A Travel Guide To Bridgetown, Barbados

After my Gibraltar trip, I was itching to go somewhere with warmer weather and settled on a Senegal + Gambia trip. Unfortunately, there were hiccups with the planning and I had to bump Barbados up on my travel list. Asides associating the country with Rihanna, I barely knew anything about Barbados so this trip was both an educative and entertaining one. Also, watching videos from the country’s transition ceremony to a republic on the 30th of November last year ramped my excitement to visit the beautiful island of Barbados.

10 Things To Do In Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a small British overseas territory that shares a land border with Spain. It was one of the few countries on the UK’s green list I could cross off during my annual leave so I went ahead and booked a flight. Most of the exciting things to do in Gibraltar revolve around its military history and The Rock. Although English is the official language in Gibraltar, most locals I came in contact with spoke Spanish. Without further ado, here are some of the places/experiences I think should make it to your list while visiting Gibraltar.

Taking The Train From Lagos to Ibadan + A Weekend Staycation At IITA

After the last staycation at Lighthouse Beach House, I was itching to go out of Lagos for a weekend. I went through my ever growing list of staycation options and settled on Ibadan which turned out to be a great choice, it afforded me the opportunity to take the new train from Lagos to Ibadan and finally explore the renowned International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). As soon as my mind was made up, I requested for a travel partner on my travel group and within minutes, I found the perfect person.

Weekend Getaway in Lagos: Lighthouse Beach House

I started following the development of Lighthouse Beach House in its late stages sometime last year via the founder’s instastory. It was easy to tell that they were onto something different from the usual beach house getaway locations in Lagos. Sometime in 2019, I expressed my disappointment at the state of Croc Smile beach house so it came as no surprise that Lighthouse bought it over and carried out some major renovation work on it.

Alternative Hangout in Lagos: Go Paintballing

If I had a dollar for every complain of how Lagos hangout/date scene almost always involves restaurants and food, I would have a house in Banana Island right now. I decided to start the Alternative Hangout in Lagos series to highlight all the other fun things you can do in Lagos. However, I cannot promise that they won’t involve food at some point or the other.

Weekend Getaway in Lagos: Epe Resort and Spa

Epe Resort and Spa is a hidden gem located on the outskirts of Lagos. My first visit to Epe was in 2018 to explore Epe Mangroves, we visited on a Sunday when the roads were free so the journey time was short. This time around, our road trip to Epe Resort & Spa from Surulere lasted over 8 hours because we had to pick members of our group at different locations along the way.

Weekend Getaway in Lagos: Lakowe Lakes Golf and Country Estate

The first time I came across Lakowe Lakes Golf and Country Estate was early 2019 via Travel with a pen, it immediately went on my to-visit list.  After canceling my Cape Verde trip because of the pandemic and flight restrictions, I was itching to go anywhere near me to relax. A friend suggested IITA which in turn reminded me of my desire to visit Lakowe Lakes.

Another Weekend Getaway At The Ouidah Lake House

Ouidah is a small, rural town located in the French-speaking country of Benin Republic. Benin Republic shares land borders with Nigeria in the west. In 2018, I stumbled upon what I refer to as The Ouidah Lakehouse while looking at different accommodation options in Benin. I was immediately fascinated by the beautiful cabin with its views and I knew I had to visit. Within three months, I organized a girls` trip and we had the best time of our lives in 2018 during our weekend there.

On Turning Older + Wanting More

“Alex, what are you going to do on your birthday?”

If I had a dollar for every time I got this question and its variations in the days leading to my birthday, I wouldn’t have to work after this pandemic. For the first time in years, I do not feel any anxiety or have the need to dissect my life and point out all the things I could be doing better at this age. It helps that everything is slow-paced at the moment.

An Easter Weekend in Lome, Togo

Togo is one of the smallest countries in Africa bordered by Ghana to the west and Benin Republic to the east. I have been to both Ghana and Benin Republic multiple times but somehow, visiting Togo never crossed my mind. When I figured this out, I decided to schedule a weekend getaway to Lomé, it’s capital city to see a glimpse of what the country had to offer. I put out the word on Twitter and in no time, I got my travel buddies and we made plans to visit during the Easter break in 2019.