Another year is coming to an end, and the travel stories this year were…interesting, to say the least.
Certainly, there were no shortage of “no home training” stories. Whether it was Delta (where a woman was recently, allegedly, caught breastfeeding her cat) or RyanAir, no airline was safe from nightmare passenger stories. And it goes without saying that the vast majority of these stories involved people who had issues wearing a mask.
For God’s sake, people, these airline employees aren’t playing with you. Put your mask on.
That said, there was also no shortage of positive travel stories, too. There was the story of the Black expat who went from a 9-to-5 to living her dream life in Jamaica. There was the story of the Twitter petition that begged for “adults-only” flights, and how #BlackTwitter came through with the necessary shade and hilarity. And then there was the story of the Black Girl Magic tours in Atlanta that celebrated the beauty of Black women and sisterhood in a unique, fun way.
We’ve collected the top 10 travel stories featuring the good, the bad, and the ugly — from mixtapes to travel-themed baby showers, from entering new spaces to sparking new conversations about safety, it’s safe to say that 2021 was quite the year for Black travel.
Meet WestJet Airlines' First Hijab-Wearing Flight Attendant
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Meet Iman Sayed, the 28-year-old woman who just became WestJet’s first hijab-wearing flight attendant. Originally from Egypt, Iman is currently based out of Toronto, Ontario. She fell in love with travel at the age of 19 while on a trip to Cuba.
“I instantly fell in love with discovering new cultures,” said Iman. “I enjoyed myself so much that I booked another vacation while I was still in Cuba. Belize would be my top Caribbean destination, though. I appreciate the small island vibe and the food is absolutely amazing!”
You can read the rest of her story here.
Woman Shares Now Viral $10 Travel Hack That Saved Her Money On Baggage Fees
We all love a good travel hack, especially if that means saving money on baggage fees at the airport.
Dallas resident, Iyshia Kirkland, took a 4-day family trip to Las Vegas, Nevada with her daughter. A travel planner herself, she decided to test out a $10 hack that she came across. She took to Facebook to share her experience, and the post has now gone viral in the Black Travel Movement group.
Read all about this fascinating hack here.
Inside Jeannie Mai And Jeezy's Travel-Themed Baby Shower
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When The Real talk show co-host Jeannie Mai revealed she was pregnant by her husband and rapper Jeezy in September, social media went absolutely insane. As the couple inches closer to welcoming their new bundle of joy, the Jenkins celebrated with a travel-themed shower with family and friends.
Check out the rest of the story here.
Man Lets Partner 'Starve' During Vacay, Sparks Viral Convo On Splitting Travel Bills
Nothing sets social media ablaze like a good debate. And this wild Reddit post on who should pay travel bills was…a lot.
A user on the popular Reddit thread ‘Am I The Asshole’ posed a question to the platform to get some outside perspective on an issue that he’s probably now wishing he kept to himself. The poster stated that he and his girlfriend of two years shared all bills 50/50 since the beginning of their relationship.
Things got a bit complicated, however, when they agreed to go on an expensive international vacation with his seemingly wealthy family.
AITA for inviting my (29M) Girlfriend (28F) on an expensive vacation and expecting her to pay all of her share? (I make a lot more than her) https://t.co/bFad8kfOIV pic.twitter.com/UEhi991yMk
— Am I the Asshole? (@AITA_online) June 28, 2021
Check out the rest of the story here.
Coble's Landing Is The First Black-Owned Nature Preserve In The Southeast
Now that the pandemic is reaching its tail-end and the outside is opening back up, Coble’s Landing is open and ready for business.
But the story of the Southeast’s first Black-owned nature preserve is a story of resilience in and of itself. Even as COVID-19 raged on and travel was all but halted, founders (and married couple) Rex and Shawanda Coble saw their business thrive.
Learn all about their inspiring story here.
Woman's Alleged Attempted Kidnapping At DC's Cambria Hotel Raises Concerns Of Human Trafficking
With this story, we were able to spark a larger conversation — and we’re pleased we were able to do so.
It all started with these tweets:
I called the front desk not even a full minute later. The girl working said “I’m aware of the situation. That was housekeeping trying to get into the room he accidentally came to your door instead of the room next to you”. In what world is housekeeping coming into rooms at 1AM.
— Maya Angelique👑 (@moneyymaya) October 14, 2021
I told her to refund me and switch me to a different room because I DID NOT FEEL SAFE STAYING THERE. I paid over $500 for my stay in order to be in the area to attend an already traumatic family funeral and then had to have a random man breaking into my room at 1am. pic.twitter.com/7GmMGZ42tE
— Maya Angelique👑 (@moneyymaya) October 14, 2021
The story that sparked the conversation can be found here.
Here's A Look Inside Cardi B's Dominican Republic Mansion Gifted By Offset
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Cardi B. gave her fans a peek inside her Dominican Republic mansion gifted to her by her husband Offset for her 29th birthday.
The “WAP” singer told her more than 112 million Instagram followers that she’s been wanting a rental property in the Caribbean for a long time.
Get all the details about Cardi’s new Dominican digs here.
Family Kicked Off Plane After Passengers Complain About 'Intense Body Odor'
While technically written a couple of years back, it was a stinky situation for a couple from Michigan after they were kicked off an American Airlines flight. Yet, our audience STILL loves this story for some reason.
According to the flight crew and other passengers, it was due to “intense body odor.” Reports say fellow passengers complained that the smell of Yossi and Jennie Adler bothered them when the couple boarded the plane with their infant daughter at Miami International Airport. Confused, Adler demanded to know the real reason why they were being escorted off the aircraft.
“There’s no body odor that we have,” Yossi Adler said. “There’s nothing wrong with us.”
Read the original story here.
Woman Performs Her 'Mixtape' On Spirit Airlines Flight And Goes Viral
Chile, if this isn't ghetto idk what is 😩 Sis was looking for her big break on that Spirit Airlines flight 🤣😂 📹:(@1107xciv ) #AreYallSurprisedAtThisPoint pic.twitter.com/KEFvDKHDuc
— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) September 21, 2021
It was the plane ride of a lifetime for passengers aboard a Spirit Airlines flight heading to Los Angeles from Baltimore after a fellow passenger decided it was her moment to shine. And, what better time to promote your budding rap career than mid-flight when you and the people around you have nowhere to go.
Rapper and musician Jahlaya Hollis, who changed her Instagram bio to “Spirit Airlines’ Own,” performed her song with what appears to be a mic and speaker box up and down the aisle. Can we say, sis came prepared!?
Check out the rest of the story here.
Police Called On Grandmother And Granddaughter After Leaving Negative Hotel Review
A grandmother and her granddaughter were kicked out of the Baymont Inn & Suites in Helen, Georgia after leaving a negative hotel review on a third-party website.
When Hotels.com asked Susan Leger, to leave a hotel she had no idea that it would lead to the police being called followed by getting kicked out.
Read what happened next here.
