Spring is nearly here, and that means summer travel season is, too. If you’re making plans for an adventure in the Great Outdoors, and you’re BIPOC, however, you may be feeling some trepidation along with the excitement and anticipation. Hiking, white-water rafting, horseback riding – even heading off in a luxury RV – can feel different for an underrepresented group. After all, we haven’t always been welcomed by our fellow Americans when we head into the rural landscape. Camping while black sounds like a nightmare, not a vacation, for many in our community. Happily, though, there are new entrepreneurs who have our backs. Our correspondent Jillian Tangen has the story on the new tour operator Camp Yoshi – and why it may be the best new luxury camping outfitter and adventure guide for active black travelers.
a new luxury camping tour guide especially for black travelers
From the pandemic’s disproportionate impact on communities of color to the tragic murders of black Americans, the many crises of 2020 and 2021 have caused travelers throughout the US – particularly those of color – to rethink where, how and why they want to travel. And whether it feels safe to travel in certain ways and to particular places at all.
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In lieu of luxury spa trips or sun drenched beach getaways, plenty of people are seeking meaningful vacations that take them outdoors and into the wild after so many months of confinement. But for those who are BIPOC, the lure of the wild comes with a healthy fear about safety due to rising violence against communities of color.
Camp Yoshi is the first luxury camping tour operator for active black travelers.
Fortunately, though, brothers Rashad and Ron Fraizer have a plan to grant peace of mind and access to the awe and uninhibited joy of such a vacation to those who are ready to roam the wilderness areas of America but fear the sting of racism could wreck their adventure.
Yoshi Camp Experience adventure guide black travelers. Courtesy Photo.
While many of us were home during the early days of summer as both COVID-19 and BLM protests spread nationwide, the Fraizers were in Montana for their annual family camping trip.
The brothers had long been nature enthusiasts. But on this particular trip, they decided it was time to share their love of the outdoors with those unfamiliar with the camping lifestyle. And so, Camp Yoshi was born.
Yoshi Camp Experience: Courtesy Photo.
Part gourmet walkabout, part wilderness experience, Camp Yoshi is a multi-day luxury adventure vacation. It seeks to bolster the confidence of people of color in traveling to remote places in the US in search of the Great Outdoors. At the same time, the aim is to provide guests with the tools to make venturing into the wilderness a lifelong habit.
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While camping is often called America’s favorite outdoor activity, the pastime has a complicated and often poorly understood past when it comes to racial equality and equal access for all. For example, many of the country’s beloved national parks have a history of segregation dating back to the 1930’s, a fact that didn’t change until the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Yoshi Camp Experience: Courtesy Photo.
Unfortunately for many, that generational trauma and fear of violent exclusion still remains. Sadly, only about 1% of National Forest visitors identify as black, while nearly 95% identify as white according to a 2018 study by the Society of American Foresters.
This at a time when the mental and physical health benefits of hiking, forest bathing and spending time in green spaces are becoming more and more clear.
In other words, the Fraizer’s work is hugely important at time when so many need the transformative peace that being outdoors can bring.
Yoshi Camp Experience, the luxury adventure tour guide operator for black travelers. Courtesy Photo.
With all of this in mind, Camp Yoshi launched its inaugural all–inclusive four-day culinary adventure in fall 2020. The tour was conducted in the Oregon wilderness with a small group of first-time outdoor adventurers. The itinerary provided not only breathtaking scenery, delicious food and craft cocktails, but also encouragement, team building and skill building, as well.
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While Camp Yoshi’s adventures are available to everyone, the company’s primary focus and mission will always be about introducing people of color to the outdoors and its restorative powers. It is something we think is a truly bright light during these times of uncertainty and much needed change.
Black luxury camping tour operator Yoshi Camp Experience. Courtesy Photo.
Interested in experiencing Camp Yoshi? The brothers are now accepting new reservations for future adventure trips to Moab, Utah; Telluride, Colorado and Oregon for later this year.
Camp Yoshi is the best new luxury camping trip for black travelers
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This article contains affiliate links to products independently selected by our editors. As an Amazon Associate, Dandelion Chandelier receives a commission for qualifying purchases made through these links.
Jillian Tangen is the Head of Research at Dandelion Chandelier and a former Senior Research Analyst at McKinsey & Co and Analyst at Shearman & Sterling. She is an avid fan of Nordic design, having owned an independent lifestyle store and sales agency focused on emerging Scandinavian design. Jillian lives in New York and is married with three young children. She loves cross-country skiing, the New York Rangers, reading, travel and discovering new brands.
