Just a few years ago, I shared the stories of a few fellow travelistas who came across a $200 travel glitch to South Africa and Dubai. At the time, I remember thinking, I hope to one day get to travel to a foreign destination for a low price myself. I knew a handful of people who were able to snatch tickets at the below market value price, and each one came back with amazing stories to tell. So I followed the advice shared in my interviews, started following Twitter pages like The Flight Deal and Airfare Deal Alert, and prayed that one day, my moment would come.
And my day did come on New Year’s Day in 2023. I woke up to an email in my inbox about a “travel glitch” for a $400 round trip to Dakar, Senegal, from Scott's Cheap Flights (now Going), one of many sites that I subscribed to that sends out daily travel deals for destinations all around the globe. While I had heard of Dakar from friends who went, I admit it wasn’t initially high on my bucket list. I was determined to get to Cape Town, Ghana, or Egypt before venturing out to other countries in the Motherland.
But the thing about travel glitches is that you have little time to think. As I had learned from missing out on previous travel glitches, waiting more than a few hours could cost you a good deal. So after doing a quick Google search to see if Dakar would be a good solo travel destination (in case I couldn’t convince anyone else to come), I booked the trip and shared the news with friends and family to see if anyone else wanted to go.
At first, nobody seemed interested, so I mentally prepared myself to go on what I thought would be my first international solo trip. But a few days later, my best friend surprised me when she said, “I’m down to go with you, boo.” And those coveted words were the beginning of what would be one amazing trip with my ride-or-die bestie.
If Dakar wasn’t on your radar before, I hope that by the end of reading this, you get an idea of the magic of this gem nestled on the West Coast of Africa. From the rich and vibrant culture to fun day trips and beautiful beaches to take a dip, here are five reasons you need to book a flight to Senegal ASAP!
Gorée Island
Kiah McBride
1. The History is Rich
Writer Kiah at Gorée Island
Kiah McBride
Dakar is a place filled with history just as rich and colorful as its French colonial buildings. On a tour through the city of Dakar, we stopped by the Our Lady of Victories Cathedral, where we learned that 96% of Senegalese identify as Muslim, though the city is known for being extremely tolerant towards different religions. We wound our way through Marché Kermel, one of the most popular markets for food, spices, and souvenirs. As we made our way to Gorée Island, one of the largest slave-trading centers on the African coast from the 15th to 19th century, we felt the weight of our ancestors' pain as we walked through the eerily quiet streets of the island.
At each stop of the tour, we got a sense of where Dakar has been and where it’s going as the city continues to grow economically and modernize its infrastructure. For that reason, like any city, expect to see a mix of more humble and luxurious abodes as you ride through different areas.
African Renaissance Monument
Kiah McBride
2. The People are Kind and Offer Great Hospitality
Dakar Market
Kiah McBride
Whenever you travel to a new country, there’s always that question of whether or not you will feel accepted by the people there. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the people of Dakar are not only kind, but they actually pride themselves on their hospitality. In fact, they even have the word “terenga” in their local language, Wolof, to describe the warm welcome that they give visitors. Throughout my time there, I felt safe and even managed to stumble through my beginner French to connect and converse with some of the locals. If safety and hospitality are high on your list of travel needs, you will find yourself at home in Dakar.
Dakar Market
Kiah McBride
3. The Food is Phenomenal
Thieboudienne meal with bissap on Gorée Island
Kiah McBride
The amount of yassa fish (Filet de Lotte) and bissap (a sweet hibiscus drink similar to the Jamaican drink Sorrel) we consumed should be a sin. The food in Dakar was so fresh and flavorful that I found myself looking forward to every meal. Whether you indulge in more traditional cuisine such as thieboudienne—a seasoned fish simmered with vegetables in tomato paste and served over broken rice—or opt for more familiar dishes, Dakar has a restaurant to accommodate your taste buds. A bonus if you go to a place with a view just as beautiful as your plated dish!
Ngor Island
Kiah McBride
Kiah pictured at Ngor Island
Kiah McBride
4. There are Endless Activities and Attractions
Bandia Reserve
Kiah McBride
From the beautiful beaches of Plage de Yoff to the Bandia Reserve, where you can go on your own mini safari tour, there’s no shortage of things to do both in and outside of the city. We were in Dakar for nearly seven days and only managed to squeeze in enough time to tour the main sites and monuments, catch a small boat for an overnight stay on Ngor Island, and make our way to see the giraffes at the Bandia Reserve. That may sound like a full itinerary, but we probably would need at least a month in Senegal to really experience all that it has to offer. Be sure to do your research to best determine how to plan your itinerary, as some attractions like Lac Rose (a pink lake) and Lompoul Desert will require you to be gone for a full day or even overnight.
Kiah at Ngor Island
Kiah McBride
5. The Nightlife is a Vibe
Hitting the late-night streets may not be everyone’s preference, but if you do find yourself curious about the evening festivities of the city, then Dakar certainly will not disappoint. We were surprised to discover that Dakar has a vibrant nightlife and that many of the clubs and late-night eating spots don’t close until the sun comes up. While I normally wouldn’t emphasize the party life as being the reason to travel, there’s just something about listening to Afrobeats in Africa on a beautiful summer night that’s a magical experience. If nightclubs aren’t your thing, consider enjoying live music at a local spot or nearby hotel, such as Hotel Boma, for a more chill vibe.
Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.
Featured image by Kiah McBride
RELATED
So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff
