Japa Diary

I’ve been doing the digital nomad thing for a while, living out of one backpack for most of it. And then two bags, as my film and photography gear acquisition syndrome compelled me to acquire equipment.

For a while I was content with spending weeks to months at a time in various places, as long as it got me out of Lagos — for various reasons that I can’t quite unpack right this minute. But after five years, being homeless gets old. I realised that I would need to begin to optimise my travels for places that offer a path to longterm residency.

My friend Adim who’s also been on a similar trajectory was an invaluable sounding board and resource in helping me think through the strategy and tactics of this plan. At one point we figured it made sense to take some of the conversations we’ve been having in WhatsApp about travelling and interacting with the global economy on a Nigerian passport, and put them in the public domain, for the benefit of people who are contemplating a similar journey.

So we did what you do in 2023. We started a newsletter. A “Japa Diary”. It’s three posts deep at the moment, and between us, we intend to post an entry once a week. Let’s see how that goes. Start here.