At KAYAK, travel is a part of our identity. From learning about different cultures to their favorite trips and tips, we’ve gathered a few thoughts from our KAYAK team on navigating the travel experience. Here is what they had to say:
Lamarr O. – Marketing, Stamford
Do you have any memorable travel experiences?
I would say my most memorable travel experience is the Amalfi Coast in Italy. It was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen – the beaches, the food, the people. It was a beautiful place.
What’s your favorite kind of vacation?
I would say lately it’s been family vacations. I enjoy discovering new places with my family – my son and my husband. My son is pretty chill, so we’ve been able to explore a lot of cool places with him, he’s fun to take along.
I guess this kind of goes with the family vacation thing but I love road trips. I just like the freedom of having your car with you and being able to stop in different cities and different restaurants, different towns and just kind of park, explore, walk around when we’re done and then hop in the car and and go on to the next place. So I really like making the most out of out of road trips.
What’s your favorite type of travel experience?
Cultural, adventure, and relaxation when possible, I like to combine all of them. I like to plan a trip that has equal parts relaxation and discovery. I like to approach being in a new place, not so much as a tourist but “where would I go if I lived here?” I like to find the places that are near and dear to the hearts of people that actually live wherever I’m going. I find that the food is usually better, and the experiences are usually better. You get more of a real feel for where you are versus just going and sticking to the touristy places – that’s my approach.
What is a destination you’ve always wanted to visit but haven’t had the opportunity yet?
I would love to visit Ghana one day. South Africa and Tokyo are I think some of my three – I have others, but those are the ones that come to mind.
Copez R. – Account Management, New York
What inspired you to start traveling?
It’s not really what it’s a who. It’s actually my mother, she has kind of put the traveling bug – the wanderlust – in me and my sister. We always go on family trips every year. This year we’re going to Berlin, last year we went to Amsterdam, I think next year we’re trying to go to Greece. So my mother knows how important travel is, how important it is to see the world, how much you can learn from seeing the world.
What are some of the challenges you have faced as a Black traveler?
One time when we were in Jamaica, my sister was going down a water slide and the lifeguard didn’t know that there was somebody at the end standing there, taking pictures. He sent her down and she ended up clipping that person and that person fell back on top of my sister and broke her nose. I think my sister was probably 12 years old at the time. She was bleeding heavily and passed out – people had to jump into the water to save her, and when they brought her back onto the pier, they were asking who her parents were, “Are her parents here?” And my mom kept saying “I’m her mother.” But one thing that you don’t know about my mom is that she has Vitiligo, which means that she lost all the pigment in her skin, something similar to what Michael Jackson had. They didn’t believe that she was my sister’s mother, so she had to show ID – I was there, thankfully, to vouch for her. So that was kind of a weird experience, and for my mother, especially, being a black woman and having to prove that she has a black daughter because of the Vitiligo.
How have you used travel to connect to your cultural heritage?
My grandmother, she unfortunately passed, but she was West Indian and I have the scars to prove it. My grandmother was definitely somebody that knew discipline. She would always say the first time that I went to Jamaica was when my mother was eight months pregnant with me. Ever since then we’ve gone every single year. It’s pretty much my second home – I grew up there, I still have friends there. Actually, Sean Paul’s now wife was one of my best friends growing up because her family and I would always happen to be in Jamaica at the same time, so we would always hang out. Jamaica is just a special place and holds a special place in my heart.
How has travel impacted your personal growth and development?
Traveling has impacted my growth and development by showing me that there are people who live in different ways. People live or value different things in different areas. You know, there are different places of life, different cultures, different food, different religions. There’s always something outside of your circle, right? So if we are always staying within our circle then that’s the only thing that we know and I think that is some form, in my opinion, of willful ignorance, right? Sometimes you can’t get out, you know, sometimes you can’t travel and I totally understand that some people don’t have the means to travel – but at least you have access to books or some type of media to be able to learn about other cultures. I always think that it’s very important for people to learn about other cultures. This is something that can really allow you to grow as a person, as an individual, and understand that your way of thinking is not the only way of thinking.
What is a destination you’ve always wanted to visit but haven’t had the opportunity to yet?
The one destination that I’ve always wanted to visit is Nigeria. I’m thinking maybe this year I might get there. I’ve been to the continent of Africa. I’ve been to Morocco, which was an amazing experience (I highly recommend, 10 out of 10 in my opinion). But, Nigeria – my sister did a DNA test and most of our heritage is Nigerian. So that is one bucket list place that I definitely want to visit at some point.
Maceo O. – Diversity & Inclusion, Michigan
What inspired you to start traveling?
Growing up in the kind of neighborhood that I’m from, I know so many people who never get the opportunity to travel outside of their state, and sometimes even outside their city or county. For years, I even thought that was normal. Most of my family had never left the country or even experienced the other side of the US. Travel was known as something that “rich people” did.
Also growing up as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, I’ve had the opportunity to interact closely with people from all cultural backgrounds throughout my life. In these interactions and conversations, I would always be so fascinated when people would talk about their travels and experiences. I remember telling myself that I was going to be one of the people to see the world.
How have you used travel to connect with your cultural heritage?
If I’m being honest, I haven’t done this yet. Up until last year, I had no idea what my cultural heritage was beyond being an African-American woman. I don’t think a lot of people realize that by being a descendant of enslaved people, most African Americans really have no idea where their heritage is rooted in. I took a DNA test and, for the first time in my life, I now have a list of places that I can’t wait to visit to get connected.
What are your favorite travel destinations and why?
It’s definitely Bali and Mexico for me. Bali gave me this overwhelming feeling of peace when I was there that is invaluable. It has mountains and beaches and volcanoes, and just fits my adventurous vibe very well. On the other hand, I really love Mexico – between the beaches and the cenotes, the food and culture, and the convenience, being that it’s such a short flight! It’s for sure at the top of my list.
What are some challenges you have faced as a Black traveler?
I think, most importantly, it’s hard for me to come back to the inner city and to know how many people will never get to see what I see. To know how their life could change by seeing that there’s more beyond their city and that it’s very attainable, it’s kind of heartbreaking, and there’s a weird feeling of guilt that I experience. That’s why any chance I can I love to take others on trips with me to see new things for the first time. As an African American who comes from where I come (low-income, primarily made up of other African Americans) that is the other side of travel for me.
How do you plan your trips and what resources do you use?
I am definitely the planner friend of the group. Typically once I’m interested in going somewhere I will make a Pinterest board about it and start adding ideas there. I’ll also go on TikTok and create a folder and I’ll save all of the top things to do in restaurants in that folder. I’m also a really big fan of travel vlogs on YouTube (I even make some sometimes). I’ll binge-watch as many vlogs as I can from people who visited that area. After that, I’ll put everything in a Google doc and will create an hour-by-hour itinerary for myself. Yeah, I’m that person.
Sydney P. – Marketing, Stamford
What inspired you to start traveling?
I think I’ve always just been a very curious person. I’ve always wanted to do new things, try new food, try new adventures, go new places – so I’ve always been drawn to the idea of traveling. And then on top of that, I’ve been inspired by my grandmother. She is an avid traveler – she always has been and has really made that a big part of her life. Growing up, listening to her stories of traveling through Egypt and China has really inspired me to have my own stories and to share my own experiences. That’s my big push.
What is the most valuable lesson you’ve learned from your travels?
I think the most valuable lesson I’ve learned while traveling is how to be independent and more confident. Recently I’ve been doing a lot of solo traveling, so naturally you have to learn how to rely on yourself, and I think that just continues to help me in other parts of my life.
I’ve had amazing experiences solo traveling and being able to do what I want to do while on vacation. That has also just opened up so many opportunities to meet people, try new things and really understand myself and more of the world. I recommend it to everybody. It’s difficult, but I think it is a very interesting way to travel.
What are your favorite kind of vacations (solo travel, family vacation, baecation, group trip)?
I’m a big fan of solo travel. You get to do whatever moves you in the moment. So I just really enjoy it. You don’t have to worry about other people’s schedules, other people wanting to eat certain places or visit certain places. So I really, really recommend it for everybody to at least try once, see how they like it. It’s not for everybody, but I really do enjoy it.
There are moments where you get to meet new people and try new things. And then there are moments where you’re just by yourself and you really get to just be in your own brain for a bit – great opportunities to read, go to cafes, people watch and just kind of sit with your thoughts.
What are some challenges you have faced as a Black traveler?
I think I honestly have had a good experience traveling and I’ve been lucky to be very confident and not too worried about other people, but I think the biggest thing is constant stares. The first time I really experienced this was traveling in China back in 2013 with a school travel program.
In my group I was the only Black traveler with a mix of Asian and white students. So I just stood out a lot and I think I was just very open to questions or people coming up to me and taking photos and pictures. But I definitely would say that’s a challenge that you will need to face as a Black traveler – getting stares, getting questions, having people come up to you.
So far through my own experience, I haven’t dealt with the negative part of that, but definitely be aware of your surroundings (and people looking at you) and how that could potentially turn negative.
How do you ensure a safe and comfortable trip for yourself?
I think the biggest thing is being hyper aware of your surroundings and just having your own safety in mind. I always share my location. I try not to be out too late if I’m alone. I would also recommend, knowing people you can contact in the area that you’re visiting. And always have your information saved on your phone, whether that be screenshots or written down in notes.
What are your favorite travel destinations and why?
My favorite travel destination so far have been Jamaica, China, and France. They were all very unique experiences to me that impacted how I continue to travel and how I continue to see the world. So first off, I would say Jamaica was really, really important for me growing up with a Jamaican mother.
Being able to go back with my family and visit my grandmother in Montego Bay was really an amazing experience. I got to check out all the food, culture and music and see where my mom grew up.
And then in school, I was learning Chinese so I was able to go to China for a summer and really work on my language skills while also understanding more of Chinese culture.
Most recently was my trip to Europe and France was the first time I was solo traveling somewhere where I didn’t speak the language. I picked up a few French-speaking skills and was able to make some friends, so I would love to do that again.
