First Black woman to visit every country shares travel tips, lessons in new book

No need to pack a bag for this trip around the world.

Jessica Nabongo, the first Black woman documented to have visited every country in the world, has written a memoir to guide you across the globe with a turn of the page. The new book, "The Catch Me if You Can" (National Geographic), shares the same name as the travel blog where Nabongo first shared her adventures.

While the photo-filled tome may appear to be a beautiful coffee table book at first glance, look beyond the pictures – the pages are filled with detailed accounts of Nabongo's journeys, reflections on life and tips and checklists for your own voyages.

The photographer and world traveler spoke with USA TODAY about her memoir, travels and advice for when things don't go as expected.

Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

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Question: When did you know you wanted to travel to every country in the world?

Jessica Nabongo: From my early 20s, I wanted to visit every country in the world, but I wasn't really like, "Yeah, I'm going to do this." Every year, I was keeping track of how many new countries I was going to, and I had maps – you can still find them on my blog. But in 2017, when I was in Bali, I decided I wanted to try to be the first Black woman to visit every country in the world, and I gave myself a clear deadline of my 35th birthday (May 2019). I overshot it by 5 months, but I was still 35 when I finished.

Q: For countries with which you're not familiar, how did you prep for your trips?

Nabongo: I usually lean on people. As my following grew, I would ask, "Who should I meet up with?" Also, I went to grad school at the London School of Economics and I used to work for the U.N., so I had an incredible network. The biggest thing for me was I wanted to try and be with local people. But I didn't prep much. I just bought plane tickets, booked a hotel and usually booked a driver because when you land somewhere – especially if it's long transit – I just want to know that I have a ride from the airport to my hotel, versus trying to figure out taxis, foreign languages. And then I can figure out, "What am I gonna do in this country?"

Q: You talked in your book about your road trips through the U.S. in 2020 toward the beginning of the pandemic when international flights were grounded. You also offer guidance about having a loose itinerary. How do you shape your plans? And how do you handle it when things don't go as expected?

Nabongo: My itineraries come about from my experiences. I remember when an Australian friend of mine and I did this road trip around the western U.S. for three weeks. I had never really gone to many national parks, so I got to see all of these wonderful places. I fell in love with Montana and Wyoming. I've been into the outdoors, but now I'm kind of obsessed with going to every national park. When the pandemic happened that summer, my friend and I drove all the way up to the northern part of Maine to Acadia National Park, which was so incredible.

And when stuff goes wrong, to me, it's actually easier when you're in a car because as long as I have GPS and gas, I could do anything. I like road trips because you can just let it unfold. I think it's easier to pivot, and it allows for way more flexible travel.

Q: What's on your road trip playlist?

Nabongo: Ooh, a lot of old-school music. And Adele, for sure. I love ballads when I'm driving. Res, I love her album, “How I Do.” What else is on my playlist? Probably Puff Daddy and the Family, that original album ("No Way Out"). I listen to a lot of music from the late ’90s, early 2000s like No Doubt’s “Tragic Kingdom,” came out. The Fugees’ “The Score” came out. That's my music sweet spot.

Q: Is there any country that surprised you the most (in the best way)?

Nabongo: I'd say South Sudan. I remember a friend of mine put me in touch with a guy from the U.S. embassy there. The guy was like, "You shouldn't come here" and "You're trying to come for your little internet thing," and "It's dangerous here. You don't understand." He was really trying to convince me not to come. I went, and I had such an amazing time because I connected with local people. We went to a cattle camp. We went to the market. We went to a village off the Nile. Of course, there are things happening that are violent outside of Juba – and it's horrible – but there are also people living very regular lives. I'm so glad I went. I had an amazing time in South Sudan, a country people think of as dangerous, but it was such a beautiful time.

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Q: You've spoken before about issues you've faced as a Black woman in your travels and also about some of the complications in the U.S. Can you talk more about your experience? Have you seen any changes in how you're treated in your travels? And how do you navigate difficulties?

Nabongo: I wouldn't say I have had a ton of challenges as a Black woman traveling. I think there's this overriding assumption that "It must be so much harder for you because you're a Black woman," and I don't actually feel that way. I mean, obviously, I've only ever been a Black woman, so these are the only experiences that I've had, so maybe it is harder? But the challenges I have are specifically because I'm visibly African. So that's not a reflection of the experience that all Black women will have. It's important to remember it's not a monolithic experience. The challenges that I've had are with immigration, with them thinking my American passport is fake or, if I'm using my Ugandan passport, they think I'm going to overstay my visa. But outside of that, my journey was made beautiful by the kindness of strangers.

And I think one of the biggest things I learned in visiting every country in the world is most people are good. Most people aren't racist or misogynist or homophobic. Sometimes you go to countries where they don't have a lot of Black travelers, so they're very curious. They want to take pictures; they want to talk to you. But I think people have to remember every acknowledgment of your race is not racism.

Sure, some racist things have happened, but nothing that deterred me from traveling. You can't let the possibility of something racist happening affect how you travel, especially because you paid your money to be there. Enjoy it. If people are mad because they have to look at you laying at the pool, let them look.

Q: What are some of your travel must-haves?

Nabongo: One is my Lo and Sons bag, the OG. I love it because it hooks onto my luggage and that I have the laptop sleeve. It holds everything I need for the flight. On my flight, I always have slippers, especially for long-haul flights. I keep slippers in my bag because you don't want to take your shoes on and off. And they're my plane slippers, so they're only used on the plane. Also, my noise-canceling headphones – Bose is my preferred brand. I take a tumbler, so I don't have to use plastic cups on the plane, and I always have my water bottle. I also bring my skin care routine. If I'm going on a flight to Europe, for example, before I take off, I do my whole skin care routine, put on a night mask and then, before I land, I wash off my mask, put a pop of color on my lips and I'm good to go.

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Q: What's next?

Nabongo: I definitely want to finish visiting all of the states. I have six left. And then, I don't really have any plans other than that. There are so many places that I want to go back to. But no more crazy travel goals. I'm just enjoying the ride.

Q: What are a couple of the places you want to go back to?

Nabongo: So many! I haven't been to Zanzibar in forever. I want to go back to Tanzania. I want to go to the beaches in Madagascar. I went to the rainforest and the coast, where there were the baobab (trees). I would love to go back to Jordan. I want to go back to Saudi Arabia because when I went in 2018, we were the first tourists to go, and now it's changed so much. I want to go back to Japan. I lived there for a year. I miss it. There's a really long list.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jessica Nabongo, first Black woman to visit every country, shares tips