I recently learned that Black people in America spend nearly $150B/annually on DOMESTIC travel (BuyBlack.org, 2026).

Those numbers are simply unfathomable to me. Despite the massive payout to the travel industry, I know plenty of Black people, personally, who have not left their home state in the past year. Yet, as I try to comprehend these numbers, there is a bigger message jumping out; that Black people have a deep desire and need to travel, despite the financial burden of doing so. Well, don’t all types of people? When I think of the barriers to travel and global access, I am inundated with reminders that plenty of marginalized persons and groups are systemically and systematically barred from travel; domestic or otherwise.

Especially within communities who practice airborne awareness and Covid-caution, the cost of travel continues to increase, as global demand continues to grow (UNTourism.INT, 2026).

How do we remain aware of our own limits to travel (financial, emotional, physical, systemic, etc.), while also indulging our desire for exploration, and enjoying the world to our fullest ability?

One of the first things to confront, when deciding to indulge in the idea of travel, is the individual level of risk assumed, should you take a particular trip. Let’s walk through an example, together.

The Plan:

After years of thinking about it, and writing it off as only a dream, you have decided to finally take steps towards visiting your dream vacation destination, abroad. Do you have a city/country in mind? Great!

Now, it’s time to consider what it will actually take for you to get there:

• Are finances a barrier? How long might you need to save before actually booking/leaving?

• Do you have adequate time off from work? How long might you need to ‘save up’ paid/unpaid time off, before this trip?

• Is childcare a barrier? Will you be paying for not just yourself, but children/a family as well? How does that increase your burden?

• Are you a feminine presenting person or a woman? Will it be safe for you to travel to this destination solo? With friends? With family? At night? If you are also Black, Brown, Indigenous, or Asian, will you be at risk of attack, discrimination, and/or fetishization?

• Are you a masculine presenting person or a man, who is also Black, Brown, Indigenous, or Asian? Will your identity bring stigma, danger, fetishization, or discrimination to you, as you travel to this destination?

• Do you wear coverings for personal modesty or religious reasons? Do you have tattoos or piercings? Are there laws discriminating against your clothing, personal, or religious style choices, in the place where you want to travel?

• Do you identify as Queer or LGBTQIAP2S+? Does this destination outlaw who it is that you can be in romantic and/or sexual relationship with? How will this change the way that you move about this destination?

• Are you reliant on mobility or accessibility aids for movement and survival? Will all of your needs be accommodated during each step of travel (plane, boat, hotel/rental, car, sidewalks, restaurants, etc.)? Will you be able to access necessary medications or emergency supplies, abroad?

These are just some of the considerations and life circumstances that hold us back from seeing the world.

Yet, as we can tell from our global investment in the travel industry, people are committed, driven, and obligated to explore the world. Oftentimes, our traveling of our own countries, or even of the world, comes from a necessity, not the luxury of choice. We travel regions for a chance at a higher salary. We explore different countries for a chance at a freer life. We return home to honor the dead and remember the living. We surf time zones for our workplaces to expand capitalism, abroad. Each of these types of travel is the sacrifice of another.

What we do not know, from spending alone, is how much of the capital spent on travel is of necessity versus luxury. I suspect that, more each day, people are going into debt and making critical financial decisions, just to travel out of necessity; forget vacation. I know that these are the realities that myself, and other multiply marginalized people face day, week, month, and year, in and out.

There is already tremendous financial investment required to travel, as facilitated by capitalistic greed. In cities with low walk-ability and under-resourcing, even ‘free’ modes of travel become inaccessible, confining communities to their home addresses and zip codes. There is a different way forward, though.

We have the ability to redefine what it means to make travel accessible and global. Maybe you invite a neighbor who does not have a car, to come grocery shopping, across town with you. You never know what businesses may be inaccessible to those around you, simple because they lack consistent or reliable transit! Perhaps you cannot directly forward someone else’s travel experience(s), but you can share a bit of your own, by sending postcards to friends, sharing of your adventures and knowledge obtained. Teaching and sharing are some of the most important byproducts of global travel; even on an interpersonal/individual level!

Whatever your part, you have the ability to see and change the world.

If you find yourself ready to explore more questions like these, or to otherwise create a space dedicated to offering values-aligned support, email me to schedule a FREE life and liberation coaching session today: [email protected]!