Touring Africa: The New Luxury Lifestyle

There was a time not too long ago when the ultimate travel dream for many Africans was to jet off to Paris, London, or New York. The Eiffel Tower, Times Square, and the London Eye topped everyone’s bucket list. If you hadn’t posted photos of yourself sipping a latte in Notting Hill or posing by the Brooklyn Bridge, did you even travel? These destinations were status symbols, the ultimate proof that you had “made it”. 😉

But lately, something has shifted. A quiet revolution is unfolding.

We’re waking up, and what a beautiful awakening it is.

Today, from Lagos to Kigali, Nairobi to Accra, young African executives, content creators, influencers, and celebrities are flipping the script. We’re packing our bags not for Heathrow or JFK but for Zanzibar, Sossusvlei, Bazaruto, Cape Verde, and the spice-scented markets of Marrakech. Touring the continent we call home is the new cool.

Africans are touring Africa. Not just passing through, but truly discovering the continent, immersing themselves in its landscapes, cultures, and stories. The new luxury isn’t a Schengen visa. It’s the sunrise over the dunes of Namibia, a boat ride across the Nile, or a weekend in Obudu Cattle Ranch.

This growing love for intra-African travel is more than a trend. It’s a mindset shift. We’re seeing young Africans choosing to explore their continent, sometimes even their own countries, before looking outward. For many, the realisation is clear: why go halfway across the world for adventure when Africa is bursting with wonders still untold?

What Triggered This Beautiful Shift?

This evolution didn’t just happen because we suddenly became patriotic. Several factors forced us to rethink our travel dreams and style aspirations:

Visa Stress & Cost Barriers: For many Africans, travelling to Europe or America means navigating visa rejections, endless paperwork, embassy queues, visa denials without explanations, and sometimes, outright humiliation. It’s a draining experience that’s discouraged more than it’s inspired.

The High Cost of Western Travel: As currencies weaken and economies fluctuate, international travel becomes increasingly inaccessible for the average African. Flights, hotel rates, and travel insurance for Europe or the US can easily run into thousands of dollars. Suddenly, a week in Cape Town or Dakar feels not just more affordable but more enriching.

A Growing Awareness of Racism: For years, Africans who managed to travel abroad returned with stories of being profiled at airports, followed in stores, or treated like lesser beings. These experiences have made many rethink the idea that travel must equal leaving Africa. This has pushed us to ask: Why are we fighting to be accepted elsewhere, when home is full of beauty we’ve barely scratched the surface of?

The Rise of African Creators & Storytellers: This is perhaps the most powerful reason of all. The rise of African storytellers has redefined what it means to explore. Social media gave rise to creators who showed us that you don’t need to go to Santorini for a stunning backdrop. You can go to Ouidah or Calabar. Travel vloggers like Tayo Aina, Wode Maya, and Korty EO, have taken us deep into cities and towns we once overlooked, showing that adventure, beauty, and culture are not exclusive to the West. We saw Zanzibar sunsets and Rwandan rainforests through their lenses and fell in love. Suddenly, we began to see our home differently.

A Lifestyle, Not Just a Vacation

For many young Africans now, travel isn’t a luxury saved for honeymooners or elites. It has become a lifestyle. A new hobby. An opportunity to learn, teach, inspire, and create.

We’re seeing more solo travel stories from people navigating Mauritania. More backpackers documenting their journeys across West Africa. More group trips to places like São Tomé and Malawi. This curiosity is contagious, and it’s slowly rewriting the narratives that Africa is undeveloped or lacking in leisure appeal.

The exotic is no longer out there. It’s right here, in our own backyards. This redefinition is reflected not just in travel destinations but in how we dress, shop, and live. We’re embracing African fashion houses over Western brands. Where Gucci and Louis Vuitton once ruled, now you see young Africans proudly wearing Orange Culture, Tongoro Studio and Maxhosa Africa.

It’s in how we decorate our homes with Aso-Oke-inspired cushions. How we attend brunch in flowing Adire two-pieces. How African fabrics have become a canvas for innovation, not just tradition.

This embrace of African-made brands is also deeply tied to the travel boom. When you’re touring your continent, you want to wear your identity with pride. You want to look like you belong to the beauty you’re discovering. And more than ever, African creatives are making that possible.

Perhaps the most exciting part of this movement is that young people are leading it.

We’re not waiting for retirement to see the world. We’re exploring our countries during semester breaks, long weekends, and even work-from-anywhere days. Some do it for content, some for culture, and some for nothing more than curiosity.

And as we explore, we influence. One vlog or one viral Instagram reel from Kajuru Castle can ignite interest across borders. It creates ripple effects. People start planning group trips, booking local tours, and, most importantly, asking questions about their own backyards.

The impact doesn’t stop with Africans. Tourists from outside the continent are beginning to see Africa through our eyes—not just as a safari destination but as a living, breathing space of innovation, warmth, and diversity.

Yes, many of our artefacts have been looted and now sit behind glass in foreign museums. Yes, we’ve had centuries of stories erased, rewritten, or forgotten. Yet, what remains is still rich, raw, and mesmerising. From the ancient scripts in Mali, centuries-old beadwork in Kenya, untouched waterfalls in Cameroon, and mystical rock formations in Zimbabwe. These are stories still waiting to be told.

There are still untouched corners of Africa that haven’t been seen by the camera lens. Still foods, festivals, forests, and folktales that haven’t yet gone viral. Still magic waiting to be found by those who care enough to look.

And I, for one, can’t wait to see more. Not just through Instagram posts or YouTube videos. But with my own eyes, feet, and heart.

A Call to Governments: Make It Easier

For all our excitement, there’s still one major roadblock: border policies.

It’s ironic that it’s easier for some of us to fly to Paris than to fly to a neighbouring African country. Visas, yellow fever cards, and complicated border processes, or high entry fees, still make intra-African travel a headache.

Governments across the continent need to catch up with the spirit of the people. It’s time to:

Implement visa-free or visa-on-arrival access for African citizens.
Simplify travel requirements and reduce airport bureaucracy.
Invest in local tourism infrastructure.
Launch campaigns that celebrate African destinations to Africans.
Inter-country tourism partnerships that promote shared experiences.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) initiative is a good start. But travel and cultural exchange should be a critical part of this pan-African vision. There is an entire economy waiting to flourish if this is implemented.

Finally, this isn’t just about travel. It’s about identity. About rewriting what it means to live a full, rich, adventurous African life.

The real African dream is not a life that lets you escape Africa; it’s a life that lets you fully experience it.

Today’s African traveller isn’t just sightseeing. We’re storytelling. We’re documenting road trips from Lagos to Ghana. We’re archiving a version of Africa that’s unfiltered and deeply human. These moments are being documented, romanticised, and shared by a new generation of Africans eager to experience and amplify the magic in our continent. And it’s not just the big-name locations getting love, hidden gems are having their moment too.

After generations of being told that everything good lies beyond our borders, we’re finally seeing that fulfilment can be found within. Africa is not a continent of lack but of abundance.

So here’s to more stamped passports, more selfies, more discoveries, and more love for our cultures, clothes and brilliance.

If you could pack your bags right now, which African country would you love to tour or experience right away? My pick would be somewhere in East Africa. Guess where.

Stay frosty.