Dear Travelers, Thank You…

Groups of African Americans have always traveled both domestically and internationally.  We want to take a moment to say:  Dear Travelers, Thank You for yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  The below travel timeline is our first attempt to begin to establish the history of groups of African Americans migrating and traveling in America. 

These are the broad strokes of our travel history.   We invite you to add to or leave a comment to help us modify the below timeline.

Brief History of Our Travel in America

1850 – 1860 Harriet Tubman, the most famous and most successful of  Underground Railroad conductors, lead as many as 19 trips from the South to the North in what is estimated to have been more than 300 African Americans being guided from slavery to freedom.
1916 – 1940 The Great Black Migration –  African Americans migrating from the rural South to the Northeast and Midwest with the biggest migration of African Americans moving to: New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Denver, Detroit, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis.
1936 The First Green Book published
1940 – 1970 Great Black Migration (Second Wave) African Americans migrating from the largely the urban South to the Northeast, Midwest, and now the West, which include: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Phoenix, Seattle, and Portland.  
1955 Jacob & Freddye Henderson founded Henderson Travel Service making it the oldest full-service African American-owned travel company and the first to take large groups of travelers to Africa.  
1974 National Brotherhood of Skiers –Changed the face of Skiing by creating the Black Ski Summit to identify and discuss problems and subjects which were unique to the African American skiing population, ski and socialize.  Their primary purpose of the organization was also to place an African American skier on the U.S. Ski Team at that time. Today they have as many as 55 clubs across 43 cities.
2011 Nomadness Travel Tribe -launched an online community of travelers of color with the majority of the travelers being African American female travelers
2013 Travel Noire a digital media company that serves millennials in the African diaspora was launched.
2020 – WHERE DO YOU FIT?

To date, there are numerous other African American travel companies, groups, and events that focus on travelers of African descent.  You play the most significant role in our history because the reality is most of our people will likely never travel abroad.

It is your Instagram posts, Facebook timelines, YouTube videos, Live Videos, podcasts, blogs and more that encourage and inspire those who are unable to travel.

You also, inspire people around the world.  Some of which have limited interactions with others outside of their community. As you can see from the timeline, there’s a lot of room in the travel industry.   

We challenge you to figure out where you fit in.  

To our dear community, thank you for traveling with us. Your continuous support has touched so many lives around the world. We are forever thankful for you.

Simple Steps To Investing Abroad

Traveling for fun, leisure, and holiday is the number one reason most black travelers save up for international travel.  However, simple steps to investing abroad can turn a vacation into an investment.

For a small group of people who can think long-term and see advantages to building wealth, there are simple steps to investing abroad which can lay the foundation to building long-term wealth as expressed in our previous article Building Wealth While Traveling.

Although investing abroad can be a rather daunting task if you are approaching it as a solo investor, here are some steps to getting started.

1. Have an investment goal – Why do you want to invest outside of your existing country?  Is it for short or long-term returns?  Do you love the destination so much that you would like to own a vacation home you can visit regularly? Is it easier for you to invest in a foreign market, rather than investing at home? These are all questions you should ask yourself to lead you towards an investment goal.

2. Have an investment strategy – The manner in which you choose to invest should support your investment goal.  Deciding on whether or not you want to invest in a project solo or with a partner is critical. 

So much of real estate investing abroad involves having the financial wherewithal to purchase and maintain your investment.  For most people who are interested in investing abroad, having partners for the first deal may be a great strategy. 

Also, having an understanding of the short term vs long-term market as well as the possibilities for growth can help in managing expectations regarding reasonable ROI.

3. Gain an understanding of local regulations – Investing abroad can comes with guidelines that can be very different than what you will find in your country.  While some countries may offer special incentives to foreign investors, other countries may charge more or even tax foreign investors at a higher level than their local citizen.  So become familiar with the rules and regulations that will govern your investment.

4. Conduct On the Ground Research – When investing abroad, you must visit the city you are looking to invest in.  Your visit should be treated as a visit where you are conducting on the ground research.  The research you gather should inform you as to how people live, the local economy, the layout, development, and future plans for the destination. 

This will allow you to have a better understanding of the attractiveness of your investment and it’s income producing longevity. 

5. Meet with Key Players – When investing abroad, there’s a whole team of people you will need to assemble in order to market and manage your property investment. 

While on the ground, you will want to meet with key marketing and management players to ask specific questions regarding the management and upkeep of your potential investment.  This will give you a greater understanding of the process, costs, and possible challenges that come with managing and maintaining your investment so that it is constantly producing income.

If you are interested in learning more about real estate investing abroad, contact us, so we can add you to our mailing list.

Travel News: Hotel Advertising Transparency Act

In today’s Travel News: Hotel Advertising Transparency Act is an important topic of discussion. Many hotel and lodging providers advertise their room rates along with taxes and government fees.  However, in order to remain competitive, a number of these providers do not disclose in their advertising their mandatory fees like: resort taxes, cleaning or booking fees.

Marriott and Hilton have recently been sued for allegedly violating local consumer protection laws by imposing extra fees and not disclosing the full costs to travelers who are searching online.

These hidden fees, that are mandatory, are expected to reach as much as $3 billion in revenue during 2019 for the hotel and lodging industry. This issue is quite important to budget conscious black travelers.

The hot topic in travel news is the Hotel Advertising Transparency Act of 2019 (CLICK HERE to see H.R. 4489) is a bipartisan legislation that has been introduced by House by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, and Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Nebraska. 

If the bill becomes law, it would not only require hotel and lodging providers to disclose mandatory costs upfront, but it would also give enforcement authority over hotel price advertising to the Federal Trade Commission and to state attorneys general under provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act.

Previous Articles: https://blacktravelersnetwork.com/stories/

Building Wealth While Traveling

Building wealth while traveling is one of the many benefits of jet setting around the world. You get to see how people live in some of the most exotic places, enjoy some of the best foods, and gain exposure to other ways of life. 

We take our travelers to a number of the world’s most beautiful destinations, and one question that always come up among black travelers is:  “How much would it cost to buy a house here?” 

It’s a question filled with curiosity about how far the Dollar, Euro, or Pound Sterling goes in a foreign country.  Can it secure you a high-end property at an affordable price?   If it does, is it possible to buy a beautiful piece of real estate abroad, enjoy it, and build wealth all at the same time?

The answer is yes.

Today, travelers now have an abundance of lodging options to choose from when vacationing.  Rather than being limited to staying in traditional hotels or hostels, travelers have the option to stay in vacation rental properties that are offered through companies like Airbnb.  These lodging alternatives generate billions of dollars annually, with Airbnb alone generating close to $3 billion.

For people who want to earn money from vacation rentals, there are several different income producing strategies. Two of the most common methods are:  Managing properties and owning properties.

From a managing perspective, property managers assist in handling property upkeep and marketing to recruit both new and long-term renters.  But it’s the owners of these lodging rentals who are the real wealth builders.

5 Reasons to Build Real Estate Wealth Abroad

  • Credit is NOT the Determining Factor – When you invest abroad, unless you are seeking financing, credit does NOT matter.  You are heavily judged in the US based on your credit rating and your ability to secure funding.  Abroad, we have seen deals that not only ignore your credit rating, but credit doesn’t enter the equation because there are payment plans.

  • Cash is KING –  If you have the cash, as an individual or as a group, that’s really all it takes to make moves abroad.  Real Estate companies want you to invest, so they make things as easy as possible.  We are talking VIP services from touch down to take off and special incentives to get deals done.  

  • Marketing & Management Support – Foreign real estate buyers, depending on the country, receive turnkey services that allow you to manage your investment abroad.  This means management, maintenance, and marketing support for your property in order to keep it occupied.

This is how you are able to Airbnb all over the world.  It’s because of the property managers that real estate investors from all over the world invest in the countries that make the most sense for them to see a return.

  • American Dollars Have Value – When you look at the US dollar against other currencies in the world, it is one the strongest, most stable currencies.  This leads to markets around the world having a preference for the dollar.  So, US investment dollars in foreign markets are attractive to real estate markets.
  • Attractive ROIs – Let’s be honest, the main reason people invest is for the returns. We’ve all been trained to buy low and sale high as a mantra and a goal.  Investing abroad tends to be attractive because with a strong dollar, you can get great deals on high-end properties that may be out of reach if you were investing in your home country.  There are a number of markets abroad that will allow for your investment dollars to go further than at home.

It’s important to keep in mind that although travel is considered to be a luxury, it creates wealth building opportunities for those who have the vision to invest in markets where assets are undervalued.  These are the places where you may find attractive returns both short-term and long-term.

Previous Articles: https://blacktravelersnetwork.com/stories/

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