This is a word, a podcast from Slate. I'm your host, Jason Johnson. Millions of Americans

are traveling for the holiday season, many for the first time since the COVID crisis.

But if you're traveling while black, COVID restrictions and racism can complicate the choice

between taking your dream trip now or cooling your jets. What you have to do as a black traveler

is push off that microaggression and push through so that you can still enjoy your experience.

Traveling while black during the COVID era, coming up on a word with me, Jason Johnson,

stay with us.

Welcome to a word, a podcast about race and politics, and everything else, I'm your host,

Jason Johnson. Traveling is a top activity during the holiday season, either to see your family

and loved ones or to get away from them. And many of us who put our travel plans on hold during

the COVID lockdown are more than ready to dust off our passports. But a new COVID variant and lingering

concerns about the pandemic are making travel a tougher road. For more on how to make your holiday

travel safe, fun, and even culturally appropriate, we're joined by Davy Sutton. She's a veteran

lifestyle journalist and travel expert who has been featured on networks, including CNN and NBC,

and Davy Sutton joins us now. Welcome to a word. Good morning, Davy.

Hi, Jason. How close are we right now to pre-pandemic travel conditions? Like, how close are we

to normal, Davy, in this next month ending 2021? Well, we've been a bit on a roller coaster,

but there was one big X factor that made Americans kind of feel a little more comfortable while

traveling during the pandemic. And you can probably guess that and that is the vaccine. So,

me personally, I travel professionally. It's my job. But during 2020, I did not feel comfortable

traveling. And I did take a trip towards the end, but it was a domestic trip where I drove and

I weighed all kind of like the possibilities and I went to a beach and I got a beach house. So,

...