Travel Shaper Lola Akinmade, Stockholm – Akinmade.com

This month in Travel Shapers, meet Lola Akinmade, an author, a travel photographer, a TEDx speaker, a digital content creator, and a visual storyteller. I had met Lola in a travel conference in Thailand. That was the time she was represented by the National Geographic Team for her images and photo-assignments. After that, we’ve met in a couple of other locations, including her current home base, Stockholm. Throughout my interactions with her, I have found her knowledgeable, lively, grounded, and helpful. Read and find out more about her, in her own words.

Lola with a husky, taking a break in sledding! Photo from Jokkmokk, Arctic Sweden - Travelure ©
Lola with a husky, taking a break during sledding! – Photo from Jokkmokk, Arctic, Sweden

Who is Lola Akinmade? What got her into ‘travel-as-a-profession’?

I’ve always loved travel and I grew up in a family of travelers. My grandfather was in the shipping business and traveled all over the world. My dad worked as a geologist up until retirement and traveled all over, so I always knew it was going to be part of my future. 

I did take a long route towards my current role as a visual storyteller. I worked for over a decade as a System Architect and programmer within Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Volunteering with an expedition race in Fiji was what opened my eyes to the possibility of travel writing and travel photography.

The rest is history.

TreeHotel, Harads, Arctic Sweden - Photo by Lola Akinmade - Travelure ©
TreeHotel, Harads, Arctic Sweden – Photo by Lola Akinmade

What interests her in travel?

I explore culture through food, tradition and lifestyle. For me, it’s really all about getting beneath the nuances of culture and understanding what makes us different, what makes us similar, and how we can respect and make space for both.

Her favourite destinations

I always say I don’t have favourite destinations, but rather, favourite experiences. If I had to actually choose places where I really feel a deep connection with, I would say:

A bagpiper in Edinburgh - Photo by Lola Akinmade - Travelure ©
A bagpiper in Edinburgh – Photo by Lola Akinmade

Scotland

Scotland is my crush country and I wrote about why here. Going back to my teenage self, Scotland feels like your best friend’s rugged older brother who seems way out of your reach as he storms around the house in a temperamental yet alluring funk.

Edinburgh is a brooding city with so much history etched across its cityscape reminds me of a moody gentleman (like my favourite actor). Moody and mysterious whenever dark clouds hang over the city for days. And when the sun pops out, it warms you like his smile, making you feel like you’re the most beautiful and important person in the world. 

In terms of experiences, some of my most memorable experiences are:

Durban, South Africa - Photo by Lola Akinmade - Travelure ©
Durban, South Africa – Photo by Lola Akinmade

Mauritius and Seychelles

What places to be! I spent some time on both Mauritius and Seychelles on assignment and took my family along. So, beyond getting to relax, indulge in amazing seafood, soak up local culture, and simply bask in all that glorious crystal clear water and soft sands, my family got a peek into my world as a working travel writer and photographer.

Greenland and the Faroe Islands

I love the Arctic regions and spending time in Greenland was a dream come true in many ways. From sailing with icebergs to snowshoeing during a blizzard, Greenland awakened every sense within me and kept me on my toes at every corner. Same with the Faroe Islands which have a certain prehistoric-looking aura to its landscape.

Plating up a dessert of pannacotta made of goat milk and rhubarb. Nuuk, Greenland. Shot by LolaHelsinki - Photo by Lola - Travelure ©
Plating up a dessert of pannacotta made of goat milk and rhubarb. Nuuk, Greenland. Shot by LolaHelsinki – Photo by Lola

Heart-warming stories from Lola Akinmade’s travels

There are so many, but I’ll share a particular one that popped into my mind. I met an old man named Hushbek in the remote hillside village of Hayat in Uzbekistan who showed me that assumptions are indeed futile. We’re a lot more connected than we think we are. And beneath our different shades, much more similar than we believe we are.

We were hiking around the foothills of the Nuratau Mountains when I saw Hushbek casually standing in his backyard. It was his royal purple robe that immediately drew me in. He was a colorful pop of contrast against the fiery reds and oranges of autumn behind him. I waved to him. I wanted to take his portrait. He returned my wave and summoned me to come closer.

Machu Picchu by Lola - Travelure ©
Machu Picchu by Lola

“What’s your name?” he asked me in Uzbek, through our guide Zafar who translated. I told him the shortened version I’ve been using since birth – Lola.

“Are you African?” he asked me. I responded that yes, I am in fact Nigerian.

“Then tell me your real name. Because I know it has a meaning. African names always have deep meanings.” 

He waited for me to respond, eyes twinkling, watching me to catch my breath. Hushbek… At that moment, in one of the most remote places I’d ever explored, he made me feel fully seen. He acknowledged me for who I am.

“Onoaralolaoluwa,” I finally told him. “It means God moves in mysterious ways.” 

And he smiled back at me, knowingly.

Bucket List? Eh?

I’m not a “bucket list” type of person but here are some experiences I would definitely love to enjoy in this lifetime.

Photo by Lola Akinmadee from Jokkmokk Arctic, Sweden - Travelure ©
Photo by Lola Akinmadee from Jokkmokk Arctic, Sweden

The North Pole

I remember sitting in Mr. Kayode’s geography class (my favorite) in secondary school, an atlas in my hand looking at political boundaries; countries way beyond my reach at that time. I constantly joked about it with family and friends. “I will reach the North Pole,” I often said, oblivious to the fact that I was sitting in tropical sub-Saharan Africa and had never seen snow at that time. Here are ten reasons I wrote in 2010 about why I want to visit the North Pole.

Island hopping around the South Pacific

After spending three weeks in Fiji many years ago, I’ve always wanted to return to the South Pacific and visit more islands – from Tonga and Samoa to Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea to name a few. That would be my dream –  nine months to a year of experiencing the islands with my family.

Central Asia and the Caucasus 

My trip to Uzbekistan was a small taste of that region and I would love to experience more of it, including Turkmenistan which is steeped in such mystery.

Helsinki - Photo by Lola - Travelure ©
Helsinki – Photo by Lola

Her recent travel

My most recent trip was in March 2020 to Curacao right before all the countries were going into lockdown. I was also supposed to have been in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on assignment, as well as Helsinki, Finland. All those were cancelled. 

Lola’s travel plans and COVID-19 pandemic

The pandemic has definitely put my travel plans on hold and so in the meantime, I launched my academy which teaches how to become better visual storytellers, so definitely check it out. I also launched a new startup called Local Purse that will support travel guides and artisans hit hard during this pandemic.

My next trip will be somewhere warm, sunny, and with lots of sand with my family in tow. 

View from our sailboat La Vela bobbing on the Red Sea, Egypt. Photo by Lola - Travelure ©
View from our sailboat La Vela bobbing on the Red Sea, Egypt. Photo by Lola

Words of wisdom

It really is about first finding your niche within the travel space and then going after your niche as audaciously as you can. When you get challenged, you can literally and metaphorically ask Why Not? (the subject of my TEDx talk) and then keep working towards your goals.  If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, you will burn out and get discouraged very quickly. So you need to have an unbridled love for what you’re doing.

Connect with her

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