Faithooo

The conference was a 2 day conference that started on the 6^th of September and ended on the 7^th of September while the Awards ceremony held on 8th September. I attended Day 1 and Day 3 and I am glad I did…

All 3 days event held at Eko hotels and suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria.

The event was in collaboration with: NESG (Nigerian Economic Summit Group) and some other bodies.

The conference focused on the theme: Tourism in Africa: Catalyst for Accelerated Economic Empowerment. The topics discussed includes: Empowering women and youths through tourism, Future of tourism in Africa etc.

There was also a section where tourism brands got to pitch their innovative ideas (Tourism Hackathon 2.0).

There was also exhibition were various brands such as : Wakanow, Angel style travels and tours, Eko hotel and suites,Hospitality pro, Lagos continental etc. displayed their products and services.

The award ceremony celebrated tourism and hospitality brands in Africa, congratulations to all the nominees and winners. The award categories include: Travel Agency of the year, airline of the year, hotel of the year, female trailblazer of the year, rising star of the year, best initiative to impact the African tourism and hospitality industries, restaurant of the year, chef of the year, travel vlogger of the year, tourism association of the year, African tourism destination of the year, African tourism board of the year etc.

We also had yummy buffet at the award ceremony.

See more on Pyne’s website, replay on their YouTube channel and Instagram page( link to website and YouTube channel on their Instagram bio:@thepyneawardsafrica)

I was nominated and I accepted to volunteer as the group leader for the Eagles (Covenant University graduates ) travel micro community group. So I thought to share some of the topics that have been discussed on the group with everyone. Most raised by me and some others by lovely people in the group.

The New Ikogosi Resort.

PTA (Personal Travel Allowance)

SOAR series: click here for the replay

Sharing about Travel and Tourism Industry events.

Operation SSS(Shout out Saturday’s and Sunday’s): promoting our businesses/ giving a shout out to businesses of Eagles in the group we have patronised/ enjoyed content of content creators etc on Saturdays and Sundays.

Fun Fridays.

Picking a date for a daycation in Lagos.

Discussions on a possible International trip before the end of the year.

Possible collaborations of different travel professionals in the group.

The Seychelles ban of Nigerian Passport holders.

Is there anything we can do as Nigerian passport holders to Increase the value of our green passport?

Preferred place to stay on a trip (e.g. Hotel, Airbnb, couch surfing, with family and friends etc).

What do you travel more for? (Corporate work, Business, M.I.C.E, Vacation, Blesiure, relocation to different countries etc).

Favourite mode of transportation (Flight, Road, Rail, Water etc).

What to do to your phone on a flight (put on airplane mode, switch it off, leave it on).

How do you plan for your trips( use the services of a travel agent, tour operator, tour guide etc, read travel blogs, Read travel vlogs, research on social media platforms, ask questions from those that have been to the destination etc).

Adventurous activities (Paragliding, Bungee jumping, Hot air balloon  ride, paint balling, bowling, kayaking, snorkeling, Dhow cruise, dune bashing, sky diving, visit a world wonder, hiking etc).

Will you rather (Have free flight ticket, have free accommodation, have visa free access to all countries).

Do you prefer solo trips or group trips?

What depicts luxury more (Business/first class ticket, 5 star Hotel accommodation).

IITA, Ibadan.

Discussions on various local and International Airlines e.g. Air peace, Green Africa, British Airways, Qatar etc.

Various leisure activities.

Inspiration for visiting a particular destination (people, culture, food, infrastructure, tourist attractions, language, weather, dressing etc.)

Nigerian Railway routes (Lagos-Abeokuta, Lagos-Ibadan etc).

New UK visa application Center in Port Harcourt.

South Africa E visa.

Travel quotes and authors.

Travel words and their meaning.

Largest art gallery in West Africa, located in Lagos, Nigeria.

Longest canopy walk in Africa, located in Lagos, Nigeria.

Spotlight of some Eagles in travel and tourism on CUALA’s Instagram page.

Voluntourism and Volunteering.

World  Tourism day: September 27th.

Cruises.

Number of UN recognized countries in the world (193 countries/territories).

2023 ranking of countries with the strongest passports and how many destinations you can access visa free.

Travel newsletters to subscribe to.

Etc.

Which topic is your favourite? what topics will you love to be added to the list?

Packing List for you trip: 60 Items you should consider;

Clothing: Underwear,socks, pyjamas, night wear,dress, skirt,shirt,top,trousers,blazer,sweatshirt, jacket,work out gear, beach bag, other bags, swimming costume, swimming trunk,hat etc.

Shoes: Sneakers, boots,flat shoes, heels(if needed), slippers, sandals etc.

Accessories: Wrist watch, earrings, necklace, bracelet, scarf, belt, sunshades etc.

Toiletries: toothbrush, toothpaste, perfume, body spray, soap, bathing gel, shaving stick, facial wipes, hairbrush, comb, (should make up fall under this category? What do you think?), hair products, lip balm, lip loss, manicure set,sunscreen etc.

Electronics: phone, laptop, charger, universal adapter, camera etc.

Essentials: International passport, I.D card, Vaccination certificates, travel itinerary, visa, flight ticket print out, travel insurance document, cash, credit card, boarding pass etc.

Other Items: books, keys, wallet, water bottle, notepad, pen, tissue,headphones, towel, eye mask, neck pillow etc.

Please suggest some Items that should be in the list.

We all might have some seasons where we will love to travel but due to one reason or the other we are unable to travel at that time. Here are some ways we can fuel our wanderlust in the seasons we cannot travel:

• Read travel blogs (just like you are reading one now).

• Watch travel vlogs on YouTube and other platforms.

• Consume travel contents on social media platforms(Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter, Whatsapp, Facebook, Telegram, Pinterest etc) through status, groups, posts, reels, stories, guides, Instagram and Facebook live sessions, Twitter space, tweet, thread etc.

• Make a draft plan of some of the adventures you want to go on by researching( for flight, accommodation ,tours,restaurants, group trips you can join)etc, ask for the experiences of others, check reviews, check social media platforms.

• Renew or get a new passport, yellow card and other documents that may be required, research on visa requirements for chosen destination. 

  

• Purchase travel merchandise.

• Read travel books.

• Reminisce on your previous travel moments.

• Talk about travel with a fellow wanderluster.

• Explore your city i.e the city you live in.

• Visit restaurants that sell meals of some of the destinations you are itching to visit and try out their meals. For instance, if you are in Lagos: visit Thai Thai, Orchid Thai to have a taste of Thai food in Lagos before you are able to go to Thailand; visit Goodies, Wilsons café to have a taste of Lebanese food before you are able to go to Lebanon.

• Play travel games like: This or that travel edition, travel card games etc.

• Watch travel movies.

• Purchase travel items you will need for your next trip.

• Look through your previous travel photos and videos.

• Listen to travel podcasts. 

• Cook meals of countries you want to visit.

• Create a travel bucket list

Do you love this list? Kindly make some suggestions of other things to do to fuel wanderlust. Time to chat in the comment section.

Flight tickets: One way or return flight tickets to their destination of choice and their airline of choice

Pay for accomodation: at Hotel, AirBnb etc.

Passport Cover: In their favourite colour i.e I bought one in my favourite colour (purple)

Toilet bag: To keep their sponge, soap, toothbrush, tooth paste

Travelling Bag

Boxes: To store their luggage which could be carry on or checked in.

Money to purchase travel items/for travelling expenses

Travel Affirmation cards

Neck Pillow: To help relieve and support tense muscles in the neck and shoulder.

Perfume atomiser refillable: To store smaller quantities of their perfume.

Travel Bottles: for ease of storing smaller quantities of items they need like cream, soap etc.

Packing cubes: To help keep clothes wrinkle free and compress them to save space in the box.

Shoe bag: To store their shoe(s)

Luggage scale: To help check the weight of the luggage.

Globe

Map

Travel journal: to document their travels.

Postcards

Pay part of fully for a tour package

Pay for one or more of the tours on the trip like: snorkelling, paragliding, parasailing Cooking  classes  etc.

Hiking Gear: such as backpack, first aid, compass,booths, thick clothes, rain coat

Tent for Camping and or Glamping

Branded travel items like on T shirts, phone case, stationeries, hat,shoe,sweatshirt,jacket, throw pillow etc

Travel images, picture of an airplane, a tour activity etc. on a birthday cake if its the persons birthday

Travel gears for a travel content creator such as: tripod, gimbal, ring light, camera, phone

Universal Travel Adapter:The advantage of a travel adapter is that you can use it to connect any electronic device with a plug to an outlet in another country.

Noise cancelling headphones  

Hi everyone, I bring to you Part two of the travel Influencers to Consume their content blog post, I wrote part 1 in 2020, click here to read part one which featured 35 travel Influencers…

I will be starting with two Influencers that I intended to feature in part one but I was not able to include due to publishing the post before getting their consent.

• Jessica Ufuoma: Is a travel blogger and founder of gojolley (previously known as: theufuomaexperiences). As at the time of writing  this article, she has visited 50 countries across different continents in the world and has visited some countries more than once. She shares about her adventures on her blog, social media platforms, newsletters etc. She also creates contents on: benefits of solo travel, packing tips, flight hacks, making the most of the green passport, visa hassles, travel essentials, how to travel regularly while working a 9-5 full time job and other priorities and many more.

• Travel Afcon: Name of the founder – Segbenu Olusola Medese

 

• Leke Adelaja : Founder of Travelwaka is a digital entrepreneur and a travel consultant with many years of experience in the hospitality industry. He has passion for travel and adventure, and he saw the potential for using technology to enhance the tourism experience. With a background in digital marketing and a keen understanding of the ever-evolving digital landscape, Leke is committed to revolutionizing the way people do business online and also how people plan and book tours and travel packages. Through his companies he uses cutting-edge technology to offer personalized, curated trip planning and booking services, making it easier for customers to plan and book the trip of their dreams. When he’s not busy growing his company, Leke is always exploring new places and cultures, and he’s always looking for the next big adventure.

 

• Ehindero Damilola Ruth: is a known tour organizer and hospitality professional. She bagged a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and tourism from the prestigious Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta FUNAAB.

She is a lover of nature and has been to a lot of destinations in Nigeria.

A great entrepreneur. Her passion for  tourism promotion in Nigeria led to the birth of TourersNigeria, a tour firm that organizes private and/or group trips, offers tour guiding services for destinations and to destinations in Nigeria.

 

She desires to showcase the beautiful Nigeria to Nigerians and the world at large.

 

She’s a brilliant writer, as she has her own way of documenting her experience on various trips on a blog post, and she also shares useful tips and tricks to make navigating better in Nigeria.

 

Ehindero Damilola is presently the Travel director of TourersNigeria.

She’s set to be on a mission to tour the whole 36 States in Nigeria.

 

 

• Wemimo Kolade: is a Nigerian traveller, adventure lover & experience curator. She has a passion for helping people explore better, showcase the beauty of the motherland and improve their mental health through maintaining a better work-life balance by curating fun experiences & tour packages, sharing her travel stories via social media & writings.

 

Also, she’s the founder of “The Fika Experience” a tourism brand with a thriving community of professionals, creatives, students etc of different age groups with the aims of fulfilling their travel dreams & adventures with Budget friendly packages across Africa & Nigeria.

She is present on Instagram as @im_wehmie

 

 

• Ipinmi: is a travel blogger & content creator. Her biggest passion is travelling and exploring new destinations, experiencing new cultures and sharing how travel can be done without breaking the bank.

 

Through her content, she hopes to inspire us to embark on our own adventures. The world is there to be seen and explored. Her travel blog is called: Ferinajo which means lover of travel.

 

 

 

 

• Tambollo Africa :Sikemi Ifederu is the Founder and CEO of TAMBOLLO Africa They are a travel company that creates authentic and life changing experiences through personalized private trips, group trips, retreats. They have a philanthropic aspect to them; they make a positive impact and support local communities that they visit. They are all about travelling with a purpose!

 

 

•  Odenike Oresanya :Has a travel brand known as Hey Nikeh. She is  a lover of travel, adventure and beauty. She shares her stories through pictures and videos to inspire people to live their best life and discover the beauty of God’s Green Earth! She is  an advocate for Nigerian Tourism and she showcases unknown and known locations through her videos while changing the negative narrative surrounding the country. She has visited 20 states so far and the plan is to visit the remaining 17. She is a certified Travel and Tours Management Practitioner with a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communication from the University of Benin, Edo State.

 

• Hannah Ajala: Ajala is a travelpreneur and storyteller with experience of over 50 countries, 15 of them being African countries. She is also a journalist with a passion of challenging stereotypes especially about the African continent. This passion also led her to start Ajala Travels Tours, where she brings travelers from around the world to safely enjoy the beauty of the African continent and beyond.

 

 

• Veronica-Frank Ukafia: popularly known as Vera Frank is a traveler and travel content creator on a mission to see the world, let people see it through her eyes, and also inspire them to want to see it too, starting with her country Nigeria.

 

She does this by sharing amazing photos, videos, stories, and facts about the places she visits on Instagram: click here

 

and YouTube: click here

 

This she does to help people who intend to visit these places have proper information prior to embarking on their journey. She also preaches “Start with where you are.” as most people often forget that if they’re on a budget, they could explore places within their home, prior to visiting other destinations outside their home country.

 

Apart from showing the beautiful places that exist in Nigeria, she recently started showing people other beautiful places on the African continent and hopes to expand to the rest of the world soon.

 

 

A big thank you to these amazing travel influencers for their feedback.

 

Do you already follow some of these awesome travel influencers? Are there travel influencers you will love to see added to this post?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is my pleasure, for the third year in a row, to write my Year In Review blog post. To read 2020 edition,  click here and to read 2021 edition click here .

The blog posts that were written, edited and published this year are:

An Instagram Live Session: 10+ Interesting Questions Vera Answered+extra jist

Interesting news:stand a chance to win an expense paid trip to Morocco with these 5 easy steps

A quest to finding bubble tea in lagos

Reflections from almost 2 years of travel blogging

Flight Review: Flying with Green Africa from Lagos to Abuja and back to Lagos

Accommodation Review: Interesting facts about Command Guest House

16 Interesting Places to visit in Abuja

Review of Staying at Ilaji Resorts: 10 Interesting facts

Review of staying at International Institute of tropical Agriculture:9 Interesting facts

Visiting Ibadan:7 Interesting places I explored

The blog posts contain details of places I explored in 2022.

2022: Year In Review

I updated some posts like: Landmark, Restaurant, Rufus and Bee under Interesting places to visit in Lagos blog post etc.

Some food brands/restaurants I enjoyed include: Toasties, black bell, Gourmet twist, Teastoria, White and Brie, Barcelos, Pancake hub, Spur, Rhapsody, Marriott Buffet, Radisson etc.

I Shared post,pages, tour packages of some other amazing travel brands, content creators etc.

I had a hangout with some of my MBA coursemates.

I had a couple of different outings with my family,friends, saw some friends I had not seen in years etc. Great, great times of bonding, unwinding, reconnecting, jisting, relaxing, lesiure etc.

Worship Him now and always shared some Christ centered posts and had a worship meeting called: Chayil in conjunction with Damisi @ 25, it was an awesome, splendid, spectacular, glorious, amazing, superb!, blessed and much moreee time in Gods presence and Gods name was glorified.

I attended some travel sessions at Africa nxt in Landmark event center.

I attended Women In Tourism Business Luncheon 2.0 hosted by Ajalanene of Nene Uwa. It was an amazing time  connecting with other women in the tourism space, wining and dining, face painting, discussions on 2022 International Women’s day theme which is Break the Bias etc.

I was a part of the planning committee and I attended the Easter in Idere hills trip hosted by NTL (Nigerian Tourism Lovers).

I read: I am not alone by Pastor Damilola Oluwatoyinbo.

I had a purple themed birthday photo shoot and did a thanksgiving series on my Instagram page. I  also invited some of my friends for a get together in my home on my birthday, which was Saturday 9th of April.

I joined a step tracker challenge group and we had different number of step targets for different months. The heighest I did was over 16,000 steps.

I attended GT bank food and drink fair.

I started growing my hair back and I love the progress so far.

Thanks to Laju Iren, Gird store and Laju Iren films for gifting a beautiful T shirt of : Loving Amanda the movie.

I landed a brand deal with Green Africa.

I co-planned and attended the proposal, bridal shower and wedding ceremonies of my friend.

I featured on my cousins podcast, Mothers Haven.

I had an Instagram Live with Pamilerin Adeyemi titled: Adulthood a scam or not.

I had attended: New Dimensions a worship experience with Onos at Landmark event center.

I got a new role to serve as a Financial Administration Assistant at Temlio Communications and Solutions limited. My LinkedIn profile has the roles, duties, responsibilities etc. In a couple of months, I learned new things, contributed my quota, earned etc.

I attended Ajala Nene’s Coffelicious birthday+ Coffee Ambassador Launch party.

I made an entry for the Tourism Business Challenge 1.0 by Nene Uwa.

I hosted an Instagram live session with @heynikeh and I did a giveaway for her most loyal follower.

I attended: The Gathering a worship program hosted by Olamide Kuforiji.

I attended Eagles Summit with Dr. David Oyedepo(chancellor) and other Eagles. It was truly a time of Impartation and a refreshing time. The picture below is from a tour we had before the program started of the arch project for Winners ministry.

I attended: When Eagles Worship hosted by the Covenant University Alumni Association at RCCG, Powerlink chapel.

I shared about voting for Wayfare on my social media platforms. Wayfare was nominated for the Densa Awards (Best Travel Agency Category) and Wayfare won, yayyyy yipeee.

I pursued the second session of my MBA(Masters in Business Administration), my specialisation was Management. Lots of reading,studying,research, assignments etc .I choose Management specialisation out of the six specialisation options(Management, Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, Production and Marketing) because I intend to pursue a career in Management consulting and I am looking forward to harnessing the opportunities in 2023 and beyond by Gods grace, from my lips to Gods ears.

p.s: I will be updating this blog post with a couple of Interesting places I get to visit before the year ends, kindly look out for them.

Update: Had a good time: watching a stage play at Muson center, visiting Utazi, Bubbletti,Teastoria, Thai Thai, The good beach etc.

How was 2022 for you? What are some exciting things that happened?

Visiting Ibadan:7 Interesting places I explored

• IITA: click here to read my review of lodging and exploring IITA.

• Ilaji resorts click here to read my review of lodging and exploring Ilaji resorts.

• U.I zoo: Located at University of Ibadan. Entrance fee costs 500 naira and an extra 200 naira fee if you want to see the museum. It houses various animals which include: Giraffe,lion,horse,baboon,birds,monkeys,hyena,crocodile,birds,ostrich etc. A staff of theirs told us more about some of the animals.

• Bowers Tower: Located at Oke Are Road, Ibadan. Bowers Tower is known as the highest point in Ibadan. From the top of bowers tower, you can see a lot of places in Ibadan from a distance such as; cocoa house, University College, Ibadan (UCH), Polytechnic Ibadan, University of Ibadan. It is fondly called Oke Layipo. It costs 200 naira to visit. The staircase to the top of the tower is narrow, It is an interesting climb, I enjoyed it. It started raining while we were at Bowers tower but we still tried to take the pictures we could, though the background views from the top could not come out as desired because of the rain.

• Tamberma: Tamberma is one of the most popular, if not the most popular restaurant in Ibadan. It is located at: Rev’d Oyebode Cres, Iyaganku, Ibadan. They have a diverse menu ranging from Chinese menu to Indian menu to Pizza  menu to Nigerian menu to Continental menu to Grill house menu. I had their pizza and it was delicious.

• 5 continents: Five continents is a restaurant located at Jericho, Ibadan behind Golden Tulip hotel. I had their rice with shrimps and calamari and their chicken wings.

• Ventura Mall: Located at  Oyo Road, Ibadan. It has a Cinema by Filmhouse
  *2 Lane Bowling
  *Arcade Games
  *Retail& Food Courts

I had Ice cream and cake at tea box breakfast club in Ventura mall.

For videos and more pictures of our experience, click here

To read Ibadan 2019 edition, click here

To read other blog posts in the 2022 edition, click here and here

Have you been to any of these places before? If yes, what was your experience? If no, will you love to visit? Time to hear from you.

UPDATE: In another visit to Ibadan, I stayed at Grand Maridos hotel for a couple of days. Room was on the last floor and I loved that it made me exercise more, lol. I also used to take walks around the compound as well. The buffet breakfast were always super yummy, yum yum. I also visited: Paris bakery, Amala skye, Tamberma twice (their Chinese and strawberry daiquiri mocktail as well as pina colada is so so good), mapo hall(was under renovation so could not see much of the interior), stone cafe, Agodi gardens, Ace mall, Palms, Ibachi, Tunde Odunlade art gallery etc.