Even at a time of naira decline, with ₦3.5 million, there are multiple places Nigerians can go for holiday.
In 2021, after Oge Onuoha helped friends book a vacation and got tons of great reviews, she realised she might have left some extra cash on the table.
So the next year she started Skies and Seas Vacations, a travel agency catering to the Nigerian Instagram set, i.e people who like to take cute pictures by the beach and make videos of themselves in dimly lit restaurants chowing seafood pasta, prawns in rice, prawns in soup, prawns on mountains of mashed potatoes, all in Lebanon.
Skies and Seas Vacations’ Instagram page, with over 30k followers is littered with the type of posts one would expect; well-manicured nails gripping wine glasses by the sea, a list of places to visit every month of the year, and activities for each month. For May, it's a scenic train ride in Switzerland.
Onuoha, who goes by OgeFerari on Instagram, said she only started travelling in 2019 after she visited Kenya for a work event. But these days her PR material includes the 24 countries, 12 of which are in Africa, that she has been to.
The clientele of a travel agency ideally would be anyone who wants to travel. But at Skies and Seas Vacations, the focus is strictly on people who want to go on vacation. Onuoha for instance said she only takes on clients who book return tickets and activities.
“We try to do KYC. I don't want to get into anything shady. Just come correct,” she told Pulse Nigeria. “You’ll KYC someone and you’ll realise this person just wants a tourist visa because they want to go and stay back there. I wouldn’t do that. I don't think you should apply for a tourist visa when your intention is to stay. I think it's a very tacky route to go.”
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In an interview with Pulse Nigerian, Onuoha offers her tips for travelling on a budget.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
How much should I budget for a trip as a Nigerian looking to go on holiday?
A ₦3 million to ₦3.5 million budget is realistic.
Where will the person go to?
You can do Lebanon. You can do Kenya or Rwanda with that. You may be able to do Egypt with that if you plan on time.
What will my experience be with that budget?
The biggest element will be the visa. But the trick to these things is that you don't just wake up one day and say you want to travel if you're on a budget. If you're a budget traveller, plan four to five months ahead. Egypt is very cheap. One thing I like about it is they have all-inclusive hotels. So you don't have to bother about lunch and dinner.
For Lebanon, I’m absolutely sure you can do that. And if you book on time you can get tickets as cheap as $600 (about ₦822,000).
What would my day-to-day activity be like if I chose Lebanon?
The first thing I’ll recommend is the visit to Jeita Grotto. It's one of the world's UNESCO heritage. It's a limestone cave and it's just really beautiful. You can go to downtown Beirut. Depending on the season you can actually see cherry blossom. And it's nice for people who like to take photos.
Beirut is nicknamed the Paris of the Middle East. The way the streets are in Paris, that’s how it is in Beirut. There is Zaitunay Bay by the coast. There are a lot of nice restaurants there. I'll also suggest paragliding. You can go gun shooting. You can take a two-hour trip to the coastal town of Batroun. It's really nice. They have the best seafood there.
And all this is under ₦3.5 million?
Yes. I've been to Lebanon five times. The first time I went I didn't do too much there, I don’t think I spent more than ₦900,000 (on activities, feeding and hotel). This was in 2021.
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What travel essentials does one need when going on a trip?
Have your first aid kit. Travel adapter, universal one. If you are into pictures you should have your tripod. Always have a jacket.
