Before buying plane tickets, booking hotels or checking out guidebooks, many African- Americans are turning to a source close to home for their travel planning: each other.
More precisely, they are seeking out travel clubs run by and for blacks. After a post-9/11 fall- off, organizations and gatherings promoting travel opportunities for blacks are reporting increased interest.
When the Black Boaters Summit, a gathering of black sailing fans, first convened in 1998 in the British Virgin Islands, it drew all of eight attendees in one boat. For the eighth summit, which returned to the BVI in August, 115 participants in 14 yachts attended. When Los Angeles-based 4 Seasons West, a ski club with more than 1,000 African-American members, planned its winter carnival in January, officials hoped for 400 travelers; 800 skiers showed up for the Lake Tahoe event. The National Association of Black Scuba Divers, started 15 years ago by Washington scuba aficionado Jose Jones, has mushroomed to include 50 clubs across the country.
Jones, a 70-something retired professor of marine science at the University of the District of Columbia, explained the clubs’ appeal. “When you are black and venture somewhere exotic, there is always a deeper feeling of accomplishment,” he said. “And the experience is all the richer when you share it with folks that come from a similar background.”
Like their white-run counterparts, the mission of black travel groups is to provide travel counsel, assistance and camaraderie for their members. For a modest fee, they typically organize social mixers, orientation sessions, sports and adventure training, in addition to featuring two to six trips a year.
The excursions the clubs offer are far more affordable than those organized by individual travelers. For its annual ski summit scheduled for February 2007 in Steamboat Springs, the National Brotherhood of Skiers is offering its members rooms for $199 a night, discounted from $375. Lift tickets are $45 a day, reduced from the $75 a day for a five-day pass that individual travelers would pay.
A third or more less
For a 12-day diving trip to Malaysia and Borneo earlier this summer, members of the National Association of Black Scuba divers paid the bargain rate of $2,600 for round-trip airfare, lodging, meals, excursions and dives. “Because we are well-established and have been doing this for a long time, we are usually able to offer rates of a third or more less than what other travelers would pay,” said Jones, also founder of Underwater Adventure Seekers in Washington.
Although bound by the spirit of racial solidarity and wanderlust, the groups’ focuses vary widely. Some are for the general interest traveler, those seeking to explore destinations rather than indulge hobbies. But most specialize in a sport or activity: sailing, motorcycling, tennis or other avocations.
In size, social makeup and structure, the clubs also run the gamut.
Sankofa Odyssey, a Washington-based club that has organized sailing trips to such exotic destinations as the Greek Islands and the Grenadines, is at the haute end of the spectrum. The Denver-based James P. Beckwourth Mountain Club, at the more earthy end, takes small groups hiking or backpacking through the Rockies and other points west.
Unsurprisingly, many of the clubs grew out of segregation or incidents of discrimination. Many black club organizers reported being shunned when they approached predominantly white travel groups and so opted to create their own organizations. The story of sailing enthusiast Robert Jordan is typical. After taking boating lessons in North Carolina, he tried to join a couple of mostly white boating clubs there. “They didn’t exactly greet me warmly,” he recalls.
Five years ago, the 41-year- old Maryland business entrepreneur and some friends started Sankofa Odyssey. Its 28 members are all people of color.
“It’s true that many of our clubs were started because we were not welcomed on many ski slopes,” said Rose Thomas Pickrum, president of the National Brotherhood of Skiers (NBS), an umbrella group of 77 black ski clubs across the country. “But now most of those slopes actively court us because we spend money.” Every participant in a black club outing seems to return with a Black Travel Moment, a tale from a sojourn infused with ethnic pride.
For Pickrum, the moment came during NBS’s 30th-anniversary summit, held in Canada’s Whistler-Blackcomb range in 2003. “When I looked across the mountain and saw black skiers everywhere, I couldn’t help but remember when it was tough for us to get on major slopes,” said the 52-year-old Cincinnati banker. “Now they welcome us. The transformation has been moving to watch.”
That “at home” feeling
Even though more options for blacks to join predominantly white groups have opened up, many still prefer black-run clubs. “When people have time for a getaway, they don’t want to be careful about what they say or how they act or to have second thoughts about what someone else might say,” explained Eileen Crawford, a Washington psychoanalyst and scuba fan who travels frequently with Deep Dreams Youth Program, a local dive group that introduces teens and young adults to scuba. “These kind of travel clubs allow them the freedom to feel like they are at home even when they are in a far-off place.” Another appeal of the clubs is the social activities they offer.
The annual NBS summit, the premier event for black skiers, always includes a schedule of cocktail hours, live music and other entertainment. Most of the attendees at the Black Boaters Summit don’t come for the sailing, according to Paul Mixon, the California travel agent who organizes the event, but for the music and dancing. “Not many of us know how to sail,” he said. “But we all know how to do the electric slide.” Many of the clubs also offer their members training, classes and a non-threatening environment to learn or develop their skills in an avocation or sport.
“If you’re new to skiing, it’s different learning it in a black group,” Pickrum said. “You get a lot more nurturing.” Besides ethnic camaraderie and training in a supportive environment, the clubs make exploring different cultures easier and more affordable. Over the years, Underwater Adventure Seekers has taken excursions to an impressive list of destinations, including Egypt, Morocco, Fiji and Cuba. While independent travelers to such destinations have to hassle with plane and hotel reservations, the groups typically have organizers who work out the details.
Most black travel groups attract a more affluent sector of black professionals. The James P. Beckwourth Mountain Club, named after a 19th-century black trapper and mountain man, is an exception. The club offers a range of outdoor adventures – including day-long trail hikes, overnight raft floats, mountain climbing and camping excursions – all at moderate prices.
“We try to give people opportunities to see the beauties of nature who otherwise might not have access to it,” said Winston Walker, a spokesman. “We are aware that many folks can’t pay much so we keep the prices as low as possible.” Over time, the clubs have become a powerful bonding experience for members from across the gamut of socioeconomic backgrounds.
The experience is infectious, Pickrum said: “People find that once they get into the spirit of what we do it becomes a central focus of their lives.” Travelers of color
Here are a few clubs that organize trips for African-American travelers.
SKIING
National Brotherhood of Skiers (773-955-4100, nbs.org), a Chicago-based umbrella organization, sponsors a popular annual black ski summit.
Black Ski (301-231-3900, blackskiInc.com), located in Washington, meets monthly and sponsors ski trips in season and other recreational and cultural outings year round. Annual dues are $55.
Capital Ski (capitalskiclub.org), located in Washington, meets occasionally and sponsors several ski trips a year. Dues: $35.
SAILING
Honey Let’s Travel (510-222-6308, honeyletstravel.com), based in Richmond, Calif., organizes the annual Black Boaters Summit and other sailing excursions. No dues.
Sankofa Odyssey (sankofaodyssey.home.comcast.net), based in Washington, organizes group sailing trips to worldwide destinations. For more information, sign up for the listserv through the website. No dues.
DIVING
National Association of Black Scuba Divers (800-521-NABS, nabsdivers.org, based in Washington, sponsors diving trips to destinations worldwide. Dues: $30.
Underwater Adventure Seekers (uasdivers.org), based in Washington, meets twice monthly and sponsors diving trips to domestic and foreign destinations. Dues: $43.
Deep Dreams Youth Program (202-726-3046) offers swimming and diving lessons and diving excursions for Washington area youths and adults. Annual dues are $150, but financial assistance is available.
NATURE TRAVEL
The James P. Beckwourth Mountain Club (303-831-0564, beckwourthmountainclub.org), based in Denver, organizes hiking, camping and other outdoor trips through the Rockies and elsewhere in the West. Dues: $40.
Fresco Adventures (301-352-5272) offers recreation and social programs in Washington area and elsewhere for youths and adults. E-mail frescoadventures@galaxymall.com. No dues.
