5 Tips For Blending Into A New Culture When You Relocate

There are various reasons that may prompt you to relocate. It may be an inter or intrastate relocation. Whatever the case may be, you should know that the culture will be different from what you are used to. Hence, you do not want to fall short of their way of life especially if you are relocating to a culturally and religiously sensitive location like Northern Nigeria. There are some actions that you can take to ensure that your cultural transition is as smooth as possible.Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency shares some of them.

Learn the local language

One of the easiest ways to blend into a new culture is to learn how to speak the local language. Doing this will make it simple for you to network, conduct business and integrate yourself into your local community.

Join local expat communities

Once you have arrived at your new destination, you will most likely make new friends with the people that you come across along the way. It is better to join an expat community because you will receive reliable advice based on the experiences they have garnered living with the people.

Join the landlord association

Another way to settle into a new culture is by joining the landlord association. You can find friends as well as network. This said, ensure that you make them know that just moved into the community.

Seek out colleagues

If you are being relocated for work purposes, it is not out of place for you to request that your organisation put you in contact with employees who are already working at where you are relocating. Just make sure you contact the person before you move.

Do your research

Doing a bit of research is important before relocating to a new location, city or community. And, an essential part of this is understanding your new culture. Thus, research ahead of time and ensure that you are aware of things such as the local cuisine, festivals, holidays, dress codes, prevalent religions and spiritual beliefs.

Five Smart Ways To Track Your Expenses

The question that many people ask themselves is where do their money go. Truthfully, you are the only one who can answer that question. But, we know that a reason why you are losing your money is because you are not tracking it. Well, it is time to stop losing your money and start tracking your cash. As such, we highlight some of the ways you can do this.

Use online management software

You do not need to go to the bank because you want to check your account. There are now online management tools and applications that allow you track your spending from your computer or smartphone real-time. In addition to this, you can also see your recent transactions.

Use online budgeting software

There are certain websites, apps, and software that you can directly link to your financial accounts. They automatically organise and categorise your spending by letting you compare your projected spending against your actual spending. It will even alert you when you are overspending.

Use ATMs

ATMs are connected with banks and it lets you check your balance, deposit and even transfer funds between accounts. Ultimately, ATMs are available anytime you need them. Hence, it is easily accessible to help you track your finance.

Activate account alerts

If you want to know about all your bank account transactions or activities as well as track how you spend your money, you should activate alerts. It will allow you get new alerts and let you know when your account is low. You will just be charged a token for this service.

Pay a visit to your local bank 

Banks in Nigeria can offer you financial advice if you have challenges keeping track of your spending. They can help you with a solution.

7 Benefits of Speaking Nigeria’s Three Major Languages

Nigerian has three major languages namely Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa. The thing is not a large number of people can communicate in these three languages. This is perhaps because English is our main lingua franca. There are so many benefits of speaking these three languages. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares these benefits. It is, noteworthy, to say that even though we are encouraging Nigerians to speak these three languages, more and more citizens are moving away from even communicating in their own mother tongue.

You will have more job opportunities

There are certain jobs you cannot apply for if you cannot speak these three languages. And you know that these jobs come with fantastic salaries and bonuses. For example, you cannot work for BBC Hausa, if you cannot speak Hausa whether you are a veteran broadcaster or not.

Improve your competitiveness 

Speaking a second or third traditional language makes your curriculum vitae stand out and can boost you to the top of the interview list with potential employers. You are very competitive.

Can earn more money.

The financial returns of learning an extra Nigerian language can help you earn more money. You can freelance as a translator thus making more quids on the side.

Get to try on different personalities

You cannot be pigeonholed if you speak these languages. Hence, You can easily shift from one personality to another depending on which language you and your friends are speaking. You will have an all-rounded personality.

Opens up social and cultural opportunities

Speaking another language allows you to interact with different people and understand the perks of other cultures. This means that you have better chances to make friends, explore different ways of life and be able to blend with different lifestyles.

 Improves problem-solving

Being multilingual in traditional languages can improve your brain functions like the ability to focus attention and perform mental tasks. Thus, people who speak more than one Nigerian language can process information more efficiently.

Help keeps you safe

Have you been in a dangerous situation in which you do not speak the same language with the people involved? Well, persons who are multilingual do not need to worry because their ability to speak and understand whatever they are saying can save you. However, do not be too hasty to respond because this can also be fatal.

6 Things You Should Never Do In Your Hotel Room

A hotel stay should be a smooth and exciting experience. You do not want anyone harassing you. This said, there are some people who call for embarrassment by the things they do in their hotel rooms. So, whether you are a hotel room regular or save your stays for special occasions, there are few things you should never do in a hotel room, particularly, if you want to keep yourself safe or return to lodge at the hotel again. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency shares some of these things.

Smoke

In some hotels, the no smoke sign is clear. However, some persons feel that since they are in the comfort of their room, there is no need to observe the no-smoke rule. You are wrong. If smoking is not allowed, just do not smoke. Remember, you are not the only one that will use the room.

Give out your room number

A rule of thumb is to never reveal your hotel room number to a stranger or even someone you have just spoken with you for a few minutes or hours. Also, if you are meeting someone for the first time, do so outside your room or even outside your hotel. You do not want your room burgled.

Sneak in animals

You love your dog and chances are that you may bring him or her with you when you travel as a companion. Some hotels will not allow animals in the room. As a result, some lodgers will sneak these animals in. If you are discovered, you may be thrown out of the hotel or you may be fined.

Turn your room to a minibar

You may not have enough money to go to a minibar to down some bottles. As such, you have loaded your bag with bottles of alcoholic drinks that your room becomes a sort of minibar. You may do one of the following-go to the minibar, visit a nearby store if you feel the drinks at the hotel are expensive or just completely avoid alcohol.

Steal

You will be shocked that some hotel customers are just thieves. They take the opportunity to steal. Items like towels, drapes and even bed sheets. If you are caught, you will simply be arrested.

Keep your music low

You may want to entertain yourself in your hotel room. However, you should not do so at the detriment of others. If the music becomes too loud, you may just get a knock or call that you should lower the music. This can be shameful.

5 Smart Ways To Make Troubling Clients Happy

Handling stressful or difficult clients is not something many businesses look forward. Regardless, they have no choice than to deal with the client’s complain because they are the oil that lubricates any business. Clearly, they exist in every business but you know that it is better to keep them if you can. This is why they say that the customer is never wrong. So, how may you keep your difficult clients? Jumia travel, the leading online travel agency, shares ways to keep your difficult customers happy.

Allow them to vent 

Sometimes, you have to just keep quiet and allow your client to express everything on their minds. You should note that they become difficult because they feel they cannot say what they have experienced by using your service.

Reassure them 

After allowing them to express themselves, do not let them feel that you do not have their best interests at heart. The simplest thing to do is to reassure them that every decision is to make them happy.

Apologise

Like earlier said customers are king. They are always right. No matter how infuriated you may be with them, you just have to see things from their perspective. Hence, always take the blame, even when you know that you are not at fault. Whatever the case may be, always take responsibility.

Come up with a solution

This is probably the most effective strategy you can use when handling a stressful client. When there’s a problem, a good business person comes up with a solution.

 Learn from the situation

These difficult customers have a lot to teach businesses. So, evaluate who your difficult customers are, then evaluate why they are this way. You may want to deal with them differently because you know they are trouble. But at the same time, they are loyal.

4 Strange Cultural Practices Associated with Marriage In Nigeria

Nigeria has over 250 ethnic groups. Hence, it should not surprise anyone that among these groups, there will be some strange cultural practices associated with marriage. Most times, these practices are meant to strengthen the bond of marriage and preserve its sanctity. There are the good, the bad and the ugly. In line with this, Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares 4 strange Nigerian cultural practices associated with marriage in Nigeria.

Flogging the groom among the Fulanis

This is a festival in which an intending young Fulani groom is flogged to prove that he’s ready to take a wife. The would-be groom will be trashed and he must show no signs of pain. Otherwise, his readiness to take up the huge responsibility of marriage will not be accepted.

Magun (thunderbolt)

Magun is very common among the Yorubas. It is usually placed on wives by their husbands without their knowledge as a deterrent for committing adultery. And if she goes ahead with the act, her lover could end up losing his life or getting stuck while in the act.

Fattening room

This is practiced by people who hail from Calabar. The fattening room is a room where young women are kept and prepared for womanhood and marriage. Being fat is considered as a sign of good living.

Shaving the hair

A woman who just lost her Igbo husband is usually taken through some cultural rituals to prove that she played no role in the death of her husband. One of the rituals, although somewhat humiliating, is that she has to shave her hair.

Four Simple Tips For A Healthy Tour

The question of distance does not arise when it comes to touring or traveling. The fact is you can never be too prepared for healthy travel. This is because traveling can disrupt your routine as you don’t have access to everything you want. Hence, it is highly probable that you will be ill. But it should be this way. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency shares ways are some tips to stay healthy while you travel.

Take a reusable water bottle

Water is important for keeping you energised and removing waste from your body. The consequences of lack of water is that you will be dehydrated and traveling can be dehydrating. So, don’t forget to drink up even on long travel days and carry a reusable water bottle in which you can preserve water for drinking.

Wear durable walking shoes

You do not need to wear fancy shoes when you travel because you are exploring on foot. Your shoes must be durable and rugged that it will be able to withstand anything. Your legs may be infected by germs if you walk barefooted.

Buy or pack fruits

Fruit is your best travel snacks. Hence, rather than eating junk while on tour, you should consume more of fruits. Fruit contains nutrients that are good for the body to keep it healthy.

Don’t be afraid to try new food

Vacation is not a time to be restrictive when it comes to trying new foods. One of the best parts of traveling is visiting new restaurants. You should just make sure that the restaurant is neat and clean.

7 Smart Ways To Spice Up Your Long Trip

Ordinarily, a trip should be fun and exciting. Yeah! However, there are some circumstances that it becomes very boring to the point that you crave for ways to pump up the adrenaline to a reasonable degree. It is noteworthy to add that travel boredom has no boundary. It affects you notwithstanding if you are traveling alone or in a group, by road, air or train. As such, Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency hereby shares smart ways to deal with the resultant boredom of your long trip.

Car Karaoke

Thankfully, cars can now play songs from a USB flash drive or your phone. So, take advantage of this and play your favourite music genre including hip hop, reggae, Juju, soul, rock, country, and Afrobeat among others. Sing along to the song. If you like you can shout but just make sure your car windows put up.

Empty your mail inbox

This activity may not be the most fun you have ever had on a trip, but it will considerably reduce your mental load. If you have internet connection, emptying your inbox or deleting irrelevant messages can be one of the ways to pass time while traveling.

Write a travel journal

Your travel activities can result in some of the most unforgettable experiences of your life. If you can remember them, you should actually pen these tales. This is primarily for those who travel frequently. There are apps you can download to do this.

Read/Learn something new

Whether you grab a magazine at the airport, purchase a local newspaper, bring an e-reader or take along a novel, you will definitely learn something new on your trip. The truth is no knowledge is lost! Even if you’re not a regular reader, try as much as possible to learn something new.

Talk to your seat-mate

Your trip is an opportunity to meet new people and also network. Accordingly, do not hesitate to talk to your seat-mate regardless if they are male or female. This is why you must have conversation icebreakers or starters. You will be surprised both of you will flee from one topic to another until you arrive at your destination! By the way, ditch your serious facade if you want others to talk to you.

Go window shopping online

Your phone will always come handy. If you have internet network, you can go window shopping. At the same time, you can check your social media accounts, and read the latest news.

Play games

There are quite a number of games you can play while traveling including Monopoly, Ludo, and name, animal, place, thing game.

5 Reasons Nigerians Love to Fly First Class

First-class as the name implies is luxury treatment at its best. And clearly, we know that Nigerians love luxury. As such, do not be surprised if you find a handful of them in the first class cabin. So, the curious question is why do Nigerians love first class when they can save money on buying business or economy class tickets? Jumia Travel,the leading online travel agency, provide answers to these question.

It is less stressful

For Nigerians who cannot stand the stress of long security queues and crowds at the airport, they prefer to fly first class. They can check in faster, and at some airports, they can speed through priority screening lanes. You will also get on the plane faster.

Ability to work

First class seats are more spacious which means that if you are planning to work on anything, you can do so during your flight. In fact, for certain airlines, they provide real offices, complete with charging points and Wi-Fi.

Excessive amenities

Like earlier mentioned, Nigerians love luxury because of the perks it comes with. For certain airlines, the first class passengers will enjoy an en-suite shower, a personal in-flight chef, small private apartments and even complimentary driving service. The truth is they get the commensurate value for flying first class.

Opportunity to network

It is not just anybody who can afford a first class ticket. Your pocket must be very deep. As such, you will meet people who are willing and ready to network and do business with you.

Show their ‘bigmanism’

This will be incomplete without adding this point. The admiration, respect, and envy that comes with you telling others that you flew first class is self-satisfying. It rubs and oils your ego that you are among those that can afford first class. Well…it is just first class some will even add!

7 Sure Ways To Attract Investors To Your Travel Startup

Finance has always been a problem for many businesses and startups. A large number of them have folded up due to lack of funding. However, we hear in the news almost on a daily basis that a Nigerian startup has won thousands of dollars from investors and Venture Capitalists. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, discloses ways to attract investors to your travel startup.

Show results first

It may be a bit difficult for a relatively new startup to secure funding because it cannot show any business results. So, before seeking investors, you should work on getting customers and results. Do not manipulate the results because the investor will always audit.

Enroll in a startup accelerator

Unlike in the past, there are now so many startup labs in Nigeria. The pioneer is CCHub. There are others. You can join these startup accelerators so that they can offer you everything you need to run a successful business. They can also expose your business to investors.

Have co-founder (s)

Your chances of attracting funding or investors are higher if you have co-founders. They are much more confident because all business decision is not invested in the hands of one person or individual! So no matter what, look for two serious, talented, committed and reliable business partners.

A clear path to making money

Investors love their money and they will never allow anyone to throw it away. Hence, one of the first question you will be asked is how to I get a return on investment? If you cannot define or state that clearly, sorry you will never get any investment.

Ask for advice

Seeking advice from a potential investor is one of the creative and strategic ways to attract them. Through this, you will build a relationship with them. As the relationship grows, you can begin to let them know what you really need. Never ambush or cold-call an investor. It usually comes off as desperate!

Get an investor that is also a partner, not just a check

Granted, you need the cash to boost your business. The is not everything. The investor should also be able to offer something beyond money. It is better. This is good because they can make corrections when you are going the wrong way.

Try to market your business at networking functions

Networking allows you to informally pitch your startup ideas to potential business partners and investors. If your idea is clear and unambiguous, you may find someone that is interested in working with you. So, when you have a networking opportunity, arm yourself with all the information you need to effectively sell you business.