Travel Blogging has to be one of the most adventurous and exciting jobs ever. From going to different places across the world, to learning new things about history, culture, and of course meeting amazing people. If you love travel and or you are looking for the next place to spend your holiday, then Zainob Fashola’s blog is the ultimate go to place. What started a couple of years ago as a 10 days contiki adventure gift ticket around Europe (graduation gift from her mum), has grown into a go to blog for all things Travel and Lifestyle.
- Of all the beautiful countries you have been to, which will you say is your favorite?
Hands down, Vietnam. I went into the country with zero pre-conceived notions and every day was an amazingly beautiful experience. The people were so kind and open, the food culture was top notch, and the country is so beautiful. I definitely would love to experience the country again sometime in the future.
- What was the inspiration behind your first post as a travel and lifestyle blogger?
Straight up truth? The dollar exchange to naira was and is still terrible and I did not want to go bankrupt while experiencing something I love to do so much. And so, I did a bit of research on how travel could pay for itself and voila! That’s how zeegoes was born and how I finally made use of my very dormant Instagram account. Slowly, but surely, sharing my travel experiences has helped in reducing my cost of travel quite a bit. It also helps that I have always been an adventurous traveller, so there is usually some insane story from my travel experiences that keeps the blog and youtube channel running well enough.
- Top 5 Things on your bucket list.
See and experience most of Nigeria
See and experience most of Africa
Hop on a train ride from Russia to Vietnam
Learn to speak French, Japanese, and Mandarin fluently…maybe Spanish eventually
Hit my financial and business goals
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWVG80PFDoB/?taken-by=zeegoes
- How is Travel and lifestyle blogging different from when you first started?
I am somewhat new in the game, so I really cannot comment so much on of that.
- How do you manage the travel expenses?
I save a lot, and I am pretty ijebu-ish with my spending and I am constantly on the hunt for serious travel deals. Travel is a big priority for me, so I soak a lot of garri for days in order to do what I love guilt free.
- What is the best part of being a travel and lifestyle blogger?
The myriad of other bloggers I have met around the world since I joined the space has been a blessing. There is such an amazing social network within the travel space that blows my mind, and a lot of their experiences have helped guide me in how I approach many of my travels. I also know that within this network, I can save up so much money in accommodation costs because I have a home in almost every country.
- What are your greatest passions?
Pushing forward on a new business idea, taking on new experiences, and finding a way to have fun while working towards my financial goals.
- What role do you think you can play in empowering other women?
Truthfully, I am not so keen on empowering other women, sounds like a burden that I may not be able to handle. I simply believe in marching to the beats of my drum and if my life experiences empower other women, then that’s amazing!
- Who do you look up to, and why?
My mother, she is truly badass. She started a company called Kuddy Cosmetics, which I am also a part of, and she has done quite a lot in the beauty space. She is amazing.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bb9S8VUFK1R/?taken-by=zeegoes
- Tell us about one of your lowest moments and you overcame it.
Not so sure if ‘lowest’ is the right word for it, but last year, I mistakenly went on a mountain climb hike. I paid for what I thought was a scenic tour of a park in Killarney, Ireland. When the tour guide pointed at the mountain we were about to climb, and casually mentioned it was the tallest mountain in the country, I almost crapped my pants. 1hr into the hike, I was doing the conversion of Euro to Naira and my ijebu-ness refused to let the money go to waste and simple muscled through it. Through sheer grit and constant power talks to push myself forward while climbing the mountain, I reached the top and felt so proud of myself. It made me realize how strong I am mentally and whenever I have a bad day, I think on the 8-9 hours of me climbing up a mountain that seemed endless until I reached its top. That was an insane case of ‘mind over matter’.
- What will you consider to be the most extraordinary experience you have come across? Tell us about it.
There are so many insane ones to pick from, but I should probably settle on the family friendly bit. Haha! I was in Luang Prabang in Laos with an amazing group of people and the entire day was extraordinary. We woke up early in the morning to sit on a straight line along the street with a bowl of cooked rice to feed a delegate of monks that walk by from 5:30am every day for 1 hour. There was something spiritual and calming about that experience. From there, we went off to ride elephants for over an hour through the jungle and that was exhilarating. After that, we went off to a water hole that had some amazingly beautiful waterfalls and a legendary Tarzan rope swing that we all swung off repeatedly till our bodies got tired of slamming into the body of water. The entirety of the day was amazing.
- Have you ever fallen in love during one of travels? If yes, tell us about it.
No! Lol! I hear about this thing and I have never even sniffed the idea of it. hahaha
- Tell us about yourself.
My name is Zainob Fashola and I share my travel stories on ZeeGoes.com and sometimes vlog about them on my Youtube channel. I also run a beauty company called IyaOloja and recently launched a skin care brand called Pigmented Beauty. Travel has always been a part of me since childhood and when I was a five-year-old kid, I wished the airplane was my home. I have very itchy feet and love taking on new experiences at home and beyond. I have been traveling all my life, but started my travel adventures in 2008 and haven’t stopped my way of travel since then. Beyond traveling, I am an avid reader of fantasy novels and also love good food. Definitely check me out on my social accounts; Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube
- What do you look forward to in the New Year?
I recently launched a natural skincare line called Pigmented Beauty and that is currently my baby. I have so many ideas on how far I want to take the brand in the next year and that excites me so much. I also plan to focus a lot more on traveling within Nigeria, and exploring a lot more of my land and its rich culture. 2018 would be an amazing year, fingers crossed and amen!