Jessica Nabongo Changing the Culture of Travelling

When a conversation is held regarding travelling, the first person who pops up in many people’s minds is the Maghrebi famous Traveller  Ibn Battutah.

Born in Tangier in the 12th century, Ibn Battutah went on and travelled over 117,000 km, visiting North Africa, Middle East and as far as the Chinese peninsula. He surpassed the Chinese admiral Zheng He whose travellers were even marvelled in the remote Kenyan archipelagoes of Pate and Siyu. Marco Polo too never came near to there wanderings of Ibn Battutah. Near the end of his life he dedicated his time in writing accounts of his journeys, titled ‘A Gift to those who contemplate the wonders of cities and the Marvels of Travelling’ commonly known has ‘The Rihla’ in Arabic.

The history of travelling has always been dominated by male characters, from explorers to missionaries and military men, but the conservative culture is being eroded by women of steel who have embroided foot-prints to every corner of the world and one amongst the list of the iron women is Jessica Nabongo.

Jessica Nabongo, a Ugandan born in USA but proudly identifies herself as Ugandan. Jessica has traveled all the 195 countries and making her the first black woman to visit  every country. Jessica shouldn’t be mistaken for a vagabond, she travels with a purpose. Exploring new cultures and ethnicity, breaking boundaries of fear. Travelling as a woman in a male dominated world, comes with a lot of hate and racial segregation, a sacrifice of it’s own but for the author of ‘The Catch Me If You Can’ is a dare.

A dare to young people to break out of their shells and fly, a dare for women and black people to spread love to the world full of hate and medieval conservative ideologies, Jessica Nabongo is crossing cultures and time between spaces; the future and the past.

In her travelogue (The catch me if you can), Jessica Nabongo shares her journey around the globe with fascinating stories of adventure, culture, travel musts, and human connections.

It was a daunting task, but Jessica made it happen, completing her journey to all 195 UN- recognised countries. And, in this one of a kind memoir, she reveals her top 100 destinations from her global adventures.

Beautifully illustrated with many of Nabongo’s own photographs, the book documents her remarkable experiences in each country, including:

“A harrowing scooter accident in Nauru, the world’s least visited country.”

“Seeing the life and community swarming around Hazrat Ali Mazar mosques in Afghanistan.”

“Learning to make traditional takoyaki (octopus balls) from locals in Japan.”

“A late night adventure with strangers to cross a border in Guinea Bissau”

“And sunbathing on the sandy shores of Los Roques in Venezuela”

Along with beloved destinations like Peru and South Africa, you will also find tales from far-flung corners and seldom visited destinations like Tuvalu, North Korea, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic.

Nabongo’s stories are love letters to diversity, beauty, and culture. And most of all, to the people she meets along the way. Throughout, she offers bucket-list experiences for other travel lovers looking to follow in her foot-prints.