Breaking Borders, Building Bridges: Travel Love Legacy Amplifies Black and Brown Voices in Family Travel 🌍✈️

Did you know that Black and Brown families are increasingly becoming trailblazers in the world of family travel?

Recent statistics show families of colour are all about travel for cultural enrichment and bonding. A Family Travel Association study found that 63% of Black travellers and 50% of Hispanic travellers went on a family vacation in the past year, compared to just 39% of white travellers. On top of this: Black travellers threw a whopping $63 billion into the US travel pot back in 2018 (Mandala Research). And it's not slowing down— in 2019, Black travellers spent $109.4 billion more than they did in the previous year, a staggering 74% increase. And the forecasts? They’re showing no signs of slowing down.

So what’s the deal with all of this spending? It suggests that we have more power than a drop in the ocean given the amount of spend that our community is leaving behind on our travels.

But it’s not all about the money. It's about how diversity and inclusion in the travel business need to be taken seriously. And while this topic has been written and spoken of extensively, we as a growing community of travel consumers need to turn our heads to another burgeoning issue: the importance of Black and Brown family travel.

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The Value of Family Travel: Creating Generational Wealth and Legacy For Future Generations in Black and Brown Communities

Black and Brown Family travel is the next BIG thing. Here’s why!

Educational value. Travel isn't just about ticking off landmarks. It's about giving our kids a front-row seat to history, language, and diverse perspectives.

Then there's the wealth of experiences. When we explore new places together, we're not just making memories. We're building stronger bonds, one adventure at a time.

Last but not least, legacy building. When we prioritize travel and adventure, we're not just making memories for ourselves. We're passing down a tradition of exploration, curiosity, and resilience to future generations.

We all know and understand that family is at the cornerstone of Black and Brown communities. It is the thread that weaves together every aspect of our history and culture. I think of family travel as an integral part of the pattern making process; where our experiences are intentionally crafted in the colour and texture of the fabric of our lives. Move over Design! Family travel gives us a lived experience that is unique in both form and function.

So when we travel with our children, we're not just giving a sensorial experience. It goes much deeper than this. We're connecting with our heritage and giving our kids a template by which they can use to cut away, fashion and construct the shape of their lives.

Now more than ever, the importance of travel in shaping Black and Brown children's perspectives and creating lasting memories cannot be overstated. Travelling with our Black and Brown kids is an opportunity to invest in the future – theirs and ours.

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Elevating The Stories of Black and Brown Experiences in Family Travel

As a parent, these are the reasons why I travel with my daughter. Of utmost importance is that of legacy building. I developed the podcast, Travel Love Legacy as a symbolic representation of what I wanted to leave behind for her. In the past while watching YouTube videos, it always stuck with me when I heard many vloggers comment on one of their main reasons for doing this type of work; that is a way to capture and memorialize life events for their children to look back on. This idea resonated with me and I always knew that I wanted to create something that would have the same effect once I became a parent.

Developing this podcast also gives our Black and Brown voices a launching pad from which we can amplify our experiences. Whether a safe space or soapbox, the podcast serves to ground our experiences in truth and power.

So often, upon returning home from my trips, I have fielded numerous questions from friends and family who are keenly interested in my trip planning process. They’ve also genuinely expressed their concerns about my family visiting country “X” as well as a deep curiosity on how I can afford to travel with a child on a solo parent wallet. While I’ve tried my best to share information on travel deals and quell any fears, I often found that in many cases these individuals weren’t opposed to family travel because of a lack of financial resources or some fear mongering TV ad. Rather, they were simply operating from a place of lack of awareness and access.

Unlike other racial groups, family travel is relatively new to the majority of Black and Brown parents for a variety of reasons. A type of experience that is steeped in many value-based misnomers that we as a community have held on to for years. And just like the stink of our kids’ clothes after a day of outdoor play, the stain of centuries’ old oft thinking when it comes to travel is one that requires us to stop the “rinse and repeat” cycle.

Across the many podcast interviews that I have conducted, the one thing that remains consistent amongst the stories from Black and Brown parents who have washed away these oppressive ways of thinking, is a sense of hopeful anticipation that there is more to life for them and their children. And yes, while travel is a privilege and this piece does not attempt to diminish this fact, the point is that no matter the definition of family travel that you subscribe to, these “radical” ideas of Worldschooling, spending summers road tripping through the country, travelling nomadically or driving to a heritage tour in the neighbouring city with our Black and Brown children is not counter-culture. In fact, they are expressions to our right as experience seekers, collectors and shapers.

At Travel Love Legacy we think that family travel is the next evolution of our experiences. Our mission is to do what we’re so good at – sharing our perspectives through dynamic storytelling, inspirational narratives and undeniable connections in this next chapter of our generational stories.