The 'gram will have you out here thinking that everybody hit the lottery, quit their job, and is suddenly kicking it around the world. You know how it is.
You sign in, scroll for a few seconds, and are like, "Is Keisha is on vacation AGAIN?" Did Jay drop his kids off at Chuck E Cheese and never look back? How did Cousin Pookie go from not having a passport to stuntin' on a camel with a bunch of well-dressed strangers?
If you're wondering if Oprah sent out a you-get-a-flight email that you somehow missed, relax. She hasn't (yet), but these days she doesn't need to. Travel groups have made it so much easier for people to see the world, and the internet is simply spreading the good news!
So if you don't have the time to plan your own trip, or your friends have 99 problems when it's time to book (i.e. I don't know if I can make it because my Yorkie needs a sitter with good heat – the trip is in November, right?) – you're in luck. Here are 21 group trips you can join in 2018!
Note: Several trips sold out as I was writing this, but as of today these trips are all still open or have wait lists you can join!
Photo: Sail Noire
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
June 16-23, 2018
Host:Black Travel Movement
Cities: This is a week long sailing event. But brown people. Basically Wakanda Yacht Week.
Itinerary | Pricing | Sign Up(check frequently for new boats)
Photo: Up in the Air Life
CHILE
February 23 – March 1, 2018
Host:Up in the Air Life
Cities: Santiago, Valparaiso, Algabarro
Itinerary | Pricing | Sign Up
Photo: Brooklyn Travel Addict
CUBA
April 26-30, 2018 and May 24 – May 28
Host:Black Travel Movement
Cities: Havana, Veradero
Itinerary & Pricing| Sign Up
May 25 – 30, 2018
Host:Up in the Air Life
Cities: Havana, Matanzas
Itinerary | Pricing | Join the Waitlist
May 26-June 2, 2018
Host: Haiti Got It
Cities: Havana, Matanzas, Varadero
Itinerary, Pricing & Sign Up
Photo: Up In The Air Life
EGYPT
Dates: September 1-9 2018
Host:Black Travel Movement
Cities: Cairo, Luxor, Aswan
Itinerary & Pricing | Sign up
Dates: October 27 – November 4, 2018
Host:Up in the Air Life
Cities: Cairo, Luxor, Aswan
Itinerary | Pricing | Sign Up
Photo: Up in the Air Life
FRANCE
Dates: June 6-11, 2018
Host:Black Travel Movement
City: Paris
Itinerary & Pricing | Sign Up
June 29 – July 5, 2018
Host:Haitian Nomad
Cities: Nice, St. Tropez, French Riviera (Cannes, Eze, Monaco, Monte Carlo)
Itinerary & Pricing | Sign Up
October 13 – 20, 2018
Group:Up in the Air Life
Cities: Champage (plus Venice & Bologna, Italy)
Itinerary | Pricing | Sign Up
Photo: The Wrap Life
GHANA
July 20-29, 2018
Host:Africa With Us
Cities: Accra, Cape Coast
Itinerary & Pricing | Sign Up
Photo by Haiti Uncut
HAITI
July 4- July 8
Host:Haiti Got It
Cities: Port-au-Prince, La Cote des Arcadins
Itinerary, Pricing & Sign Up
October 6-14, 2018
Host:Haiti Got It
Cities: Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haitien, A Secret Retreat
Itinerary, Pricing & Sign Up
December 27, 2018-January 2, 2019
Host:Haiti Got It
City: Cap-Haitien
Itinerary, Pricing & Sign Up
Photo: Travel Noire
INDONESIA
Option 1: February 26 – March 4, 2018 (1 space available)
Option 2: March 7 – 13, 2018 (1 space available)
Host:Travel Noire
City: Bali
Itinerary & Pricing| Sign Up
Photo: Travel Noire
ITALY
April 10 – 16, 2018
Host: Travel Noire
Region: Amalfi Coast
Itinerary & Pricing | Sign Up
October 13 – 20, 2018
Host: Up in the Air Life
Cities: Bologna & Venice (plus Champagne, Italy)
Itinerary | Pricing | Sign Up
MEXICO
Photo: OHPsalms Facebook
May 24-29, 2018
Host:OHPsalms
City: Cabo San Lucas
Itinerary & Pricing | Inquire via email
July 12 – 15, 2018
Hosts: Baecations +Up in the Air Life
City: Playa Del Carmen
Itinerary | Pricing | Sign Up
August 31 – September 3, 2018
Host: Up in the Air Life
City: Playa Del Carmen
Itinerary | Pricing | Sign Up
Photo: Travel Noire
MOROCCO
March 5 – 11, 2018
Host:Travel Noire
City: Marrakech
Itinerary & Pricing | Sign Up
May 19 – 26, 2018
Host:Black Travel Movement
Cities: Casablanca, Marrakech
Itinerary & Pricing | Sign Up
Photo: Jet Black
SENEGAL
March 23 – 29, 2018
Host: Jet Black
Cities: Dakar, Goree Islands, Saly
Host:Itinerary & Pricing | Sign Up
SEYCHELLES
November 7-18, 2018
Host: Africa With Us
Islands: Mahe Island, Praslin Island
Host:Itinerary & Pricing | Sign Up
Photo: Africa With Us
SOUTH AFRICA
April 17-23, 2018
Host:Fly Brother
Cities: Johannesburg, Cape Town
Itinerary & Pricing | Email for information
October 17-30, 2018
Host: Africa With Us
Cities: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban
Itinerary & Pricing | Sign Up
Photo: Africa With Us
TANZANIA + KENYA
September 12-25, 2018
Host: Africa With Us
Cities: Nairobi, Kenya; Dar Es Salaam, Arusha, Lake Manyara, Tarangire National Park, Stonetown (Zanzibar) Tanzania
Itinerary & Pricing | Sign Up
Photo: Lonely Planet
THAILAND
April 21 – 28, 2018
Host:Black Travel Movement
Cities: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phucket
Itinerary & Pricing | Sign Up
December 30, 2018- January 5, 2019
Group:Up in the Air Life
City: Bangkok
Itinerary | Pricing | Sign Up
BARBADOS
May 10-14, 2018
Group: OMNoire.com
City: Bridgetown
Itinerary| Pricing & Sign Up
PENNSYLVANIA
June 22-24, 2018
Group: OMNoire.com
City: Poconos
Itinerary| Pricing & Sign Up
*Article originally published on Brooklyn Travel Addict
Did this list get you excited? Have you traveled with any of these groups? Drop a praise report in the comments below if you had a blast, or comment with any trips I missed so we can add to the list!
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While speaking to xoNecole, Eva shares that she’s a lot like the beloved 1994 character in many ways. “Lyric is so me. She's the odd flower. A flower nonetheless, but definitely not a peony,” she tells us.
“She's not the average flower you see presented, and so she reminds me of myself. I'm a sunflower, beautiful, but different. And what I loved about her character then, and even more so now, is that she was very sure of herself.
"Sure of what she wanted in life and okay to sacrifice her moments right now, to get what she knew she deserved later. And that is me. I'm not an instant gratification kind of a person. I am a long game. I'm not a sprinter, I'm a marathon.
America first fell in love with Eva when she graced our screens on cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model in 2004, which she emerged as the winner. Since then, she's ventured into different avenues, from acting on various TV series like House of Payne to starring on Real Housewives of Atlanta.
Je-Caryous Johnson Entertainment
Eva praises her castmates and the play’s producer, Je’Caryous for her positive experience. “You know what? Je’Caryous fuels my audacity car daily, ‘cause I consider myself an extremely audacious woman, and I believe in what I know, even if no one else knows it, because God gave it to me. So I know what I know. That is who Je’Caryous is.”
But the mom of three isn’t the only one in the family who enjoys acting. Eva reveals her daughter Marley has also caught the acting bug.
“It is the most adorable thing you can ever see. She’s got a part in her school play. She's in her chorus, and she loves it,” she says. “I don't know if she loves it, because it's like, mommy does it, so maybe I should do it, but there is something about her.”
Overall, Eva hopes that her contribution to the role and the play as a whole serves as motivation for others to reach for the stars.
“I want them to walk out with hope. I want them to re-vision their dreams. Whatever they were. Whatever they are. To re-see them and then have that thing inside of them say, ‘You know what? I'm going to do that. Whatever dream you put on the back burner, go pick it up.
"Whatever dream you've accomplished, make a new dream, but continue to reach for the stars. Continue to reach for what is beyond what people say we can do, especially as [a] Black collective but especially as Black women. When it comes to us and who we are and what we accept and what we're worth, it's not about having seen it before. It's about knowing that I deserve it.”
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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Feature image by Leon Bennett/WireImage
