Need some travel inspiration? The Instagram feeds of these black women travelers are guaranteed to light a fire in your belly to get up off your couch and go explore the world. But before you click follow, be warned: you’re also likely to catch a serious case of wanderlust envy!
1. Jessica Nabongo: @jessicanabongo
Jessica Nabongo is a go-getter millennial on a quest to be the first black woman to visit all 195 UN member countries and observing states. This also includes the Vatican and Palestine. Born in Michigan to Ugandan immigrants, she left her six-figure pharmaceutical job with Pfizer to wander the globe. And she certainly hasn’t looked back since. Her Instagram captures scenes from everyday life, because Jessica feels an honest portrayal gives dignity and humanity to the people living in the countries she visits. This single-minded purpose helps her highlight places many other places photographers seem to miss.
2. Lee Litumbe: @spiritedpursuit
Lee Litumbe is the talented creative behind Spirited Pursuit, an online brand dedicated to the enthusiastic pursuit of travel, adventure, and new cultural experiences. She was raised in the U.S., but is Cameroonian by birth. She decided to quit her corporate finance job to move back to the motherland so she could travel the continent. Because in her view, Africa needed more Africans to showcase all the beauty it has to offer. And she’s right. There’s so much more to the world to see than Europe, Southeast Asia and The Americas!
3. Gloria Atanmo: @glographics
Gloria Atanmo is a fun-loving digital nomad who strives to inspire others through her journeys as a solo female traveler. One of eight kids from a Nigerian family, Gloria says she knew early on she was different. She’s poured all her entrepreneurial ambitions and energy into building a successful platform. Adored for her upbeat personality, crazy SnapChat shenanigans and long IG captions, she uses her insanely good photography and writing skills to broaden our perspectives, one post at a time.
4. Shea Powell: @Theworldupcloser
Jamaica-based globetrotter Shea Powell started traveling back in 2012 at just 22 years old. She went to Ecuador for her first solo trip, and since then she’s visited more than 30 countries. She does this all the while regularly blogging about her experiences and sharing tips on navigating a not so visa-free world on her Jamaican passport. Shea takes stunning pictures and speaks fluently in Spanish, as well as conversationally in Portuguese and Italian.
5. Oneika Raymond: @oneikaraymond
Oneika Raymond is a vivacious media personality, travel blogger, and host of two Travel Channel web series: “Big City, Little Budget”, and “One Bag and You’re Out”. Born in Canada to Jamaican parents, she started traveling the world and blogging as an expat teacher. She has since made the transition to full-time travel influencer. Other than being a self-described “thrill-seeker who has “bungee jumped over the Zambezi River, fished for piranhas in the Amazon, and climbed active volcanoes in Guatemala and Ecuador,” she’s also not afraid to discuss issues surrounding multiculturalism, politics and diversity.
6. Asiyami Gold: @asiyami_gold
Nigerian-American Asiyami Gold started her Instagram account at 21, drawn to images of an aesthetically pleasing and beautiful lifestyle. But she soon realized she couldn’t find many people online that looked like her. Seeing the platform as a place where she could help shape the narrative, Gold set out to create a feed that gave a different perspective to women of color. Now a mere six or seven years later, this visual storyteller, artist, photographer and artistic creator is an established player in a constantly evolving industry.
7. Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon: @jetsetsarah
Sarah Greaves-Gabbadon is a Miami-based travel writer who “ventures to the beach and beyond to share the diverse culture, lifestyle and people of the world’s favorite warm-weather destinations.” Her work has been featured in top-tier travel publications like Travel + Leisure, Brides, Martha Stewart Weddings, and The Telegraph. But she’s still very much a down-to-earth jet-setter. Showcasing the Caribbean is her top passion, and she does it vivaciously and in vivid color.
8. Macaulay Thompson: @mytavelstamps
And oh, then there’s little ole me.
I am a routine-averse Gen-Xer who travels with limited vacation time and on a budget. Sounds familiar? I collect passport stamps when I’m not working hard at my 9 to 5 because I love to explore new lands and learn about new cultures. As someone who was born and raised in Jamaica, after a while I soon realized the world was much bigger than the diaspora enclaves in the U.S., England and Canada. It finally dawned on me that you didn’t have to be a pilot or flight attendant to visit off-the-beaten track destinations. I now blog about my trips in my spare time because I want other Caribbean nationals to see the world can also be their oyster.
Looking for more travel inspo? Read our interview with Macauley Thompson, as she shares her favorite travel tips and inspiration. And check out more of Thompson’s epic adventures around the world on her Instagram and at her travel blog, MyTravelStamps.com.
