Each year, studies prove that women love traveling and they have no problem getting out there and doing it on their own.
A recent study conducted by HostelWorld, an online hostel booking platform, revealed that women are going on more extended international trips than men and they have no intention of slowing that trend down.
As we all wait to return to our lives and resume traveling the world after the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve decided to highlight the brave and adventurous black women who have inspired us all to step out of our comfort zones through their adventures.
Here’s a list of 6 of the most influential black women in the travel industry that we hope will shed some light and travel inspiration post quarantine:
Zim Ugochukwu Flores – Founder, Travel Noire
Zim is the founder and previous CEO of Travel Noire.
Founded in 2013 – Zim filled a gap for black millennials as the black travel movement began gaining momentum.
Through Travel Noire, she inspired black travelers to see the world and provided helpful resources to help black travelers navigate through countries.
By the time the brand was acquired in 2017 by the black-owned media company Blavity, Travel Noire reached 2 million travelers each month.
Currently, she works with her husband to acquire, grow, and sell small online businesses and is the host of The Bloom Podcast, a column-style faith podcast.
Bianca Brasdorp – Founder, Hostelle: The first all-female hostel in The Netherlands
Hostelle is the first all-female hostel in Amsterdam.
Created by Bianca Brasdorp, Hostelle was started because she felt there wasn’t a hostel for women and girls that provided them with a safe, fun, and clean environment.
When the hostel launched in 2012, it was the only all female-hostel in Amsterdam.
Hostelle is equipped with beautifully decorated rooms designed by various artists. It’s ideal for female travelers with a small budget and it’s only a 15-minute ride away from the Central Station Amsterdam
Oneika Raymond – Journalist and Travel Host
Known by her audience as Oneika the Traveller, Oneika is a media maven who has traveled to more than 115 countries across six continents.
Her travel journey began when she started teaching abroad in China, the United Kingdom, and Mexico.
As the author of the award-winning travel blog “Oneika the Traveller”, Oneika is dedicated to inspiring people of color to see the world
Jessica Nabongo – The First Black Woman To Visit Every Country In The World
Jessica Nabongo is a Ugandan-American travel blogger and brand influencer. Most notably, she is the first black woman to have traveled to every country in the world.
Known to her more than 100K followers on Instagram as The Catch Me If You Can, she achieved her milestone of visiting of all 195 UN member countries and observing states, including the Vatican and Palestine In October 2019.
Kellee Edwards – The First Black Woman With A Show on the Travel Channel
Kellee Edwards is an award-winning travel expert, journalist, and television host.
She is a licensed pilot, advanced open water scuba diver, explorer and journalist.
Her travel brand known as Kellee Set Go! is one of the biggest brands in travel. She’s the host Mysterious Islands on the Travel Channel, a series that explores some of the most remote islands of the 100,000 in the world.
Claire Soares – Founder of Luxury Travel Brand Up In the Air Life
Claire Soares left Corporate America to create Up In The Air Life, a company focused on curating luxury experiences around the world geared toward African American travelers.
Her expertise is how she became successful with her luxury travel company where she has secured more than 3,000 clients who live it up on her glamorous excursions.
In 2018, the company surpassed the million-dollar mark in revenue for the first time.
