When Travel Isn’t an Escape: How to Travel Without Running From Yourself.
Maybe you’ve felt it, too. The hesitation when booking that international trip. The worry about storms canceling flights. The unease of traveling through spaces where your passport, your skin tone, or your very presence invites scrutiny. More and more, we’re seeing:
Nationwide airport shutdowns due to heat waves, wildfires, and flooding
Delays and cancellations that leave travelers stranded for days
Increasingly strict U.S. travel and immigration rules, paired with intense airport scrutiny, particularly for travelers of color or those with international backgrounds
Costs are soaring while predictability and service decline.
And still, we travel—because, for many of us, it’s part of how we breathe. But in this new reality, it’s more important than ever to ask: Am I traveling to heal, or am I just trying to get away from what I don’t want to face?
Escape isn’t always the answer.
For years, travel was my default answer to everything. Feeling overwhelmed? Book a trip. Is life getting too loud? Catch a flight. Is your heart feeling heavy? Find a new view. While travel has always been a profound source of healing and joy for me, I’ve come to realize a crucial truth: if you’re not careful, travel can become a distraction rather than a transformative experience. Sometimes, what feels like freedom is avoidance dressed up in frequent flyer miles. As travelers—especially as Black women—we deserve rest, beauty, and bold experiences. But we also owe it to ourselves to ask: Am I traveling to explore the world, or am I running from something else?
It’s tempting to see travel as the ultimate escape—a quick fix for whatever we’re trying to outrun. And while a change of scenery can be refreshing, no destination can heal what we refuse to face at home. When we treat travel as a way to avoid reality—burnout, broken relationships, inner unrest—we don’t truly leave those things behind. They pack themselves into our carry-ons and follow us wherever we go.
Creating vacation experiences at home.
But in these times—when travel feels more uncertain, more scrutinized, and often more stressful—I’ve learned something invaluable: you don’t always have to leave home to feel free. There’s deep comfort in realizing that the sense of wonder, peace, and renewal we often seek through travel can be intentionally created right where we are. While it may not replace the thrill of boarding a plane, it can soften the blow of staying grounded, offering meaningful and restorative moments that remind us we can still access joy, beauty, and clarity without ever crossing a border.
The magic of travel isn’t just in the destination—it’s in how it makes you feel. Rested. Indulged. Inspired. So instead of focusing on where you can’t go, ask: how do I want to feel? Turn your bathroom into a spa sanctuary with candles, a curated playlist, and your favorite bath salts. Try a new recipe from a country you’ve never visited. Set the table. Dress the part. Host a backyard dinner under string lights, accompanied by international music and travel stories. Let your memories become an escape. When you recreate those travel-inspired experiences, you’re not pretending—you’re preserving what travel gives you: perspective, pleasure, and presence.
A Home That Holds Your Travel Experience.
I’ve filled my space with reminders of where I’ve been and where I dream to go—from African baskets to Southeast Asian spices to art collected from airport layovers. But more than décor, I’ve infused my home with intention. That peaceful moment watching birds from a balcony in Bali? I now recreate it in my backyard, morning coffee in hand, Lexie and Louis at my feet, and no screen in sight.
When you’re used to moving, stillness can feel foreign—even frustrating. However, curating these small escapes reminds you that you are the experience itself. Whether you’re 5,000 miles away or five feet from your front door, the ability to feel joy, peace, and renewal lives within you. This is how we soften the blow, not by denying our love for travel, but by honoring its essence even when we’re grounded. There will always be another flight to catch, another destination to discover. But in the meantime, give yourself permission to vacation at home. Let it be luxurious. Let it be intentional. Let it be enough—for now. Because when the world calls again, you’ll be ready, not from a place of lack, but from a place of peace.
What’s your favorite way to bring a vacation feeling home? A signature dish? A travel-inspired playlist? Share your homecation moments in the comments or tag @EbonyTravelers. Let’s inspire one another to live well, even between flights.
