Author: Khadijat Oseni

Quarter Life-100 Day Project

Hitting A Quarter Life Of Memories!

Published by Khadijat Oseni

Hitting the benchmark of Day 25 of my #100DaysofConfessions Instagram project over the last four weeks has been quite an exhilarating, adventuresome ride! Within these past 25 days, we have all collectively explored four continents as artists, photographers, teachers, musicians, students, perfumers, foodies, writers, designers and have even been proposed to in the middle of a beach in Deba! The greatest takeaways from my quarter journey thus far are: people and their stories matter and people are generally open to sharing their narratives when the request is coming from a place of genuine interest in wanting to truly understand what their personal journeys and processes have meant to them. There have been many days during this project where I’m anxiously scrambling behind the scenes to find my next story and subject for the day. There have been many times where I’ve faced disappointments and setbacks with staying on a consistent schedule – currently a day behind my intended challenge and posting at all sorts of random hours whenever stories trickle in! There’s been lots of …

#The100DayProject-Khadijat Oseni

#The100DayProject w/ The Great Discontent & Elle Luna

Published by Khadijat Oseni

One of my greatest joys as a travel blogger and cultural curator is connecting on the road with others and sharing stories from perspectives that often go unrecognized. When I stumbled across #The100DayProject Instagram initiative rekindled by artist/designer, Elle Luna and The Great Discontent Magazine, I knew there was no doubt but to submerge myself into this intensive, creative pool of possibilities. This action proves to be a timely Spring reminder of working towards purging unproductive procrastination (not all procrastination is created equally :)) and further combining my love of travel, community and story-telling via developing more glimpses into my “Confessions of a Jetsetter” series. I’ll be interviewing fellow explorers across various creative disciplines and sharing 100 different travel confessions starting today April 6th and ending July 14th! If you’d like to be featured as one of the 100 people I’m attempting to profile, feel free to contact me and I’ll send over a random question for us to collaborate on! Shy?! No worries! Come along for the ride anyway as well as take up …

Star Hopping: A Cross Cosmos Trip with NASA

Published by Khadijat Oseni

As a travel blogger from Bed Stuy, Brooklyn with a forte for pop culture, being invited to attend NASA’s ”State of NASA” at the Goddard Space Flight Center doesn’t immediately strike one as a union made in the cosmos. However, keeping up with the state of affairs at NASA unveils similar core reasons why I choose to travel so much and why I’m enthralled with cultural preservation for everyday consumption—a deep care and fascination for humanity, nature, and the Earth as we currently know it and how we imagine these aspects will further evolve. As a result, these central philosophies make NASA the perfect travel companion to keep on hand and here are some reasons why I’d choose to ride shotgun with NASA on any given day… Weather Forecasts of Epic Proportions Forget about your standard, daily weather forecast apps to determine if you should pack an umbrella or a light jacket. Following the state of climate change via NASA’s five slated earth science missions this year under their Earth Right Now initiative will provide …

Life As Travel

Published by Khadijat Oseni

What is Life? Is it living infinity free of expectations? Or is it roll in, roll out of bed, day in and day out, a repetition split between reluctant deadlines and enthusiastic snooze buttons with the occasional party mixed in to remind you of your existence? If this certainty were guaranteed, would you opt to have a case of the mundane everyday? Or would you gamble against the odds and dare to be different? It’s easy to ask the questions, but more difficult to provide answers, because we all desire a degree of control in some form or another. What would life be if we couldn’t create the memories we desired to collect and retell at a later time to display our glory? The problem is that with all this desire for control, there is little room left for interpretation in our stories, because for the sake of comfort, we’re willing to give up our maps to the guides of family, friends, lovers, school, and career to determine where we end up. How about picking …

Haggle Like A Pro

Published by Khadijat Oseni

In many parts of the world, haggling is a way of life however this dance can sometimes feel offbeat for Western travelers. If you’ve ever felt a tinge of hesitation towards this two-step, fear not! Here are some tips to help bargain your way through any marketplace like a pro! LOOK THE PART The art of haggling starts with your appearance. If you walk through a market looking like a million bucks, chances are you’ll get charged just about the same! Avoid being flashy in your presentation so your bargaining efforts come off sincerely. Added bonus if you learn a few local phrases to meet on as much common ground as possible. KNOW YOUR PRICE Before heading up to any vendor, do your research and come up with ideal prices you’re willing to pay for any given item. A great way of doing this is by consulting locals you know, observing other shops to see where the average asking prices fall as well as browsing through other travelers’ comments & confessionals online. Having rough placeholders …

Travel Style Inspiration: The Photography of Louise Dahl-Wolfe

Published by Khadijat Oseni

Louise Dahl-Wolfe was a wildly popular and talented American fashion photographer that was most notably recognized for her work as a staff photographer for Harper’s Bazaar during the late ’30s up until the 1950s. Her signature was shooting exquisite, environmental portraits using natural light. Being a huge fan of vintage fashion, photography as well as collecting old magazines for travel inspiration, I’ve always felt a great wealth of wanderlust and solace in her imagery. Here are a few of my favorite jet set moments from Louise Dagl-Wolfe’s archive: xo Khadijat  

24 Hours: Savannah, GA

Published by Khadijat Oseni

The haunting beauty and charm of Savannah, Georgia is not meant to be reduced to a day. From its sweeping oaks adorned with garland-like Spanish moss to its immaculately squared off patches of history and legends scattered about as points of reflection throughout the city, the air of Savannah is one that thickly lingers long after you’ve departed. With only 24 hours to explore due to a spur of the moment road trip from Atlanta, I attempted to ingest Savannah’s allure in one hardy sitting and was pleasantly surprised at how much there is to do in this small town and how deeply I long to return for more. Come take a nostalgic stroll through some of the many highlights during my 24 hours as a first-time drifter in Savannah… Exploring Savannah Streets & Architecture The streets of Savannah are pristine and picturesque with rich architecture and amazing landscaping that it’s hard not to go around make-believe house hunting and fantasizing what décor may lie behind each door. I highly recommend staying at one of …

The Perfect Staycation For A Francophile

Published by Khadijat Oseni

As the famous words often attributed to Audrey Hepburn go, “Paris is always a good idea.” Being the self-professed Francophile that I am, I constantly have a daily dose of wanderlust for Paris, which is one of my absolute favorite cities in the world. However, the luxury of time or budget isn’t always on my side to plot a getaway. It’s in these instances that I become creative and have mini escapes throughout my day that fondly remind me of Paris. Come join me on une journée Parisienne à New York (a Parisian Day in New York). Le Petit Déjeuner Chez Ladurée (Breakfast at Ladurée) Ladurée, one of the most popular bakeries and tea salons in Paris established since 1862, has two locations in Manhattan – a storefront on Madison Avenue in the Upper East Side and a full tea salon in SoHo and their macarons are my kryptonite! For this reason, I skip the typical breakfast fare and head straight to dessert. My favorite flavor is pétale de rose (rose petal), but you can’t …

More Than A Single Story…

Published by Khadijat Oseni

“Stories matter, many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and malign. But stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people but can also repair that broken dignity.” ~ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Danger of a Single Story I had the honor of meeting a lovely little girl named Fatima and her beautiful family during my travels through the Middle Atlas Mountains in Morocco. Their grace and generosity despite whatever life circumstances they faced was the very first time I truly understood the danger of a single story as Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie brilliantly discussed in her moving TED Talk. I began to see the world and the value of travel differently after this encounter and am forever blessed for it. I find it very important to experience and portray the balanced dynamics of life – both luxury and struggle; joy and pain; laughter and depth; love and loss and any other manifestations of emotion one can think of. As a result, I try my …