Why we need an Airbnb of colour

Why we need an Airbnb of colour

You’d assume getting through Heathrow duty free without spending a small fortune would be the hardest challenge.

But for people of colour, travelling abroad comes with its own complications.

I know this all too well – it’s frustrating that instead of travelling being pure and utter escapism, I can end up feeling more anxious and worried about whether I’m going to be the recipient of distrust, suspicion, or even a racist attack on foreign soil.

And as a brown Muslim woman, I’m constantly on alert, concerned that my motives to travel will be interrogated – like that time I was accused of secretly joining a jihadi camp by a mate ten years ago when I visited family in Pakistan.




Safety is absolutely paramount when I’m travelling. In light of stories of discrimination where Airbnb hosts have thrown black women off stairs, cancelling a guest’s reservation after finding out she’s Asian, or when black Americans listed their grievances on #AirbnbWhileBlack, there’s clearly a basis for my concerns.

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Comparatively, for my white friends, worrying about how they’re going to be perceived on foreign soil isn’t something that they even consider.

This is something Joy Peachés Kisuka knows all too well. ‘It really seems that once I leave the UK, I’m seen as a prostitute,’ Joy tells metro.co.uk.

‘Whether I dressed modestly or showed some skin, I quickly realised that my blackness in many parts of the world like Spain, Italy, and Morocco for example, equated to being a sexual commodity being gawked at because of it.’

She first experienced this in Turkey aged 16 and recalls that for every five steps she took, ‘men would happily grab my arm or grope themselves asking “how much” in front of my family.’

She says that although she’s now 22, it’s something she still struggles to cope with when travelling.

‘I try not to let it impact my experience or shape my perception of a place; however I can’t shake the trauma sometimes,’ Joy tells us. No matter what education I’ve had or good jobs I have, many parts of the world don’t even see as human.’

And while Airbnb are making strides to improve – they’ve recently allowed the government to test for racial discrimination by hosts – it’s not enough.

Now there appears to be a solution.

Dubbing itself ‘the future of black travel’, Noirbnb was launched this year to provide an alternative solution to travellers of colour.

Offering on demand room and home rentals for the black travel consumer, it now spans over 30 countries – including London – and recognises the complexities of travelling as a person of colour. It was created after the co-founder was confused for a robber when renting an Airbnb in Atlanta.

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

While Noirbnb isn’t catered solely to a black-only community (it’s open to all races), it’s frankly never come at a better time.



It’s refreshing that the founders have recognised the need to build a safe and welcoming space where people of colour can travel and stay in accommodation without discrimination.

Noirbnb told Metro.co.uk they ‘aim to counteract the problem of recurring discrimination and violence perpetrated by users of other online home sharing platforms’ and promise users ‘peace of mind that they will not have to face racial charged cancellations, or physical and mental anguish.’

And Noirbnb seems to be part of a wave of people of colour launching initiatives to tackle the difficulties of traveling as a person of colour – On She Goes is a digital travel platform that helps women of colour travel more confidently.

Although it may seem extreme to have our own dedicated space, travelling as a person of colour isn’t as simple as picking a destination, packing, and heading over.

When I was picking universities to study abroad in the US a few years ago, I recall trawling through websites to check that the university I would be applying to didn’t have a history of discriminating against minorities. I ended up picking University of Miami, a city famed for its diversity.

(Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Returning back to home soil may seem like a relief but sadly that’s not always the case.

After travelling to Beirut (where I’ve spent the majority of my summer holidays), I was treated with suspicion on my return – unsurprising considering it borders Syria where many lone female travellers have fled to join Isis.


I was repeatedly questioned about why I was in Beirut, what passport I had, asked several times how long I had spent there despite repeatedly saying less than two weeks, and my bags were given a thorough search.

Not only was it downright humiliating to have opened a suitcase displaying the remnants of my underwear drawer but I couldn’t help but think if I were Caucasian, I would have sped past the queues in pursuit of an M&S Ploughman’s sarnie.

I don’t begrudge airport staff for keeping a watchful eye on anyone who they think could pose a threat, but I couldn’t help but feel despondent that that was my return back to home shores.

It’s depressing that many like me have to consider resorting to a POC space just to feel safe. It’s embarrassing that mainstream spaces aren’t doing enough to make things better.

But while we wait for the situation to improve, I’m glad about the existence of Noirbnb as a space that’ll help me travel free of worries that the colour of my skin will offend my hosts.

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