Across Africa, a new generation of venturers is taking flight. These fearless entrepreneurs and innovators are constantly building businesses and technologies to tackle challenges, improve lives, and reshape the continent. Ogechi Favour Onuoha, a travelpreneur, is a prime example of this movement.

Her company, Skies and Seas, lives up to its name as it captures the vastness of the skies and the calming embrace of the seas by curating unforgettable and affordable travel experiences for people in Nigeria and Africa. Unlike traditional travel firms, which offer pre-packaged tours, Skies and Seas focuses on crafting personalised itineraries for each client.

Onuoha and her team take the time to understand the client’s travel personality: whether they’re a laid-back beach bum, a curious explorer, or an adrenaline-seeking thrill-chaser, and so on, to ensure their dream vacation becomes a reality.

How do you combine both your law career and skies and seas?

Law is demanding, and I work at Nigeria’s busiest law firm, but many things have helped me so far. The first is that I pride myself on having excellent time management skills. The second thing is that I’m able to delegate, I realised that, as a human being, I have limitations. And then the third thing is that I have a very efficient team. As of now, I trust my team to deliver. They’re very hardworking; they work hard and smart. They also share my vision for the company. So that makes it easy. Both aspects of my life, law and travel, have complemented each other well because travel is good for my well-being.

Skies and Seas is a cute name. How did you come up with that? And what does it mean?

Honestly, I think God gave it to me because I couldn’t have thought about a more suitable name. So, the skies and seas embody two major components of travel. There’s a popular saying by Van Morrison. He says, “Smell the seas, fill the skies. Let your soul and spirit fly.” Now, it is experiential. And that is the level I want people to reach when considering travel. So think of it as an experience. The name just hit. I feel like God just deposited it in my head, and I decided to run with it.

What makes Skies and Seas different from the rest, and how do you cater to diverse travel needs and interests?

First, we’re not a travel agency. We are travel curators or vacation planners. The difference with traditional travel agents is that they offer pre-packaged packages. As travel curators, we work with you to come up with something personalised just for you. We will create an experience for you.

Do you have any specific travel experiences that have been particularly meaningful to you?

Absolutely. My approach to travel may differ from others, but I have found that my experiences have a unique way of influencing those around me. Anyway, because I am a country girl, I’m drawn to quieter, more rural destinations over big cities; I’m a nature enthusiast. I like being surrounded by nature and interacting with animals, and I have a profound appreciation for wildlife. Recently, I went on a tour through Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Namibia to connect to nature.

One highlight of this journey was spending several days at Victoria Falls in Zambia. To be honest, I went with no expectations, but what I saw far exceeded anything I could have imagined; it blew my mind. It’s such a beautiful place. Victoria Falls is truly a wonder—one of the largest waterfalls in the world. Its sheer grandeur and beauty are indescribable. No amount of writing can explain it. It was just so beautiful. Despite being a popular tourist destination, I was struck by the warmth and hospitality of the locals, who were particularly thrilled to meet a Nigerian visitor. It was heartening to see the impact of Nigerian culture, primarily through Nollywood movies, which has endeared us to many in that region.

So, who are your ideal clients for Skies and Seas?

someone who wants to experience a particular destination authentically; someone who is passionate about meaningful travel and wants to engage with a particular destination meaningfully; and obviously, someone who loves a good time.

We do an initial consultation and what we are trying to achieve at this stage is to understand clients’ travel personas. Are you a lazy traveller? Are you curious? Are you adventurous? This helps us curate something that aligns with the client’s travel personality. Of course, we take into account the client’s budget, whether they are travelling alone, as a couple, or with a group of friends. Their travel history will be used to determine whether they are eligible for the specific visa they seek. Following that, we will put together a package that is tailored to the client’s particular preferences. We provide a complete concierge service, including flights, hotels, visas, guided tours, activities, airport transfers, etc. With this concierge service, we organise or plan anything for you while you are on your trip. The client might want to go on a spa day or have date nights, plan a marriage proposal while on the trip, or go bar hopping, restaurant hopping and clubbing. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, before and during client trips, and we will not stop working until the client is fully settled. We will be your eyes and ears for the entire trip.

What has been the most memorable experience for your clients?

One that immediately comes to mind is a surprise proposal we orchestrated during a trip to Ghana. The gentleman wanted to create a memorable moment for his partner, who was expecting a relaxing getaway. We collaborated closely with him to ensure every detail was perfect, and the result was truly beautiful. It’s heartwarming to be a part of such significant milestones in people’s lives.

Another standout experience was a meticulously planned honeymoon trip. Every aspect, from romantic beachfront dinners to intimate picnics, was curated with the utmost care and intentionality. The couple was so delighted with their experience that they’ve continued to choose Skies and Seas for their subsequent trips, even as their family has grown. We’ve also had the privilege of organising milestone birthday celebrations, like a recent 50th birthday bash in Egypt. Seeing our clients celebrate such special occasions in stunning locations brings us immense joy and satisfaction.

What are some of the biggest challenges you faced running your business? How did you overcome them?

The first one is the fluctuations in change rates in the market because we deal with foreign exchange a lot. I mean, almost every component of the trip is paid in foreign currency. So if the currency isn’t doing well, that’s the naira; it limits the number of people who can travel. The other thing is travel restrictions, and it can happen any day. So we woke up one day to realise that they had banned Nigerians from visiting Seychelles. This is a country that used to be visa-free. So imagine that we’ve planned a trip for people to Seychelles and we’ve paid for literally everything, and then the guests will wake up when they realise they cannot make that trip because the government doesn’t want Nigerians. Now, in that instance, you have standing people asking you for a response but it’s really beyond our control. So these things happen a lot. The key thing is just to continue. We spend a lot of time doing our research, trying to connect with embassies just to be sure what is happening at every given time so that we are not caught by surprise.

What are your aspirations for Skies and Seas, and where do you see the company evolving in the coming years?

I want Skies and Seas to be known. I want more people to know about the brand, trust the brand, and identify with it. I also want our vision to be appreciated and shared by more people. I see us expanding to other African countries because I’ve noticed this year that we’ve been getting a lot of visibility from other African countries. So South Africans are reaching out to us, Ivorians are reaching out to us, and Congolese are reaching out to us. Liberians as well. So, the dream is to expand to other African countries.

Your site says that Skies and Seas embraces sustainable tourism principles. Can you elaborate on some of the initiatives you take to ensure responsible tourism? How do you educate your clients about responsible travel?

Other than just sending clients an itinerary, we have a proper travel advisory document that speaks to these things for each country. Responsible travel ensures that whenever you visit a place and you leave, it’s either as it is or better than you met it. So we always try to encourage clients to respect the laws of the place. Singapore, for instance, has several rules and fines. So, our travel advisories are very detailed with all the regulations. From time to time, on our social media pages, we also educate people on these things. Personally, there are certain things that I try to advise against, like overtourism. Many of the places people want to visit are suffering from over-tourism, which is when a lot of people are visiting a particular place at a particular time and the capacity of that place cannot take the number of people that are visiting. One place that suffers from overtourism is Paris. So what happens is that you don’t get enough out of the place. So what I usually advise for these places is for people to go during low seasons when it’s not peak season.

The first thing I’ll say is you have to be mentally prepared. Nothing prepares you. So you have to make your own mistakes and be mentally prepared, but that cannot deter you because it’s also a very good business. The second thing is to have structure. You cannot do any sort of business without having relevant contracts, it may just be something as simple as the terms and conditions because things are going to happen, and flights can get cancelled, or rescheduled. You can’t control that. For things that are out of your control, you need to be sure that you’re safely protected so that it reduces your risk and your liabilities when they happen.

How are you hoping that skies and seas can impact the Nigerian travel industry?

Onuoha: We want people to travel for themselves, so they come first to appreciate their travel personalities. We want to promote experiential travel, which, as the name implies, is a form of tourism in which people focus on experiencing a place by actively and meaningfully engaging with its history, people, culture, food, and environment. That’s the kind of awareness we want to bring to the industry.