by Sabrina Davis
Since Lena spent her summer secretly uncovering a forbidden love in the movie, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants II, most of us have wanted to travel to the narrow streets of Santorini, Greece. Images of aqua blue church domes, picturesque sunsets, and intricately placed homes on cliff sides have been etched into our wildest dreams since we were young.
As the travel community grows with more black and brown people having more direct access to and sharing travel, we can't get caught in the trap of just sharing the highlight reel of our experiences. We have to keep it REAL! Melanin Globe's recent trips to Greece brought those dreams of visiting Greece to reality, but it has also opened our eyes to view the world through a more mature and realistic lens.
Long story short- Santorini was more beautiful than we could have ever expected. The views are breathtaking. In that same breath, racism is alive & well, and it’s happening across the globe- especially in Santorini. Our group experienced racism on both the Greece I and Greece II trips.
Our travelers were spat at, refused service at multiple restaurants, and called n*ggas. Processing and unpacking the experience is something that we discussed on each of the trips and as a team, we are still grappling with how we move forward.
We decided to share this experience honestly because, we have the responsibility to do so. As a travel company with over 50,000 connections, we at all times want to keep you aware of our travels. We are not going to tell you to stop visiting Santorini, because honestly the only way people on that island will change their perspective of black and brown people is by being more exposed to more black and brown people.
If you decided to travel to Greece, here are a few things we have learned. We had a wonderful experience in Athens. The people there were friendly and there was a rich history to explore. When visiting Santorini, stay in the more tourist friendly areas like Oia and Thira. Don't be afraid to ask questions and always show up as your true self. We had an amazing time in Santorini when we did large group activities and stayed together.
So, the next time you're scrolling on IG and you see a beautiful picture think twice and ask questions about the real experience. They say pictures are worth a thousand words, but we encourage you to share your raw and real experiences.
*This post was originally shared through the Melanin Globe network. Follow their work and subscribe to their site for more info on traveling the world with people of color. www.melaninglobe.com
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