Since DNA testing kits arrived on the market, I have often wondered what it would be like to find out where I'm from beyond the little I know that starts in Alabama as a result of the slave trade. I hear my parents talk about what they know about our lineage beyond Alabama, but nothing is official. An Airbnb survey found that more than 50% of Americans have traveled to at least one country of their origin, which lets me know I'm not the only person with a heritage trip on their mind.
I for one imagine walking the streets of Africa and potentially seeing someone that shares my features.
This bucket list item might be easier to attain since Airbnb and 23andMe have partnered. What does the partnership mean? Well, simply put, when your DNA results arrive in a three to five week timeframe, you'll also get suggestions on homes you can rent through Airbnb in the same countries as your ancestors. Pretty convenient and little creepy, right?
Companies like Airbnb, 23andMe, and Ancestry (who already offers tours that focus on your roots in European countries) are looking to capitalize on the uptick in heritage travel, which is projected to be the biggest travel trend of 2019. Airbnb says that there has been a 500 percent increase in travelers using their service to trace their roots since 2014. With 78 percent of these trips taken in pairs or solo which the home-sharing company suggests means "these are introspective journeys or an important moment to share with a significant other."
Since DNA services like 23andMe and Ancestry are not always the most accurate for those of us of African descent, a black-owned service like African Ancestry can make an ideal travel guide as their test goes beyond telling us what continent we're from but can give details on your origin African Tribe(s).
Thanks to the Internet, we use these resources to plan our own trips to our home countries with the help of Airbnb and 23and Me's dedicated section housing pages that will allow you to plan your heritage travel adventure "end-to-end". No matter how you decide to explore your heritage, there are a wealth of options out there that will bring us closer to our history and uniqueness while fueling our travel dreams.
Check out the top DNA travel destinations (outside of the US and Canada) according to Airbnb and 23andMe:
1.Brazil
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2.United Kingdom
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3.Italy
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4.Nigeria
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5.Mexico
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6.Germany
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7.Ireland
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8.Mainland China
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9.France
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10.South Korea
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11.Spain
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12.India
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Featured image by Getty Images
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To help you better understand why this was such a mental awakening for me, I first need to give a bit of my backstory. I’m in my late thirties. I’m an attorneyand a journalist. I own a home and have traveled the world extensively. Essentially, I’ve done everything in life I set out to do. However, when it comes to dating, I struggle. Not because there is anything wrong with me per se, but because my career and “lifestyle” often create problems in my romantic relationships.
View from my hotel room
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I’ve been told everything from, ‘I can’t continue to date you because you seem to choose your career over wanting to settle down and have kids’ by a man after only the second date to ‘Maybe if you just sat down somewhere for a while, I’d actually wife you’ by someone who has honestly never proven themselves to be the settle down type. And these are only a handful of the things I’ve been told over the years.
It’s been frustrating, to say the least, and there have even been seasons where I purposely dimmed my light in hopes that my career wouldn’t push away potential suitors. I know what you’re thinking, “Girl, why would you even consider that? If they’re for you, it won’t matter what you do.” Hey, don’t judge me, but also, I one hundred percent agree.
My hotel bathroom
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That’s why this recent moment in Switzerland was right on time. When I first walked into the hotel to check in, I was blown away by the surrounding beauty. It was a five-star property with one of the world’s most famous thermal bathhouses. Yet, it was something about seeing that 90% of the hotel’s guests were couples, that forced me to sit back for a bit of introspection—while soaking in the thermal spa, of course.
As I went through the mental conversation, there was a battle of sorts. On one hand, I knew that being able to partake in experiences like the one I was having at that moment was important to me. I knew that, at times I actually love being able to dabble in the finer things—after all, I’ve worked hard to be able to afford them. On the other hand, and sadly, I knew that sometimes being a single Black woman that publicly showcases her “luxurious” habits can intimidate men and even scare them off from pursuing you under the guise of them feeling like they “can’t do anything for you, because you have everything.”
My hotel room
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So, what is a girl to do?
Do I minimize/hide the life and experiences that I have? Do I play down the hard work I’ve put in to get where I am professionally? Or, do I risk being single in exchange for being able to have said life, without backlash?
Luckily, the joy that I felt while being at this property won. There was something about taking a full day to simply pamper myself at the bathhouse and in my in-room steam shower and soaker tub, indulging in cuisine from a 2-star Michelin restaurant and doing all of this while surrounded by an amazing group of Black women that reminded me—this is certainly the life I was meant to live and that I deserve. Even if it means that right now, I’ll just have to provide it for myself until the right partner comes along. And honestly, I’m okay with that.
Restaurant at 7132 hotel
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