Hello everyone!
I'm making travel plans to travel solo by myself to either Lima, Peru, Madrid/Barcelona, Spain or Lisbon, Portugal and I am attempting to figure out which city(country) would be the safest for solo travel. And if it matters I'm also a lesbian. So double duty worries slightly. Any suggestions on which would be safer and or more accepting. Though honestly I don't expect the "gay" in me to show :)
I wouldn't worry about it. I've seen single black people all over Europe.
Single black woman walking through a southern European city, dressed like a tourist (shorts, walking shoes) and possibly carrying a backpack.
You will be treated like any other tourist, ignored, except for the hawkers.
If you get to the UK, take a trip to Brighton: http://www.visitbrighton.com/gay-brighton
There are quite a number of blogs by single black women who travel solo. I recommend Oneika the Traveller blog...she's traveled extensively and has lots of tips etc that may serve you well. Plus, she has links to many other blogs you may enjoy.
http://www.oneika-the-traveller.com/
I don't think being a black tourist will be much of an issue in any of the places mentioned. In Europe there is racism against Africans (ie immigrants to Europe from Africa), but I've heard from African Americans that this doesn't apply to Black Americans/Canadians. They seem to be treated like any other tourist.
There are prominent gay communities in Madrid and Barcelona, probably Lisbon too. I would think Peru might be more traditional, but that's a guess.
I went to Lisbon as a solo woman, felt perfectly safe, and had a grand time. I used the metro to get pretty much everywhere. It was my first solo trip, and I found it a very easy place to start.
Thanks everyone I decided on Spain.
For more discussion on this topic, you might want to look at some older posts from the previous version of the Travel Forum:
