Three lessons KOLs learn from traveling the world

Nabongo has flown more than 450 flights, accumulated more than one million flight miles and visited 195 countries and territories recognized by the United Nations.

Jessica Nabongo is a KOL (social media influencer) with 200,000 followers on Instagram. She has been to 195 countries and territories recognized by the United Nations. In record time, she flew 170 flights in a year.

Here are the lessons her travels around the world have taught Nabongo about life, published in one of her books on June 14.

Nabongo has dual American and Ugandan citizenship. The US passport allows her to visit hundreds of countries around the world without a visa. The Ugandan passport makes it easy for her to enter countries that are difficult for Americans to visit, such as Iran or North Korea. Photo: CNN

Be careful when sharing a tourist destination online

The former UN employee says that owning a popular blog with more than 200,000 followers gives her many perks. But she is very mindful of sharing content because she realizes the impact of social networks is not always positive. Especially with places with wild nature that are easily hurt by humans if they flock to too many people.

"When I was in Maui, Hawaii, I found a beautiful forest. But I didn't add coordinates for its location when I posted it online, because I knew this could have a negative impact on the forest. As an influencer, you have to be careful with how you share. For me, the most important thing is to make sure to preserve the places you visit," she said.

Stop traveling blindly

Nabongo talks about a current trend that she feels very sad about. That's what "traveling blindly" is when people flock to the same places, doing the same things.

"Machu Picchu in Peru is one of the famous attractions. But when I got there, it was identical to what I saw online. So it was disappointing," Nabongo said. The same thing is like Bali, Indonesia or Morocco.

But when she went to Yemen, Afghanistan and South Sudan, everything was different. "There are a lot of places that people don't appreciate in terms of tourist value. But I went and had a great time there," Nabongo said. The reason is that in these places, she can discover and experience something that few people have.

Responsibilities of a travel blogger

She clearly defined her mission as inspiring everyone to visit. "I feel a responsibility to represent destinations, even if they're not tourist hotspots, to attract people; tell stories about places that most people might never go to. ; Brings positive light to the place," she said. Besides, the trips help her "find a lot of beauty in places that people probably wouldn't expect".

Success, the popularity of Nabongo may have inspired many people. But she says you don't necessarily have to set a specific goal of visiting every country like that. What she wants is to encourage people to fulfill their own dreams, whatever those dreams may be.