Sojourner White didn’t plan on becoming a full-time travel creator, but one cross-country train ride changed everything. Known as the Train Travel Queen, she’s using her platform to promote sustainable travel, celebrate underrepresented voices, and inspire a new generation of explorers. Now nominated for the Trailblazer Bessie Award, Sojourner is proof that when passion meets purpose, the journey is just getting started.

If anyone was destined to be a traveler, it’s Sojourner White. Her name quite literally means “traveler,” and her path through the world of social work, storytelling, and train rides across continents has made her one of the most inspiring new voices in the travel space. Now nominated for the Trailblazer Bessie Award, an honor recognizing the go-getters who’ve built their own empires while paving the way for future leaders – Sojourner is showing us what it looks like to thrive. From solo adventures in Spain to becoming the internet’s beloved “Train Travel Queen,” she’s full speed ahead, reminding us that travel doesn’t just take us places, it transforms us.

About the Bessie Awards

Lady in a red dress dancing at the Bessie Awards

The Bessie Awards celebrate the trailblazers, changemakers, and visionaries who are reshaping the travel industry for the better. Named in honor of Bessie Coleman, the first African American and Native American woman to earn a pilot’s license. These awards recognize individuals who have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to empowering women and fostering inclusivity in travel.

About Sojourner White

What started as a blog during a study abroad trip to Spain is now a full-blown movement. Sojourner White, founder of Sojournies, is a travel educator and content creator who’s reimagining how we see train travel, especially in the U.S. Through her vibrant storytelling and accessible travel tips, Sojourner empowers others (especially solo travelers and first-timers) to embrace slower, more sustainable journeys. Her work blends travel with social consciousness, reminding us that where we go and how we get there matters just as much as what we see when we arrive.

Sojourner White headshot.

Tell us your story! How did you find your way into the travel industry?

Since my name is Sojourner, which means traveler, I like to think my career in the travel industry was fate. Though I did a lot of family road trips to the south and east as a kid, I found my way into the travel industry through school opportunities. I started learning Spanish in the 6th grade through high school which inspired me to major in Spanish in undergrad, study abroad in Spain, and start a blog while I was away. But I had so much fun that I wanted to return so I applied and won a Fulbright Fellowship to teach English in Spain for a year after graduation in 2016. I traveled all over Europe and that’s when I started posting about my travels on social media and contributing to a Black women in Spain website called Las Morenas de España, which was technically my introduction to travel writing.

When I returned home in 2017 I bought my domain and transferred all my socials over to “Sojournies.” As I worked my 9-5s and got my Master’s in International Social Work, I shared my adventures online like solo traveling in Mexico and interning in Berlin as a grad student. However, I graduated in May 2020 and all my international jobs disappeared due to COVID-19, so I pivoted into remote social work as a research & evaluation consultant and started freelance travel writing on the side. In the midst of traveling and working remotely, in July 2021 I rode the 52-hour Amtrak California Zephyr from Chicago, through the Rocky Mountains, and ending in Emeryville.

I never intended to quit my 9-5 to be a full-time travel creator, but that train trip changed everything and I found my place in the industry. Many sleeper trains, tequila and wine trains, and scenic trains later, now I’m known on these social media streets as the Train Travel Queen! 

What motivates you to do your work today?

I think when people DM me and say they booked a train ride or solo trip because of one of my videos that’s so motivational! I think it’s cool to influence people to not only travel, but try a whole new experience that is unique and more sustainable too. Train travel, especially in the U.S, is not as popular as other countries. So to hear that someone booked a sleeper train or solo train trip because my tips were helpful and inspirational is the best feeling. It lets me know beyond numbers and the algorithm that my work is making an impact. 

What is your proudest career accomplishment?

I think making the jump into full-time travel vlogging and content creation was a huge deal and my proudest career accomplishment! I’m a Virgo who loves to plan – I don’t make decisions like that lightly hahaha but I’m proud of myself. I think I could have been comfortable with what I was doing as a remote social worker/researcher beforehand, and done it for many more years but what’s the fun in that?! Taking that leap of faith into travel entrepreneurship and betting on myself has been a rollercoaster of emotions and I’m proud of myself for taking the risk and doing it. But the best is still yet to come.

What does it mean to you to have the community nominate you for a Bessie award?

I’m so honored! My first travel conference ever was WITS 2023 in Puerto Rico and the idea of quitting my 9-5 was far from my brain during that time. So to be back as a full-time creator and nominated for the Trailblazer Award two years later is such an honor. I learned so much about the travel industry at WITS 2023 and I’d like to think it was an influence on me pursuing travel entrepreneurship. It’s a full-circle experience and I’m glad the community believes in me too. 

What do you think are the most important issues facing the travel industry today?

The first issue facing the travel industry that comes to mind is climate change. I’m from and currently live in Milwaukee which has been named a “climate resistant city.” Because of that, I’ve been seeing how the travel industry is using climate change to market these cities to attract not only tourists but climate refugees. Whether in the U.S or beyond, I think that’s a huge gray area that is evolving and will require more ethical decision-making and community-based approaches that center the experiences of locals who are going to be impacted. In a similar vein, I also think gentrification in popular digital nomad hotspots in Latin American and Asian countries is a huge issue. Both are rooted around migration & freedom of movement and what does that mean when outsiders/foreigners with higher economic class are catered to while local life is not improving as rapidly as the newest tourism development. 

Who in the industry do you look to as inspiration?

Oneika Raymond is the OG Black travel blogger so I always give her props as my inspiration! She was the first Black woman I saw traveling the world online sharing her experiences and she paved the way for me to see myself in this space. As far as other creators, I love Alexa Moore of @lilmsawkward who has become a good friend and creator confidant. (We met for the first time IRL at WITS 2023). Eveline Haugaard of @therailvoyage who makes me want to take a European train trip every day. And Juliana Broste of @travelingjules as a video creator.

On the brand side I’m inspired by Intrepid Travel because I love the way they work with creators and craft their experiences. Hotelier Deidre Mathis of Wanderstay is a trailblazer herself. Gabby Beckford of @packslight, Anela Malik of @feedthemalik, and so many more. I can go on and on, I have a list!

What’s next for you in your career?

Oh so many things and possibilities. I’m excited to launch group train trips this year as so many people in my community have been asking for them. Pumped to dive into new territory and start curating train experiences with fellow travelers. I’m also seeking opportunities to do more on-camera talent and travel hosting work. I’ve had some cool opportunities in the past with Thrillist x Ford at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and Amtrak x The Matador Network around Black train travel history. But I really want to take my video content creation and vlogging to the next level as talent. And writing a book about train travel is on the dream list too. 

What do you envision for the future of the travel industry?

I envision the future of the travel industry to be more storytelling-based and local-led. I think the “best of x” lists and resorts will still be there too as they’re popular. But I envision a more conscious and sustainable industry continuing to take the forefront. Especially as we are already reckoning with the effects of climate change and a tense political climate. I would love to see more cross-influencer partnerships organized by tourism boards between local and non-local influencers to highlight activities and local stories in cities that locals would know, but non-locals wouldn’t. And selfishly I’m hoping for a U.S high speed rail hahaha a girl can dream.

From launching her first group train trips to exploring on-camera opportunities and dreaming up a book about rail travel. Sojourner is just getting started. She’s building a future of travel rooted in community, storytelling, and representation. Where ethical tourism and local voices take center stage. If you’re not already following her journey, now’s the time to hop aboard. This train’s going places.