Author: Bungee Girl Media

Karen knew that taking her first solo journey at the age of 19 wouldn’t be easy. Karen knew that exploring the world would come with a whole host of unexpected experiences. What Karen didn’t expect, was how often she would have to reclaim her right to be in the spaces she traveled to. The right to travel somewhere and be respected and understood. The right to travel somewhere and be represented. The right to travel somewhere and not be treated like the main attraction in a circus freak show. Traveling as a black woman meant she got to embrace new cultures, try new food and see sights that last a lifetime. But it also meant, going against the desires of her family, explaining to her community why breaking out their box was so necessary, showing unearned empathy to people who had never seen a black person before and having the energy to always enlighten others. It meant spending all her hard-earned money to travel to a country and be called a “Nigger”. It meant being compassionate and considerate even when she’s tired. It meant being enthusiastic about challenging social norms and being dedicated to progression. Karen’s journeys have shaped the person she is today and have had a powerful impact on the people she’s met and new friends she’s made. Karen has more than proven that as a black female traveler, she belongs in this space too!

Meet Karen…She Travels to see the world beyond London and help spread positive messaging about her blackness to the rest of the world.

Karen was born and raised in London but her family originally came from Ghana. Although Karen always had a healthy exposure to her Ghanaian culture, she felt a sense of suffocation like she was caged in a box in London and really yearned to venture off. Traveling with friends became less appealing because their cultural curiosity didn’t align with hers. Her mom thought she was crazy when she decided to go to Thailand for 2 months but it was a life-changing decision. Karen got to visit Bangkok and many beautiful islands including Ko Tao. It was in Thailand that Karen found her passion for protecting human rights. “I saw so many protests and it ignited a desire within me to help people which is why I am currently in the process of qualifying as a human rights lawyer.” It was also in Thailand that Karen experienced what it was like to be around people that had never seen a black person before. She was overcome with unsolicited attention through constant stares and uncomfortable gestures.

Karen would soon come to understand her position in the rest of the world and have many more of these experiences feeling like she was on “full display.” As Karen continued to travel the world, there was more staring, name calling, pointing, violations of personal space, inappropriate questions and straight up racism. Often, she would get asked if people could take a picture of her or with her. It wasn’t flattering to her. “I felt like a clown, like I was in a circus. I am human, I’m just black, that’s it! They need to see me as a human, an equal person.” To her discontent, Karen would also quickly learn the perception a lot of the world had about black women as being prostitutes or uneducated. Do you know how many times men would solicit sexual favors from Karen? They would call her “chocolate” and “mulatto”, express their excitement with finally meeting a black woman and confess their sexual fetish desires to “be with a black woman”.

“I could’ve been bitter and angry but I realized that it is our responsibility to inform and educate other people and change the way the media portrays us. I don’t just assume people should know these things. I don’t just assume people are racist. I ask myself…why would they do that or say that. It could be a culture thing. Let me help change their understanding, change their perception .”

There are times when Karen would just ignore or walk away and other times she would take the opportunity to explain to her offenders that the things they were doing or saying were hurtful and unacceptable. For some she saw the breakthrough and it validated that the positive awareness of her blackness she was presenting to the world was making an impact.

Despite these challenges Karen has continued to travel and has visited countries that span from Spain to Amsterdam to Dubai and so many more. Although Karen genuinely sees the benefit in having people of color educate other communities that are unfamiliar with their blackness, it was just as important for her as a black female traveler to understand it was her right to belong in the spaces she traveled to. “As black women, we need to combat all these insecurities and break the boundaries we set within ourselves. We need to stop thinking we don’t belong in this space, or that we aren’t qualified to be in this space. We need to stop thinking “we can’t do that or say that”. Now I know I belong and deserve to be here too”.  Learning to reclaim her right to the spaces she traveled to or finds herself in in general has been one of Karen’s biggest life lessons.

Even the most difficult trips were still rewarding for Karen because with each journey she made new friends, learned about a different culture and changed minds in the process. Some of her proudest moments were traveling to Ghana and Cuba. In Cuba, even more so than in Ghana, Karen was treated with the upmost respect and felt it was the best place for self-growth as a black woman.

Back at home in London, there was this notion that she was a “different kind of black girl” because of the way she traveled and the places she chose to travel to. Karen felt she had more in common with her white friends from a travel perspective than any of her friends of color. Karen often got backlash from her own family and community which she perceived to be a common experience and a reason why other women of color aren’t experimenting with more diversity in their travel destinations and embracing solo travel. Many in her community would question her choices and chastise her financial decisions. “But you can’t put a price on liberation!”.

The amount of personal development Karen has achieved throughout her travel journeys have far outweighed any damage from the few painful encounters she’s had. It is her deepest aspiration to see more black women feel comfortable and confident about taking on the world, especially through solo trips. While Karen knows it is important for black women to be real with themselves about what the experiences could be like, she hopes they won’t be intimidated and even open-minded about taking on the burden of enlightening others.

There’s no stopping Karen any time soon. She calls herself @theblackvoyager on Instagram and has plans to take on the rest of Europe, with solo trips to the South of France, Italy, Albania and Russia coming up soon. Although Karen’s experiences are her own and may mirror the experiences of many other black woman which she hopes would be more accurately portrayed to the public (that includes from bloggers too), her message is for all women. “It’s all about freedom. Be who you are. Don’t be constrained by the “boxes” that the world sets for us and expects us to be in. One day, I imagine walking and not seeing a glass ceiling!”.

If you want to see more from this storyteller, creator and activist follow her @theblackvoyager, you’ll be sure to be inspired. Karen is the essence of Bungee Girl and why we’re so determined to make travel safer, more accessible and realistic for women.

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More stories for the “SHE TRAVELS” series are coming soon at www.bungeegirl.com. If you’ve got a unique travel story and want to be featured get in touch with us at [email protected]  

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