I step into Sultan Ahmet Mosque, head covered, shirt sleeves and pant legs the required length for my gender, just one more tourist visiting the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, and…
Being a White Woman in Ecuador Made Me See My Privilege, but It Also Brought Prejudice
Settling in Ecuador was never a part of my plan. I wanted to live somewhere in Latin America, sure, but Ecuador never even made it to the list of possibilities….
Traveling to Senegal as a US-Born Black Woman Changed My Life, and My Hair
I step off the plane and sun caresses my hair; I feel at home. It’s a month after my summer in Korea and I’ve just made my first trip to…
How to Teach English Abroad as a Non-Native Speaker
Almost everybody knows at least one person who is living or traveling abroad while teaching English. This person is, most likely, from the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa,…
Curls in Denial: How to Care for Kinky Hair Abroad
I joined the natural movement by accident. On my first trip out of North America I was thrown into taking care of my curly hair. It was 2011 and Seoul,…
6 Things Every Black Woman Needs to Know Before Going Abroad
If you’re reading this, you probably already know that traveling abroad is a wonderful experience that everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy. But for black travelers, going to countries with…
6 Ways Travel Will Save This Hurting World
Look, I know I’m preaching to the converted here when I say travel is a great thing. I’m talking to you, backpacking from Ushuaia to Alaska; to you, out volunteering…
What the US/Mexico Border is Really Like
Not everyone is lucky enough to grow up on the United States/Mexico border. Did I think I’d be saying that when I was 18 years old and desperate to escape…
Solo Travel for Black Women: The Ultimate Guide
Solo travel can be a scary concept, no matter who you are. Add in being a woman — and a black woman, at that — and suddenly traveling alone can…
When Looks Deceive: Being Biracial in Poland
It was a late December evening and my mom had just arrived in Krakow, where I had been studying for the past three months. We were making our way from…
Please Stop Telling Me My Country Does Not Exist
In 2006, I went on a group overland trip across Egypt and Jordan. After two weeks in Egypt, we were getting ready to board a ferry from the Sinai Peninsula…
That Time I Was Cast as “Some Kind of Asian” in a Bolivian TV Commercial
I’m wearing a polyester chong sam, sitting at the entrance to a dingy Chinese restaurant in La Paz, with cameras and crew nearby and a stylist furiously brushing my hair….
I Was Shunned in the Country of My Ancestors (or, When Travel Can’t Heal Diaspora)
“Wǒ shì zhōngguó rén,” is what we were taught to recite in costly Saturday Mandarin lessons. But more specifically, “Wǒ shì HǍIWÀI de zhōngguó rén.” This simple phrase was one…
After Orlando: On Fear of Moving Through the World Brown or Queer
This post was co-authored by Ariana Hakim and Ariel Goldberg. I am 19, freshly back stateside after a semester abroad. I am visiting New York City — the home I’ll…
White at Home and Brown Abroad: Navigating Race and Identity as a Latin@ Immigrant and Traveler
I am white. But I am also a person of color. My race and ethnicity seem to be defined more by who I am speaking to when I travel than by me or my heritage.