Carol Ofori with her family on a trip to Malindi, which is a coastal city in Kenya,
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Travel is an enriching, mind-broadening experience sought after by many, and those who have travelled will agree it nourishes the soul.
My career has afforded me extensive travel opportunities, and I look forward to many more journeys. Frankly, it's a yearning that quickly becomes addictive.
That is also why I instantly connected with Carol Ofori's passion for family travel when we recently spoke. She is well-known for the getaways she takes with her husband, Greg, and son Sena, who is turning 11 soon, and daughter Serwaa, 6.
Carol Ofori quadbiking in Malindi, Kenya.
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Ofori is a household name. Aside from being an award-winning broadcaster, children’s book author, podcaster, keynote speaker, as well as MC and facilitator, she is a doting mom and wife.
Her deep-rooted love for travel, which began as a teenager, is something she actively instils in her own family.
When she was around 15-years-old, travel started becoming a regular part of life. She did so with her parents (they are no longer married) and her sister.
Ofori shared, “I got to travel the world. It was quite beautiful. We visited most of Europe, a lot of the US, and Paris. Our school holidays were really built on international travel, not African travel. My mom did that for us as kids.”
“As soon as I started making my own money, my first African trip was to Zimbabwe with a high school friend whose mom couldn’t make the trip."
After that, the gravitation to exploring the African continent took root. “The next holiday, I was off to Kenya - and all over the continent.”
Travel is about far more than simply collecting Instagram-worthy pictures for an impressive social media flex.
Agreeing with this, Ofori then detailed the important lessons she had learned.
She shared, “I think the biggest thing for me, as a teen, was being exposed to travel. It opens your eyes up to different cultures, the different ways of thinking and how people do things, and you become a lot more empathetic and understanding that things might not be the way you do them back home.
“It really enlightens you and opens you up to being a lot more human, if I can put it that way."
Carol Ofori and her family soaked up the sights of Hell’s Kitchen (locally known as Nyari, "the place broken by itself"), which is located in Marafa, Kenya.
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Favourite places are deeply personal, with the appeal varying from person to person according to their individual preferences.
For Ofori, Mexico tops her international list following a visit to Oceans Maya Royale, an adults-only luxury resort in Cancún.
“That was a favourite only because we were young parents and, coincidentally, the resort we had booked into was adult-only.
“It was really eye-opening, firstly. I don’t know what we expected to find in Mexico. The weather was amazing. The food was great. The tequila was, of course, flowing, so I would say that it was a lot of fun.”
When it comes to Africa, she shared: “I will say that two of our favourite destinations would be Zanzibar and Kenya. Zanzibar, because there’s not much to do but laze around on beautiful beaches. So, so special.
"And then, with Kenya, there’s just so much culture to take in. I went there twice when I was single and the third time with my family.”
When you are travelling with little ones, preparation is key. And Ofori is a well-prepared mama bear when it comes to her little ones.
The radio and TV personality revealed the following:
From a planning perspective, Ofori and her hubby have it down to an artform. For the better part of their travels, it has been smooth sailing.
However, there was one incident of a stay in Bela-Bela that still lingers.
She admitted: “We've been very lucky when we've travelled with kids. But I think when we've travelled on our own, like in the beginning, we stayed at this one hotel, and it was so gross. We literally had l to go and buy towels, pillows and sheets, just because we were so far from home and we needed to make it work. We didn’t even eat breakfast.”
The Ofori family stayed at the luxury Diamonds Malindi resort hotel in Kenya.
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“Internationally, we try to go once or twice a year, depending on budgets. But, locally, we always try at least three to four times a year,” she shared.
Food is such an integral part of travel, Ofori reveals the places that blew her tastebuds away
Amid the sightseeing, exploration and downtime, the cuisine of a destination also contributes to the overall experience.
Without hesitation, Ofori stated, “Absolutely, Thailand. It was some of the best food we’ve had. I loved all the Thai curries.
“Thailand is up there. In Africa, we enjoyed Kenyan food. I don't like Zimbabwean food. They overcook their meat.”
She admits that, when visiting a particular destination, they try the cuisine that the region is known for. That said, she is keen to go to India for a culinary experience.
She admitted, “I want my kids to see as much of Africa as possible. My son wants to go to Lagos. He also mentioned he wants to go to Dubai and Thailand. I’ve been to Thailand, but I haven’t been to Dubai outside of transiting.
“So I would actually like to stay and check out Dubai. Another place I would love to visit is Senegal. It just looks amazing.
“Namibia, we haven’t been, and would love to go. I would also love to visit Egypt, Morocco, Singapore, Brazil, Argentina and South America. I’m not too excited about Australia, to be honest with you. It’s never given me vibes."