Industry News
Black-Owned App ‘Melanin On The Map’ Now Has a ‘Travel Bae and Bestie’ Feature By Parker Diakite
T
he founder of Black-owned app, Melanin on the Map, just added a Travel Bae and Bestie feature that will allow you to find love when you travel. When Ashley McDonough launched the app in 2019, her goal was to create a resource, specifically for Black travelers. App-users can find travel inspiration from other minority travelers, travel tips and deals, book travel directly through the app, and find ways to get paid while traveling. And now with the Travel Bae and Bestie component, app-users can use the platform to connect with other like-minded travel lovers. “I knew when I created the app, it would be a community-based platform and I knew it would be a no-brainer to [eventually] add love connections as a feature,” McDonough told Travel Noire. “So many people of color are looking for like-minded people and people who love to travel, and they have no idea where they are in the world.” McDonough says the new feature is a part of the app’s rebranding as her team works to upgrade and add components to ultimately foster
more connections. “Overall I really want people to create rea lifelong friendships, whatever that connection looks like for people,” she adds. “So many people are looking to do more than solo travel.” Travel Bae and Bestie can be found on the community manager option on the Black-owned app, which allows you to click on the group based on what you’re looking for between a travel bae and a travel bestie or if you are in the LGBTQ community. It’s similar to a chat room, where you go in and upload your picture and start interacting with people. You can also connect on social media. You do all of this by adding your city, occupation, any travel likes, and dislikes, and as many photos as you like. For more information about the app or to download it, click here. https://travelnoire.com/black-owned-app-travelbae-feature
15 | ABA Publications | Africa TRAVEL | Nov 2021
