East Coast, West Coast! – The Beginning

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Mark and I have recently returned from a holiday in the US or what I like to describe as a holiday of Morocco-proportions. If you don’t get that reference, you may want to catch up on our trip to Morocco last year.

Even though I describe this adventure in relation to Morocco, the truth is that this trip to the US was in a class of its own. Just like Morocco, Mark planned the entire thing out. At this point, I can’t say that I am surprised to see how wonderful the trip turned out to be.

Hearst Castle USA

Planning the Trip

We had talked about visiting the US for a while. I’m going to say the same thing about Japan when we eventually go! But yes, we had talked about it for a while and since Mark’s brother was getting married, we decided to plan our visit around the same time.

Our trip was made up of four major phases – visiting New York, meeting Mark’s parents, attending the wedding in Maryland and driving down Highway 1 from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

We managed to fit all of this within a three-week time frame. Luckily, we both didn’t really need that much time off work. Our trip fell around four public holidays in Nigeria. We only needed to take 2 weeks off work to get 3 weeks in total.

Lincoln Memorial DC

Once we had decided on the main areas we wanted to visit, we began to draw out a more concrete budget and itinerary. To cut down costs on accommodation, we used Airbnb for the most part and to cut down costs on car rental, Mark’s brother introduced us to a peer-to-peer car-sharing company called Turo.

Turo was a lifesaver or more literally, a money saver. We saved hundreds of dollars in car rental fees just by using this company and we got a pretty nice car for our California trip. I was definitely happy with how that turned out.

Turo California TWAP

Getting a visa to the United States of America

Nigerian passport holders need a visa to visit the US. At the time of this writing, dropbox applications are no longer valid. So if you had one in the past, you would not be able to renew the visa that way. You would need to go through the entire process again.

I had to. Although the dropbox option was available when I applied, my visa had been expired for longer than was eligible for the option. The good thing though, is that I was able to write an extensive guide to the process of applying for the  US visa as a Nigerian citizen living in Nigeria. You can find that here. Even if you’ve never applied before, you’ll find the guide useful.

Getting to New York from Lagos, Nigeria

Museum of Natural History

Our first port of entry was New York. We flew KLM (operated by Air France) from Lagos to New York via Paris. The flights were pretty cool, especially the Paris-New York leg. We had a lot more space and amenities on this flight unlike the one from Lagos to Paris.

We arrived in New York at about 10 am and had the rest of the day to explore the Empire State. I’ll be sharing our final itinerary and what we got up to in the next few posts. Hopefully, you stick around for that 🙂

All Photos by Mark H.

18 comments

  1. I can’t wait to read the rest of your experience

    As per usual. Stunning pictures 🙂

  2. I never heard about those “dropbox” applications before and it sounds interesting although now they are no longer a viable option. I am always intrigued by those who love to travel… I get stressed by the whole process of making travel arrangements and figuring out where to stay but I love looking at your destination photos! Can’t wait for part two of this story. – http://www.jamilakyari.com

    1. Essentially, the dropbox thing was like this – if you’ve done a US visa interview that resulted in a granted visa in the past, you didn’t need to have another one. (It was subjected to terms and conditions). You just needed to mail your documents via DHL to the embassy.

      As for planning for travel, personally, I love the planning phase but not everyone does. What you can do is to outsource the planning part if it seems stressful or opt for a group trip. (PS: Folks at Naija Nomads organize amazing holidays to wonderful destinations around the world).

  3. I get what you mean when you say you’ve spoken about travelling to Los Angeles and Japan for such a long time! Great article, by the way. I look forward to reading about the rest of your journey.

  4. I love that you included a guide to applying for an American visa for Nigerians living in Nigeria.

    Your pictures are amazing too.💜

  5. I’ve been waiting for this post, can’t wait to read the full itinerary. I just have a quick question, how do you remember the events when you travel? Do you keep a journal with you always?

    1. It’s coming soon 🙂
      About keeping track of events, usually I have a journal or I write on my phone. For this trip though, I forgot my journal at home but Mark made notes and I did after a while on my phone. I also look at my pictures sometimes and remember all the events around it.

  6. I’ve been waiting to read/see more about this trip! It’s great that you and Mark get to have these weeklong baecations every year (hashtag goals) And I agree about the differences between the Lagos-Paris and Paris-Anywhere in the US flights… You can even tell the difference in the crew’s behavior and service sometimes… Definitely sticking around to hear more about what you did, saw etc.! || http://www.lorikemi.com

    1. The difference was so jarring! The Paris bound flight was almost uncomfortable! I was worried that it would be the same once we switched but nope, I felt like we were in business class!

      Thanks for reading :), the next few posts will be up soon!

  7. Can’t wait for more details in preceding posts. First glance at the headline, I thought it would be about gang related stuff. Gracefully, it wasn’t.
    Great Post!

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Guess where! 👀
Guess where! 👀
20 hours ago
View on Instagram |
1/9
Let me be honest, that tripod was never going to see the light of day! 🤭
Let me be honest, that tripod was never going to see the light of day! 🤭
2 days ago
View on Instagram |
2/9
What a beautiful city! 😍

#kamoriver #kyoto #japan
What a beautiful city! 😍 #kamoriver #kyoto #japan
3 days ago
View on Instagram |
3/9
Clear views of Mount Fuji, a beautiful lake and swans... what more could I possibly ask for? 🥰
_____________________

If you visit the area, here are some places you'll find the swans + a perfect view of Mount Fuji 🏔🦢

📌 Hirano Beach 白鳥浜: There's an elderly gentleman who comes to feed the swans from around 8:30am to 4pm, so you're likely to see flocks of swans here
📌 In front of Koyu Club Hotel (コーユー倶楽部山中湖畔サロン)
📌 A little further down the road from the last location is a dock where you can also rent swan boats.

For clear views of Mount Fuji, winter, spring and autumn have the most days with clear visibility. You can always look up the weather forecast to see what the day's going to be like before you visit. 

Early mornings and evenings give you the best chance of seeing the gorgeous mountain without any cloud coverings 🤍 On this particular day, Mount Fuji was clearly visible throughout the day!

#lakeyamanaka #fujifivelakes #swanlake #japan
Clear views of Mount Fuji, a beautiful lake and swans... what more could I possibly ask for? 🥰 _____________________ If you visit the area, here are some places you'll find the swans + a perfect view of Mount Fuji 🏔🦢 📌 Hirano Beach 白鳥浜: There's an elderly gentleman who comes to feed the swans from around 8:30am to 4pm, so you're likely to see flocks of swans here 📌 In front of Koyu Club Hotel (コーユー倶楽部山中湖畔サロン) 📌 A little further down the road from the last location is a dock where you can also rent swan boats. For clear views of Mount Fuji, winter, spring and autumn have the most days with clear visibility. You can always look up the weather forecast to see what the day's going to be like before you visit. Early mornings and evenings give you the best chance of seeing the gorgeous mountain without any cloud coverings 🤍 On this particular day, Mount Fuji was clearly visible throughout the day! #lakeyamanaka #fujifivelakes #swanlake #japan
4 days ago
View on Instagram |
4/9
This town was a beautiful surprise in Japan 😍

To get here, we travelled from Kyoto to Nagoya and from there to Nakatsugawa. From Nakatsugawa Station, we had to take another bus to Magome-Juku but the commute was so worth it!

-------‐‐‐--‐

Magome forms part of the Nakasendo Trail, a historic route that once connected Kyoto and Edo (modern-day Tokyo) during the Edo period in Japan. It traverses the mountainous heart of Japan, offering breathtaking views of forests, rivers, and traditional villages.

The trail is known for its 69 post towns where people would rest along the way. Today, parts of the Nakasendo are well-preserved, allowing hikers to experience a mix of nature and history as they walk through charming old towns like Magome and Tsumago, where time seems to stand still amidst the preserved traditional architecture.

#travelinspiration #japantrip #magome #travelwithapentojapan #travelwithapen
This town was a beautiful surprise in Japan 😍 To get here, we travelled from Kyoto to Nagoya and from there to Nakatsugawa. From Nakatsugawa Station, we had to take another bus to Magome-Juku but the commute was so worth it! -------‐‐‐--‐ Magome forms part of the Nakasendo Trail, a historic route that once connected Kyoto and Edo (modern-day Tokyo) during the Edo period in Japan. It traverses the mountainous heart of Japan, offering breathtaking views of forests, rivers, and traditional villages. The trail is known for its 69 post towns where people would rest along the way. Today, parts of the Nakasendo are well-preserved, allowing hikers to experience a mix of nature and history as they walk through charming old towns like Magome and Tsumago, where time seems to stand still amidst the preserved traditional architecture. #travelinspiration #japantrip #magome #travelwithapentojapan #travelwithapen
6 days ago
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5/9
Black Crow Castle, standing strong since the 1500s — a true Japanese gem!
Black Crow Castle, standing strong since the 1500s — a true Japanese gem!
6 days ago
View on Instagram |
6/9
Travel Amarachi is VERY different from Home Amarachi! Am I living a fake life?😭😂

Because,my ideal day will start at 10 or 11am and end at 2am. I'm a night owl 🦉, not an early bird 🐦 - a complete opposite of who I become when I travel!

Tea or Coffee? No, thanks! I'll take a glass of orange juice please! 🍹 But "Travel-Amarachi" will take that matcha 🍵, with the beautiful cafe to matcha! See what I did there? 😉 #thefunniestgirlinNigeria #MFGN👑

I only hike for love ❤️ and my Love can faint if he goes on a trip that doesn't include any bit of hiking. So here we are!

+1: I am also a big home buddy. If you catch me outside, I must really love you! But Travel-Amarachi can't stay put in the hotel!
_____________________________

Over to you! What are some ways travel-you differs from home-you? Let me know in the comment section below!

#travelinspiration #japantrip #travelwithapentojapan #travelwithapen
Travel Amarachi is VERY different from Home Amarachi! Am I living a fake life?😭😂 Because,my ideal day will start at 10 or 11am and end at 2am. I'm a night owl 🦉, not an early bird 🐦 - a complete opposite of who I become when I travel! Tea or Coffee? No, thanks! I'll take a glass of orange juice please! 🍹 But "Travel-Amarachi" will take that matcha 🍵, with the beautiful cafe to matcha! See what I did there? 😉 #thefunniestgirlinNigeria #MFGN👑 I only hike for love ❤️ and my Love can faint if he goes on a trip that doesn't include any bit of hiking. So here we are! +1: I am also a big home buddy. If you catch me outside, I must really love you! But Travel-Amarachi can't stay put in the hotel! _____________________________ Over to you! What are some ways travel-you differs from home-you? Let me know in the comment section below! #travelinspiration #japantrip #travelwithapentojapan #travelwithapen
1 week ago
View on Instagram |
7/9
An absolutely wonderful time in the most stunning country! 😍😍

#japantrip2025🇯🇵🌸⛩️
An absolutely wonderful time in the most stunning country! 😍😍 #japantrip2025🇯🇵🌸⛩️
1 week ago
View on Instagram |
8/9
Public holidays should be your best friend if you work full time and love to travel. Eid and Easter fall between the months of March and June.

If you plan out your vacation time properly, you can:

🌸: get 24 vacation days ✈️ by taking only 12 days off! 🤯. Perfect for your Asian odyssey or West African road trip from Nigeria to Cote D'Ivoire 🚌

You can also split this time, taking shorter breaks in addition to the public holidays.

Take 12 days off from March 31 to April 21 to get 24 vacation days (including weekend and public holidays)! 😀 

Mar 31 - Apr 01: Likely Eid Al Fitr
Apr 18 - Apr 21: Easter

Send this post to your manager immediately! 🚀
Public holidays should be your best friend if you work full time and love to travel. Eid and Easter fall between the months of March and June. If you plan out your vacation time properly, you can: 🌸: get 24 vacation days ✈️ by taking only 12 days off! 🤯. Perfect for your Asian odyssey or West African road trip from Nigeria to Cote D'Ivoire 🚌 You can also split this time, taking shorter breaks in addition to the public holidays. Take 12 days off from March 31 to April 21 to get 24 vacation days (including weekend and public holidays)! 😀 Mar 31 - Apr 01: Likely Eid Al Fitr Apr 18 - Apr 21: Easter Send this post to your manager immediately! 🚀
1 month ago
View on Instagram |
9/9
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