I wrote several times on this blog what it’s like traveling while black : going through immigration takes longer, the locals stare at you in some areas of the world, locals who want to get a picture with you, people asking about your origins (“where are you really from?”), the ridiculous comparisons with black celebrities… […]
Keep Reading
What is it like, being black in Japan? Before getting to Japan, I heard that the Japanese are rather close-minded, that they don’t accept the fact that foreigners are coming to invade their territory, and basically that the Japanese are racists. But, at the same time, I was also hearing a lot of beautiful things […]
Keep Reading
I was peacefully spending a day on a boat, in Palawan Island, Philippines. It was a nice day. I visited several island, I went snorkeling, I ate delicious food, I saw several giant turtles… The atmosphere was good and relaxing. A Dutch guy who was on the boat wanted to get to know us, the […]
Keep Reading
I love traveling. Visiting new countries, discovering new places, talking with the locals, etc… Before launching this blog, I was already traveling a lot, and I visited many countries (Brazil, Tunisia, the Bahamas, United Arab Emirates, Montenegro, Australia…). You could ask my friends and colleagues : I was known for being that guy always going […]
Keep Reading
I’m always surprised when I see how people around me are astonished when I tell them stories about what happens to me on the road, anecdotes linked to my color skin. Traveling while black means going through different experiences than my fellow white or Asian travelers. The more I travel, the more I realize it. […]
Keep Reading
“Can I get a picture with you guys?“, asked a Korean girl. “With who?“, I replied. “With you! And with your friend!” “Which friend??? I’m alone!” “Your friend over there, he’s going away!“, pointing at a black guy. I burst out laughing when she said that! She obviously didn’t know about the nod when you’re a […]
Keep Reading
From what I remember, the first time it happened was in Montenegro, summer 2013. A few locals came up to me, and asked to get a picture with me. I didn’t understand. Like really, I was perplexed and confused. It never happened in my whole life before, and I didn’t understand why strangers stopped me […]
Keep Reading
I already talked about it in my article about my visit to Singapore. This city-state, located in Southeast Asia, is very different from its neighboring countries. Either the culture, the standard of living, or even the odd rules you have to follow there. Therefore I was quite disoriented, sometimes surprised and constantly with my eyes […]
Keep Reading
September 2014. Three black students are mobbed by attackers in the subway in New Delhi, India. Wrongly accused of harassing an Indian girl. The crowd laid into them, the poor students were hit with sticks and chairs, some Indians there were chanting nationalist songs. March 2017. An Indian guy disappeared in Greater Noida, 40 kilometers […]
Keep Reading
At first this article was supposed to be called “Is Eastern Europe safe?”. But slowly, this blog gets more and more readers (yesss! :D), and now I get messages on occasion from people I don’t know. Lately, the messages I got were among those lines “Hey! What you’re doing right now, that’s cool! It takes […]
Keep Reading
I wrote several times on this blog what it’s like traveling while black : going through immigration takes longer, the locals stare at you in some areas of the world, locals who want to get a picture with you, people asking about your origins (“where are you really from?”), the ridiculous comparisons with black celebrities… […]
Keep Reading
What is it like, being black in Japan? Before getting to Japan, I heard that the Japanese are rather close-minded, that they don’t accept the fact that foreigners are coming to invade their territory, and basically that the Japanese are racists. But, at the same time, I was also hearing a lot of beautiful things […]
Keep Reading
I was peacefully spending a day on a boat, in Palawan Island, Philippines. It was a nice day. I visited several island, I went snorkeling, I ate delicious food, I saw several giant turtles… The atmosphere was good and relaxing. A Dutch guy who was on the boat wanted to get to know us, the […]
Keep Reading
I love traveling. Visiting new countries, discovering new places, talking with the locals, etc… Before launching this blog, I was already traveling a lot, and I visited many countries (Brazil, Tunisia, the Bahamas, United Arab Emirates, Montenegro, Australia…). You could ask my friends and colleagues : I was known for being that guy always going […]
Keep Reading
I’m always surprised when I see how people around me are astonished when I tell them stories about what happens to me on the road, anecdotes linked to my color skin. Traveling while black means going through different experiences than my fellow white or Asian travelers. The more I travel, the more I realize it. […]
Keep Reading
“Can I get a picture with you guys?“, asked a Korean girl. “With who?“, I replied. “With you! And with your friend!” “Which friend??? I’m alone!” “Your friend over there, he’s going away!“, pointing at a black guy. I burst out laughing when she said that! She obviously didn’t know about the nod when you’re a […]
Keep Reading
From what I remember, the first time it happened was in Montenegro, summer 2013. A few locals came up to me, and asked to get a picture with me. I didn’t understand. Like really, I was perplexed and confused. It never happened in my whole life before, and I didn’t understand why strangers stopped me […]
Keep Reading
I already talked about it in my article about my visit to Singapore. This city-state, located in Southeast Asia, is very different from its neighboring countries. Either the culture, the standard of living, or even the odd rules you have to follow there. Therefore I was quite disoriented, sometimes surprised and constantly with my eyes […]
Keep Reading
September 2014. Three black students are mobbed by attackers in the subway in New Delhi, India. Wrongly accused of harassing an Indian girl. The crowd laid into them, the poor students were hit with sticks and chairs, some Indians there were chanting nationalist songs. March 2017. An Indian guy disappeared in Greater Noida, 40 kilometers […]
Keep Reading
At first this article was supposed to be called “Is Eastern Europe safe?”. But slowly, this blog gets more and more readers (yesss! :D), and now I get messages on occasion from people I don’t know. Lately, the messages I got were among those lines “Hey! What you’re doing right now, that’s cool! It takes […]
Keep ReadingAbout Me
Blogger & Traveller
Hi! I'm Roobens, from Paris. Wanna know what it's like to travel in some areas of the world as a black person? There's not much info online about black travel, so follow my journey here!
About Me
