Thanks to all our Lagos Travel Massive members for joining us at our Lagos 2025 Hangout this month at Seventh Heaven Lounge & Bar VIP Section (6th Floor, Heritage Mall, Iju Road, Ifako-Agege).
It was an exciting day filled with impactful sessions, connecting with new members, networking with businesses, building new friendships, hanging out and giveaways.
The day started with introductions to one another and an interesting ice-breaker game called Travel Edition.
We had an amazing panel session discussing the topic “Borderless Africa: Navigating Unfriendly visa policies and fees” featuring experts panelists: Dozie Obi (CEO of Grin Ace DMC), Amb Dr. Abimbola Ogunnowo (CEO/Lead travel consultant at Travel Arcade), Segun Abisagbo (CEO of Passport Monie), and Olorunibe Adeoye Poopola (CEO of Skyeland Travels and Tours Ltd).
The team at LADX (a crowdsourced parcel delivery service for Africa) also held a presentation about their services, benefits of partnering with them, and testimonials from some of their partners.
Author Otobong Tom of the book Girls Don’t Travel Just For Flowers was represented by Faith Oguntayo who shared a book launch highlight video about the author, followed by a bingo card and puzzle game for participants to win a copy of the book.
Speaking about Generative AI and travel, Oluwakemi Ojo held a short training session covering a range of helpful advice and tips, including: How to talk to AI and get useful results for your travel business, prompting the TCREI method, dynamic itineraries and dynamic pricing models.
We also provided prizes to participants including a Travel Massive cap, key holders donated by E.A Tours, jotters donated by Grin Ace, and Travel Massive tote bags. All participants were gifted a jotter donated by Ibrahim Makanjuola, convener of TOICE (Tour Operators International Conference).
Following the sessions, we wrapped up the day by taking pictures, connecting with one another over the day’s content and sharing stories of past adventures and upcoming travels.
A big thank you to everyone that attended, donated prizes, contributed their knowledge, and participated. We are looking forward to future editions!
— Sam Adeleke, Lagos Travel Massive chapter leader.
📸 Photos by Oluwakemi Ojo
+ 405 others joined this month
Comments
This was my very first time attending a Travel Massive event, and I must say it was eye-opening. The hangout in Lagos was full of life, ideas, and people who truly care about travel in Africa. Everyone came together with one big question: Why is it still so hard to move around our own continent?
The host, Sam Adeleke (@samadeleke), welcomed us warmly, and I could feel the passion in the room. There were tour operators, travel content creators, policy experts, entrepreneurs, travel writers and travel lovers. It felt like a community where everyone had something to share.
The Panel
The event had a strong panel of speakers who gave real insights:
• Amb. Dr. Abimbola – United Nations Ambassador for World Peace Advocate
• Segun Abisagbo – CEO, PassportMonie
• Dozie Obi – Lead Destination Consultant, Grin Ace DMC
• Olórunimbe Adéoyè Pópóolá– MD/CEO, SkyeLand Travels and Tours Ltd.
Each of them brought unique perspectives, but they all focused on one main issue: the barriers stopping Africa from becoming truly borderless.
Core Discussions: Borderless Africa
One of the biggest problems we discussed was visa policies. To travel from one African country to another is often harder than going to Europe or America. Long visa processes, and inconsistent rules make travel stressful for Africans in Africa. It was clear that without solving these problems, we cannot fully enjoy the richness of our continent.
LADX
We also learned about LADX (www.ladx.io), a platform that helps people send and receive packages across African borders. The idea is simple, if someone is traveling, they can safely deliver items for others and earn while doing it. It’s like turning travelers into trusted couriers. This idea got many people in the room excited because it solves both travel and trade challenges.
Girls Don’t Travel Just for Flowers
Another highlight was the book launch by Otobong Tom titled Girls Don’t Travel Just for Flowers. The book mixes fiction with real experiences and shows Ayanti, a young African woman, breaks free from cultural expectations to chase her dreams through travel, courage, and self-discovery.
Generative AI for Travel
There was a discussion about how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help the travel industry. The TCREI framework was introduced:
1. Task
2. Content
3. Reference
4. Evaluation
5. Iteration & Activity
This framework shows how AI can make jobs faster, improve content, and help tourism businesses run better. It was a fresh topic that showed how innovation can solve problems in travel.
One of my favorite parts was meeting people. There were Q&A moments, and fun icebreakers. People asked questions, prizes were given out, and everyone left with new contacts and ideas. As a first-timer, I felt welcomed and inspired to be part of this movement.
Attending my first Travel Massive Lagos hangout taught me that travel is not just about places, but also about breaking barriers. A Borderless Africa is possible if we keep pushing, and I’m happy to be part of this growing movement.
Thanks for the fantastic writeup Esther and I'm very glad you got so much value from your first Travel Massive event.
Thanks to Sam and the team at Lagos Travel Massive for creating these incredible events for the community.
I've just ordered Otobong Tom's book and am looking forward to reading it, so thanks for sharing!
Thank you Travel Massive
Thank you Travel Massive Lagos.
👍👍