The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Written by Kritika Iyer | Designed by Emily Chiu | Photographed by Alexandra Bradley

Traveling as a Person of Color

Traveling can be intimidating in more ways than one. You have to book tickets, make sure you pack enough underwear—because you can never have enough—and you have to make sure you remember your passport.

But it’s not just that. Traveling to a new location, more importantly a new culture, is daunting. You never know what to expect. Every society has different norms and it can be hard to adjust and feel comfortable, even if only for a short vacation.

There’s another thing to consider. Traveling as a person of color. Some regions aren’t as exposed to various cultures and races, making it difficult for others to travel there and feel completely safe.

As a woman of color myself, I’ve run into the occasional stares and questions about where I’m really from, and it honestly sucks, I won’t lie. It’s one thing to not feel at home somewhere, but it’s a whole other thing to feel completely alienated.

The worst part about it is: it’s completely out of your control. But in that same way, since it’s almost completely out of your control, you shouldn’t let any part of your identity exist as a reason to not explore the world and travel to the places you want to see. That being said, there are a lot of things that factor into giving yourself the best vacation possible.

Gelia Solomon, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences encourages people to still travel to the places they want to see. She really enjoys having the opportunity to see new places, and she hates staying in one place all the time. With so much history and culture being out there, Solomon likes to explore as much as she can.

“It’s a good reminder that the world is so much bigger than you think,” Solomon said.

Solomon explains how avoidance can be a good procedure when traveling. In general, she avoids places that are known to be racist or just generally xenophobic.

“As long as you research where you want to go, the only thing that should stop you is if you genuinely don’t want to travel there,” Solomon said.

If there’s a place you really want to see but are afraid the rumors might be true, there are still ways to ensure a little safety and comfort on your journey.

Serenity S’rae, a senior in the College of Fine Arts, traveled on a Mediterranean tour earlier this year. While on her tour, she visited Italy and noted it felt less accepting than other countries.

“I was called a negress which upset me, but also I understood the lack of exposure they have to Black people, especially Black women,” S’rae said.

S’rae explained there are many ways to help yourself feel safe when traveling to a new place, especially abroad. Planning ahead of time, sharing your travel plans with family and friends, even contacting the US Embassy of the country you’re going to—all good measures you can take to help you feel safe.

“Travel is seen as this thing you can only do if you’re rich and/or white but if you save and really plan ahead of time anyone can travel and see the world,” she said.

I used to prefer to only travel to places I knew would make me feel safe, but in some ways, that’s limiting to both myself and others. As S’rae mentioned, there are many places that lack exposure to certain races and genders, so there’s no harm in helping them out a little.

As a stingy high school student, I often took road trips with my friends, many of whom were people of color, to small towns close to where we lived. Unfortunately, a lot of these small towns were a little more sheltered than what we were used to and we received a lot of stares. There have also been times where I’ve been with family and people have confronted us.

In all these experiences, the one thing that always made me feel better was that I wasn’t experiencing it alone. Traveling in a group of friends or with family can also do wonders for making you feel more comfortable in a new place.

Isha Kalia, a sophomore at Stanford, rarely travels alone. She travels for a variety of reasons, whether it’s for leisure or for internships. Sometimes it’s also just to visit a friend. In any case, she always travels in a group or with other friends to help herself feel safe.

Kalia has also experienced catcalling and unsolicited flirtations while traveling.

“I hate to say it, but sometimes you should just travel with a guy,” Kalia said.

Kalia travels to visit her long-distance boyfriend frequently and finds a lot more success when she’s with him. She wishes this didn’t have to be her reality but at the end of the day, if that’s what it takes in order for her to have a good time, she’s okay with it.

It can be really defeating to give in to these things that make us realize our limitations. Traveling with a man or in a group or all together avoiding certain places can make us feel inferior. But there’s no reason to limit your opportunities just for the sake of solidarity.

Additionally, there are a variety of factors that can contribute to the way locals treat you on your trip.

Being a tourist already puts you at a disadvantage in foreign countries. If you don’t speak the language or don’t dress the way the locals do, it’s an easy tell that you’re not from here. But add that to the vulnerability you feel as a person of color or woman of color, and you’ll feel even more disadvantaged.

Solomon discussed some of the issues she faced while abroad and how locals often took advantage of her because they knew she was a tourist.

She was once charged fifty euros for a bracelet and was also pickpocketed on a tram in Italy.

One way to help yourself in this situation is to familiarize yourself with the place you’re going to. Isha Kalia says that safety is also her biggest concern when deciding her travel destinations, but giving yourself more knowledge of a place can also help.

One of the hardest parts of traveling is experiencing a language barrier. Kalia says this often prevents her from traveling to certain places. However, if you’re able to learn some basic phrases or travel with someone who speaks the native language, this can be a great help in feeling comfortable when abroad.

Sirena Lopez, a junior in the College of Fine Arts, gave a lot of advice on how to feel comfortable when traveling abroad and prevent you from getting lost.

Lopez mentioned that learning phrases like “please,” “thank you,” “excuse me,” or “I would like” are all ways to help yourself if you’re ever lost. Having a plan for each day with photos and mapped routes is also a good idea. Speaking with anyone who works at the hotel or other living accommodations you’re staying at to get advice on where to go and how to get places can also be super useful.

Also, in our day of influencers and vloggers, Lopez said that taking advantage of travel vloggers’ videos and advice on traveling to certain countries can be the best way to hear a first-hand experience of an area.

Lopez’s biggest tip is to fake it till you make it.

“I also cannot stress confidence and respect enough, especially in a place where you don’t speak the language,” Lopez said.

Now what about if you want to travel alone? Maybe you’ve worked up the courage to go on a solo trip, but you just need one final push or guiding hand to help you follow through.

Meera Malhotra, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences, travels solo frequently.

“I think it’s so much fun to have control over the itinerary and not have to wait for other people to do the things you want!” Malhotra said.

Malhotra explained that sometimes she thinks being Indian is seen as a novelty in certain places but she tries to not let that stop her from exploring. She also said she feels much more comfortable traveling to cities rather than rural places. So far, her favorite place has been Japan for its vastly different culture and really unique trains.

Another plus of traveling alone or with people you’re not as familiar with is the ability to make new friends. Serenity S’rae talks about how she made multiple new friends on her trips and ended up traveling with these new friends to Ibiza and Barcelona.

In the end, traveling somewhere new can be scary and can be filled with a plethora of negative experiences. But letting these experiences define your trip and traveling for you as a whole limits you from growing and experiencing the world. Regardless of where you’re going, make sure to stay safe, maybe take a friend, and pack plenty of underwear!