The Origin

It started with a birthday trip to Ghana.

February 2023. Accra. It was Oluwasegun's birthday, and for Vincent, it was his first time leaving Nigeria. We booked a nice apartment, figured out the city ourselves, met new people, visited great spots, and ate incredible food. The environment, the peace, the energy — everything just clicked.

By the time we flew back to Lagos, something had awakened. We didn't just want to travel again. We wanted to make it a lifestyle.

The Group Trip Disaster

Our next trip was Rwanda. Kigali. This time, we booked through an agent and joined a group tour.

Mistake.

When we landed, the hotel looked like something from the 1980s — outdated interiors, odd energy, definitely not Instagram-worthy. But we told ourselves we'd manage for the week.

Then came the tour.

The thing about group trips is that you're on someone else's schedule. Wake up at a specific time. Wait for everyone. Follow the itinerary whether it suits you or not. No flexibility. No spontaneity.

And here's what really got us: the agent had scheduled the trip during Rwanda's genocide memorial week. The country was somber, quiet, reflective — as it should be. But why would anyone plan a fun tour during that period? It made no sense.

The final straw was a five-hour drive to a border town just to take a ten-minute boat cruise. Five hours back. For ten minutes on water. We looked at each other and knew — this wasn't our vibe.

So we extended our stay, moved to a better hotel, and explored Rwanda on our own terms. It was infinitely better.

Lebanon: Cut Short

We gave group trips one more chance. Lebanon.

The people we met were actually cool this time. The country was beautiful. But the tour activities were scattered, and we couldn't move at our own pace.

Then things got serious — unrest broke out, and we had to cut the trip short and fly back to Lagos immediately.

That was it. No more group trips. Ever.

Lamu: The Turning Point

From that point, we started planning everything ourselves.

Kenya was next. We'd both wanted to experience it properly, so we flew into Nairobi and made our way to Lamu for Christmas.

Lamu was magic.

We rented a private villa with a chef. Took a dhow cruise at sunset. Ate fresh seafood. Connected with locals. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of our lives — and we'd planned every detail ourselves.

That trip confirmed something: when you control your own travel experience, you unlock a different kind of freedom.

Immigration Drama

But traveling as young Nigerians isn't always smooth.

From Kenya, we tried to fly to Cairo for Oluwasegun's birthday. Business class tickets. Hotel booked. Everything set.

Then the airline officials and Kenyan immigration said no.

"You have to go back to your country to fly."

We were stunned. Egypt was five hours away. Nigeria was five hours in the opposite direction — and then another six to Cairo. It made no sense. But they wouldn't budge. We missed our flight. Lost money. Had to rebook everything.

We made it to Cairo eventually, saw the pyramids. But the experience was tainted by the chaos before it.

And it happened again.

When we tried to fly from Nairobi to South Africa, same story. Same excuse. The airline officials and Kenyan immigration officers telling us to "go back to your country."

Our bags were already on the plane. We had boarding passes. They still said no.

We had to reroute through Rwanda, connect through Lusaka, and finally land in Johannesburg — hours later than planned, exhausted, frustrated.

This is the reality of traveling as a young African. The world isn't always built to make it easy for us.

Cape Town: Love at First Sight

When we finally landed in Cape Town, we understood.

It was our first time, and within hours, we knew why people fall in love with this city. The ocean. The mountains. The energy. The sunsets. It felt like nature had designed a city specifically to take your breath away.

We planned our own tours — Table Mountain, the winelands, Camps Bay, the Bo-Kaap. Every day felt like a movie.

Cape Town didn't just feel like a destination. It felt like home.

We knew we'd be back.

The Moment It All Made Sense

After Cape Town, we stopped in Doha for Vincent's birthday — gold-plated suites at the Fairmont, desert vibes, a quick reset before our next destination.

Then we flew to Vietnam.

Hanoi first, then Da Nang.

Da Nang was special. Our hotel overlooked the beach, and every morning at 4AM, we'd watch locals swimming, laughing, living. The food was incredible. The people were warm. Everything was affordable.

But one thing stood out more than anything else.

Everywhere we went in Southeast Asia, we saw young people traveling. Backpackers. Solo travelers. Friend groups. Young Asians exploring their own continent and beyond, freely and frequently.

But in Africa? At the airports, in the business class lounges, on the tours — we mostly saw older generations. Where were the young Africans?

We thought about our own journey. The terrible group trips. The immigration drama. The hours spent searching for reliable travel information across scattered Instagram pages and outdated blogs. The lack of any single platform that understood what young Africans actually wanted from travel.

And sitting in that hotel room in Da Nang, looking out at the beach, the idea hit us.

What if we built it ourselves?

What if we created a platform that helped young Africans travel the way we'd learned to — with flexibility, style, and zero stress?

That night, we came up with the name: Travla — the Nigerian English pronunciation of the word "Traveller."

We bought the domain before we went to sleep.

The Birth of Ajala

Every great journey needs a guide.

When we thought about who should represent Travla, we kept coming back to one name: Olabisi Ajala.

In the 1950s, Ajala became the first Nigerian to travel around the world — and he did it on a Vespa. He visited over 80 countries, met world leaders, and proved that Africans could explore the globe on their own terms.

His story is our inspiration.

So we created Ajala the Travla — an AI trip planner with the soul of a modern explorer. We wanted someone who could answer questions, guide you through the planning process, and make sure you don't experience the chaos we went through.

We're starting with Cape Town first — the city that captured our hearts. Ajala knows it inside out. The hidden gems. The local spots. The things tourists miss. Everything we learned from our own trips, now available to you in seconds.

He's the guide we wish we'd had from day one.

From Saigon to Launch

After Vietnam, we went back to South Africa. Fell deeper in love with Cape Town. Started building.

Then Dubai. That's where we officially launched Travla — opened the waitlist, refined the product, and started spreading the word.

Since then, hundreds of young Africans have joined the movement. People who are tired of boring group trips. People who want to explore Cape Town without the stress. People who just need someone to handle the flights, the stays, the visa, the experiences — all of it.

That's what Travla does.

We take care of everything so you can just show up and live.

The Beginning

Our journey started with a birthday trip to Ghana. It's taken us through Rwanda, Lebanon, Kenya, Egypt, South Africa, Qatar, Vietnam, Dubai — and everywhere in between.

We've missed flights, argued with immigration, survived terrible hotels, and discovered places that changed our lives.

And through it all, one thing became clear: young Africans deserve better travel experiences.

That's why Travla exists.

Cape Town is just the start. There's a whole world waiting for us — and we're going to explore it together.

Ready to plan your Cape Town trip?

Chat with Ajala — your favorite Cape Town expert trip planner.

👉 Start planning at travla.ai

Be A Travla. ✈️