I traveled to Benin Republic, Togo, and Ghana: 3 African countries in one month. Come with me on my first road trip outside Nigeria.
One of the greatest travel hacks I will give to you is to know ‘how to pair countries.’ If you can do that, you will get to travel to as many countries as you can for the price of one or at a lower fee.
This is what I usually do in all my travels, and it has helped me save money and explore more places.
I also did this when I traveled to 3 countries in East Africa: Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda.
Why I Visited Benin Republic, Togo, and Ghana
As a traveler or a beginner traveler, one of the things you need to know is Geography. Even if you didn’t pay attention when it was taught in school, start learning now.
Read articles, use Google Maps, watch videos, ask questions from other travelers, and so on.
I chose these three countries because:
- They were closer to Nigeria, and closer to each other. This means I could go on a road trip, spend less, and still have fun to the fullest.
- For a Nigerian looking to build travel history, the best place to start are countries that are visa-free for Nigerians i.e. countries that require no visa to access. This was why I started with these three most accessible countries for Nigerians.
- Many Nigerians live there, which means it will be ‘home away from home,’ and my first experience outside Nigeria will not be overwhelming, because it will not feel too different. Even though Benin Republic and Togo are French-speaking countries, I still felt right at home – there were also many Nigerians there who spoke my language.
If you are a beginner traveler in Nigeria looking for where to start, then these are your best bet.
Come along with me as I further convince you to pack your bags and start living your travel dream.
How I Prepared For This Journey: What You Need To Know
Whenever I’m traveling, I always prepare many months ahead. I am such a sucker for thorough planning.
But let me let you in on a secret.
Even though I plan so well, I still end up feeling like I didn’t plan enough when I finally get on the road. And that is why planning is important. Imagine if I didn’t plan, it would have been worse.
Whenever I go out with my partner or we plan to take a trip, he makes this joke that he has nothing to worry about because he knows, I’ve got it covered.
Sometimes, he even gets surprised when we are about to get conned or someone gives false information and I stand my ground that what they are saying is false.
When we eventually get to our destination and he sees that I am right, he marvels and asks how I knew the information was false, even though I have never been there before.
Then I answer, “I always plan. Never to be caught unplanned.” LOL, whatever that means.
Plan Your Budget and Time for the Trip
The most important part of going on any trip is to plan your budget and time. If you can get this done, then you are already half-ready.
Accommodation
Plan where you will stay during your trip and check out for reviews on how safe the area or the place is. Ensure to also book accommodation beforehand. I have never traveled to another country without having an accommodation booked, except when I traveled to Togo and Rwanda where I had friends and they took care of my accommodation.
The best place I book my accommodation and it has never failed me is Airbnb. I also use Booking.com.
I will say I prefer Airbnb because of its easy-to-understand interface and how I can check pictures of the place I will be staying.
But for Booking, I mostly use it when applying for a visa or if I want to book a stay so I am allowed to cross the border.
Activities
Ensure to plan your activities ahead when preparing to travel. This is probably one of the hardest parts about traveling – knowing what to do when you get there.
- However, I have made it easy for you with the ‘Steal My Travel Itineraries’ section of my blog where you can literally get my travel itineraries for a steal.
- Chatgpt, Gemini, and other AI tools are also very useful. However, they are not usually very accurate. I also watch online videos and read blog posts from people who have been there before. This helps me know what to expect.
- Lastly, TripAdvisor is such a great site. You also get to see the latest on the attractions in the country through people’s reviews. If you are feeling lazy, you can book a tour or two – which comes with a guide to make the journey seamless for you.
But for me, I love discovering things myself when I travel, so I like to do thorough planning.
- You can also check out my individual travel writeups for each of the countries to get an idea of where to go and what to do there (Coming soon).
Transportation
For transportation, I usually read up or watch videos about what to do. However, your best bet is to get to the country and ask locals or someone who has been there before.
Travel Documents & Visa Requirements
For Benin Republic, Togo, and Ghana, Nigerians don’t need visas.
However, you can go with a form of identity like your international passport (especially if you want to get that travel history going), or a national identity card.
For Togo, you need a yellow fever card. You can get this at the Port Health Services Office in Lagos (where I got mine).
Packing Essentials
I have learned the hard way to travel light but it is still a hassle. I’ve even noticed that I always end up bringing back stuff I didn’t use.
Here is a guide to help you pack effectively and lightly.
When packing, don’t forget to go with your power bank, charger, or universal adapter (because the sockets in other countries are usually different from your own, which means you may not be able to charge without a universal adapter). Don’t forget your documents.
Travel tip: Put important documents in an easily accessible place.
Lastly, download an offline map of the country you are going to, so that when there is no internet connection, you will still know where you are and where to go. Google Maps is a great tool for this.
Border Crossing Challenges
In case you didn’t know, prepare to get bullied, extorted, searched, and delayed at the border – especially at the Benin Republic border.
If you have a new passport, you should also expect to be charged more than other people for it.
Ensure to hide your laptop very well, because they will also find a way to extort you for it, all in the name of checking if you’re using it for fraud.
General Safety and Langauge Tips
- Ensure to count your money very well when exchanging currencies. I was almost scammed (I was probably scammed the first time – story in my Benin Republic trip post).
- Bikemen will hike the price if they see that you don’t speak their language or you look like a tourist.
- Try to learn some words in their language, so you can detect when two locals are having an unfavorable conversation about you.
- You should also learn some words in their language so you don’t get scammed when buying something because they will hike the price. In Benin Republic, I once overheard a small boy telling a plantain chips seller to sell it to me at a higher price because I am a tourist. It was an annoying experience – I called him out and made sure not to buy from them.
- Use your Google Translate app. Speak into it or type into it to get a translation so you can communicate better with locals. You can also chat with them with a translator app. It makes communication easy.
Read more on my Benin Republic, Togo, and Ghana Blog Posts.
How It Feels Traveling Outside The Country For The First Time
Whenever I step into a new country, I always say “Sarah, we are here. We are in xxx country or we are in country number 4).
These things mean a lot to me and traveling outside the country for the first time was so refreshing.
It felt so good to be in another world. To see how other people lived. To live like a foreigner.
While, I have still not visited my dream countries yet, visiting these places tells me that in no time, I will be where I want to be.
It strengthens my belief and if I can visit these places, then I can visit anywhere in the world.
Cheers to more countries!!
Now, it’s your turn, if you have always wanted to travel, take the bold step, and go for it.
I’m rooting for you!
Have you ever been to Benin Republic, Togo, or Ghana? How was your experience? Will you be doing it again? If you have never been, do you think you would ever visit?
Keep Up With My Travels Here — where I list the countries and states I have gone, the countries I want to go very soon, the countries I want to go, the countries that seem out of reach but I want to go, and the countries I don’t know if I will ever go.
Check out My Lifetime to-do list to stay updated with fun and adventurous activities I’m up to.
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