First Black woman to visit every country shares travel tips, lessons in new book
No need to pack a bag for this trip around the world.
Jessica Nabongo, the first Black woman documented to have visited every country in the world, has written a memoir to guide you across the globe with a turn of the page. The new book, “The Catch Me if You Can” (National Geographic), shares the same name as the travel blog where Nabongo first shared her adventures.
While the photo-filled tome may appear to be a beautiful coffee table book at first glance, look beyond the pictures – the pages are filled with detailed accounts of Nabongo’s journeys, reflections on life and tips and checklists for your own voyages.
The photographer and world traveler spoke with USA TODAY about her memoir, travels and advice for when things don’t go as expected.
Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
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Question: When did you know you wanted to travel to every country in the world?
Jessica Nabongo: From my early 20s, I wanted to visit every country in the world, but I wasn’t really like, “Yeah, I’m going to do this.” Every year, I was keeping track of how many new countries I was going to, and I had maps – you can still find them on my blog. But in 2017, when I was in Bali, I decided I wanted to try to be the first Black woman to visit every country in the world, and I gave myself a clear deadline of my 35th birthday (May 2019). I overshot it by 5 months, but I was still 35 when I finished.
Q: What’s on your road trip playlist?
Nabongo: Ooh, a lot of old-school music. And Adele, for sure. I love ballads when I’m driving. Res, I love her album, “How I Do.” What else is on my playlist? Probably Puff Daddy and the Family, that original album (“No Way Out”). I listen to a lot of music from the late ’90s, early 2000s like No Doubt’s “Tragic Kingdom,” came out. The Fugees’ “The Score” came out. That’s my music sweet spot.
The importance of seeing people like you while traveling
Q: You’ve spoken before about issues you’ve faced as a Black woman in your travels and also about some of the complications in the U.S. Can you talk more about your experience? Have you seen any changes in how you’re treated in your travels? And how do you navigate difficulties?
Nabongo: I wouldn’t say I have had a ton of challenges as a Black woman traveling. I think there’s this overriding assumption that “It must be so much harder for you because you’re a Black woman,” and I don’t actually feel that way. I mean, obviously, I’ve only ever been a Black woman, so these are the only experiences that I’ve had, so maybe it is harder? But the challenges I have are specifically because I’m visibly African. So that’s not a reflection of the experience that all Black women will have. It’s important to remember it’s not a monolithic experience. The challenges that I’ve had are with immigration, with them thinking my American passport is fake or, if I’m using my Ugandan passport, they think I’m going to overstay my visa. But outside of that, my journey was made beautiful by the kindness of strangers.
And I think one of the biggest things I learned in visiting every country in the world is most people are good. Most people aren’t racist or misogynist or homophobic. Sometimes you go to countries where they don’t have a lot of Black travelers, so they’re very curious. They want to take pictures; they want to talk to you. But I think people have to remember every acknowledgment of your race is not racism.
Sure, some racist things have happened, but nothing that deterred me from traveling. You can’t let the possibility of something racist happening affect how you travel, especially because you paid your money to be there. Enjoy it. If people are mad because they have to look at you laying at the pool, let them look.
Q: What are some of your travel must-haves?
Nabongo: One is my Lo and Sons bag, the OG. I love it because it hooks onto my luggage and that I have the laptop sleeve. It holds everything I need for the flight. On my flight, I always have slippers, especially for long-haul flights. I keep slippers in my bag because you don’t want to take your shoes on and off. And they’re my plane slippers, so they’re only used on the plane. Also, my noise-canceling headphones – Bose is my preferred brand. I take a tumbler, so I don’t have to use plastic cups on the plane, and I always have my water bottle. I also bring my skin care routine. If I’m going on a flight to Europe, for example, before I take off, I do my whole skin care routine, put on a night mask and then, before I land, I wash off my mask, put a pop of color on my lips and I’m good to go.
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Q: What’s next?
Nabongo: I definitely want to finish visiting all of the states. I have six left. And then, I don’t really have any plans other than that. There are so many places that I want to go back to. But no more crazy travel goals. I’m just enjoying the ride.
Q: What are a couple of the places you want to go back to?
Nabongo: So many! I haven’t been to Zanzibar in forever. I want to go back to Tanzania. I want to go to the beaches in Madagascar. I went to the rainforest and the coast, where there were the baobab (trees). I would love to go back to Jordan. I want to go back to Saudi Arabia because when I went in 2018, we were the first tourists to go, and now it’s changed so much. I want to go back to Japan. I lived there for a year. I miss it. There’s a really long list.