Our Reporter
US-based Nigerian travel expert who founded a social media-driven packaged travel group known as Jetblack Travel Group, Alexander Oladele, while speaking on his experiences curating trips to different countries of the world has given a candid advice that one should never believe, especially negative stories, about countries one has never visited, adding that oftentimes such stories are untrue.
“One of the most shocking things for me is how kind people truly are when you travel abroad. There is a lot of apprehension when traveling internationally overall and I think a lot of that has to do with what we’ve been taught about particular countries. When you get to those countries you oftentimes find that many of the things you were told are simply not true.
“A prime example of this is Cuba. Prior to going to Cuba, I had a pre-conceived notion that it was a dangerous country and that, they hated Americans. The first time I went to Cuba I was met with so much love from members of the Cuban community. Because of that one experience I came back twice and one of those times was with 52 professionals. It was truly a remarkable experience,” he said in an interview with The Nation.
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Alexander Oladele, who has a doctorate degree in pharmacy from Howard University, Washington D.C. founded JetBlack Travel Group in 2018 alongside some friends. He was inspired by the need for more African Americans to gain exposure to countries all over the world by way of group travel. Jetblack Travel Group now curates trips and life-changing experiences for anyone interested in immersing themselves and learning about cultures outside of the US. Jetblack Travel Group has curated trips to countries like Ghana, South Africa, Spain, Morocco, Bali, Colombia, Cuba Thailand and Jamaica.
Speaking more about the JetBlack Travel experience, he added, “One of the reasons that makes it possible to do all this is understanding the value of relationships. We typically take people to countries we’ve never been before as a team but because we know people in those countries or people who know people in that area, we are able to curate a wide range of activities for our travelers all by networking.
“The goal overall is to continue our efforts in curating life-changing experiences for members of the global community. We all know the importance of traveling; but rather than talking about it, we want to become the travel agency that actually takes each traveler to the places they’ve dreamt of, to spark the light of self-discovery.”
According to him, the searchlight is beginning to beam on the African continent as more and more African Americans are getting more curious to see the continent firsthand and learn the truth about it with their very eyes.
“There is a huge shift in knowing and learning more about Africa. It’s an exciting time that we are in and I believe social media has played a significant role in helping to shape that. There are so many people today interested in visiting Africa and learning the actual truth about the continent. As more people visit and share their experiences, it creates more desire in those aboard to really venture out to see what Africa truly entails, not just what they show us on TV.
“African countries are growing and in fact, is the focus for 2021. Remember we started late 2018 and have experienced significant growth. In 2021 however, we are intentionally focusing on African countries. Our goal is to curate trips to: Ghana, Nigeria (with the right partnerships), Senegal, Ethiopia, South Africa and Kenya/Zanzibar.”
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