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Ufuoma Okumagba is one of those people that inspires me to actualize my travel goals. Asides the fact that she is a travel blogger and writes really well on travel related topics that I can relate to, she also works full-time.
I like the fact that she’s so down to earth through her posts and always willing to share.
Some years back, my mom ensured that she took my sister and I for our first trip outside the shores of Nigeria. We visited London, UK. That was when I fell in love with travel and vowed to travel often.
I saw that there was a different world out there and I experienced a shift from what I was used to. But the honest truth is that I haven’t quite lived up to my expectation of taking travel more seriously.
So far, I have only visited 3 countries, Nigeria exempted. For one reason or the other, I haven’t been able to actualize my travel goals, but I hope to change this soonest.
I’ve always wanted to hear what most workers have to share, especially those that love what they do at work as well as pursue a passion of theirs.
It’s one thing to enjoy your career path and it’s another thing to realize that you love to do other things outside it and seek to balance both.
It doesn’t mean that you don’t like your job. It just means that you strive to achieve ‘work-life balance’ whatever that means, even if it’s a myth like some people believe.
Making the most out of everything that you love to do is one thing that intrigues me. And that’s not bad. Or so I love to think.
I was so pleased when Ufuoma accepted to answer a few questions of mine because she is someone that inspires me to take travel seriously.
When I first came across Ufuoma’s IG page, the thing that struck me the most was her pictures. Very colorful, beautiful and artistic (and you know I love art and Instagram!).
I immediately followed her, visited her blog, and I was glued!
She currently works as a Business Specialist at a global company (Nokia).
“I am responsible for executing business strategies and passing the company’s key messages across.
This means that I work very closely with top management and decision makers to communicate the company’s vision concisely. My daily role varies based on the need or situation but that’s the summary of what I do”.
Ufuoma has visited 23 countries, four continents, and 49 cities so far. Her first travel adventure was to Toronto to visit her sister, but according to her:
“I honestly do not count that as a travel adventure, to me and by my standards, it was a mere change of location.”
In my opinion, traveling is very educative and exposes you to a whole lot that you might have taken for granted or never been aware of.
More so, as workers, traveling is somewhat relaxing and a vacation is equally important for our mental well-being. I was excited to ask a few questions that may be of help to workers who want to have lasting adventures – people like me!
She shared how it all started.
“My first real travel adventure came when I moved from Nigeria to Canada to start a Master’s degree in International Business. The program was special as it took place on three continents.
It was a very practical business degree where you not only learn the dynamics of doing business internationally, but you live and breathe the experience by actually living there.
Naturally, I had to travel and it opened me up to endless opportunities and I have caught the travel bug from there and haven’t slowed down since then.”
I was curious to know how she balances her work, personal life, and travel schedule as she always seems to be on the move, judging from her Instagram stories.
“I’ll be honest, it has not been easy, but when something is a priority, you find a way to make it happen.
First, a good salary is important but when negotiating a new role, I also negotiate days off as part of the offer. It is important to have a healthy life outside of work.
From friendships to relationships and to pursuing your passion, like say, travel. Money is important but experiences mean a lot more to me and this is why I always negotiate paid time off as part of any job offer.
In my current job, I get 22 days off per year and I always combine it with a statutory holiday. I never stay in a location for more than 5 days.
So, if there is a holiday on Monday, I take Friday or Tuesday off for an extra-long weekend. I also try to be a high performer at work and let my output do the talking.
That is necessary because you do not want your employers to think you are not invested in your work. Whenever I am at work, I give it a 100 percent, so that when it is time to take off, I can do so with no guilt at all.
It’s a work in progress and I am still learning every day.”
There you go! I told you that Ufuoma shares a lot, that’s something I love so much about her.
I went about asking how early she begins to plan a trip because planning trips can be so much work (at least from my end) and I have a feeling that this may be the case for some other workers.
“I’d be lying if I said I planned trips well in advance but one thing for sure, I always have a rough idea of where I am visiting next, what it will cost me and what I need to do to make it happen, at every given time.
Planning is very key but it is important not to over-plan things in order to enjoy the benefits of spontaneity. Life happens!
Some plans fall through the cracks, and on the other hand, some opportunities present themselves even when you aren’t expecting, so it is important to always be ready to take them when you can.”
Your favorite country out of all countries visited?
“Peru was special because this was when I really discovered myself in a very intimate way. I had been to about some countries prior to Peru but there was something about the cultural experience there and the people that made me rethink my purpose in life.
It was enriching and gave me reasons to always value experiences over material things. So, no matter where I travel to, Peru will always hold a special place in my heart.”
As expected, I had to ask her my standard question of how she deals with boredom because many workers complain of this and it’ll be good to share ideas in various forms with others, depending on what works best for you.
“It’s normal to sometimes be bored at work so don’t be too hard on yourself.
I used to be so bored at work until I started a personal career development goal last year. These goals are centered around improving my skills to help me become a more rounded employee.
On the rare occasions when I have nothing to do, I go on to Lynda, a LinkedIn learning program to learn something about my job that will make me better. Lynda is interactive and fun so that keeps me entertained while also sharpening my skills.
If you can, find a work buddy, or even a mentor (not a gossip buddy.) who is not necessarily in your department but shares similar interests with you. You can bounce ideas off each other or even meet up for lunch or drinks afterwards.
More importantly though, it is important to have a full life outside of work. Investing in enriching relationships, committing to making yourself better every day and having something to look forward to when you leave the office.
Set big goals and work towards them, that way, even when you are bored at work, you can still be motivated and have something exciting to look forward to. There is nothing stopping a motivated person.”
I hope you enjoyed reading this profile on Ufuoma. If you want to know more about traveling tips and info, please visit her blog: www.theufuoma.com or follow her on Instagram: @theufuoma.
Please share in the comment section what you loved about this interview. Also, what is your next planned travel destination (if any) or where would you love to visit?
If you haven’t read our previous profile/ magazine, please do so here, also so inspiring!
P.S. When I was in high school, I would frequently mention that I’d love to work for the United Nations ‘UN‘ to travel and see the world.
I’m happy that that didn’t happen as I’d have been working at the UN for the wrong reason. And might have become frustrated at some point.
I don’t mind working for the UN presently because I now have a clearer vision and purpose in life.
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I’m so green with envy. I really need to up my travelling game, but money won’t let me be great. I’d really like to know how she negotiated more days off cos I need that skill. Next on my travel list is New York and/or India (too much Bollywood).
Nice interview, Zinny!
Hi, Oyinyechi, I understand the part about money, but thankfully Ufuoma has some posts on how to make money work for your travel goals. You should visit her blog to find out more. One of her tips is to have a travel fund where you can pull out from – (more like having another bank account if you feel that you can’t take a trip at once).
From my experience, negotiating more days off should most likely begin during your interview stage with a company, most likely before you get the job. Or if you already work at the job, during your routine performance evaluation/ promotion. You can always bring that up.
A couple of people negotiate taking more days off at the expense of their pay (I guess it’s a thing of choice and what’s more important to you in this case -days off for less money or normal days off for your agreed salary).
Frankly, I think the best way to go about this is at a new job, from the get go, during the interview stage because companies vary.
While some are willing to give you personal time off + sick days off + vacation time + flexible hours, some are only able to give vacation + sick days off with extra days off at the expense of your pay. It mostly depends on policies and business needs.
Wow, I’ve succeeded in writing an epistle, but I’d ask Ufuoma to share her own way of negotiating more days off and will also update this profile. Thanks for stopping by and I wish you a great day/week!
Great and informative post. Never thought about negotiating time off because sometimes all we think about is money money money whereas an wholesome life balance is just as important, if not more. We need to ask ourselves who will spend all that money if we are not of good health by taking time off to rest. Lovely and will check her out.
Hello Nnenna,great to have you here! That’s so right, we often think of just the money and seem to forget about other important factors. I’m happy to know that you loved this interview and I’m sure you’d be looking out to negotiate time off soon. All the best and thanks for reading. Have an awesome week ahead!
I would love to be able to travel more – I hope that comes true once I’m in my 20s!
Aleeha xXx
http://www.halesaaw.co.uk/
Hi Aleeha, I hope so for you too. Enjoy the week!
I love traveling but have not been on a trip in quite a while. However, I am excited about going to Cuba next year. I hear it’s pretty fun and very safe as long as you stay on the resort. Looking forward to it!
– http://www.jamilakyari.com
Yes, Jamila! I hear so too. After watching Fast & Furious 8, I was certain Cuba was on my list. I hope you have a great time when you eventually get to visit. Enjoy the week and thanks for visiting!
I love Ufuoma’s blog and Instagram feed so much! You’re right, she’s such a nice person. The idea of negotiating for days off is really cool. I don’t work at the moment but I’ll keep that in mind for when I do. Great post and thanks for sharing 🙂
Coco Bella Blog
Thanks Demilade. Ufuoma is a really nice person like you say. Have a great day ahead!
Love Ufuoma’s interview! I will be completing one year of entering the full time work force this December and I am definitely looking to make travel a part of my lifestyle next year so I will be prioritizing it as part of my budget from next month when I am expecting a pay raise (thank you Jesus). Thankfully a lot of Nigerian travel companies now offer travel packages which are fairly affordable for other African countries.
http://www.savingwithoj.wordpress.com
Congrats on the pay increase. For me, because of several reasons, I’ve been doing more of trips within Canada. So you can equally start locally and build from there. Honestly, whatever works for you, especially financially is just as important. True, Nigeria is really improving in the travel sector. I am looking to take some local trips next time I’m in the country. All the best with your travel goals!!