Catching Flights and Feelings

How many countries have you been to in total?

Hmm, If I’m being honest, I’ve never thought to count. Many times, I forget what countries I’ve been to until someone reminds me and I say, “oh yes that’s true, I’ve been there!”. I think I’ve been to quite a few.

Okay, so you would like me to give a rough estimate? To do so, I would probably have to glean through my passports to count.

PS: We made her count and we counted over 40 countries (that she can vividly remember).

Which country did you have the best experience and which country did you have the worst experience? (Explain why)

I would say my best experience would be our visit to the Island resort town, Sharm El Sheikh, in Egypt. I believe it’s the most beautiful place in the world; it’s simply stunning. If you could commoditise peace and sell it as a location, it’ll have to be Sharm El Sheikh. A truly beautiful, breathtaking space. Little wonder it is also called the ‘City of Peace.’ I really must go back, once I get some time off work. It is so gorgeous. We also stayed at the Four Seasons resort there, so that was a nice bonus.

All the countries I’ve been to are lovely though, in their own way. The locals are always excited to show you the best of their country and all it has to offer – scenery, food, culture, history, enterprise, nightlife, you name it.

I particularly like Jamaica; the energy is unmatched. The young people working with the Prime Minister are incredibly friendly and eager to show you a good time, lol. I’ve been to Jamaica twice with the Chairman, and each time has been memorable. From Bob Marley’s house to partying till early morning, lol

I like Rwanda as well; President Kagame has done such a fantastic job. To think of what Rwanda was in 2016 and what it is now is mind-blowing. Back then in 2016, as Rwanda hosted the World Economic Forum (WEF), there were barely any 5-star hotels to accommodate delegates and guests. In fact, the entire WEF was done in nice tents outside, it didn’t have a convention centre big enough to host the scale of WEF. But about a short year or two later, we went back to Rwanda for the Youthkonnect summit and it was incredible. There were up-scale hotels everywhere, there was a massive convention centre – probably the biggest and fanciest in Africa. It’s remarkable what President Kagame has done.

Hmm, another place I enjoy? Well, I went to school in California, so the Bay Area will always be a second home to me. Anytime I’m in Los Angeles, or San Francisco, I’m happy. Just that small part of America alone, lol.

In West Africa, I like Ghana, and Senegal too. For the longest time, I would go to Ghana every other weekend just to get out of Lagos. It’s peaceful and relaxed, the food is good and the nightlife is fantastic. I’ve not yet been outside Accra though, so I must do better. I attended a leadership summit in Ghana back in 2012 and made a few friends, so my love for Ghana is decades long, lol.

Did I mention Bahrain yet? I like Bahrain a lot. We also stayed at the Four Seasons here so it was an unforgettable – even if a very hectic – experience.

For my worst experience, I wouldn’t really say I have any.

But once when the Chairman and I were in Mauritius to visit the President at the time, we had slight issues with the plane. Mauritius is a very beautiful island, I must say. Anyway, so we had to fly to South Africa (SA) first to get a charter plane back to Nigeria.

We arrived in SA but we didn’t have visas. LOL. We were at the airport for about an hour before finally getting the visas issued after a few calls. It shouldn’t have to take any special treatment to enter another African country. Why weren’t all Africans able to get a visa on arrival? If Rwanda has gotten this visa on arrival fixed for all Africans, then all of Africa should do the same. We are all Africans, why do we have to go through that uncertainty and hassle?

3. In your experience as a globe trotter, which country do you feel had the best food options?

I’m honestly not that adventurous with food, haha, I have to be completely honest. Ideally, if I have enough notice to travel, I’ll go to Ebeano to get some plantain chips for my hotel room. Then I’ll munch on that throughout the trip. That’s the kind of person I am.

But out of the places we’ve travelled to, foodwise, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) wasn’t bad at all. It is very similar to our food and just as tasty. What they do with chicken?? YUM! You can go to DRC and won’t need help placing an order. DRC food is lit, it’s amazing.

4. Different people have different routines when they fly, sail, rail drive… what’s your go-to travel routine?

We always fly.

My travel routine would be making sure all the visas are stamped, visas on arrival are issued (where applicable), the best accommodation sorted, local security ready where applicable, local transport ready, confirming English speaking attendants at every point and ensuring it’s a seamless trip as much as possible. When you’ve done this for so many years, it becomes second nature. The Executive Office does this in our sleep. LOL

5. With the theme of this year’s World Tourism Day, ‘Rethinking Tourism’, what new ways can we rethink tourism for development in terms of employment, education and its impact on sustainability?

That’s a good theme. I’m a huge fan of tourism. I think many more governments should reorient their mindsets to not see tourism as just idle entertainment or something not tangible enough to be seriously invested in. It’s such a lucrative mainstay for economies that have cracked out on how to mine tourism.

People don’t do business in places they aren’t comfortable in. Tourism goes hand-in-hand with business and investments. You can’t expect to attract foreign investment if you are not trying to attract foreign visitors through tourism.

It’s such a wonderful opportunity for the locals because you get to meet other people, explore unlikely business partnerships, forge new social networks, learn about new cultures, and increase your income.

Let me give you an example, Davos.

Davos is this tiny village in Switzerland that is home to the World Economic Forum (WEF). WEF happens every year, so all the presidents, business leaders and biggest names in the world converge in this tiny village. Davos is not your Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, or even Owerri or Ibadan. But what Professor Klaus (the founder of WEF) has been able to do is to attract all the presidents to his village which boosts the local economy.

WEF is hosted at the beginning of the year. Locals move out of their homes to short-let their houses/apartments for the one-week duration of WEF. Just that one-week short letting can pay their rents twice for the whole year. Get this, these are not even fancy houses, they are just homes with the basic necessities. But because the world’s ‘who is who’ are coming in for that one week, they are able to earn that much money, it is ridiculous!!

Their students aren’t left out either. A number of them work as tour guides, drivers, hotel porters and more. The money earned in that one week is able to sustain them for the rest of the year.

Talking about tourism, a lot of people just see beaches and coconut water, no, but it can be the economic mainstay. I believe we can replicate this across Africa. Our governments need to see it differently. We can take advantage of our weather, but nobody wants to come here because of insecurity, the absence of basic infrastructure and unfriendly visa policies, processes etc, we can do so much more.

6. Do you have a tradition whenever you go to a new city? Country? Or Continent? If yes, what is it?

Do I have a tradition? Hmm, It’s so funny because in these countries we stay for 24 hours to 36 hours and we go. It’s one conference to another, one meeting after another but where possible, I like to take walks and ditch the car. I look around and see the architecture and how people interact. Not necessarily talking to locals. You don’t want to be thought to be harassing anyone. LOL

7. What tourism attraction centres have you ticked off your bucket list if you have any?

None!! It’s so horrible but I know I’m going to Mount Kilimanjaro soon LOL. Am I looking forward to that walk? Hmmm. My friend called me and told me she walked 3 hours, am I really ready to walk three hours?

But I had my honeymoon in Zanzibar and we went to one of the natural attractions where the ocean had 2 colours but never mixes. We also went to another all-white island.

In Rwanda, I visited the museum that has all the artefacts of the civil war. That was sad.

8. What is one culture that has shocked you or taken you aback on experiencing it? Explain

One culture? Hmm, I honestly cannot recall anything that has been shocking. Maybe I’m just not easy to shock.

But there was this one experience, I cannot forget.

We were in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, I think this was in 2018 or 2017, it was a fantastic stay, we were quite a large crew from the HH Group. One of the days we didn’t have any activities (meetings/sessions/engagements) in the evening, a few of us decided to go to a Jazz Club. It was very exclusive, and I remember we had to leave on time to make sure we got into the venue; it was a lovely outing with very talented jazz musicians. When we came out of the Jazz club, we started getting messages from the rest of the travel team (that didn’t make it to the show) asking where we were, apparently there was a bomb/explosion not too far from our hotel, the rest of the team were very concerned about us and if we were safe….. remember the Chelsea bombing in New York, that was it! Just a life in the day of a world traveller to be honest, LOL!

9. Do you prefer solo travelling or travelling with company?

My best thing to do is travel with my husband. Not solo, not anything, just me and my husband.

10. What is one thing you cannot travel without?

I would say makeup. I travelled without makeup for my honeymoon and I didn’t do too badly but I like the option of having make-up. Also clothes!! Often times I pack light and plan to shop when I get there but I’ve been badly burnt.

Don’t pack light thinking you will get there and shop. You just might be surprised. Anything can happen, you may not have time to dash into the store, they may not have your preference, and you may not have adequate time to get all that you want. Always carry these essentials!

11. What is your top travel tip?

Don’t forget your passport at home. Always have a mental checklist of what you shouldn’t forget: Your passport, yellow card, vaccination card, credit card etc. You can never be too prepared.

Funny I have a story. I travelled with the wrong card to Paris once. How did I find out? I was starving and went to a restaurant. After placing my order and them preparing my food, it was time to make payment and the card wasn’t working. I was advised to go to the ATM down the road to withdraw cash but that was not working either. At this point, I realized and snuck out. The next day I got it sorted out, though I starved that night.

I’ve also been rescued by UBA Ghana while I was in Ghana. The COO once left his home and assisted me when I was stranded at a pharmacy because my Nigerian card wasn’t working (CBN rules)! He bailed me out with cash (which I transferred back afterwards) and even withdrew even more for my use that whole trip. UBA came clutch! Forever coming through, best bank!

12. Do you collect anything when you travel? If yes, what? If no, why not?

Yes, I used to collect art and crafts souvenirs for my parents from every country I visit, but I’m no longer up to date on that. One of my colleagues liked fridge stickers so I’d also get that, but nothing for myself really because there’s hardly any time.

13. How many foreign greetings can you say/have you learnt?

Zero, zero, zero! I think some people are talented with languages but I’m the opposite. On the list of bad, I’m at the bottom. I always ask myself what the problem is.

But that’s a good tip. It’s always good to learn ‘the greetings’ when you get to a new country. It always comes in handy.

14. What is the most interesting thing you’ve learnt from your travels?

Human beings want the same things, you know – peace, family, friendships, love, relative comfort, security, happiness, and peace of mind. We’re not as different as we think. We may not live on the same continent, be the same age, have the same experiences, or share much in common on the surface level, but deep down, we all want the same things and we’re not that much different at all.

This was such a fun interview! Thanks, HH People!