Inspirational Guest of the Month: Ufuoma Okumagba

We are so excited about this new segment on our blog. Here’s what we’ll be doing – Now, there are everyday people who are just amazing at what they do, and bring daily doses of inspiration our way. In this segment, we’ll be sharing these inspirational stories with you. We plan on sticking to our commitment here  to lighten your load and fire you up to achieve those goals. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Right away, we’ll be kicking off with the special Ufuoma. We may or may not be biased because she’s family but that’s beside the point. Ufuoma is a Nigerian, living and working in Canada and has somehow, successfully visited 26 countries on 4 continents. How inspiring is that? The great part of it all? She shares her travel experiences and tips on her blog.
I was so excited when she accepted to do this interview (Not like she had a choice)
So yeah, now that we’ve got a summary introduction of Ufuoma, Let’s try and squeeze out some juice from her

• Why did you start travelling?
  I started traveling when I was 16. My sister lived (still does!) in Canada at the time, so I’ll go visit her during summer breaks in Uni and just shop, shop, until I dropped. (I miss spending my daddy’s money!)But, I started traveling intentionally, in 2015. My first jaunt  being a tour through several cities in Europe,and then a life-changing trip to Peru. That was really when travel became a thing in my life.
• How has travel changed your life? 
  In so many ways that I cannot even begin to put to words. Bottom line, travel makes me a much better person. Makes me more confident. Makes me truly live everyday with intention. I see the benefits of travel literally spill over even in my career and personal life. I am better able to interact and make lasting connections in person, just because I have had the privilege of interacting with people from different walks of life thanks to my travels. I have learned so much about the world and that has helped me truly understand my place on earth, and love myself more. Most importantly, travel makes me a less judgmental person because I am able to see things and people from a more informed and different perspective.

  

• Do you have a favorite picture from one of your travels and why?
  It’s so hard to pick a favorite picture because all my pictures evoke a different emotion for me. However, I’ll say the photo of me laying on a rock bed at a hotsprings in CostaRica. It was a solo trip and I was a little worried about how I was going to take photos (just because documenting my travels is very important to me.). I mounted my tripod, ran into the frame and took a couple of shots. When I looked at the camera to see how the photos had turned out, I was in utter shock. They came out so well. Till this day, when I look at the photo, I am empowered knowing that I can do just about anything I set my heart to.

  

• Do you have any funny travel stories?
  I have a ton of travel stories that make me laugh my butt off. But all that’s coming to mind right now was the time when I went to a restaurant in a Spanish-speaking city. I asked my friends to tell me a few words so I could order a meal. They told me a bad word and without realizing, I told it to the waiter and he was so shocked. It was a curse word. After a few minutes of awkward silence, we all burst out laughing. It was hilarious, but not funny at the same time. Had to sharpen my Spanish after that experience.
• If a good friend (and everyone reading this blog)asked you for your advice and you only had a minute to give your best tip, what would it be?
  I’ll say do what you’ve always wanted to do now. If you’re waiting for the perfect moment, it may never happen. You do not have to have everything figured out, just start. Chase that dream, start that business, travel to that city, record that song. Whatever you’ve been stalling on, just do it now because tomorrow isn’t promised.

  

• What are two common pitfalls that are important to avoid?
  There’s so much but:
  – Not researching a country before arriving is a big no-no. You should at least know what their way of life is, culture, etc. You don’t want to visit a country without knowing what you are likely to experience.
  – Being closed-minded: Whiners and complainers will never thrive and enjoy the benefits of travel. Travel isn’t perfect or glamorous like you see on Instagram. Sometimes, bad things happen, things don’t go as planned, places don’t look as beautiful as they are on the internet, you have to be open-minded and willing to take everything graciously. After all, you aren’t there forever.

  

• What will your next destination be?
  Headed to Bermuda in March with my friend.
• What is one thing you’ve told yourself that kept you going during your darkest hour?
  That it will pass. And a year from now, chances are, the problem will be totally non-existent. The beauty of life is, its in phases. Every thing has a beginning and an end. Sometimes, that’s not a good thing too. But knowing it will pass keeps me going. Ultimately, knowing that God’s plans for me are good, is very comforting.

  

• Do you have any resource to help us get closer to attaining a better travel life?
  My blog, I share a lot of tips that can help my readers travel better, smarter, and learn from my own mistakes.
• Anything else you will like to add?
  Yes. Thank you for interviewing me. I am very honored. And to everyone reading this, remember this is the last day you will ever be this young. So live your best life today.

Thank you so much Ufuoma for taking time out for this. You can find Ufuoma on twitter and instagram.

Thanks for reading, What are your travel goals for the year? Anything hindering you from travelling? Where have you visited? Lets talk down in the comments.

-Titi