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10 Safest Countries for Black Travelers
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Aug 7, 2025
#travel #blackexcellence If you're worried about your safety while traveling, these 10 countries should give you some peace of mind. Subscribe to our channel so you don't miss any future videos! Check out the books we love and recommend in our Black Excellence Book Club: https://www.blackexcellence.com/store/ Some links are affiliate links, which means we earn a very tiny commission if you make a purchase. __________________________________________________________ Sharing interesting and noteworthy stories in Black culture. All content provided by Black Excellence Media, LLC is for entertainment purposes only. None of the information or advice provided is to replace professional advice. Website: https://blackexcellence.com
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Did you know that 38% of black travelers
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have reported feeling unsafe or
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discriminated against while traveling
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abroad? That's according to a 2020 study
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by MMGY Global's The Black Traveler
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insights, opportunities, and priorities
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report. If you're in that 38%, drop me a
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comment about where you've traveled to
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and what your experience was like. In
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today's video, we're diving deep into a
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list of the top 10 safest countries for
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black travelers. Places where culture,
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community, and security converge to
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create a truly welcoming experience.
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Whether you're planning your next
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adventure or dreaming of new horizons,
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stay tuned as we break down why these
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destinations stand out in safety,
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inclusivity, and rich local heritage.
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Hi, my name is Jared and welcome to
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Black Excellence, where we celebrate all
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the ways black people pursue excellence
0:46
in their everyday lives. If you're
0:48
searching for ways to fuel your own
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journey of excellence with content on
0:51
where to live, where to travel,
0:53
lifestyle trends, and unconventional
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ways to do it all, hit that subscribe
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button and join the circle of
0:58
excellence. We put this list together
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after researching what black travelers
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have said online about their experiences
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and other statistics like the Global
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Peace Index, also known as the GPI. This
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evaluates peace using 23 indicators
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across three main domains. Ongoing
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domestic and internal conflict, social
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safety and security, and militarization.
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I personally been to one of these
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countries, and I'll share my experience
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there, too. If you're dying to get to
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this list, so am I. But I have to
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address one thing first. There are no
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African countries on this list, and that
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is because of many factors. One of them
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being that no African country ranks very
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high on the global peace index. that can
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be due to violent crime or political
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instability. Another reason why there
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are no African countries on this list is
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due to the experience of many black
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travelers we have read about. The
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reviews on even the more popular
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countries like Ghana, South Africa,
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Egypt, and Morocco are extremely mixed.
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Although there is an immense amount of
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belonging and joy a lot of
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African-American travelers report when
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traveling through Africa, other
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travelers also complain about the petty
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theft and being hustled. So, if the list
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was about the best destinations or the
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most culturally fulfilling or unique or
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other qualifying factors, there would be
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plenty of African countries on this
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list. I should add here that the US
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ranks 128 out of 163 countries on the
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Global Peace Index, and there are plenty
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of African countries that rank way
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higher than the US, meaning they're more
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peaceful. But this list is about the
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most peaceful countries in the world. So
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neither the US or the African countries
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that rank higher than the US would make
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this list. Now onto our list, starting
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with Iceland. Iceland consistently holds
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the title of the most peaceful country
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in the world according to the Global
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Peace Index, also known again as the
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GPI, with a 2024 score of 1.112.
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That's on a scale of 1.00
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to 5.00 000 with the lower end being the
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most peaceful. A score of 1.112
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means Iceland is extremely peaceful.
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Violent crime is virtually non-existent.
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Police officers typically don't carry
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guns and public trust in law enforcement
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is at an all-time high. And what truly
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sets Iceland apart is the ease at which
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black travelers feel at home. Travelers
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frequently mentioned that they felt
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safer walking alone at night in Reavik
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than they do in some US suburbs. The
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society is small, trusting, and largely
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inclusive. While the black population,
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of course, is minimal. The estimation is
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less than 1% of Iceland's population is
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black, the Icelandic people's curiosity
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often turns into warm, welcoming
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exchanges rather than suspicion or
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exclusion. At least that's what most
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black travelers have said online. And I
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didn't even get to how beautiful this
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country is. It's often said that Iceland
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is like one huge national park. Next up,
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we have Japan. Japan ranked ninth on the
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GPI. It has an impressively low violent
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crime rate of around 0.39 incidences per
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1,000 people. The country is famous for
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its safety. From impeccably clean
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streets to an unmatched culture of
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honesty. Leave a phone in a cafe and
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there's a good chance it will be
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returned untouched. But safety here is
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more than statistical. Black travelers,
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including myself, describe Japan as a
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place of deep respect. While there can
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be moments of cultural curiosity,
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especially in rural areas, they often
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stem from genuin interest and not
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malice. A black American woman living in
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Tokyo shared that she often walks home
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late at night and feels completely safe.
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A sentiment echoed across countless
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vlogs and blogs. And in case you haven't
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guessed it, this is the country that I
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have actually been to myself. And I can
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attest to all of this. Going to Japan is
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one of the most cultural eyeopening
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experiences of my life that I will never
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forget. Yeah, at first you feel a little
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awkward because you're like one of the
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only black people surrounded by so many
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Japanese. But it's crazy. After a while,
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you almost don't even feel like a fish
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out of water. I expected people to be
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staring at me. You hear rumors about a
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black person sitting next to a Japanese
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person and a Japanese person getting up
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and walking away. That didn't happen at
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all. every single person and I went to
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three separate cities in completely
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three different areas and everybody was
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kind. I walked at night in all three of
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these cities and I saw women walking
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alone and it didn't seem like anybody
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felt like they were in danger. I will
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say tourists are starting to push their
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luck. So, I'm sure Japanese are going to
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start pushing back against that. As of
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now, this has been one of the best
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experiences of my life. I think as a
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world we should all come together and
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say we're not going to put any tariffs
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on this country. We're not ever going to
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go to war with this country again unless
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they decide to attack, which I don't see
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that happening again because this is
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probably one of the greatest countries
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on earth. I I just have to say it. It's
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it honestly it has to be one of the top
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ranking countries in the world from the
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way that they do everything. They're
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just a level above the rest of the
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world. I'm I'm pretty sure I love this
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country. I recommend everybody goes. At
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number three, we have Canada. Oh,
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Canada. Our nice cousin up north that we
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have recently treated like garbage.
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Anyway, Canada ranks around 11th on the
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GPI. Its cities like Toronto, Montreal,
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and Vancouver offer vibrant
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multicultural environments where black
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travelers often feel right at home.
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Canada surprisingly has a good amount of
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diversity in its large cities. The
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country's multiculturalism policy paired
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with visible African and Caribbean
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communities means you'll find everything
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from blackowned bookstores to
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AfroCaribbean food festivals. While
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occasional microaggressions exist, they
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are notably rare, especially compared to
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the US. For many African-Americans,
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Canada feels like the US with the volume
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turned down. And compared to a lot of
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our large cities, like turned probably
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all the way down, like to zero.
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Familiar, but less fraud. Plus, it's
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close with plenty of cheap flights. And
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you don't have to worry about learning
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too much about the culture before
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traveling there. You know, it's the same
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but different. At number four, we have
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New Zealand. With a GPI score of 1.323
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and ranking fourth globally, New Zealand
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shines as a bastion of peace. Its
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violent crime rates are low and the
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community offers strong protections for
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minority rights. What's particularly
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appealing for black travelers is the
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country's communal spirit and emphasis
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on equality. Families from the US often
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rave about how comfortable they felt
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letting their kids roam around beaches
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or explore city centers without any
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worry. That's another thing about Japan,
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too. You can tell how safe it is cuz
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you're watching all these little kids
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cross streets and go home by themselves.
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And I swear they must be like four or
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five. Though the black population is
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small, travelers report few if any
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racially charged experiences. New
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Zealanders are just laidback. And that
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ease extends to how they treat guests of
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all backgrounds. At number five, we have
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the next place I swear that I'm going to
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is Portugal. Portugal ranks seventh on
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the GPI with a 2024 score of 1.372,
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which makes it both peaceful and
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increasingly progressive. Violent crime
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is minimal, especially in urban centers
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like Lesbian and Porto. But what makes
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Portugal stand out for African-Americans
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is its embrace of Afropport culture.
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Lesbian has a growing number of
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blackowned businesses, and the influence
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of Cape Verdine, Angolan, and Brazilian
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communities is deeply felt. Music, art,
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and food all reflect this mix. Travelers
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say they felt more celebrated than
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scrutinized. A refreshing departure from
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the norm. And I can't tell you how many
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times Portugal comes up when we talk
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about black travel because there is a
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strong black expat community there,
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especially in Lesbian. I honestly, I'm
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serious. I cannot wait to visit this
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place myself. I'm actually considering
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with everything going on that I might
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want to move there one day. At number
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six, we have Switzerland. Switzerland
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ranks sixth on the GPI and is renowned
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for its social stability and
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transparency. Violent crime is extremely
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rare and the country offers clean,
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orderly cities where rules are followed
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and respect is mutual. For black
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travelers, Switzerland offers an
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experience that is both tranquil and
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empowering. While the diversity in
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smaller towns may be limited, major
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cities like Zurich and Geneva provide
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multicultural environments where
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travelers feel more included. And though
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Switzerland is expensive, many agree
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that the peace of mind it offers is well
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worth the price. At number seven, we
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have Norway. With a GPI score of 1.382,
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Norway ranks in the global top 10 for
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safety. The country's violent crime rate
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is among the lowest in Europe, less than
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one homicide per 100,000 residents
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annually. Oslo and Bergen in particular
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have growing communities of African and
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Caribbean descent. Public infrastructure
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is strong and the culture leans heavily
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towards everybody being treated fairly.
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Travelers often remark on the genuine
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kindness of Norwegians and how
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nonchalantly they treat their
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differences. Norway may be chilly in
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climate, but it's warm in spirit. Aw. At
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number eight, we have Singapore.
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Singapore is a marvel of urban safety
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and efficiency. Ranked fifth on the GPI,
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it boasts one of the lowest crime rates
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in the world. For black travelers,
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Singapore is a lesson in order and
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multiculturalism. With English as an
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official language and a blend of
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Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Western
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cultures, it's a city-state built on
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efficiency and cleanliness. The rules
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can be strict, but they create a culture
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of mutual respect. Travelers frequently
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note how safe they feel navigating the
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city alone day or night. I think for
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most of us that were born and raised in
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the US, we think America is the most
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advanced country in the world and the
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best at everything. Then I talk to
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people that travel to places like
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Singapore and Dubai and they come back
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and look at America like we live in the
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20th century and talk about how dirty
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and unsafe our cities are for being the
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biggest economy in the world. From
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personal experience, when you travel,
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you look at America differently, the
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good and the bad. There are also times
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when people come back here and miss a
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lot of things about the US. What did I
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miss the most when I left? What I miss
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most after coming back from Japan or
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some of the other countries is the
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feeling of living in a melting pot. Like
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going and getting tacos, then Korean
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barbecue, then getting sushi, then
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getting like it's all on the same street
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sometimes. At least living in
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California. I haven't been to Portugal
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yet. I heard that's a melting pot and
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I'm sure Europe, Canada is a little bit
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of a melting pot, but I don't think
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anywhere for the time being until Trump
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gets rid of everybody is a melting pot
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like the US. The United States will
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always be home. At number nine, we have
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another place I need to get to because
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I've heard so many good things is Costa
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Rica. Costa Rica is often highlighted as
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a safe and welcoming destination for
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black travelers. And there are several
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reasons why this is the case. It's a
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country that generally prides itself on
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its peaceful nature, democratic
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traditions, and emphasis on pure vida,
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also known as pure life. This term
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encapsulates a laid-back, optimistic,
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and welcoming approach to life. A
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substantial portion of Costa Rica's
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population, particularly on the
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Caribbean coast, is AfroCaribbean
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descent. Many are descendants of
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Jamaican immigrants who came to work on
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the railroad and banana plantations in
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the late 19th and early 20th century.
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Costa Rica actually abolished its army
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in 1949, investing resources instead in
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education, health care, and social
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programs. This has contributed to a
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remarkably peaceful and stable society,
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a rarity in the region. Many black
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travelers report a generally positive
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experience with little to no overt
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racism or discrimination compared to
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some other parts of the world. Costa
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Rica's GPI is 1.8, 8, making it a
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solidly peaceful destination, ranking
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number one in its region and among the
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top 60 globally. And at number 10, a
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country that I would have never thought
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of is Ireland. Ireland ranks third on
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the GPI with a peaceful society and low
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violent crime. It's also one of the most
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rapidly diversifying countries in
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Western Europe. Black travelers often
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describe Ireland as a place they least
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expect to feel so welcome, and yet they
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did. Whether it's the friendly locals,
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the emerging African communities in
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Dublin and Goway, or the warm pub
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culture, Ireland opens its arms wide.
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It's not unusual for a solo black
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traveler to be invited into a
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conversation, a home, or a celebration.
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Now, listen, traveling while black comes
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with its own unique set of
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considerations. But these 10 countries
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offer more than just low crime stats.
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They provide peace of mind, cultural
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respect, and even joy. From Iceland's
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serene landscapes to Singapore's
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seamless urban design, each destination
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offers a different kind of welcome. And
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for African-American travelers, that
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kind of welcome is priceless. So, as
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black people, don't be afraid to get out
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there. From the countries I've been to,
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even some of the ones that aren't on
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this list, I've been treated with
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respect. I've loved every minute of it,
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and I encourage you all to get out
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there. Anyway, that's it for this video.
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Make sure to like and subscribe and I'll
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see you guys on the next