Take a trip to Kruger National Park ,:) there is more to South Africa than Cape Town and the Beaches :) The Kruger National Park is `a very relaxing environment in the Bush with the animals and nature and being disconnected from the City and the world. Got to stay at one of the few luxury lodges in the Kruger called the Outpost, with open view villas of the park and the rivers : https://www.rareearth.co.za/the-outpost-summary The place offers daily game drives and walks , to see the eleplants and any other wildlife. The Kruger is a 6 hours 50 minutes drive from Johannesburg or you can take a flight which is 1 hour from OR Tambo to Skukuza airport inside the Park and arrange for a transfer with the lodge.

Botswana is the best place to go for exclusive Safari destinations , the main attraction is the Okavango Delta and enjoy the outdoors ad watching the animals. You can also go walking with some Elephants with the Game Rangers. So definitely worth the trip to enjoy the Wilderness . You can go Power boating on the Delta and go on rides to witness the hippos .

The Livingstone also has a lot of history to it and get to see the other side of Victoria falls. There is horse riding activities and relaxation time at the hotel and the pools. They serve great meals, there is bungee jumping for the adventurous and adrenaline junkies on the bridge that is between Zimbabwe and Zambia. Another adventure to embark on would be the Devils Pool. Tourists can also go on a sunset cruise on the lakes and see all the Hippos. Night light the Zimbabwe side has a lot of bars and clubs to party.

Harare, my hometown has a good night life that is for sure. But for me Zimbabwe the trip was mainly to go to Victoria Falls , went there when I was little and got to go back when I was much older for my Uncles Wedding the experience is more enjoyable when you are older. Victoria falls is very beautiful and one of the main features people come down to Zimbabwe for, between Zambia and Zimbabwe. The area is very calm and relaxing , you can bungee jump on the bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe . And you can go across to Zambia and have lunch at the Livingston Hotel which serves great food and a very great atmosphere of the outdoors and horses. People in Zimbabwe are very friendly and smart, this is a country that prides themselves in education.So you will gain so much wisdom and knowledge on your trip there and great service from the locals.

Namibia we got to see Walvis Bay (WalvisBaai ) which was a good adventure . I love how the one side is the beach and the other side is the sand dunes and the dessert . The adventures in Namibia involve having to surf on the beach, learning how to surf and enjoy the beach side. We got to take the quad bikes on the dunes and explore the dessert and all the sand. Other options would be camel but quad bikes are more adventurous and so much more exciting. There is sand boarding in the dunes .

Kampala Uganda has always been one of my favourite East African countries. Enjoying fresh fish by the Dam was a favourite for me and I am not a fresh fish person but they have very delicious fish. So food in Uganda is delicious and amazing, the fruits taste rich and full of flavour , my favourite is their pineapples. The weather in Uganda is very hot, lucky for me I was there for a month staying with family, so the first 2 days I was passing out in the car from the heat, so it took me 2 days to adjust before I could be ALIVE to see everything. Also Kampala has lots of traffic as well so traffic and the heat. Things to do in Uganda: Visit the Gorillas Museums Uganda Equator Nightlife in Kampala is wild but so much fun , they party until sunrise that was a first for me, I was taken to a few clubs by a friend I had met there at a mall and we went to have dinner as well. I got home literally when the sun was rising and couldn't go back to sleep after. And I am not one for the nightlife when I travel Uganda and Bali are the only countries I have gone partying in and had a blast . After staying in Uganda, I must say for the ladies I came home with amazing skin - glowing skin from the weather.

Mozambique is so relaxing and has a vast amount of beaches to visit. We took a road trip down to Mozambique from South Africa and happened to be a longer drive than expected because once you cross the borders into Mozambique there are serious speeding limits that need to be adhered to that will slow down the Journey. We stayed at Catembe Gallery Hotel which is on a separate island that requires a ferry from Maputo. This hotel is so chic and relaxing and best Mozambican meals of prawns and chickens. Of course when in Mozambique you must enjoy some R & R Raspberry and Rum. So Delicious and great to enjoy by the pool and the beach . We then later drove down to Inhambane down the coast of Mozambique and stayed at Hotel Casa Capitao , very posh hotel and full of old people. After some exploring we found an awesome young and vibrant "hotel" with people around the world and with a bar which was a jam. In that moment we wished we had stayed at MOZAMBEAT . But as always traveling is about experience and learning for the next time , now we know where to stay. The night life in Inhambane is blast to be honest and the beach and the markets are a great experience to have. Mozambique is a very relaxing destination with beaches, night life and TIPO TINTO (best RUM in Africa).

I must say that Ethiopia has the most amazing food. And well for those who love coffee , disclaimer i am not a coffee person, but my travel partner mentioned that the coffee was great and delicious. Ethiopia has very friendly people and very beautiful people - especially the women , African beauties. :) So beautiful people and personalities. We felt relatively safe in Addis Ababa , i mean we were aware of pick pockets in the markets and all , but we did not make it into the markets as it is also hard to communicate with the cab drivers - and not wanting to be charged a high price to get to certain places. /Next time i would get a tour guide or one of my colleagues that live there. We went to the : 1. National Museum of Ethiopia - very informative on the history and everything that has transpired in Ethiopia. The museum also has great art work. There is a lovely restaurant next door to the museum with great Ethiopian food and a great vibes. 2. Mount Entoto for the city views 3. Holy Trinity Cathedral 4. St. George's Catherdral

Ghana is just the most wonderful country in West Africa, the people , the food , the weather (very hot) and things to see and do. I can say that i am very lucky to work for a global company that has offices in 14 African countries , and more grateful that i work in roles that make me look after these countries as South Africa is the Africa hub/head office for the company therefore responsible for the 14 countries operations in Africa. I got to go to Ghana for a work trip so that was a plus - and lucky to have a boss who lets us stay a few days after the work part to explore the country. Our trip was mainly corporate social responsibility and visited other cities in Ghana to make donations to orphanages - which is always a humbling experience as a reminder of what we are blessed to have, In Accra we got to see : 1.Labadi Beach - it was a fun Beach day experience :) With great local restaurants and food. You can ride horses on the shore and we got to enjoy local beer/ciders. 2. Kwane Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum - an awesome historical adventure. Great architecture to see - we got some bracelets made when we were there to support the locals. The day we went we happened to be there when someone was shooting a music video. 3. Independence Arch 4. Shopping at the local markets for dashikis and material - my colleague will never stop telling people how i made him sweat and die of heat in the little market stores being indecisive about what i wanted to buy. I have heard the night life is amazing, we were meant to go to - can't remember the name - but all the activities and the heat had us tired and the traffic in GHANA is just a wow. But next visit i will be ready for outings and nightlife. Ghana is a must see :)

Berlin, Berlin in the summer is the best time to visit. I loved Berlin it was so chilled and so much architectural history to explore. Of course everything is accessible by the train, buy a day pass for all the districts and you are set and ready to go. And you save money by taking the train, when you use your google maps it will tell you the train routes and which station to jump off at and the next train to take. So full details on how to get around so you will not get lost. And there is Free Wifi in all the train stations , so YAY Germany. Germany as we know has a lot of history especially with regards to the Holocaust. Things i got to see : 1. Brandenburg Gate 2.Museum Island _ my favorite because i am the biggest nerd. 3. Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe 4. Berliner Fernsehturm 5. Berlin Cathedral - this was a wow especially for me who was raised a Catholic all her life. The outside and inside was amazing, lots of stairs SO sneakers and water would be advisable. 6. Alexanderplatz 7. Berlin Wall Memorial 8. Victory Column 9. Ann Frank Zentrum So Berlin has a vast amount of history to explore for those into historical travels and adventures. I really enjoyed my visit, I did not get to see everything but i would return to see the concentration camps and etc. It is always so surreal to see places I read about in History in High School and my High School we only did German history and WWII , so it was pretty awesome going from textbooks to reality - and I got distinctions in history so I had to go see what I was clearly interested in. And I read all the Ann Frank books and watched all the movies so that was also something for the books going to one of the museums Germany is very safe traveling as a POC , i mean as a woman you get a lot of attention cause Germans like women of colour. Everyone also just minds their own business and all because Germans just don't like wasting time by loafing around and all. Berlin was the first time i learn about the honor system , so they trust you to buy your train tickets without being monitored or enforced , so the public system is based on trust, honor and honesty which i really admired. They do have random spot checks which i experienced and you never see it coming cause they send people dressed as civilians . So YAY Germany again ;) Totally loved the historical adventure and look forward to going back.

I got to visit Helsinki Finland and I must say the one thing i took from it was that I wish i went in Summer time. On the bright side I got to see full on snow for the first time in my life so that was a fun experience. But it is very cold there and very hard to plan days out during November/December time when i went because some days were raining and dark and other days i almost froze my fingers off. I stayed in the outer city for the facts of being close to my marine BF who was stationed there .But Finland was a country i never thought i would visit and i was glad to have other traveler friends who gave me advise on things to see and do in Helsinki without losing my fingers. Everything is easily accessible by the trains and trams which i completely loved. I love the public transport system in Europe I visited the Suomenlinna Fortress Island which is a UNESCO World Heritage site as a “unique monument of military architecture”. As I am highly intrigued by architectural sites I am highly interested in visiting this site, especially from a historical perspective. They were an enjoyable excursion with the walking trails across the park lands between popular highlights of the King’s Gate drawbridge and Suomenlinna Museum. Other architectural sights I visited were the National Library of Finland, Johannes Church and the Finnish National Theater (Suomen Kansallisteatteri). I ventured to the Museums as they highly peeked my interest such as the Artenuem Art Museum, Natural History Museum (Luonnontieteellinen Museo), Rock Church and the National Museum of Finland. From Helsinki you can take a ferry to Estonia , which i did not have time to do , Finland you can also make a trip to see the Northern lights. Things i plan on doing when i return there.

Swaziland was a country we visited on our way back from Mozambique. Its another country within South Africa. Swaziland is a very relaxing country, the scenery and environment just the best way to finish a hectic holiday of just relaxing . Swaziland is now known as Eswatini by their King. :) Swaziland has lots of game reserves to visit , so very tranquil and nature scenery . We got to stay at the Hlane Royal National Park , in a cute cottage - there is no TV or any distractions so it is a full experience of you with Nature. We saw so many animals, got to bond with each other cause no phone networks as well. Places to be: Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary Hlane Royal National Park Lebombo Mountains Mkhaya Game Reserve

Lesotho is a landlocked Kingdom encircled by South Africa. I just refer to it as a country within another country. Lesotho is a 5 hours drive away from Johannesburg so for those who have time and want to explore can drive down to Lesotho for a weekend . Lesotho has many mountains and views to see to be honest , you can drive around for mountain views. I would consider it a place for lots of hiking and exploring of the mountains by 4 x 4. Its basically a very outdoors adventures country , I had lots of fun hiking and being out in Nature and I am not naturally a bush baby as one would call it. Top sights to see : 1. Katse Dam 2. Maletsunyane Falls 3. Maluti Mountains 4. Kome Caves Maliba lodge is one of the best places to stay there with the scenic views and water. They are very accommodating , it is on a downhill so one has to be careful driving down as when we went it was raining The best time to also go to Lesotho is during winter. Lesotho is the only country in Southern Africa that snows during winter time. So full on snow and all , so one can go down for Afriski Mountain resort which is one of only two ski resorts in Southern Africa. Winter time you can go snowboarding, skiing , and all things winter , they have accommodation options, and live bands and restaurants. During summer you can go to the resort for mountain biking AND summer outdoor activities .

Johannesburg has so many things to explore. I feel like its the most underrated city in South Africa because people only want to do to Cape Town and be the beach. Johannesburg has unique places to explore as well like besides the usual but one can explore Hartbeespoort Dam area. Hartbeespoort is a South African resort town north of Johannesburg. It’s known for the Hartbeespoort Dam and the whitewater rapids of the Crocodile River. Both are visible from the Hartbeespoort Aerial Cableway, which ascends to the top of the Magaliesberg mountains. Outside of town, Miracle Waters is a spring-water dive site in a former chrome mine. Also nearby is the Ann van Dyk Cheetah Centre, a big-cat sanctuary. Things to do in Harties : 1. The Upside Down House 2. French Toast Cafe ( which has its own mini Eiffel Tower) 3. Prettville (which is an old film set based on the 50's which is now a tourist attraction for awesome photo ops) 4. Hartebeesport Cable - to enjoy a full view of the area and the dam. There are restaurants at the top. Other things to do in Johannesburg which are mandatory for the South African history is : 1. Visiting Vilakazi - this where Nelson Mandela home is and one can have a tour inside. 2. Restaurants to have traditional South African Food/Local Food experience. 3.Orlando Towers - one can enjoy the views of Soweto and bungee or free fall or just enjoy the view. There is also paint ball or a quad biking tour around the neighbourhood. 4. Maboneng on the weekends in the CBD of Johannesburg where there are food markets. Johannesburg has so many things to do and see and is enriched in a lot of history. The night life is also very fun , there are Hip Hop clubs and everything just need to make sure you are vigilant and safe :) If anyone needs a driver in Johannesburg I would recommend : Senate : +27 81 075 2293

Kathmandu Nepal is a place a lot of individuals do not go to often, and i mean people of colour. There are a lot of people who do not know where Nepal is. Nepal is where you go when you want to do Mount Everest , for those that are brave and have had a year or two to prepare themselves for that journey. My visit to Nepal was to see my Marine BF at the time who was deployed there so it was exciting to go somewhere where not a lot of individuals venture to. Kathmandu is a very friendly and calm country. Traveling there is so relaxing and care free. Traveling while black there of course no a lot of black people come there so you will get a lot of stares and a lot of people asking to have a picture of you. Other than that they are very friendly and chilled and memorized by black people in their country , i guess based on the fact 90% of their tourists are Europeans who are there to do Everest. They all literally arrive in their hiking gear ready to rumble. So bare in mind customs would take a while because of the influx of Europeans coming in to brave the Mountain. In Kathmandu I found a very cute and new boutique type hotel, close to the US embassy for the purposes of being close to my person. I thoroughly enjoyed this place, it was calm and very hip , they have farmers market on a Saturday and the bonus they have no TVs in the room so you do not stay in your room like a nerd, but they have strong Wifi. I stayed at The Museum Bed and Breakfast in Kathmandu, they have a little cafe downstairs that has awesome pancakes and breakfast options. The Museum B&B has a tour company that they work with that i used to go on day tours around the city. Below is the link of the tour guide/company i utilized: https://www.backstreetacademy.com/ I had a great tour guide names Namrata , she took me to the Temples all around Kathmandu and explained to me what they meant, most of them were free. She took me to the market for shopping excursions and help negotiate with the locals.She helped me get a sim card since i was too impatient to get one at the airport. I went to a restaurant place her mother owned and had a traditional Nepalese mean with locals. Kathmandu also has this Botanical garden in the middle of the city with high walls, this has a small entrance fee but inside is just a whole different place compared to the busy city that is highly polluted and can see the little devastation from the previous earthquake they had. Its a very isolated place, very British high tea vibes with a restaurant inside and well i found where all the Europeans were hiding. The main highlight of visiting Nepal of course is Mount Everest, there are two options, you can take a 1 hour flight or helicopter around the mount to see and/or climb the base of Mount Everest with is a whole 14 days adventure. One day i will do that for now going to nearest cities to see a full view and going on a plane ride sufficed on this journey. I would recommend a trip there:)

Casablanca well was different , as we expected to have the whole Casablanca moment like in the movies but it would be the city you can see for a day trip and be out. There is not much to do there and we personally did not feel safe in Casablanca for some reason especially in the evening as two young women. We got harassed a lot by the men when we were out in the streets and followed at one point. The taxis there turn off their meters when they see tourists so they will exploit you and their Uber does not really work or bear any fruit as we had to wait 45 minutes for an uber as they kept canceling. They have the lovely mosque there which was the only main attraction for us and then after that we stayed in our hotel room.

Marrakesh was one of my favorite cities in Morocco. I feel like Morocco as a whole was a lovely experience, but Marrakesh is better than Casablanca. More relaxed and they aren't people who was to take advantage of tourists, as Africans traveling through Marrakesh they always assume we from America or Jamaica, with that i wish more Africans would travel and explore Africa because there is so much to see and do within the African continent. Marrakesh is a Wonderful City. I hope to return but this time for the Summer. Winter in Morocco isn't for the faint heart-ed like ourselves who thought it would not be that cold. Marrakesh has one of the biggest markets in Morocco the Medina and has a lot of entertainment and things to buy. You can negotiate in these markets of course and get lost in that place. Our adventure in Marrakesh involved getting a tour package ,driving through Marrakesh and to the outskirts as we were making our way to the Sahara Desert. The cost of the tour was about $200 per person including the one night in the Sahara and one night stop in an old town close to the mountains

Our adventure to Egypt i would say was a memorable excursion. Traveling to see the Pyramids that you read about in history book and having watched Prince of Egypt also results as a surreal adventure. The Pyramids of Egypt are now known to be one of the Ancient Wonders of the World, built for the Pharaohs and the Consorts during old and middle kingdom. We spent the first three (3) days in Cairo , then three (3)days in Cairo and the rest was two (2) days in Luxor and two(2) in Cairo. A lot of individuals have asked whether we booked a tour , and YES we did. I felt a tour would be easier and we would get to see everything verse missing out on key sites or places, we weren’t there just for Instagram worthy sites and then call it a day. When you do the calculations of doing everything on your own or getting a tour, the costs add up to the same. Being on a tour as well avoids being harassed as your guide will be there to ward off the hustlers who see tourists as walking banks , and you get a personal driver talk you everywhere. That being said lets get to the Itinerary of the trip : Cairo Day One : Pyramids of Giza, Spinx , Temples , Abusir , Saqqara , Papyrus shop and an Essence shop. Day two : Day trip to Alexandria, which is a two hours drive from Cairo. Alexandria is a city in Egypt that was build for Alexandria the great , therefore has Greek influences. Unfortunately Alexandria the Great died before he could see this city that was built for him. In Alexandria we got to view the Catacombs, the Citadel and further Greek reminisces and we enjoyed a lovely lunch by the seaside. Day three : Old Cairo, Museums , Old Cairo Markets and the Cairo Citadels. Our next adventure we made our way to Sharm El-Sheik for a beach break by the Red Sea. The Red Sea would be known as where Moses split the ocean and freed the Hebrews , ahem Prince of Egypt moments and memories. Sharm El-Sheik consisted of relaxing by the beach sipping on cocktails and looking cute of course. On one of the days in Sharm we went on a Yacht to Ras Mohammed National Park for swimming and snorkeling excursions. There are plenty of other activities to do in Sharm El-Sheik like water-sports,Baudouin dinner , camel rides , horse riding and so forth. All these would be introduced to you by the staff at whichever resort that you stay at. After three(3) days in Sharm El-Sheik we flew back to Cairo. We took a flight in the early hours of the morning the next day to Luxor. The flights from Cairo to Luxor is about 45 minutes but the flights always seemed to be delayed that week In Luxor we booked a tour with the Airbnb we stayed at that included lunch by the in house chef. We were collected and started the tour on the West bank first. The Luxor tour consisted of : East and West Bank : Valley of Kings, Temple of Hatshepsut ,Luxor Temple at night,Temple of Medinat Habu, Colossi of Memmnon ,Karnak temple and Luxor museum. Lunch was spectacular and very memorable. Best meal I had on my whole trip in Egypt.For those foodies this was done by the amazing chef at the Airbnb with the rooftop view of the Nile River. In conclusion Egypt was busy and interesting. We was amazing to see the stories we read about live and to see what history has been left behind. Summary of our Experiences : In Egypt they are hustlers and they hustle hard and to a point of irritation that one has to mentally prepare themselves when you leave the Airbnb/Hotel. Egyptians want a tip for everything , so they never do anything from the goodness of their heart (this is when i missed Bali), they want a tip for carrying you bag, asking for directions,using the loo and basically just greeting them. We took a Go-bus to Sharm El-Sheik, a trip that was supposed to take six (6) hours took nine (9) hours because of the amount of security stops and having the military search your suitcases. So that was a never again experience, thought it was going to be like Morocco where the buses are easy and get there on time.But alias Egypt is another story on it’s own. Egypt is very safe country, we never once felt unsafe. Everyone is very respectful and there are no issues or causes of concern with regards to safety. Dressing for women: the first thing Bob our driver said to us that Egypt is both a Christian and Islamic country therefore we could safely wear whatever we wanted. His words were “you can even wear bum shorts to the Pyramids” lol , okay bum shorts are for the beach not the Pyramids. Therefore ladies you need not worry about having to cover up and so forth. Ladies : this one is for us , carry roll of tissue with you because the public bathrooms there are no tissues, there is someone there to get like 3 sheets and either way you still need to pay to use the loo. But all I can say is CARRY TISSUES with you. Student Cards = Discounts for entering the museums , temples and so forth. So I suggest you get a student card if you can.Lucky for us as Africans traveling to Egypt we got major discounts because of the AFCON.

ali , where do I even begin when it comes to Bali. Bali stole my heart and spiritually enlightened and I feel in love with Bali. I left there spiritually awakened and realised what I wanted and needed in my life, and gained an extra dose of self love. Bali isn’t a place, it’s a FEELING. Bali will forever be my second home because I left there at peace with myself and happier about the prospects of my life going forward.I have never felt a connection like this before with any other trip I have been on. The Balinese embody peace, love and happiness. They are friendly, helpful and sincere.Their aura is infectious, they do their daily blessings everyday, they are grateful for everything around them and of course believe that doing good brings goodness back to you aka Good Karma. We started our trip from Ubud and made our way up to Seminyak, others like to do this the other way around but I enjoyed starting from peaceful and tranquil Ubud and ending up in the city life of Seminyak. Over the period of three (3) days in Ubud we went to the following : Temples,Pura Kunung Kawi Satu, Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary , Aloha Bali Swings ( I mean did you really go to Bali if you did not go on the swings,lol), Tegenungan waterfall, Tirta Empul Holy Water Temple, Silver/Jewelry Shop and Lombok coffee and tea excursion ( which resulted in two (2) people getting sick from the fried banana. Note to self, if you do not see it being cooked do not have it.) Then over the next few days in Seminyak: Seminyak is the big City life, it is busting of cars and scooters with the beach is near by. In Seminyak we went on excursions to Lempuyang Temple (Heavens Gates , you need to go REAL early for this one ), Rice fields, Taman Ujug and the Water Palace. And well since Seminyak is the City , we went to the party strip , which is a VIBE and a half. So in essence a lot of partying it up was happening in the evenings and pool side chilling on some lazy afternoons. Bali really is Peace , Love and Happiness.