Green Book Global: The Black Traveler’s TripAdvisor

Traveling is a fun and exciting experience. However, it can also be stressful and uncomfortable; especially for Black travelers because concerns over safety and racism have are considerations in the travel planning process. Questions about whether a destination, attraction or property would welcome or shun travelers of color is real. The good news is that there is a new resource for Black travelers to help ensure a safe and enjoyable holiday. Green Book Global is a site dedicated to helping Black travelers confidently explore the world by sharing travel tips and experiences from the Black perspective.

In this episode, we speak to Lawrence Phillips, founder and CEO of Green Book Global, which is on the mission to inspire and empower black travelers so they can travel the world in confidence.  And his website has become one of the trusted sources that black travelers rely on, not just for every experience, but to learn about destinations from a safety standpoint, as well as have fun.

Tune in to learn more about Green Book Global, how it started, how it works, what they do, and how you can contribute to this platform and make a black traveler’s experience memorable!

Key Highlights

[00:42] Introducing Lawrence and Green Book Global

[02:02] The special thing about Martha’s Vineyard and Oak Bluffs Beach

[03:17] Identifying the need for Green Book Global

[05:10] Naming the website after the original Negro Motorist Green Book

[06:25] Lawrence’s intention behind doing Green Book Global

[07:52] How he started Green Book Global

[08:51] How Green Book Global Works and how to contribute

[11:36] Moderating the reviews and preventing manipulation

[14:05] The importance of having information about a destination before traveling

[17:21] Sundown towns and how warnings are incorporated on the Green Book Global website

[20:56] Lawrence’s educational and travel background

[23:32] Prioritizing yourself

[24:24] Why does Lawrence travel and why is it important?

[25:23] What’s Lawrence’s soul country?

[28:08] Who would Lawrence pick, past or present, to travel to South Africa?

Notable Quotes

• We do things a little bit differently, where instead of just a listing of different restaurants and hotels, we actually review sites. So we have black travelers review their experiences and recommend things to do.
• The mission of Green Book global is to inspire and empower black travelers to competently explore the world.
• People have conscious and unconscious biases. And they, unfortunately, will treat you differently based on their own preconceived notions.
• We’re making sure that black travelers can enjoy their time, just like any other demographic wants to enjoy their time.
• Sundown towns were also places where they were made white on purpose. So they purposely would just drive out black people to the point where it was just a very white town.
• That was me choosing myself over a job. I was choosing me to be mentally happy, despite what the circumstances might be.
• Travel makes you aware of other cultures and other people and it makes you more of a global citizen.

Resources

Green Book Global website: https://greenbookglobal.com/

Green Book Global on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/greenbookglobal/

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