#14: Olukemi’s Travel Adventures Round 36 States in Nigeria

Hello there! It is another beautiful Saturday to kick back, relax, and enjoy today's edition of Comfy Conversations—we trust this week has been kind to you.

Guess what? Today's edition comes with a little twist.

How well do you know Nigeria? How many states have you lived in, experienced, or traveled to? Today we catch up with Olukemi, an avid traveler and passionate tourist, as she shares her travel experiences and everything in between.

Tag along with us on this journey today. Let's get into it!

Comfy: For how long have you been on your travel journey?

Olukemi: hmm, I started in like 2021, I was in my final year in Uni then. I wasn’t so serious about it because I was in my final year and pretty busy with school. But I can say I have always had it in me, even since childhood, to go to places and tour places and promote tourism spots. I started my Instagram page around 2019 and a few times when I had the chance to go out, I would go. I attended a private university and being that I wasn’t studying tourism, I studied architecture—and it was very time-consuming—so I didn’t have the luxury of time or freedom, for tourism then.

But in 2021 I became a bit more serious with it. I would go to places and I didn’t even do it with the intent to share it online. I just did it because it makes me happy. Later on, I started doing it and I got motivated to an extent. I realized it was something I could do and show people that traveling in Nigeria can be enjoyable.

What inspired me to bring this out to the public (social media) was to show people that there are actually places where you can “enjoy your life” in Nigeria: I am not a fan of loud environments as is often tied to people’s definition of fun. I know that there might be so many people out there who don’t like noisy areas—in the name of fun—just like myself. My definition of fun is a serene environment and experiencing nature and I know I am not alone. Tourism is a cool sport for the soul. You can create your happiness even in your country.?

Let’s be honest, tourism involves money—if you want to go beyond your home place—yet, you can still tour your immediate environment. Tourism can be a good outlet for you too in emotional matters.

Comfy: How many states have you been to this far?

Olukemi: Truthfully, I have not kept count but I have been to most of the states in Nigeria. However, after I rounded up with school and NYSC recently, I thought of starting afresh, going from state to state, even the ones I had visited in the past. I started a personal challenge “Promoting and Touring the 36 states of Nigeria” I started in late August and as of early October, I had been to two states. Ekiti and Osun states. So yeah, if we are only considering this new challenge, I would say I have been to just 2 states.

Aside from this, I have been to many states in Nigeria. I have been to Benin, Kwara, Kaduna, Kogi, Ebonyi, Delta and many more. I have passed through Ondo State but I am yet to experience it fully. Let’s just say I have been to like 10 of the states in Nigeria—excluding the ones I have only passed through.

I am not in a haste, I would just take my time with my challenge so I can thoroughly experience each state I visit.?

Comfy: Out of these states you’ve been to, which has been your favourite and what is the most memorable experience from there?

Olukemi: Hmm, I have a lot o! I would say Kwara State. When I was there I felt quite at home (same with Ekiti and Ebonyi too). Most times when I rate states, a huge part is the receptiveness of the people in the state, not necessarily the interesting sites in the state. So yeah, I would say Kwara, Ekiti, and Ebonyi states, the people were eager to actually answer and guide me—very accommodating too.

Comfy: What are the first 3 places or activities you’re eager to visit or engage in whenever you check out a new city?

Olukemi: I don’t have activities that I am usually eager to do. What I tend to do to make travel easy for me (because traveling to an unfamiliar place is not the easiest) is to draw out an itinerary such that I go to places that are close to each other. Trust me, it is not every place in a state that you would eventually get to. This is because sometimes there is no possible way for you to get to those places due to poor infrastructure (or even security concerns) except you know locals who can get you to those places. So, I draw out an itinerary and look for places close to the one I would love to visit. I just work based on proximity most times. For instance, if I say I want to go to Oyo state and I want to go to Ibadan, there are so many places I can go to in Ibadan. . . There is IITA, Ventura mall and many more places. . . If you want to move out of Ibadan to a place like Itere Hills, that is quite far. Transportation would be a lot and finding hotels and accommodations might be an issue.

Comfy: Speaking of accommodation, what’s your experience with finding accommodation during your travels?

Olukemi: As a budget traveler, sometimes you may not be lucky with the hotel (in terms of cost), so I make sure I find at least one host anytime I travel. If I am unable to get a host, I look at the hotels available and I use tools like Google Maps to search for hotels and check out people who have been to that state before and the hotel that they slept in. I also take a good look at the reviews and the prices of the places. Despite checking Google, it is also a wise thing to get in touch with the choice hotels or motels before your trip, to confirm the prices—sometimes, most times, the actual prices may vary from the prices on Google.

So, I check the reviews and prices and most times I don’t book ahead.

A little tip: Olukemi's story doesn't end here. We dive even deeper into Olukemi's traveling experiences next week. You know you don't want to miss it!

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