The Travelers Guild to Planning!

Christmas and New Years have come and gone and now the year has begun.  If you are like most people. Last year you said you would travel this year.  So where are you planning to go? When are you planning to go? Don’t miss out on travel in 2019.  People don’t plan to fail. People fail to plan. The earlier you plan the longer you have to pay for  or save for a trip. Do you have a Travel Calendar? Blacks Who Travel is finalizing its travel calendar right now!  

Cruises and International All Inclusives usually have to be paid in full 60 days before travel.  If you book now for Thanksgiving you would have until September to make payments. Wait until September you will need to pay the balance in full.  Plan now and take advantage of reduced deposits on Cruise Lines. Dates are known for Holidays, as well as many annual events. It’s time to plug and play.  Below are some tips to help build a Travel Calendar. This by no means is a complete list. The list below is a starting point, add the things that interest you.  Then plug them into time off or time you want to take off. The end result will be an outline for travel in 2019.

Step 1: Identify the time you have or will take off

• Make a list of your paid Holidays from work
• Look at PTO or Vacation Time and decide how to use it

US Holidays:

• January: MLK Weekend (January 18-21)
• February: Presidents Day Weekend (February 16-18)
• March: Spring Break (If you have children or you work at a school)
• April: Easter (April 21)
• May: Memorial Day Weekend (May 7)
• July: 4th of July
• September: Labor Day (September 2)
• October: Columbus Day (October 14)
• November: Veterans Day (November 11)  (Thanksgiving (November 28)
• December: Christmas (December 25) & New Years (December 31)’

Step 2:
Travel Planning, Look at your Options

• Make a list of places you want to go this year
  • Make sure the list is realistic (places you can afford)
  • If you don’t have a passport then pick places you can go without it
    • You can go on a Cruise without a passport
    • You can go to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands without a passport
    • Don’t overlook domestic travel.  There are lots of fun destinations
• Check which Events you have gone to in the past
• Look at Annual Local Events along with Regional Events
• Pick the National Events you are interested in

Past Events Blacks Who Travel have Attended

• Junkanoo-Bahamas-January 1st
• Pro Bowl-Orlando-January 27th
• Urban Ski Weekend-Gatlinburg, Tennessee-February 1-4th
• Super Bowl-February 4th
• Jazz in the Gardens-Miami Gardens-March 9-10th
• Funkfest Orlando-Orlando-April 26-27
• Las Vegas Black Film Festival-Las Vegas- April 25-27
• Atlanta Jazz Festival-Atlanta- Memorial Day Weekend May 25-26th
• Capital Jazz Fest-Washington DC-June 7-9th
• Miami Carnival-Miami-October 13th
• Black Owned Wine and Spirits Festival-Washington DC-September 28th

National Annual Events

• Zora Neale Hurston Festival-1/26/19-2/03/19; Eatonville, FL; www.zorafestival.org
• Pan African Film Festival-2/07/19-2/18/19; Los Angeles, CA; http://www.paff.org
• NBA All-Star Weekend-2/15/19-2/17/19; Charlotte, NC; http://www.nba.com
• Black-Out Weekend Ski Event-3/14/19-3/17/19; Lake Tahoe, CA; http://www.BlackOutWeekend.com
• National Society of Black Engineers Convention-3/27/19-3/31/19; Detroit, MI; http://www.nsbe.org
• Urban Music Festival-3/29/19-3/30/19; Austin, TX; http://urbanmusicfest.com
• Bronner Brothers Beauty Show-3/30/19-4/01/19; in New Orleans, LA, http://www.bronnerbros.com
• New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival-4/25/19-5/5/19; New Orleans, LA; http://www.nojazzfest.com
• American Black Film Festival-6-12/19-6-15-19; Miami Beach, FL; http://www.abff.com
• Essence Festival New Orleans-July 5-7th, https://www.essence.com/festival/
• Taste of Chicago-7/10/19-7/14/19; Chicago, IL; http://www.tasteofchicago.us
• Black Expo-Indianapolis, Indiana-July 10-20th, https://www.indianablackexpo.com/
• Reggae Sumfest-7/14/19-7/20/19; Montego Bay, Jamaica; http://www.reggaesumfest.com
• National Bar Association Annual Convention-7/20/19-7/26/19; New York, NY; http://www.nationalbar.org
• Cincinnati Music Festival-7/25/19-7/27/19; Cincinnati, OH; http://www.berrywiseenterprise.com
• National Black Nurses Annual Convention-7/23/19-7/29/19; New Orleans, LA; http://www.nbna.org/
• Chicago Jazz Festival-8/23/19-9/1/19; Chicago, IL; http://www.chicagojazzfestival.us
• Atlanta Black Restaurant Week-9/2/19-9/16/19; Atlanta, GA; http://www.atlbrw.com
• National Black MBA Association Annual Conference-9/24/19-9/28/19; Houston, TX https://www.nbmbaaconference.org/
• Taste of Soul Festival TBD; Los Angeles, CA, http://www.tasteofsoulla.org

HBCU Football Classics

• Circle City Classic-Indianapolis, Indiana-September 22nd
• Southern Heritage Classic-Memphis, Tennessee-September 14th
• Florida Classic-Orlando, Florida-November 23rd
• Bayou Classic-New Orleans, Louisiana-November 30th

Football Classics

Other Resources:

• Soul of America: https://www.soulofamerica.com/events/
• Black Enterprise: https://www.blackenterprise.com/events/
• Party Fixx: www.partyfixx.co

Step 3:
Travel Planning, Plan out your time

• Determine how much time you have left and see when you want to take a vacation
  • Look at Cruises and All Inclusive Vacations
  • Look at Family Members you may need to visit and where they live

Step 4:  
Travel Planning Write it all down and decide how to pay for it

• If you plan early you have choices
  • Pay deposit
  • Full Payment
  • Pay by Credit Card

Step 5:
Travel Planning, Book Travel

• If you have a Travel Agent then see what they can do for you
• You can book online, however if something goes wrong you may wish you had a Travel Agent

2019 has begun!  Last year you said you would travel this year.  Where are you planning to go? When are you planning to go?  Do yourself a favor. Plan to go even if no one else decided to go.  It is very hard to get Friends and even Family to go with you. Don’t miss out this year and say you are going to travel next year.  Create a Travel Calendar. If you change jobs then let your new employer know that you have days that you need off. The employer will work with you.  Don’t miss out in 2019. Remember, People don’t plan to fail they fail to plan! Start your planning now. It’s time to plug and play!

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