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Purposeful Travel with Elizabeth Agboola: Your Guide to Visa-Friendly Multi-Country Travel
As most of you who have followed my stories over the years would know, I’m a proud advocate for more meaningful travel for Nigerians. I’ve learned that a single smart trip can open the door to life-changing experiences and opportunities to see many destinations without breaking the bank.
In today’s world, where travel often feels rushed or transactional, I believe in something different: Purposeful Travel, an intentional approach that transforms every itinerary into a deeper journey of connection, growth and discovery.
Welcome to BellaNaija Travel’s Purposeful Travel Series, where I’ll share practical ways to experience three or more destinations in a single trip without sacrificing depth or purpose. We kick off with Part 1, how I visited five countries properly, touched three more meaningfully and strung together a journey across four regions in just under three weeks.
Are you ready? Come along.
Travel With Intent, Not Just Itinerary
When I plan travel, it always starts with one powerful question: How can this trip serve me on more levels than just rest?
Purposeful travel for me means turning layovers into bonus adventures, seeking diaspora and cultural connections, collecting passport stamps and leaving with memories, trying out the country’s most important food and building itineraries that offer both depth and diversity.
In this case, the trip wasn’t built around a single destination, but around layered experiences that stretched across borders and cultures. It’s not about being constantly on the move, it’s about making every stop count.
My Route: 5–8 Countries, One Seamless Itinerary
Depending on the choices you make, your trip could span between five and eight countries. With proper planning, you won’t visit fewer than five, and you’ll return home expanded, not exhausted.
Main destinations I visited:
Optional or Extension Visits:
- Trinidad and Tobago (overnight stop)
- Suriname (weekend trip from Guyana)
- Brazil (road trip from Guyana )
- Colombia (extension from Brazil)
My Journey, Step by Step
Lagos to New York (via Doha, Qatar)
Flying with Qatar Airways, I made the most of an overnight layover in Doha by pre-booking a quick city tour exploring Souq Waqif, the skyline and desert fringes. It was the perfect purposeful warm-up to a packed itinerary.
The United States (New York)
New York wasn’t just a transit point; it was a reset diaspora reconnection, cultural immersion and a jolt of creativity that only NYC can provide.
Canada (Toronto stopover)
A short overnight stop in Toronto became an intentional cultural dip: city views, food exploration and a night of well-earned rest before heading to the Caribbean.
Jamaica (main destination)
Jamaica was the soul of this trip. Beyond the beaches and reggae beats, it was about rediscovering African-Caribbean roots, historical narratives, and the vibrant spirit that felt like home.
Guyana
Guyana captured my heart. English-speaking, richly Afro-Caribbean, and deeply welcoming, it offered the kind of cultural familiarity that made it easy to dive deep.
Optional Extensions I Considered
Trinidad and Tobago (overnight layover)
On the way to Guyana, a well-planned layover in Trinidad with Caribbean Airlines could lead to a whirlwind of local flavours, markets, and music, a reminder that even a few hours can create a lifetime memory.
Suriname
From Guyana, a quick weekend trip to Suriname was on the table, an opportunity to experience Dutch-African culture, vibrant street life, and colourful markets.
Brazil
A road trip from Guyana’s border into Brazil (Boa Vista), then flying to São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, offers a thrilling extension.
Colombia:
From Brazil, it’s possible to continue onward to Colombia, which adds Afro-Latin America flavour to the trip and deepens the Pan-African discovery theme before returning to Lagos via Brazil, a strategy that maximises your international ticket while deeply layering your experience.
Planning Essentials: Visa Requirements for Nigerians
As a Nigerian passport holder, this segment would be the most interesting part of the article. Planning a multi-country journey like this requires a smart visa strategy ahead of time, whilst they might be time-consuming and expensive, the reward is worth it.
| Country | Visa Type for Nigerians | Processing Time | Special Notes |
| Qatar | eVisa | 5–10 working days | A Discover Qatar partner needs to procure the visa on your behalf. |
| United States | B1/B2 Visitor Visa | 4–8 weeks (interview dates vary) | Mandatory for U.S. entry and re-entry if routing via the U.S. |
| Canada | Visitor Visa (TRV) | 6–12 weeks | Needed even for airport stopovers, unless a U.S. visa waiver applies. |
| Jamaica | Visitor Visa | 2-4 weeks | Application via the embassy. Non-appearance allowed |
| Trinidad & Tobago | E-visa | 2-4 weeks | N/A |
| Guyana | E-visa application to be collected on Arrival | Immediately at the entry point | Requires pre-approval letter (apply 4-6 weeks in advance). |
| Suriname | eVisa or eTourist Card | 3–7 working days | Apply online before arrival.
Another 3 days are needed after your e-visa is approved to apply for land border clearance from Guyana. |
| Brazil | Tourist Visa | 6–18 weeks | The non-Appearance visa process is allowed. Please start 6 months before the travel date.
Multiple-entry advised if re-entering. |
| Colombia | eVisa (Tourist) | 2–4 weeks | Apply 4-6 weeks to travel. |
Key Takeaways for Smart, Strategic Travel
- Embrace stopovers: Turn long waits into short adventures.
- Set a 3-Destination Minimum: A mindset shift, not a budget stretch.
- Use Visa Strategy: Leverage visas to maximise regional access. Also, give priority to combining countries with e-visas and non-appearance to reduce your time spent moving from embassy to embassy. You could apply for all your e-visas at the same time, while also applying for your non-appearance visa in order of the quickest embassies.
- Use Regional Airlines: Especially in South America and the Caribbean.
- Weekend Hacks: Use weekends for short hops to Suriname, Trinidad, or Brazil.
As someone who builds bridges across continents every day, I know: Don’t spend your time chasing shallow experiences, travel with purpose. Expand your network, your mind, and your legacy one smart itinerary at a time.
