The internet is can be a wonderful place.

Funny how my Girls Trip (Lagos Edition) was with a gem, Meggie, I met online and this girl’s trip to Abuja was with three gems Fola, Amarachi, Lola, I met online too. We’d always wanted to travel together (to Dakar specifically) and even started planning for it. However, when we searched the ticket prices to Dakar, Senegal from Lagos, Nigeria that trip took a back seat. On 16th August,  2017, we were offered the opportunity to experience and explore Abuja with Travelstart Nigeria. I was ecstatic. Very ecstatic! Finally…our girls trip. Not quite Dakar, but we will take it!
 

And so, the fantastic four spent this past weekend ,from 26th-28th August, exploring two major Northern cities, Abuja and Kaduna. For three years of my life, Abuja was home. I had also visited the city dozens of times however, this trip was not the same. It was my first time visiting as a travel content creator. My perspective was really different. So different that I was frantically looking for the color yellow all over the city because I needed a background to match my outfit, haha. It was quite interesting to see Abuja through a different eye. We revisited popular places, discovered new ones, dined at nice restaurants, had awesome conversations and tried to soak in all the beauty Abuja had to offer.
 

GETTING THERE WITH TRAVELSTART NIGERIA

The easiest and fastest way to get to Abuja from Lagos is by air and we found cheap flights to Abuja on Travelstart Nigeria.

I timed myself through my booking process and it took less than 10 minutes. With the internet situation in Nigeria, that is GREAT timing. Booking through the TravelStart platform is quick, easy and as simple as ABC. I filmed this one minute video to show you how:
 

how to book a flight online 1 – Small

To further break it down, I’ve put the entire booking process in six categories for ease of navigation! I hope you like it and this helps you through your booking process 🙂

The landing page.
 

For travelers booking from Nigeria, the right web address is travelstart.com.ng and not travelstart.com

On the landing page (pictured above), you will be required to put in your flight details i.e departure and arrival cities, departure and return dates, number of travelers, preferred cabin class and preferred airline. I usually skip the preferred airline part and you’ll see why in the next category. Once you have put in all this information, you click on “search” and it takes you to the next step.
 

Select your flight options.
 

One of the reasons I love the TravelStart booking platform is it gets you all the results so you can choose your best flight option. In other words, you’ll see all the possible options for your destination of choice at a glance.This is why I usually skip the preferred airline bit. There were over twelve possible options for my flight to Abuja which got a bit confusing. Use the “show filters” option (captured in picture A) to further narrow your search. Drag the “price range” bar to your budget and “departure times” bar to the most convenient times. Once satisfied, click continue to get to the next page.
 

Enter your personal details.

While entering your personal details, ensure the information is the same as your means of identification. On local flights your means of identification can be your driver’s license, national ID card. work ID or international passport while on international flights you means of identification will be your international passport.

Scrolling down the “who’s travelling” page will take you where you will enter your contact details. There is also the option to upgrade to a rebookable flight which is great if your flight dates or times are likely to change.

The Extras.
 

Once you are done putting in your personal details, you’ll be directed to the “customize your trip” page. Here you can select and deselect some extras such as domestic travel insurance, ticket guarantee protection e.t.c. Check out the extras below.

Make your payment + enter voucher code.
 

The Travelstart platform gives you various ways to pay for your ticket. You can also pay for your booked ticket via cash at their office. Right after selecting your payment method and entering the necessary details, scroll down and enter voucher code (if you have one). Click here to view details on how to use the TravelStart Voucher code.

P.S note that the voucher code is case-sensitive. I’ll suggest copying and pasting your voucher code to avoid mistakes.

Booking completed!
 

And that’s pretty much it. Once your booking is successful, you should be sent an email confirmation as well as a text message so watch out for that!

How easy was this booking process? Like I said earlier, it was such a breeze I had to share the process with the Nomads. Ever used the TravelStart platform before? What was your experience? I’ll love to read from you!