2025 Travel Noire Awards Nominees: Best Black-Owned Travel Brand
As travel evolves, so do the standards: representation, inclusion, and backing brands built for diverse travelers. Each year, the Travel Noire Awards celebrate excellence in the travel industry, with a special focus on Black-owned businesses revolutionizing how we experience the world. This year’s Best Black-Owned Travel Brand category highlights five companies that create exceptional travel products.
These brands are also paving the way for greater diversity in an industry that has historically lacked representation. From luxurious luggage to travel-sized skincare solutions, these nominees are redefining what it means to travel in style while addressing the specific needs of travelers of color.
Black Travel Box
Founded with a mission to address a persistent problem for travelers of color, Black Travel Box offers TSA-compliant, eco-friendly hair and skincare products specifically designed for on-the-go use. The brand’s innovative solid balms and bars eliminate the hassle of liquid restrictions. They also offer effective solutions for a wide range of hair and skin types.
Furthermore, Black Travel Box is committed to sustainability and inclusivity. Their product line includes everything from hair balms and co-wash bars to body balms and conditioning bars. All these products are crafted with natural ingredients that cater to the needs of Black travelers.
Cincha
Sometimes the simplest innovations make the biggest difference in how we travel. Cincha, co-founded by Bay Area natives Ash and James, solves the everyday travel problem of juggling multiple bags through airports with their ingenious Travel Belt. This stylish accessory secures personal bags to luggage handles, freeing up hands and shoulders from the burden of heavy carry-ons.
What began as a solution to make “airporting” less chaotic has evolved into a fashionable travel essential available in numerous colors and patterns. But Cincha’s impact extends beyond convenience. The Black and minority-owned travel brand is committed to making travel more accessible for all. With every purchase, they donate airline miles to Miles4Migrants, helping to reunite refugee families separated by conflict and persecution.
Take Off Luggage
In an era of rising airline fees, Take Off Luggage is revolutionizing budget travel with its innovative removable wheel system. Founded by Stephen after witnessing countless travelers forced to pay hefty carry-on fees at airport gates, this Black-owned travel brand created a solution that’s as clever as it is cost-effective. The concept is brilliantly simple: airlines size their personal item bins to exclude bags with wheels, but Take Off’s signature spinner wheels pop on and off at the press of a button.
During compliance checks, travelers can quickly remove the wheels and slide their bag into the personal item bin. The result is potentially saving up to $100 in bag fees per flight. Beyond their signature removable wheel luggage, the company has expanded to offer space-saving vacuum bags, duffle bag jackets, and other travel accessories designed to maximize space and minimize costs.
Tote & Carry
Luxury meets functionality at Tote & Carry, a Black-owned travel brand that’s transforming how we think about luggage. The brand offers bold, colorful collections of travel sets, backpacks, duffel bags, and suitcases. What distinguishes Tote & Carry is their dedication to creating statement pieces that stand out in a sea of conventional luggage.
Their Apollo Collection features vibrant colors like emerald green, royal blue, and neon pink, making baggage claim a breeze while turning heads throughout the terminal. The brand combines high-end aesthetics with practical features, providing everything from weekender bags to complete travel sets. With a focus on quality materials and craftsmanship, the brand offers a 2-year limited warranty on products against manufacturing defects.
5. WNDR LN
Breaking barriers in the travel accessories industry, WNDR LN (pronounced “Wonder Lane”) represents the vision of founder Tina Wells, a world traveler and business strategist whose products are now available at Target stores nationwide. Created with inclusivity at its core, this Black-owned brand aims to fill a significant gap in the market by offering fashionable, functional travel accessories that inspire diverse travelers.
WNDR LN’s partnership with Target is particularly significant, as it brings Black-owned travel products to one of America’s largest retailers. The brand’s ambassador, Evita Robinson (founder of Nomadness Travel Tribe), brings additional expertise and authenticity to the brand. Together, Wells and Robinson are changing the narrative around who travels and how they’re represented in the industry.
The Travel Noire Awards are unfolding one category at a time. The winner of the Best Black-owned Travel Brand award will be announced on Friday, October 3. Visit the Travel Noire Awards hub to celebrate current winners and see what’s still to come.
The post 2025 Travel Noire Awards Nominees: Best Black-Owned Travel Brand appeared first on Travel Noire.
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