Travel in Luxury with Cedric Wood

Who is Cedric Wood?

I am a clinical pharmacist and luxury travel influencer based in Atlanta, Georgia. My travel journey is documented on social media platforms, primarily Instagram and Tiktok. You can find me by searching for the name “Cedtripping”. I have visited about 60 countries and creating travel content is my specialty. I started documenting my travel experiences on Instagram in 2015 and my platform has grown over the years based on my content being authentic, honest, fun, and inspirational. Growing up in a small town in South Carolina called “Timmonsville”, I never thought that I would become an avid world traveler. Needless to say, this country boy who once only road-tripped from city to city in America, has visited many cities across the globe showing everyone around the world how fun and liberating international travel is. As a clinical pharmacist by day, a trip to Liberia, Africa in 2012 opened my eyes to a new world of beauty and bliss. Since then, I am now committed to creating content that inspires Black people to travel the world to experience the joy of learning about other cultures. My mission is that I can jumpstart their own travel journey by providing them with tips, information, and inspiration. People often shut down the idea of travel because they believe it is too expensive or they do not know enough about it. I am here to shut down those limiting beliefs and show people that travel is fun, affordable, and worth it.

What inspired you to use your social media to showcase and encourage black travel?

I started documenting my travel experiences on social media in 2015. My first idea was to collect amazing travel pictures in hopes of having the best scrapbook ever to show my grandkids for when I become older. 3 years later, I decided to change my Instagram page from a private setting to a public setting in hopes of inspiring more people to travel the world and not just my close friends. My pictures on Instagram instantly became a hit and I felt great that I was an inspiration to not only a lot of Black people but to so many people of other race groups. Just a few years ago, I learned that less that 1% of African Americans travel outside of the U.S. I don’t know the exact reason why African Americans are reluctant to travel internationally but many of my family members do not feel comfortable traveling outside of their comfort zone or they think that it is too expensive. My purpose is to educate people about how affordable international travel is compared to domestic adventures and how safe it is. I love using laughter and facts to help me write about my travel experiences so that I can make it enjoyable for those who are having travel doubts.

You recently curated your first trip to Africa with 20 people called Raising the Bar in Zanzibar. What was the reason behind this and can you describe the experience?

I usually travel solo or with a small group of close friends. Over the years, I’ve received so many requests from social media friends asking to travel with me. Because my trips are usually very engaging from morning to night, I declined in the past to allow anyone I didn’t personally know to travel with me. As I continued to post my trips on social media, I found that many people wanted to learn how I travel. I learned that many people were interested in traveling like me so that they could see what’s it like being a content creator and capturing beautiful photos. In November of 2021, I decided to curate a group trip to allow people to see what’s it’s like traveling with me. There’s a reason why I chose to visit Africa. African destinations are destinations that resonate with me more than others. There’s something very special about Africa and it’s a personal connection that runs much deeper than just the history, people, food, and landscape. It’s a personal connection that’s different for every single person that is rooted in one’s family heritage. This can only be found in our Motherland, Africa.

Raising The Bar in Zanzibar is a group trip experience that teaches people that they can maximize their travel experience by making it very detailed and tailored. Time is very valuable for many people so I believe that every trip should be planned very well so that it will supersede all expectations and make your vacation time worth it. This trip was content-driven, which meant that photographers, videographers, and content creators were available to help the guest create amazing travel content. All accommodations and excursions were specially selected based on how suitable it would be for travel content. I wanted everyone to have the authentic feel of a Cedtripping trip and I can say that the Zanzibar trip was a complete success. I received so many heartfelt reviews from guests on the trip who showed much gratitude for making this the best trip of their life.