Travel Noire has always been devoted to showcasing black travelers that inspire others to see more of the world. Osazomon (@osazomon) tells Travel Noire how connecting with her culture through travel has helped her to have a deeper love for Africa.
Travel Noire: Where are you originally from and where do you currently live?
Osazomon: I’m originally from Chicago and currently live in between Miami, Lagos, and Chicago.
Travel Noire: When did traveling become more than a hobby for you?
Osazomon: When I got accepted into my biomedical Ph.D. program, I found myself traveling across the country every weekend for interviews. Shortly after that, the hurricane struck in Miami, causing an involuntary evacuation. Right after that, my grandmother passed in Nigeria, causing my entire family to travel back home. I just accepted that God doesn’t want me in the same place!
Travel Noire: What are your favorite domestic destinations to visit?
Osazomon: Brooklyn and Atlanta. Brooklyn is an out-of-body experience consistently reminding me of the other dope souls like myself who are all hungry for more life, happily of course. Atlanta has my favorite thing in the world: Africansssssssss! It’s my favorite domestic hub to enjoy being an African in America.
Travel Noire: What are your favorite destinations to travel abroad?
Osazomon: Lagos, Nigeria! Simply because I’m Nigerian so Lagos is honestly NYC times three, but it’s ALL Africans! (I love my people sorry, not sorry!) I also love Accra, because Ghana will always have a special place in my heart.
Travel Noire: What are your top three travel secrets that black travelers should know?
Osazomon: When in Rome, PLEASE do as the Romans do. Get a converter for your electronics because you don’t want to blow your iPhone X 6,000 miles away from home. Try to just get a total of 6.5-8 hours of sleep when traveling per 24 hours and forget about calculating times. It’s too complicated.
Travel Noire: How did traveling change your perspective on life?
Osazomon: Traveling showed me that there’s more to life than yourself. There are people with not even 1% of what you have in your pocket, happy to be alive. I don’t look at a dollar the same. I understand that life is about people and how we can positively impact one another. Life is about love, and we don’t need to make it much harder than that.
Travel Noire: What has been your most inspiring travel moment?
Osazomon: Going back to the village to bury my grandmother humbled me and changed my life forever. On top of not having running water, electricity and food at certain times, I saw my culture in its purest form. The entire village came out to join my immediate and extended family in the process of us partying, dancing, praying, smiling, crying, all for my granny. Yes, it gets more complex than that alone, but it’s all a beautiful, pure, indigenous way of life and I’m inspired to keep that alive.
Travel Noire: What’s one item that you always have in your carry-on?
Osazomon: Cetaphil Hyaluronic Acid Night Cream! Your skin gets crazy dry at those altitudes.
Travel Noire: Where are you off to next?
Osazomon: Stuck between Santorini, Abu-Dhabi, and the UK!