Traveling to Over 100 Countries on a Nigerian Passport, Breaking Barriers & Changing Perspectives with Adenike Joondeph (Ep 400)

Episode Summary

Hear how visa barriers, border crossings, and global travel reshaped Dara’s perspective about the world—and herself. What does it take to visit over 100 countries on one of the world’s most restrictive passports? In this episode, Adenike Daramola Joondeph (Dara) shares her remarkable journey from growing up in Lagos and boarding her first airplane in 2017 to becoming one of Nigeria’s most widely traveled people. She reflects on the visa rejections, border crossings, and bureaucratic hurdles she overcame to explore more than 100 countries, while revealing how those experiences transformed her perspective on the world, Africa, and her own identity. Along the way, Dara shares unforgettable stories from destinations across Africa, Europe, Central America, the Middle East, and Brazil, offering a powerful conversation about resilience, global travel, cultural exchange, and what it means to see the world through a Nigerian passport.

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Adenike Daramola Joondeph

Adenike Daramola Joondeph is a travel content creator, tour operator, business owner and one of the most widely traveled Nigerians in the world.  Since boarding her very first airplane in 2017 she has now visited over 100 countries on her Nigerian passport.  With over 100,000 followers on social media, she is one of the most prominent advocates for Nigerian travelers and aims to make travel feel possible for people who have been told it is not. Based in Lagos, she is the founder of The Globetrotters, a travel company serving Nigerian clients with group trip around the worlds, private travel planning, and visa assistance.  And she is the co-founder Authentic Traveling Tours with her husband Chris, which brings foreign visitors to Nigeria on culturally immersive group experiences.

What You'll Learn
  • How Dara overcame visa barriers and border challenges to visit over 100 countries on a Nigerian passport.
  • Why travel through places like Central America and Brazil transformed Dara’s perspective on Africa, identity, and our shared humanity.
  • What it’s really like to experience the world through one of the world’s most restrictive passports—and why Dara believes the journey is still worth it.
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Time Stamped Show Notes

**Click the time stamp to jump directly to that point in the episode.

[1:05] Introducing Adenike Daramola Joondeph

[3:06] Growing up in Lagos, Nigeria

[8:40] Fela Kuti

[11:16] What She Learned in School about Colonialism

[13:01] Taking Her First Flight to the UAE in 2017

[17:34] Connecting with Nigerians in Dubai

[19:49] Transitioning into a Life of Travel and founding “The Globetrotters”

[21:35] Paragliding in Ghana

[23:23] The Seychelles

[25:01] Traveling to Europe and a Nigerian Passport

[28:30] Traveling to Nicaragua on a Nigerian Passport

[31:31] Applying for a Vietnam Visa on a Nigerian Passport 

[34:28] Traveling around Africa on a Nigerian Passport

[37:16] One Place that Changed Her View of the World

[39:20] Where She Experienced the Biggest Culture Shock

[40:18] Why Brazil is So Special to Visit as a Nigerian

[43:30] Three of Her Favorite African Countries

[48:01] Why She Loves Lebanon

[49:35] Feeling Welcome in Ghana and Zimbabwe

[50:50] Follow and Connect with Dara

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