Nana Akosua Adumea is a travel blogger passionate about telling the stories of places through her travels.

Nana Akosua Adumea is a travel blogger passionate about telling the stories of places through her travels. She describes herself as a storyteller, foodie, minimalist and zero-waste advocate. She recently went on a solo backpacking adventure through all ten regions in Ghana in 32 days which she believes she may be the first Ghanaian to ever have with the sole purpose of exploring! This week on Limelight, she tells us all about her escapades.

1. I’ve always been curious about your former IG handle, why Chefinskinnyjeans? Changing the name as cute as it is. I was big on food blogging, and the word play was cool. Lol, there is this saying “don’t trust a skinny chef” it inspired it. I felt it was limiting, I got a lot of chef related questions so I changed it to my name Akosua Shirley.

2. What inspired you to be a travel blogger and particularly go on this adventure exploring Ghana? Every time I would speak to someone well-travelled, I loved how informed they seem to be and how they made references. You would only find that with people who read a lot or travel. I think the more I travel, the more I learn about myself. I really love Ghana, and I want to know as much as I possibly can. It’s not an everyday Google search, sometimes, find out for yourself. lol

3. How challenging is it being a Travel blogger, especially in Ghana? It’s hard. Travel isn’t cheap. People don’t get it, so there aren’t a lot of opportunities to make something out of it. Thankfully whether I was blogging about it or not, I would travel. It’s important to me.

4. What were some of your memorable moments so far on the journey? My favourite day was in the Brong Ahafo. The tour guide at the Kintampo waterfall was fantastic, he took the best pictures and videos; shout out to Robert. Then I went to Buabeng monkey sanctuary, the monkeys were so friendly, too friendly, and the story around the appearance of the monkeys was amazing My most epic moment was climbing down Afadjato whiles it was raining. My scariest moment was when I got food poisoning. Also, zip lining in Kwahu. That was scary fun.

5. Did you prepare or plan for the trip, or you just made plans along the way? I planned a little about what I wanted to focus on during the trip. I wanted to visit all the capitals and as many places of interest as possible. I planned my general movement in terms of which region I would go to first, second, etc. I made a few accommodation arrangements in advance. I used “couch surfing” a lot, budget hotels and family & friends

6. What are some of the challenges you’ve faced, and what motivated you to keep going? The lack of information or contact for some tourist places was frustrating. I would get there only to be told the tour guides were unavailable, gone for funerals, today is their day off, and something isn’t working well. If there was information online, I wouldn’t have gone all the way. My motivation was I’m going through this now so someone doesn’t have to. 7. What’s the one thing you can’t travel without? My phone! Lol. A source of light like a torch light helpful 8. How do you pay for your travels? I have multiple streams of income, and most of my businesses are online. I financed this recent Ghana tour with money from selling my puppies. You should do a lot of travelling when your responsibilities are small. What is your favourite destination and why? Western Region. It’s beautiful and there is a lot to see and do (swim, surf, skate, forts, lighthouses, hotels, beaches) I like to tell people it’s a lifestyle destination…you can chill literally. 10. What are your top 5 travel tips? • In Ghana, wear a skirt when travelling long distance; bathroom breaks might be in a not so covered place. • When searching for ticket prices remember to do it in the private/incognito window or constantly clear cookies • Get onto platforms like couchsurfing.com, hostelworld.com, tripavisor.com for cheaper easiertravel experience • Take the necessary medication. In some countries it isn’t so easy to get off the counter drugs as you would think and sometimes language barriers. Picture demonstrating stomach upset to a French pharmacist and everyone guessing what you are trying to communicate. • Keep your money in different places and have photocopies and emails of all-important documents You can check out Nana Akosua on all social media platforms @akosuashirley!.

Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving. -Warren Buffet.