National Geographic Backstage Live returned today with a Facebook Live event featuring special guest Jessica Nabongo, a travel expert who has visited 195 countries and 9 territories. She will be hosting a special Earth Day virtual event for National Geographic this year featuring live musical performances, special guests, and stories about our love of Planet Earth and also promised to wear an outfit made of recycled single-use plastics. Here’s a recap of this live event and you can see the full event at the end of this article.
(National Geographic)
“I would say Jessica is a writer,” the travel expert said when asked to describe herself. “I’m a photographer and most importantly, I’m a liver and lover of life.” Jessica Nabongo’s outlook on life is that every day is a gift and you should live it that way. Having graduated from St. John’s University with honors in just 3 and a half years and received her masters degree, Jessica had careers with the United Nations and the number 1 pharmaceutical company in the world, which allowed her to travel. That hobby started when she was just 4 growing up in Detroit, the daughter of parents from Uganda. But she soon found out that a traditional life working for a corporation wasn’t right for her. “I just was never excited about those things because they didn’t mean that much to me and I felt like so many people had done it,” she shared about her academic and corporate achievements.
After seeing an American woman receive a Guiness World Record for visiting every country in the world in the least amount of time, something sparked inside of her. Since her early 20’s Jessica had wanted to visit every country in the world. Another dream she shared was that she wanted to get interviewed by Oprah, but she didn’t know what for. Now that she’s become the first Black woman to visit every country in the world, she’s hoping that dream can come true, too.
Having been to all 193 countries that make up the United Nations, 2 member states (Vatican City and Palestine) and 9 territories, Jessica Nabongo has seen almost all there is to see. “I’ve lived in many countries, obviously I’ve been to them all,” she shared when asked if her race or gender ever became a safety concern through her travels. “I truly believe that most people are good, so I don’t have a fear of people,” she added, revealing that she’s never had an experience traveling abroad where she felt like she wasn’t safe. She also added that racism exists in different ways around the world, adding that it’s not like the U.S. most places. “It exists in different ways. If someone is rude to you, it may not be because of your race.”
She also shared her practices of adhering to cultural rules wherever she goes. “Even in places where I don’t have to cover my head, if it’s a Muslim majority country, I cover my head,” she added, erring on the side of caution when she travels. If she arrives in a place and finds that it’s not required, she will adjust accordingly. “I don’t want to make other people feel uncomfortable when I’m in their space. I think it’s really important as a traveler to adhere to cultural norms.” She also added that when you’re traveling abroad, you’re the exotic one, life is normal for everyone you’re interacting with.
The conversation included some of the biggest surprises of her travels, revealing that she has been to North Korea. “What was really interesting about visiting North Korea is how normal it felt.” She recalled seeing events that would feel similar to life in America, kids going on field trips, families on their weekly trip to the grocery store. Turkmenistan, however, was more in line with what she expected from the area, a place that while geographically beautiful, feels like you’re always being watched with empty city streets.
With parents from Uganda, Africa holds a special place in Jessica’s heart, it was not only one of the first continents she visited, but she also saved it for the last. “I love all things Africa, all 54 countries,” revealing that the last country on the list to visit was Seychelles. She chose it to honor her father, who passed away in 2003, and the remote area was a special group trip that she took with family and friends.
“We’re more similar than we are different,” she said, summing up the biggest lesson she’s learned through her travels. During the hour-long event, she shared stories about highlights from her travels, including having a great time in Russia, what exotic foods she refuses to try, and why French and Spanish are the two languages that come in handy the most when traveling abroad. She also shared her love of domestic travel, citing Montana as one of her favorite states to visit. “This country is so rich and diverse and we need to celebrate that more.” She hopes her positive messages and social media posts will encourage more domestic travel.
Revealing her travel must-haves, she shared that she always brings noise canceling headphones for flights, her phone, a camera, vitamin-C to stay healthy, and a reusable water bottle and reusable cup. That last item was inspired by a visit to Nauru, one of the smallest island countries in the world where she discovered that dark spots in their crystal-clear ocean waters are actually plastic waste that accumulated there. During a typical 8 hour flight, passengers go through an average of 3 single-use plastic cups, so if people bring their own, it cuts down on some of the waste. “Every little thing that we do to reduce our use of it, it helps.”
In addition to hosting National Geographic’s virtual Earth Day event, more details to be shared soon, Jessica Nabongo is also writing a book about her travels. “I feel like it’s my coming out party as a photographer,” she shared, revealing that all of the photos were taken by her, most without her in them making them different from what her Instagram followers are used to seeing. Most of the photos in the book, which will tell “100 stories from 100 countries,” have never been shared online before.
“Every single day is an opportunity to choose yourself,” she concluded, reaffirming her philosophy that you have power over the things that make you unhappy. “Sometimes you need to choose yourself.”
You can watch the full Nat Geo Live event below.