Want to japa in 2022? These 3 travel tips will guide you!

The greatest challenge of potential travelers is how to get reliable, dependable and honest travel agents. Currently, some misinformed migrants are stranded between the Belarus and Poland border. They were sold expensive and deceptive travel packages which were supposed to land them in European Union's territory. In Africa, some Nigerians and other Africans are currently stranded in Libya. The majority of the stranded folks in Libya had wanted to cross the deadly Mediterranean Sea to reach Europe.

Here are three tips to help you travel out without regret in 2022.

Before you opt for the ‘Travel Now, Pay Later’ package, know that it's delicate!

‘Travel Now, Pay Later’ is a tantalizing package which human traffickers are using to lure many people to travel to various destinations for the purpose of exploitation. Unlike travel agents that collect service charges to plan your trip, human traffickers won't charge you before service. They are illicit travel facilitators whose main goal is to exploit you at transit or destination country. In your search for a safe 'japa' plan, avoid the pay after service option!

Some months ago, I had a psychosocial counselling session with a young lady, who was lured to Libya by her Facebook boyfriend. The lady in question got admission into a Nigerian university, but she couldn't raise enough money to resume. She met this Libya-based guy (human trafficker) on Facebook while she was processing her admission.

After she missed university admission, the guy told her that she could work and study in Libya. He then offered to sponsor her trip to Libya. She eventually got to Libya by road and was asked to pay the cost of facilitating her trip to Libya. She was subjected to sex slavery and forced prostitution. Luckily for her, she escaped from his house, and with the assistance of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in Libya she returned to Nigeria with a pregnancy she had for the guy.

Canada, being a migrants seeking country has become a very popular destination for potential travelers, hence human traffickers are now offering fake packages enticingly dubbed 'Travel to Canada now, and pay later', please don't fall for it. If you are planning to 'japa' in 2022, start saving money now. Travelling abroad is not cheap!

2. Use scholarship opportunities to travel abroad

Western and other developed countries of the world offer scholarships for students from developing countries. If you have good academic results, you might consider applying for scholarships. Some years back, yours truly was opportune to study in France through a university scholarship. Though the masters program I applied for was offered in English Language, I had to study French language for one month in Nigeria, to meet one of the requirements.

There are government and university scholarships, though the process is very competitive, pay attention to eligibility requirements. Having a scholarship to study overseas is one of the cheapest means of realizing your dream of travelling out. Check out scholarship opportunities links provided below, you might be lucky.

USA Scholarships: https://educationusa.state.gov/centers/educationusa-lagos
Canadian Government Scholarships: https://www.educanada.ca/scholarships-bourses/non_can/index.aspx?lang=eng
British Government Scholarship: http://www.chevening.org/
French Public University Scholarships: http://www.sciencespo.fr/students/en/fees-funding/financial-aid/emile-boutmy-scholarship
French Government Scholarships: https://www.campusfrance.org/en/eiffel-scholarship-program-of-excellence
Netherlands Government Scholarships: https://www.studyinholland.nl/finances/orange-knowledge-programme
German Government Scholarships: https://www.daad.de/en/study-and-research-in-germany/scholarships/daad-scholarships/
Hong-Kong (Chinese Government Scholarships): https://cerg1.ugc.edu.hk/hkpfs/apply.html
Korean Government Scholarships: https://www.studyinkorea.go.kr/en/cop/bbs/JobBoard/selectBoardArticle.do?bbsId=BBSMSTR_000000000461&nttId=3254
Scholarships Blog: https://www.opportunitiesforafricans.com/

3. Beware of Kafala visa offers in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Qatar and other Middle East countries

A young widow who wanted to travel to Canada, was given a visa to Lebanon. According to her, she was so excited about travelling to Canada that it escaped her mind to verify the type of visa she got. It was so close to departure that she realized that she wouldn't be travelling to Canada. She accepted her fate, having sold her landed property in the process of procuring the visa. She reasoned that, so far she would be working to raise money in Lebanon, it's better than to abandon the trip.

Upon arrival she realized that she had been scammed by a human smuggler, who pretended to be a travel agent. In Lebanon, she was dehumanized and subjected to modern day slavery through kafala sponsorship visa.

In Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Libya and other Middle East countries, the only available work visa is called Kafala. The governments of these countries give individuals or companies legal rights to bring in workers under a sponsorship program. The implication of this program is that if an invited worker overstays his/her visa, it is the sponsor that would be penalized by the government. For this reason sponsored migrant workers are subjected to dehumanizing work conditions by host families or organizations. Usually the sponsor seizes the international passports of migrant workers upon arrival.

This is not to say it’s impossible that you might be lucky to get a nice employer who won't harass, abuse, or cheat you.

On a final note, there are many travel agents out there, and it might be difficult to know the differences between legit and dubious ones. However, your smartphone is your best companion, use your phone to access travel information. As a Russian proverb says: 'Trust but verify!'.

---

Olusoji Ajao, is a public affairs analyst with expertise in international migration, globalization and transnationalism. Twitter: @OlusojiAjao

---

Pulse Contributors is an initiative to highlight diverse journalistic voices. Pulse Contributors do not represent the company Pulse and contribute on their own behalf.