Since we joined the travel vlogging world, we have been HOOKED on so many travel vlogs. It’s amazing how huge that community is and we are glad to be a part of it. One of our favorites is Ginyang’s world because he is Nigeria (pardon our bias). He creatively combines afrobeats aka Nigerian music to all his videos. We find ourselves dancing to the beat every time we watch his vlogs.Since we joined the travel vlogging world, we have been HOOKED on so many travel vlogs. It’s amazing how huge that community is and we are glad to be a part of it. One of our favorites is Ginyang’s world because he is Nigeria (pardon our bias). He creatively combines afrobeats aka Nigerian music to all his videos. We find ourselves dancing to the beat every time we watch his vlogs.
CHECK OUT HIS INTERVIEW HERE!
Thank you for agreeing to do this interview. We are huge fans of your vlog. Who is Ginyangs world and what is the inspiration behind the name?
Thank you so much for your support, Naija Nomads! The name Ginyangsworld comes from my name—G. Inyang—and my attempt to capture a little piece of my world in each of my videos. I first started the channel after making a compilation video for my then fiancé (now wife), Birdy. I featured various clips of our adventures as her wedding gift. The video received some good feedback from my friends and family. That’s when I realized that I enjoyed the editing process and it has given me a fun and creative outlet.
Being a bi-racial couple is not strange in the U.S but could be strange in other parts of the world. Do you get odd stares when you travel?
We’re both used to getting stares whenever we travel. However, the stares I get are more of “who is this random black guy, and what is he doing here?”. The stares she gets are from people thinking that she is from whatever village or town they are from. We’ve never had anyone explicitly comment on our interracial relationship. May be that is because we’ve now mastered the art of breaking any tension or confusion by trying to strike up conversations with people. We make an effort to relate to them on a personal level.
I WOULD DRAW UP DETAILED SPREAD SHEETS, GATHERING INTEL ON EVERYTHING FROM THE BEST VIEWPOINT TO SEE THE SUNRISE, TO WHICH RESTAURANT SERVES JOLLOF RICE, TO HOW MUCH TO TIP A TUK-TUK DRIVER
We see the wifey is never too far away from you. Actually she’s in ALL the vlogs and most of the photos. Do you specifically plan your holidays around each other’s free time or you already have a holiday calendar for the year? How do you work it out?
You’re right, Birdy is never too far away. I wish I had an interesting story of how strategic and calculated our travel planning process is, but I don’t. We simply plan our trips based on flight deals that we find and around public holidays. We almost never plan trips very far in advance, and instead let cheap flights dictate where we end up. In order to maximize our vacation time we often travel over three-day holidays. If we want to go for a longer time, we will leave on a Thursday night and come back the following Sunday. This means we get 10 travel days but only have to take 6 days off of work.
Your travel life (seeing the world with your favorite person) is GOALS. Tell us what it’s like traveling the world with your partner with tips on how to do it perfectly.
Traveling the world with my wife has been truly amazing, and we both feel incredibly lucky to share the same passion. Here are a few tips that have worked well for us:
• There’s nothing wrong with over-planning and organizing a detailed itinerary, as doing so will allow you to maximize your time. This was probably the biggest difference between my wife and I when we began traveling. When we first started traveling together I would draw up detailed spread sheets. Gathering intel on everything from the best viewpoint to see the sunrise, to which restaurant serves jollof rice, to how much to tip a tuk-tuk driver. In contrast, Birdy was more of a “let’s get there and figure it out” kind of traveler. Luckily, we have found a way to meet in the middle. We both agree that having a plan—even if we ultimately deviate from it entirely—helps us best utilize our time abroad.
• Challenge each other to take risks. We really enjoy having unique experiences when we travel, and try to do things that we wouldn’t be able to do back home. As a result, we always try to build some adventure into our days, which has led us to shark cage diving in South Africa, visiting a hammam spa in Morocco, and sky-diving in Australia.
• Try to unplug from technology whenever possible. Some of my favorite memories are from when I was completely off the grid—that feeling of pure freedom and anonymity is unbeatable.
Do you ever travel solo?
All of my solo travels have been domestic, while most of my international trips have been with Birdy. However, even when I travel alone, I tend to meet up with friends after reaching my destination, or try to make new friends wherever I am. For me, travel is most enjoyable when I can share my experiences with other people. And, I need someone ready to take 20 jumping pictures of me, if necessary. This past year though, I have taken various trips with friends to Australia and Colombia.
From Bali to Belize from Peru to Puerto Rico! You sure have been around the world. One destination you’ve visited that made you say “I want to live here!” and why?
Some of our favorite places—and places that we could actually picture ourselves living—are the Netherlands, Guatemala, and Sri Lanka. The Netherlands made us both feel incredibly welcomed and comfortable—it’s centrally located, beautiful, and felt immediately like home. We got engaged and married in Guatemala, so it holds a special place in our hearts. And, everything about Sri Lanka is pure magic. In fact, we will be moving to one of the places on that list in the next couple of months, and are hoping to move to a second place on the list at some point down the road.
You just did an awesome video on Iceland with you doing a harlem shake underneath the Northern Lights. That must have been magical. 3 things about Iceland that got you really tripping
Iceland was beautiful. We had been wanting to visit for a while and almost planned a trip for last summer, but I’m glad we waited until winter. Our favorite moments were (1) visiting the Crystal Ice Caves at Jokulsarlon Glacier (plan your tour in advance!), (2) finally setting our eyes on the northern lights, and (3) taking a dip in the Blue Lagoon (again, book in advance!).
Speaking of videos we love how you have Nigerian music in all your vlogs. What birthed this concept?
I was always that guy who would obnoxiously befriend DJ’s at parties and persuade them to play Davido or Wizkid. But whenever I succeeded, the dance floor would erupt, which told me that I wasn’t alone in my love for African music. Since we are adventurous travelers, I wanted my vlog to have a fast-paced vibe to it, which I thought paired well with the afro beat drums and rhythms. I also consider my videos to fall more in the music video category than a true travel blog, since I can’t imagine gazing directly into the camera and narrating my thoughts on where to go or what to do.
Made in Nigeria…Processed in the US, this is your Instagram bio. What makes you Nigerian and what do you miss most about Nigeria?
I was born in Nigeria and lived there until I was 14-years-old, when I moved to the States. Even though it’s now been a couple of decades, I will always consider myself Nigerian, and try to make it back as often as possible to see my family and friends who still live there. When I’m in the States I miss the overwhelming sense of community I feel in Nigeria, peoples’ hustling spirit, and the overall energy that Nigerians bring to everything we do.
One item you cannot travel without?
You won’t catch me without my GoPro (for vlogging purposes , fanny pack (for safety purposes), or UE Boom portable speakers (for jamming purposes). For me, they’re all essential components of a great trip.
Travel is all about making lasting memories. Share with us one really memorable travel experience you’ve had.
We’ve had a bunch of truly memorable travel experiences, the most exciting of which was our wedding in Antigua, Guatemala. However, in terms of our regular trips, the Umhlanga Reed Dance Festival in Swaziland stands out above the rest. At the festival, which typically takes place in August, tens of thousands of single and childless “maidens” from across Swaziland and parts of South Africa walk overnight to the Queen Mother’s royal village, collecting reeds along the way. They then present these reeds to the Queen Mother while singing and dancing in traditional clothing. It was an electric atmosphere and probably one of the most culturally rich experiences I have ever had.
Cold or Warm climate?
Definitely warm climates. As beautiful as it was, Iceland taught me that my Naija blood just isn’t well suited for cold climates. After about five minutes of exposure to the snow, I’m pretty sure I had frostbite.
If given the opportunity, will you live in North or South America?
Does Central America count? Two of my favorite places in the world are Antigua, Guatemala and the San Blas Islands in Panama. I would jump at the chance to live in either.
New in America (The US) and I can only visit one state, where am I going and why?
California! No other state has such a variety of topography and activities. Within a few hours you can travel from cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles to vineyards in Napa Valley, snow-capped mountains in Lake Tahoe, the Pacific ocean, and the lowest point in North America in Death Valley. California really does have something for everyone.
Every avid traveler has a travel bucket list. What’s on yours?
You’re right. We always joke about how we are constantly dreaming up our next vacations in the middle of trips we are currently on, so I definitely have a bucket list. These are a few of the biggest boxes I would like to check:
• Hot air ballooning over Cappadocia;
• Sailing through the Bazaruto Archipelago in Mozambique;
• Exploring the Treasury in Petra, Jordan;
• Touring the underground churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia;
• Harlem shaking on the Uyuni Salt Flats in Bolivia; and
• Attending a sumo wrestling tournament in Japan
What is your favourite travel/life quote?
“I’m a travel addict on the road to recovery. Just kidding, I’m on the road to the airport.”
What is your dream destination?
I try not to think of traveling in terms of “dream destinations”. It makes it seem like those trips are unattainable when I now know that every destination truly is an option. However, if I had to choose, I would say Antarctica, because cruises to get there can be prohibitively expensive. If anyone knows an affordable tour company, please let me know!
Anything else you would like to add? Travel tips or advise on Travel Vlogging.
As a new Travel vlogger myself I am still figuring the process out. From getting used to flying my drone (which I’ve already crashed into the water) to figuring out how to create a presence on social media, I still have a lot to learn. However, my biggest piece of advice for anyone who has an interest in vlogging is that you should just go for it. You would be surprised how supportive other people will be, and you’ll always have something to remind you of your adventures. It would be awesome to have more people subscribe, and come along for the ride.
We sure enjoyed this interview and took down some tips as well. We say a resounding YES to staying away from technology. These day’s people are more concerned with posting photos for the gram or videos for snap chat than enjoying the travel experience itself.
♠ Never go on trips with anyone you do not love. – Ernest Hemingway
