage will take away from what you can back, as far as weight is concerned.
Honestly, depending on the trip, and how long you will be gone AND if your hosteling I say leave your flat irons and blow dryers at home. It’s a pain and if you are planning on backpacking or traveling for any extended period of time.
However, I will say most places have at least blow dryers ready and waiting for you
Side Note: Swimming
If you can’t swim, I suggest learning how to.
Don’t limit yourself.
At least get a doggy paddle and some floating in before you leave.
You never know where you will end up and if it happens to be on an all day boat tour in Thailand with your new friends jumping in the water at the famous “The Beach” movie beach, trust me when I tell you.. so fun!
You will want to dive in too!
Long Haul Flights
Don’t trick yourself into thinking it’s easier to put everything into your checked bag for a 12 hour flight.
You should pack a carry on and it should be simple light and direct. A bag that can go overhead OR fit under the seat in front of you is ideal.
Head to the top of this blog post page and fill out the email information so you can recieve my FREE fillable checklist for four carry on as well as a few other free goodies.
Aside from any electronics you insist on bringing with you, the downloadable straight forward check list will keep your carry on essentials light, practical and 100% comfortable for your trip.
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