Travel Crush Tuesday: Ella
Photo Source: Ella and Instagram
Welcome to Travel Crush Tuesday!
Wondering where to go next? No worries, Ella has you covered.
1. Tell us about yourself! Who are you? Where are you from? What do you do? What inspires you to travel?
Hello! My name is Ella. I’m a therapist on weekdays and a travel content creator 24/7. That’s not even a joke. You will notice a pattern of curiosity from my career choice to my content-creating niche. I have a curious mind. I’m always thinking of the next destination, adventure, or food hence the name wherenextella.
2. When did you catch the travel bug and what was the catalyst.
Growing up, I looked forward to traveling because I got to spend time with my dad without any work interruptions. That selfish dream soon blossomed into curiosity. As an adult, whenever I shared my travel adventure, I realized that people would pass comments insinuating that I had an unfair advantage or was extremely wealthy. I started sharing my travel to debunk the myth that travel was a luxury. I miss the version of me that got to travel for free with my dad. Still, I’m in love with this version that gets to remind people through my travel visual stories and experiences that travel is not a luxury. Even if it is, everyone deserves an experience that leaves their heart with deep throbbing joy.
3. Have you always been a storyteller or has your love of travel and wish to inspire people moved you to be one?
I’ve always been a storyteller. Thanks to my brother and my dad. My dad is an avid reader, so to get my brother and I to develop the habit of reading, we would spend our Saturdays at a library. As part of our Saturday library ritual, my brother and I were required to check out a book, read it throughout the week, and narrate the story to our dad during our next Saturday ride to the library. My brother hated reading and was also a slow reader, but as the older sister, I still got the heat when my brother failed to complete his reading. To save my brother and I, I began choosing his books and doing his readings. I would read the books and summarize the story, making it as short as possible yet providing him with as much detail as possible to create the illusion that he had read the book since my dad sometimes asked random questions to double-check if we read the book. Unfortunately, my brother never developed an interest in reading, but he did gain a profound curiosity from hearing my rendition of books I read. He started picking his own books at the library because he wanted to listen to my summary and the little twist I would add to make him remember important plots. Fast forward to 2022, I still use the same approach to tell my travel stories and make people interested in places and adventures that they would have never considered.
4. Who is your travel role model and why?
My dad and Jessica Ufuoma. They both have proven without a reasonable doubt that having a full-time job while traveling is very much achievable, and it’s beautiful to have people who have succeeded in things you intend to do to learn from.
5. What restaurant should everyone visit and why?
There is this Indian restaurant in Ottawa that I would recommend to anyone who visits because I love everything about this restaurant. Indian, African, or any food that is different from the generic burger, steak, wings, mashed potatoes, etc., isn’t usually presented as a “fine dining” experience. As someone who loves food from different cultures but also luxury, I love that Thali serves amazing Indian dishes and is very intentional about their service, ambiance, and aesthetics of the restaurant. It’s a 10/10 experience.
6. Where can folks find you other than Instagram?
You can find me on Instagram and Tik Tok as WherenextElla or on my blog, wherenextella.comMore #TravelCrushTuesday Featured Women
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