When I decided to take a detour from my trip to Gambia to visit Bissau, I struggled to find recent, reliable information about how to get from one country to the other—a common challenge when traveling across West Africa by road. The Gambian Transport Company’s website misled me into believing that a direct bus from…
How to Get from Vilanculos to Tofo, Mozambique: A Step-by-Step Guide
If you’re visiting Mozambique, chances are that outside of Maputo, the two cities you’ll be exploring are Vilanculos and Tofo. Tofo is the country’s main tourist hub and is often more visited due to its closer proximity to the capital. However, Vilanculos was my favorite destination in Mozambique, and I highly recommend it—especially if you…
5 Places to Visit in Senegal Beyond Dakar
As someone who grew up in Africa’s largest city, I’m a city girl at heart. Tourism in most West African countries is based around their major cities e.g. Lagos, Accra, and Dakar. However, many destinations outside these urban hubs often get overlooked. When I visited Senegal for a wedding, the celebrations took place outside Dakar,…
How I Fell into a Lake and Accidentally Stole a Blanket in Kazakhstan
There’s a unique kind of joy in traveling solo—navigating new cultures, making spontaneous connections, and, of course, discovering new ways to embarrass yourself on an international stage. My contribution to this tradition was falling into a freezing lake in Kazakhstan. During my senior year of college, I spent my final semester wandering through South America…
I Visited 7 West African Coastlines. Here Are My Rankings.
After spending years traveling across South America, Europe, and Asia during college and grad school, I made a conscious effort to explore more of my home region—West Africa. The region is blessed with stunning Atlantic coastlines, offering some of the most breathtaking sunsets I’ve ever witnessed. Over the past year, I visited seven West African…
24 Countries I Visited in 2024: Year Recap (Part 2)
While the first half of my 2024 travels started in Africa, the second half was where Africa truly shone. This leg of my journey included some of the most breathtaking landscapes, immersive cultural experiences, and, of course, my unforgettable birthday trip. Traveling across Southern and West Africa, as well as making stops in North America…
24 Countries I Visited in 2024: Year Recap (Part 1)
This post is coming a little late—it’s already late January—but since this entire blog is retrospective, nothing is ever truly “too late.” 2024 was another incredible year of travel. What set it apart from previous years was that I took relatively fewer solo trips. I visited 24 countries in total, 20 of them new, and…
My Global Good Samaritan Encounters That Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity (Part 3)
Welcome back to the third installment of my feel-good travel stories! If you haven’t already, check out Part 1 and Part 2. I started this series to highlight the unexpected kindness I’ve encountered while traveling, especially in places that might have mixed reputations. Often, we’re advised to be overly cautious in new destinations, but my…
How I Ended Up on National News During America Day in Moldova
No, you won’t find my face plastered across the front page of any Moldovan newspaper with a wild headline—haha! My brief moment of fame lasted all of five seconds as B-roll footage on Europa Libera‘s coverage of America Day in Chisinau, back in May 2023 (see screenshot for proof). It all started when I was in…
7 Photo Comparisons That Prove Everywhere In The World Actually Looks The Same (Part 2)
I ended Part 1 of this series by saying that it was just the tip of the iceberg. The world is full of striking similarities across borders, and I’m back with more examples to prove it. In this follow-up, I’ll continue to show that you don’t need to visit one specific destination to have the…
