{"id":624,"date":"2024-12-11T21:29:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T21:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jummydefila.com\/?p=624"},"modified":"2025-11-14T21:55:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T21:55:00","slug":"how-i-became-a-travel-blogger-without-realizing-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jummydefila.com\/?p=624","title":{"rendered":"How I Became A Travel Blogger Without Realizing It"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you ever paused to realize that you\u2019re living in the middle of what you once prayed so hard for? \u00a0It hit me like a ton of bricks last night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Back in 2017\/2018<\/strong>, when I started blogging, I was OBSESSED<\/strong> with the idea of becoming a travel blogger. I\u2019d daydream about hopping from one beautiful location to another, writing detailed itineraries, sharing where to eat, what to wear, showcasing my outfits against beautiful landscape and sprinkling in all those little travel hacks that would make me that girl.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back then, it felt so far away a pipe dream. I was so jealous of travel bloggers who seemed to be living the life I could only imagine.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward to now, and I\u2019ve been constantly travelling for the past three<\/strong> years. I\u2019ve been to places I used to envy on other people\u2019s blogs, I\u2019ve left Lagos several times, travelled across Nigeria with Joli Joni (a travel brand I\u2019m so fortunate to partner with), and even left the country for a work trip. I\u2019ve created itineraries for places like Obudu Cattle Ranch, IITA, shared tips with friends, we\u2019ve organized group trips, planned tours, and even curated travel experiences for others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Heck, Fowosire Damilola (the founder of Jolijoni) and I were so daring that we took a trip to Abeokuta by train and back to Lagos when the trains were newly launched but I never stopped to realize I was actually living my dream. I didn\u2019t stop to think, \u201cOh wow, maybe I should write about this?\u201d Instead, I\u2019ve been out here hustling for seven seconds creating Instagram Reels, and convincing myself that a cute TikTok montage of a waterfall counts as storytelling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My trip to Abeokuta in 2021<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not once did it hit me that I\u2019ve become the very thing I envied, a traveler with stories to tell. Isn\u2019t it funny how life works like that?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where\u2019s the blogging I dreamed of? Where\u2019s the writing? Where\u2019s the love letter to my 2017 self, saying, \u201cBabe, we did it\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How I Got Here<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

You know how it is, social media became the distraction of a lifetime. I mean, let\u2019s be honest: Reels and TikToks are fun. It\u2019s so easy to slap a trending sound on a clip of you hiking up Idanre Hills and call it a day. But somewhere along the way, I forgot my first love, writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And it\u2019s sad because I used to envy travel bloggers with their long, detailed posts about their trips to Obudu or Erin Ijesha. Now, I\u2019ve been to these places, created itineraries for friends, and even sent tips to strangers. I LITERALLY LIVED THE DREAM. But I didn\u2019t document it in the way I\u2019d always imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My trip to Osun Osogbo<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last night, it hit me, I\u2019m living in my answered prayers. The life I dreamed of in 2017 is my reality now. I\u2019ve seen graceful waterfalls, driven through Nigerian landscapes that look like something out of a movie, and helped other people plan their trips. Yet, I never once paused to say, \u201cWow, I\u2019m actually doing this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s wild, isn\u2019t it? How we can be so busy chasing the dream that we forget to appreciate it. We get so caught up in the doing that we miss the beauty of just being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My trip to IITA<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have archives full of photos from trips, countless memories of beautiful places I\u2019ve seen, and even draft ideas for blog posts I promised myself I\u2019d write when I finally make it\u00a0\ud83d\ude0a. I made it, Yet, I never truly acknowledged that I was already living the life I prayed for. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My trip to Obudu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think back to my 2017 self and how she would have given anything to see places like Obudu, Arinta, IITA or even the lesser-known gems I\u2019ve visited with Joli Joni. She would have screamed if she knew she\u2019d one day be curating travel plans for others and helping them explore the world.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sad but Sweet Truth<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This realization is bittersweet. On one hand, I\u2019m so grateful to see how far I\u2019ve come. But on the other, I regret not documenting it sooner. I\u2019ve shared itineraries, answered countless travel questions, and posted snippets on Instagram, but I\u2019ve never taken the time to truly write about my travels the way I dreamed I would.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So, here I am, goosebumps and all, finally realizing how far I\u2019ve come. I\u2019m grateful for every trip, every photo in my archive, and every friend who nudged me to write about my travels (shoutout to Sike, who\u2019s still waiting for my Obudu blog post).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waterfall in Obudu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hiking in Obudu<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And let me tell you about Obudu! That place was a whole experience. I wrote itineraries for three people after that trip, three. I was basically a travel agent for free, yet somehow forgot to put it all in a blog post.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My trip to Ikogosi<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving Forward<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This epiphany has lit a fire under me. I\u2019m dusting off my archives, pulling out my travel notes, and committing to writing about these experiences. I owe it to my younger self who dreamed of this life, to the people who asked for details, and to anyone who\u2019s ever wanted to explore Nigeria and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Now, I need your help:
Here are some of the places I\u2019ve been. Which one should I write about first? I can\u2019t even remember some places lol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Obudu Cattle Ranch (Sike, this one\u2019s for you, finally!)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Train ride from Lagos to Abeokuta<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Abeokuta (Olumo Rock and all its glory) this was a while ago, I hope I remember details\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • The breathtaking waterfalls in Erin Ijesh<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Ikogosi Warm Springs<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • IITA<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Osun Osogbo Groove<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Benin\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Omu Resort<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Drop a comment, send a DM, or just leave me a shout out if you see me in person. Let me know which one you\u2019re curious about, and I\u2019ll dive right in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    In Case You Need a Reminder<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    If there\u2019s one thing I\u2019ve learned from this epiphany, sometimes, we\u2019re so busy chasing the next goal, the next big thing, or the next travel destination that we forget to appreciate the prayers we\u2019re already living. Pause. Take it in. You might just realize you\u2019re living in the middle of a dream you didn\u2019t even know came true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Here\u2019s to living, writing, and not forgetting the magic along the way. Cheers to answered prayers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Your Favourite Travel Blogger,
    JD\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Have you ever paused to realize that you\u2019re living in the middle of what you once prayed so hard for? \u00a0It hit me like a ton of bricks last night. Back in 2017\/2018, when I started blogging, I was OBSESSED with the idea of becoming a travel blogger. I\u2019d daydream about hopping from one beautiful location to another, writing detailed itineraries, sharing where to eat, what to wear, showcasing my outfits against beautiful landscape and sprinkling in all those little travel hacks that would make me that girl. Back then, it felt so far away a pipe dream. I was so jealous of travel bloggers who seemed to be living the life I could only imagine.   Fast forward to now, and I\u2019ve been constantly travelling for the past three years. I\u2019ve been to places I used to envy on other people\u2019s blogs, I\u2019ve left Lagos several times, travelled across Nigeria with Joli Joni (a travel brand I\u2019m so fortunate to partner with), and even left the country for a work trip. I\u2019ve created itineraries for places like Obudu Cattle Ranch, IITA, shared tips with friends, we\u2019ve organized group trips, planned tours, and even curated travel experiences for others.  Heck, Fowosire Damilola (the founder of Jolijoni) …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":626,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,19,4,25],"tags":[32,54,55],"class_list":["post-624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-diary","category-living","category-travel","tag-blog","tag-travel","tag-trip"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jummydefila.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jummydefila.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jummydefila.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jummydefila.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jummydefila.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=624"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/jummydefila.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":637,"href":"https:\/\/jummydefila.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624\/revisions\/637"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jummydefila.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jummydefila.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jummydefila.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jummydefila.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}