Making The Best of The Easter Holiday

So. A 4 day weekend is upon you the weekend of April 4, if you live in Nigeria [and many other places]. I’m hereby encouraging you to take advantage and TRAVEL. It doesn’t matter how far or near you go, just travel. See outside your world. Meet people from a different backgrounds/cultures. 

This list is to serve as an inspiration for you. Take a break from Dubai and London, lol. Even though I had an extensive travel wish list at the beginning of the year, I’ve decided to make 2015 my ‘Loving Africa’ year. I hope you find somewhere on this list that calls your name. Fly out from Thursday night [before Good Friday] if you can, so you arrive early on Friday and can make the most of Friday, Saturday, Sunday; before flying back on Monday. However, most of the places on this list will be best if you can extend the long weekend by taking extra days off.  At least, you don’t have to use up all your leave days :).

This is the ‘Outside Nigeria’ edition. I’ll do one soon on places to visit within Nigeria. 

1. Maputo, Mozambique
Flight time – 11 to 14 hrs on SA Airlines.
Why – Clear warm water & endless deserted beaches. Need I say more? Maybe take a day or 2 extra off, it’s a long flight.

Polana Hotel, Maputo. Image via

2. Seychelles
I’d recommend you do Seychelles only if you can get a few days extra off, because it’s a long flight!
Flight time – 19hrs-ish on Ethiopian, Etihad, or Emirates Airlines
Why – Dreamy resorts, sailing, diving, fishing. With 65 silver beaches.

Kempinski Resort, Seychelles. Image via

3. Accra, Ghana
Flight time – 1hr
Why – Good ol’ Accra. It’s always a good break from Lagos. And make sure you visit Cape Coast while you’re at it.

Ramada Resort, Accra. Image via

4. Cotonou, Benin
Flight time – 30 mins
Why – You don’t even need to fly! You can drive or take a taxi to the border, and get transportation from there. Everything is cheap – hotels, restaurants; everything. Explore the city, chill on the beach, visit the ‘Artisanal Centre’ for art & craft, explore the similarities and differences in our cultures, knock back a drink or two at night; and if you’re interested, you can explore the local markets too!

Hotel El-Dorado, Cotonou

5. Istanbul, Turkey
Flight time – 6hrs 30mins
Why – Istanbul is beautiful and very vibrant. In many ways,  I find it similar to Lagos in how upbeat the entire city is. However, it’s also very different. There’s a calm to it that Lagos doesn’t have. Visit all the major landmarks in one day, and then do the markets on a different day. Their markets/souks are great for scoring major deals on everything from jewelry to spices. And there are a lot of wholesellers there as well; if you’re thinking of doing some kind of business.

Istanbul, image via

6. Johannesburg, South Africa
Flight time – 6hrs
Why – Why Not? Lol. South Africa is great, because you’re still within Africa. But then it’s quite different from West Africa. It’ll be Fall in SA, so the weather would be just perfect – not too hot, and not cold – just perfect. Enjoy the wildlife, visit the Apartheid Musuem [please!!!], book a sightseeing tour, check out the Monte casino bird park, there’s the world of beer, great art galleries; and just enjoy the food and the nightlife. But please be safe! PLUS if you have some time, squeeze in a trip to Cape Town. In fact, you absolutely must!

The Westcliff, Johannesburg. Image via

There are a million other places you can visit. If you need help planning or researching, I’d be more than happy to help! Live a little, and give yourself a treat. And a break!

D. xxx