If you weren’t already planning a vacation, American Airlines’ new social networking site, BlackAtlas.com, will make you want to plan one right away. The tag line: “your passport to the Black experience,” effectively sums up the reason why this latest endeavor has so much potential for success.

While anyone can be a minority when traveling—it all depends on the destination, right?—the reality is that Blacks (of whatever heritage) can encounter a vast array of experiences when traveling because of the perception of people of African descent globally. Sites like Lonely Planet (especially the Thorn Tree forum) and TripAdvisor are a great way to get travel information, while benefitting from the advice and information from seasoned, recent, and even new travelers.

On many travel sites, there are usually a broad range of questions on cultural fit (Thorn Tree has a special forum, called “Like a Sore Thumb”—as in standing out like one). So American Airlines is onto something here: people of all ethnic backgrounds, including African-Americans, want to get a sense of what it’s like to travel to a particular locale where they are visibly different.

The site is loaded with cool features, including YouTube videos (see Barcelona, below), stories from travelers, and of course the ability to create custom itineraries and book flights. One really cool feature: the interactive fare map, in which you enter your departure and destination cities and watch the plane zip around between locations. Once your plane reaches the destination, the site provides links to information about the city’s history, places of interest, dining options, and even places of worship. Numerous domestic and some international cities are already featured, hopefully with more to come.

Finally, if you’re a travel blogger, BlackAtlas.com invites you to submit your own travel stories and become part of their community.

The video below is a sample of what BlackAtlas has to offer. Enjoy a leisurely walk with Nelson George around Barcelona: