Originally Published Nov. 23, 2022.
Traveling can be easier, smoother, and stress-free when you’re prepared.
Catching flights have become much more complicated. Infuriating delays! Rising ticket prices! There is still the beauty of travel which is worth some of the hassle.
Tune into these tips by Black travel experts to get you through the busiest times of the year.
Oneika the Traveller
Oneika Raymond, Emmy award-winning award-winning journalist, speaker, and television host, is the voice behind the highly respected OneikaTheTraveller.com, where she examines travel and exploration through the intersection of race, politics, and privilege. COVID-19 still exists, so her YouTube video, Stay Safe And Sane: Tips and Tricks for Planning Trips, is timeless—especially if you’re concerned for your health.
“Stay close to home: It is necessary in order to protect ourselves from the spread of illness.”
“Keep family gatherings small: If possible restrict the number of households to two max and the reason you want to do this is because the fewer number of people you gather with, the less you have to worry about in terms of infection or in terms of spreading illness.”
“Consider location of your gathering: What you may want to do is plan with family members to gather at a common ground that doesn’t require a lot of travel on your end or on their end either. But when you are trying to plan where to gather.” This is the easiest way to get a family trip out of the group chat.
JetSetSarah
Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon, also known as JetSetSarah, is an expert traveler, award-winning travel journalist, and TV host. The self-proclaimed Caribbean Queen shares her travel wisdom with the world, including these tips with Ageist.
“Be flexible…be patient…be prepared: The first and easiest tip is whatever airline you’re traveling on, download their app because that’s usually the fastest way to get notifications about delays or cancellations.”
“If your flight is delayed or canceled and you need to rebook yourself, do two things. Number one, head to the counter in the airport that everyone will be heading for. At the same time, make sure you’re on the phone with the (800) number. Now you’re giving yourself two chances of getting your case in front of someone and you’re not waiting for 4 hours in line at the counter before you get on the phone. Put the odds in your favor.”
Bring a pen: “The most pervasive travel fail that I see and it’s such a big rookie mistake is not traveling with a pen. I think people forget that you’re going to need a pen. You need a pen to fill out an immigration or customs form.”
Ms. Jetsetter
Tracey McGhee, frequent traveler and founder of Ms. Jetsetter, LLC, launched a travel accessory line for women before the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, she has offered her expert tips in traveling, including stress-free holiday travel.
“Keep your outfits simple. What works
really well for me is traveling in “uniforms” that I can throw on every day. My go-to when I’m traveling to warmer climates is a maxi dress with a light jacket for when it’s gets cool at night, or to wrap around my waist. For colder destinations, I love black leggings and boots, with a white top and an assortment of cardigans. Choose whatever works for you—uniforms simplify everything because what you have to wear is one less thing to think about.”“Travel only with carry-ons. The peak travel seasons is the best time to avoid baggage claim. You can shave off an extra 30 – 45 minutes from your trip if you can cut out the time it takes to wait for checked luggage. You’ll want to maximize the pieces you travel with and be strategic with how you travel.”
“Keep jewelry at a minimum. For quick trips, carry just one pair of gold and one pair of silver earrings. If you wear a necklace, think of one that can go with gold and silver. Use the J Jewelry Case Detachable Earring Panel and Detachable Pouch for your earrings and simply wrap your necklace around the earring panel to keep it secure.”
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