Sophia is a Malaysian-Australian creative working across research, production and development for brand campaigns, TV and feature documentaries. She prioritises humanistic and diverse storytelling and is a lover of travel, spicy food and world music.

Sophia Macpherson

Every kilo counts when flying. The heavier your luggage, the more weight on the plane, the more fuel is burned and thus, more CO2 is released. Packing lightly and smartly is an easy way to lower your impact.

We’ve all found ourselves guilty of packing one too many things in our suitcase. Let’s admit it - it can be stressful and also isn’t the most thrilling part of travelling. But in part of becoming more conscious travellers, we need to think about all the ways in which we could be doing harm in our travel cycle... and this starts at home as you sit looking through piles of clothes.


Packing lighter simply means being harsh in your selection and more minimal. Along with all the upsides of bringing less weight onboard, it also allows you more flexibility and movement as a traveller; you'll less likely find yourself lugging your bag around the bumpy streets of Rome or face planting down the subway's stairs. It's simple: less stuff, less trouble.

To help you travel better for yourself and to lower your carbon footprint, we've condensed our method of packing for long-haul journeys into a few simple steps...

This might seem pretty straightforward, but if you want to pack light, get a small bag. This will help remove the temptation of adding more and more stuff, as you simply won't have the room. The type of luggage you get will also depend on what holiday you're going on: are you going backpacking or just a weekend-trip? For long, backpacking trips, invest in a light, 40l backpack that has a little room to budge. For your standard trip away, your hard case suitcases will do; think 

This might seem obvious, but we've all been guilty to leaving it super last minute and packing the most random stuff. If you want to be as efficient as you can, do it at least the night before and make a list for those longer trips. This way you'll have more time to narrow your items down and think through your trip more and what you'll actually need. More time, more consideration.

Pack the must-haves, not the nice-to-haves

Lay out all the items you wish to bring and go through each item with as much thought as you would when spring-cleaning. Channel your inner Marie Condo. Do you really need this? Is this going to make that much of a difference to your overall trip? Ask the harsh questions. With your toiletries, only bring the absolute essentials and make sure they're miniatures, or invest in a mini toiletry set and fill it up with your own products. For shoes, choose light options and always make sure to have one comfortable pair. For bulky shoes, wear them onboard.

When choosing clothes, pick items that you can style easily in multiple ways and that doesn't crease as easily. For example, for a beach holiday, a sarong will be your best friend; you can wear it as a dress, skirt, use it as a beach towel, a blanket or even as a sun shade. For mix and matching your clothes, choose a simple colour palette so that colour coordination is as stress-free as possible. For shoes, flip flops are handy as they can be used at the beach, somewhere casual and even as house shoes.

If you can't be bothered for folding squares, a safe bet is to just roll your clothes. It's more space-efficient, easy, and reduces the chance of creases. Also, stacking your shirts allows you to identify it more easily at a glance. You'd be surprised how much you can fit into a tiny corner in your suitcase.

This packing 'concept' props up on pretty much every 'how-to pack' article online and that's because it actually works. It's pretty simple - pack three of everything: three shirts, three bottoms, three dresses, three pairs of shoes and make sure they can all be combined.

This might seem impossible, but some extra space goes along way, especially when your suitcase gets a bit messy. A better way to use this space would be to fill it with supplies to give to socially sustainable projects, like 

, who encourage travellers to bring over supplies needed for community projects.

How to Pack Sustainably

The island of Siquijor, found in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines, is a mysterious other-world of witchcraft, the unknown and to 

 these are practitioners of a form of Filipino witchcraft called 

. Researcher of Filipino and Austronesian history, 

, states that in his experience of visiting the island,  many Cebuanos refused to accompany him on his journeys. Many believe that they perform black magic, using rituals similar to voodoo, and cast spells and incantations to bring harm. However, they aren’t just self-serving; they often sell love potions and services to help customers exert revenge on those who have wronged them.

These images are from documentary photographer, 

, and show his time spent with folk healers and sorcerers on the island. Out of his time spent there he said it was “

interesting seeing the influence of the church on these sorcerers, with many praying and lighting candles on their altar before starting a ritual.”

, spends 20 years exploring the mysticism of the practice of 

, an African diasporic religion that developed in Haiti between the 16th and 19th centuries and which is often seen as a practice involving magic. Vodou is an official religion of Haiti, which more than 8 million people practice. This African diasporic religion is based on the belief that everything is a spirit and humans exist to serve the spirits through different devotional rites and prayers.

 will often experience spirit possession and enter trance-like states, which can include eating and drinking, dancing, divination and performing special medical cures or physical fears. Vodou is not evil; it is a belief system and religion comparable to any other. As one of Vodou's central sites, Souvenance holds an annual festival at Easter. These images take place during this event.

it’s Vodou, the people, the music, the dance and the incredible drumming that draw me back.

In the suburbs of Bucharest lives one of the most famous witches in Romania, 

. She and her coven - all of which are traditionally itinerant Roma minorities - live at the outskirts of European society and make their living through performing rituals that help their clients find money, love and sufficient punishments for those who have wronged them.

Romanian photographer, Virginia Lupu, had the chance of photographing them in cantatory action. In this, Lupu discovered a significant aesthetic element in the witches' rituals. Minca would use a different colour palette for each type of spell.

"Red for love, yellow for abundance and richness, white for blessing, and black for powerful black magic rituals..."

The women's recipes and activities aren't noted in any kind of book, but passed down from generation to generation. The images highlight how the women invoke craft and fashion to enhance their potency and Lupu wanted the images to help viewers better appreciate Roma superstitions, witchcraft and magical practices.

Witchcraft and Black Magic Across the World

80% of the Trippin community want to go local and support their community.

It seems right now that life is a series of question marks with no definite answers in response. Although this applies to almost everything right now, it is especially true for the topic of travel. When and how seem to be the most nagging thoughts and whilst we aren’t about to say we have all the answers, we’re determined to help ease that restlessness that comes with being an avid traveller.

, international travel will take much longer to bounce back, but it has been shown that Americans are still eager to travel, just within their control. The same can be said for Britons. This is where local and regional travel come in. 

 of our community said they want to go local and support their community. It is also the most realistic solution to our travel problems; we can discover parts of our city, region, country that might have previously been overlooked in favour of faraway places. It’s feasible and in fact, more sustainable.

If we look to the travel behaviours of countries further on in the recovery stage, like China, the data shows just this. 

 by McKinsey & Company shows that, at present, travel is entirely domestic and the population “

prefer to stay close to home - choosing for example, to drive or take trains to regional destinations

”. With this in mind, it’s safe to say there will be a general shift towards 

 like road trips, staycations or even home-swaps. It allows more control and helps ease overall anxiety concerning cleanliness and safety.

In consideration of types of holidays, it’s been shown that 

 have been the most popular - think nature walks, cycling trips, scenic drives - along with 

-themed trips following behind. Shopping trips have fallen to the bottom of the popularity list. Unsurprisingly, it’s also been shown that “

the young will go first. Economy travel will recover more quickly… and congested cities will be avoided

International travel is, for now, a likely far-away dream

Although, we are personally gutted by this - it’s a necessary evil. Find solace that these places will remain and it is still entirely possible you’ll get to traverse the piercing white plains of Salar de Uyuni. It just needs to wait for now. It is suggested that non-essential travel should only be revisited once current advisories have been lifted. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

On surface level, it might not seem as enticing as a trip to the wild beaches of Mexico, but it really goes back to the roots of why we love to travel so much: to discover, to learn and to connect. And why shouldn’t this apply to your resident country? There is so much beauty and substance around us and in learning more about the places around you, you could easily end up learning a lot more about yourself.

As long as people continue dreaming and feeding their curiousity, the desire to travel will stay. Yes, we will have to work with what we’ve got, but we’re human and it’s in our nature to be creative. Rest assured, you’ll be able to tick off that journey or place you’ve been dreaming of.

More considered travel will continue to be on the rise with more people looking inwards. People will consider what’s within their physical reach and also uncover what they really desire from travel. This will be a revelatory time. This piece of writing may have somewhat of a dark cloud lingering over it, but there are multiple silver linings. For example, ‘overtourism’ is likely to decrease with more people spreading their travel out, trips to nearby places will mean less travel time and less overall carbon emissions as less people resort to long-haul planes and planes in general... the list goes on. You’ll be giving Mother Earth some much needed rest and recuperation.

In the next few weeks, we’ll be attempting to tackle this type of travel by sharing with you how you can go about making 

 plans for city trips, regional and countryside escapes and pairing these with guides and features on particular neighbourhoods, regions as well as themed trips like road trips, nature trips and many more. In the meantime, check out our piece on

- a type of travel highly likely to pick up after borders open up.

We are aware we have much to learn as the landscape continuously changes day by day, so if you have any information or opinions on the topic that you’d like to share, don’t hesitate to reach out to us via email, Instagram or on our WhatsApp channel.

Going Local: The New Normal

"I wanted to create a space where we would have the freedom to listen and dance to soulful music of all kinds with people who were down to experience music in that way. Still feels just as good now as it did during those first few gatherings."

The music and nightlife scene is a hard industry to distinguish your own voice in. It can almost be likened to that moment when you lose your mates in a crowd; struggling to be heard above the overwhelming noise, hoping your tune will be picked up by those special few. The tune that Touching Bass sings, rings well and has gathered a solid group of music-lovers, so strongly held together that they’re better known as a community.

Fronted by Errol and Alex, Touching Bass started from a love for finding soul, and by that they mean ‘whatever you vibe to’. This leaves much room for creativity, which is exactly what a set by these two is: wild, unexpected and just plain fun. Although the duo started out by doing events, of which guests would be told by text, Touching Bass is much more than that. It’s a movement towards indulging in what makes you happy, in a safe, open-minded space with like-minded people. A simple formula sure to do well in a world of uncertainties. It’s also a curatorial platform, concert series, record label and bi-weekly NTS Radio residency… just to keep the list short.

To find out more behind this feel-good community, we sat down with Errol to talk about his inspiration, his source of creativity and his thoughts on London’s ever changing nature…

Hey Errol, how are you? Where in the world are you right now?

What’s good? I’m bless, currently out in Tokyo on a three-month tour across Australia, New Zealand and Japan, so it’s been pretty mad. Me and Alex have been so grateful to have the opportunity to travel across the globe more often to share music. The more I do it, the more I realise how addictive travelling can be too.

That sounds so fun and sounds like you’ve had a mad journey to get here today. How did this all start? And were you always involved in events?

Touching Bass actually started as a mix/interview series of the same name for Noisey/VICE, where I was working at the time as a journalist. I would do it every week just for fun but it paused when I left the job. It came to life again when a bredrin asked me about it and encouraged me to get it up and running again. I saw that as a sign to get the ball rolling and really flesh it out into something bigger. So, Touching Bass (in its current form) was born in December 2014.

I initially got into doing events when I was 21. Me and Tiffany Calver hosted Sango, Iman Omari, Little Simz and Ego Ella May in Dalston and I remember the feeling I got from doing it. From then on, I had the bug.

I spent a lot of my mid-20s hosting and putting on shows at Boiler Room. That’s actually how I met Alex - on the dancefloor of a Boiler Room I hosted with London broken beat legends, Co-Op.

What did you feel you wanted to bring to London’s music scene?

Well, it started as an alternative to all of the club nights I was experiencing in the city at the time. I wanted to create a space where we would have the freedom to listen and dance to soulful music of all kinds with people who were down to experience music in that way. Still feels just as good now as it did during those first few gatherings.

What made you decide to share it via text only? Were you not worried about how many people would turn up?

Of course. It was like that feeling you get when you do a house party for the first time and think no one is going to show up. But then you realise you’re just tripping and eventually you put all of that to the side. Most of the people that came to those first few parties are some of my best friends now.

When you start out in the nightlife/events industry, there is always that worry of ‘how will I sustain?’ But the whole reason we started the night was to prioritise the feel-good and allow people to drown out the unnecessary noise and anxiety, even just for a while. We needed to do things our way, and this meant growing a community whose minds were aligned. The best way to do this was to build it organically and with longevity in mind. It has really allowed us to build a strong foundation, along with mutual trust with our community members. It’s really working for us at the moment and has helped us establish ourselves as novel.

Soul singers/collectives/groups in London’s music scene that you are particularly excited about?

As someone well-versed in London’s music scene, what are your favourite areas?

There are a few musical areas I love, but South London has been my favourite for a while; loads of experimentation, collaboration and excitement in the ends. It’s why I moved down here. It’s a vibrant community of a variety of music that acts as fertile ground for multiculturalism and all sorts of music, from post-punk to garage. It really amazes me everyday. Beyond London, I also need to give a shout out to our growing intercontinental network of talented friends expanding what soul music can mean: Mandarin Dreams in Melbourne, Dolfin Records in Texas, Mutual Intentions in Norway, homies in LA, New York, Detroit, Japan and beyond.

How have you seen South London evolve over the years?

Well, this is always a tricky topic, as there is always good and bad in everything. In neighbourhoods like Brixton, it was strange to see it change from a no-go to a place where everyone was and things were popping up everywhere. Brixton still has a strong personality, but it has become diluted and there is this overcast feeling of gentrification, which is sad and unfortunate, especially for long-time locals. The attention has also been good in spotlighting local businesses, cultures and artists, but I think it’s important we prioritise them and their needs, as this is their home.

I agree. It’s a tricky topic to navigate, but locals definitely need to be prioritised, and at least be included in major conversations. In relation to Touching Bass, does that have a physical home?

Apart from the dance/events, we’ve been trying to manifest the idea of a Touching Bass HQ since we started. Last year, it became a reality thanks to two inspirational bruddas: drummer/musical director, Kwake Bass (Kate Tempest, MF Doom, Sampha), and producer/badman/TB resident, Wu-Lu, who have tirelessly built up a complex now christened as ‘The Room Studios’. It’s a common space for our community in Hither Green, near Lewisham and they kindly gave us a spot to call our office. We didn’t wanna rush it because we were allowing it to grow at its own pace alongside our other new ventures, like our record label and developing our radio show. The space would only act as a touch point for all our different community members to come together and collaborate or just work individually. All these different avenues have been crucial in building our brand and reach around the world - especially radio.

What are your hopes for Touching Bass and how do you think music can heal us in this uneasy time?

I think that using this time to dive deeper into ourselves is going to be important; not just with music but in all other productive aspects — whether that be learning a new skill, finding out more about ourselves or our loved ones or just slowing things down.

I used to make music when I was younger but stopped in my early 20s because I had a really low self-esteem. I’ve decided to set myself a challenge to make a new beat/musical idea every day just to rekindle that feeling you get from making something yourself. Album pending.

As for Touching Bass, I just want us to further establish ourselves as a platform for the people and things we’re really into. Building out the record label and merchandise are top priority in my mind alongside some other exciting ideas that are in the works.

One of them is restarting our non-alcoholic interview/concert series, ‘Speaking In Sound’, with the help of some incredible partners. Stay tuned for more on that soon.

United Kingdom

London

Finding Soul with Touching Bass

With more and more young people experiencing 'burn out', it's no wonder movements like slow travel have been gaining traction over the years. We give the lowdown on what it actually is and how you can incorporate it into your travel behaviour.

Today our lives are split into two worlds - the hyper-real world of the fast and the reflective world of the slow. We find ourselves torn between these two worlds; constantly online and in-the-know with social media but longing to escape and disconnect just for a little while until we're refreshed and recharged. This is where slow travel comes in. It rejects the fast-paced lifestyle and prioritises the journey, the experience and the connections that are made. Slow travel is an offshoot to the slow food movement. In Italy in the 1980s, a backlash ensued against the opening of a McDonald’s in Rome. Locals valued regional cuisine, traditional cooking methods, local farming; they valued quality over quantity, process over result. This mode of thinking gave way to a whole way of life, known as the Slow Movement. This aimed to address “time poverty” by focusing on fostering connections; with people, places and things.

With slow travel, journey is valued at the utmost and connection is imperative. Travel is treated almost synonymous to journey and landscape and in league with being a purposeful traveller. Along with being enriching, it is also one of the most sustainable ways to travel. Slow travel discourages flying regularly and the longer your length of stay in a destination, the more positive is the cultural exchange and the deeper your connection to the local community.

We recognise that slow travel requires time and money - which we may not always have at our disposal - but it starts with adopting small changes in our travel behaviour. So, even if you can’t travel slow in totality, you can approach your holiday with that mindset. In the aim of awakening your inner flaneur, we’ve drawn up a guide on how to become a slow traveller and add more meaning to your holiday.


A key ingredient in slow travel is mobility. Slow travel excludes planes altogether, so it's important to be able to carry and manage your luggage well, so that you're not held back on your journey. Even if you end up taking a long-haul plane, packing light and minimally will help you easily travel on buses, trains, cycling and walking. Not to mention, it's better for the environment.

Like with everything when it comes to travel: do you research. If you want to reduce your carbon footprint whilst maximising cultural immersion, look for journeys which can either be the trip itself or carve out a particular area or city in a country that you’d like to explore in depth. This almost always guarantees a more fulfilling experience rather than a shallow, stop-to-stop shuttle of attractions. Also, be mindful of the different transport links available to you between different stops on your journey.

This ties in with choosing wisely and also depends on how much time you have on your hands. Be realistic. If you only have two weeks, it's better to stay in just one area or city and commit to immersing yourself in that scenery and atmosphere. This way you'll come out of it, hopefully, feeling like you have really taken something away from it and avoids just skimming the surface. Less attractions to visit means more time at each one.

As well as being better for the environment (and also great for that summer bod), this is the best form of slow travel because it exposes you to the environment. You'll find yourself stumbling across unexpected places, people and things you wouldn't have if you were in a car or train. It's here in the hidden details, that you'll grow into knowing a place and experiencing it for what it really is.

It's always important to go offline when on holiday and just follow your instincts when you're in a new place. This doesn't mean stumbling into a wooden forest unprepared, but simply putting these items of comfort somewhere safe and nearby (in case of emergencies) and letting the place and its people take you out of your comfort zone to experience something new.

Slow Travel: How to Make Your Journey Matter

"This place is an explosion of colour and richness. This is the richest country you can imagine, you can throw corn anywhere and they'll grow and feed you well... It's the second country with the most microclimates in the world after Indonesia."

On a humid Friday morning, I stare at my screen waiting for Zoom to load up for my interview with photographer, Juan Brenner. Around 17,000km away in Guatemala City, Juan was doing the same in the evening glow of a Thursday night. Even though I was technically ahead of his time, I knew I had much to learn from him on the topic of Guatemalan culture and traditions. Becoming a photographer was a pleasant accident for Juan and getting his hands on a camera set off his creative instinct, leading him to move to New York in 1998. Working in fashion for over a decade, he says he became consumed by the heady lifestyle that the city is notorious for and found himself slowly losing touch with his home country. For his mental health, he left and returned to Guatemala City; New York was pushing him away and at the same time, his homeland was pulling him back. It’s safe to say that he hasn’t looked back since then.

In pursuit of reconnecting with his roots, Juan looked beyond what was just in front of him, back almost 500 years to the time when Spanish conquistador, 

, savagely scoured the Guatemalan territory, resulting in violence and wars that lasted until 1821, when Guatemala finally obtained independence. In his first published book, 

 - the nickname the inhabitants of Mexico gave de Alvarado - he retraces the conquistadors steps in order to track the undying impact this conquest had on the history and culture of Guatemala. Juan is self-taught; his career began on the streets of his hometown with camera in hand and curiosity in the other. It’s a sweet trick of life to see that his work has come full circle to his humble beginnings. As I sat in my morning and him in his evening, I asked him a few questions about the journey he underwent for his book, his own personal journey and the beauty and history of Guatemala…

I was away and living in New York for almost twelve years, so it was a long time for me to be away from Guatemala. I kind of felt that I didn't know my country, my territory, my society, so it was kind of obvious to me that I wanted to do something that brought me back to my roots, in order to reintroduce myself. It’s cliché, but I had to do it. The idea for the project really came to me in 2015 when I was travelling around Ecuador and Peru. In my time there, I started identifying all these archetypes and it inspired me to focus on indigenous power in Guatemala, but with years of research and investigation and speaking to indigenous leaders, I quickly realised that the power was still in the hands of the colonisers, the white man.

Knowing this, I decided to rewind back to what I thought was a crossroads of our culture - the conquest of the Americas by the Spanish Crown. I did a lot of research and investigation on this to mark out a journey that was doable and accessible and funnelled it down to Guatemala.

How did you see yourself as a photographer and native interact with these historic lands and people?

It’s crazy because I was doing a project about colonialism, condemning it, yet I was out there with a camera documenting these places and people, which is one of the most colonialist things you can do. Initially, I didn’t want to capture portraits, but focus more on scenery because of two reasons. First reason: it's because I was really afraid of not being able to build that rapport, to build that connection with people. Second reason: it's really dangerous. Guatemala is a dangerous country. It's very volatile and very dark. Sadly, history made us that way. We had a 36-year internal war, so people up in the Highlands are very private, they can be very reckless, and they don't they really don't trust anyone, you know what I mean? So I was kind of afraid of that. I expected the camera to close doors for me within the Highland communities, that they would refrain from it, but it was the opposite. People were curious and gravitated towards the camera. I started taking a bunch of polaroids and one day I saw them all and I thought, ‘

’ and refocused my project on portraits. I ended up shooting stuff I never, ever thought I would.

What can you tell us about Guatemala and its history?

Guatemala... it's a super, super complicated place. It's a small country, it's a very small country: there’s only around 18 million in total. We were colonised 500 years ago, we had a colonial project for 350, almost 400 years. Then, in the mid 50s, the war started. The CIA created this coup d'état here throughout the leftist government; we had a war for almost 40 years that destroyed us. In the middle of the war, there was this huge earthquake that killed around 100,000 people. So, the country was extremely run down by the 70s. The country was gone. I speak and work in the Highlands so much because everything I'm talking about happened in the Highlands. The conflicts happened in the Highlands, the war and the most affected areas were in the Highlands.

Can you describe the Highlands to someone who's never been?

It’s so fertile, so rich. There's so many people living there. I'm 100% sure that it defines us, defines us as a country. It defines us as a territory. The people are not 100% Mayan here. Why? When the Mayan culture collapsed, people came down South from all over Latin America. People came from the northern part of the country and collided with Mexican tribes in the south. Now, we have 28 different languages spoken in the country. It’s crazy diverse.

Syncretism and conquest gave us this identity that was developed in the Highlands. With the feudal masters that came with colonialism meant they owned slaves. However, these masters had to put uniforms on their slaves. They just gave their people fabrics and cotton and a few colours and it just exploded. Every single little town had an expression and it was an expression of belonging. They developed all these amazing, beautiful textiles. When the Germans came with coffee, they brought chemical colours. So, it just became crazy. This place is an explosion of colour and richness. This is the richest country you can imagine, you can throw corn anywhere and they'll grow and feed you well. It's beautiful. There's so much water. The rivers are incredibly strong and flowing. We have around 27 volcanoes and 5 of them are active. Guatemala is insane in terms of natural beauty. It's the second country with the most microclimates in the world after Indonesia.

I understand that in your journey around Guatemala you wanted to uncover the significance of gold to the land, the people and the history. What did you uncover?

I wanted to see gold because that's the main reason why the Spaniards came. But the thing is that Pedro de Alvarado, he conquered Mexico before coming here and he heard that this territory was really rich. He didn't do his research though, so he didn't know that it was rich, but not in gold. It was rich in bird feathers, jade, bone and cotton. That was more important than gold at that time. He went on a rampage of genocide and war, because he was so crazy about gold but he couldn't find it. He thought we were hiding the gold from him. In my project, I decided I had to also take the stance of the conquest and so, I also looked for the gold.

Of course, I didn't find any gold. But then I started seeing people's mouths and saw that there was gold in them. This naturally progressed into me photographing people’s teeth and is the next project I’m working on now. I'm so fascinated by it because it's a circular story: the Mayans 2000 years ago would embellish their mouth with jade and bone as a symbol of power.

What can you tell us about your next project?

I’m in the middle of shooting now, but I’ve progressed from looking at the past to focusing on the present. How is Guatemala now? What is happening on the ground? How are we interacting with the world? My photography looks at globalisation, the dark side of the beauty industry here, the youth. Everything is so diverse here, diversity defines us and it defines our territory.

Tune in tomorrow for the next part of Juan’s interview where we talk about Guatemala as it lives and breathes now.

A Photographic Journey Into The Heart of Guatemala 

The aviation industry is expected to account for

if we don't change our travel behaviours.

The topic of air travel is controversial and frankly, confusing. But by opening up this discussion and looking at different viewpoints, it allows us to work together to find a viable and practical solution to travelling more sustainably. Travelling ‘sustainably’ can mean a lot of things, but last week we looked into how we can all really cut down our carbon footprint, whilst not compromising our lifestyles completely.

The first perspective we took into account was from Anna Hughes; the founder of the UK Flight Free 2020 campaign who hasn’t flown in 10 years. The campaign asks 100,000 people to pledge to stay grounded for a year in order to reduce their carbon footprint, re-discover the joys of overland travel, and start to shift the social norm away from aviation. We were also joined by Mikaela Loach, an environmental activist and member of the campaign.

As a round-up of weeks information, we’ve condensed both Anna and Mikaela’s advice into a few simple points:

To put things into perspective, less than 12% of the world’s population have taken a flight. Going to new places and discovering cultures is a gift and as conscious travellers, we must respect this process and approach it with care.


Always ask yourself: do I really need to travel?

Everyone needs a little R&R in the fast-paced, hurried world we live in, but do we really need to fly away to find this escape? Probably not. When looking for a holiday, look local. If you really need to leave the country, look at the options you have where you can travel by train, bus or even car.

If you really have to fly… try and travel with a cause

Even though carbon offsetting is problematic and we have much to learn about its effectiveness, it is largely the only accessible option we have when flying is unavoidable. The best way to approach offsetting is to take responsibility for it; do your own research and find your own projects and companies to give money to. Give money to grass-root projects and companies that have a Science Based Target, that can show you where your money goes and that will contribute to social and environmental causes.


If we have learnt anything in the last week, it is to always ask yourself why you are travelling. With the travel sector being the second fastest growing industry in the world, we are in no place to be complacent and lazy with our travel habits. When it comes to air travel, be harsh with yourself and think about the real ways you can give back, if you really have to fly.

To Fly or Not To Fly?

The beauty and strength of being a second-generation child is endless. Oluwakemi Oritsejafor is a direct representation of this, conceptually and visually. As a photographer based in New York City and Lagos, Oluwakemi, draws on the creativity and chaos of both of these places, using her difference as an advantage and respecting her father’s strong ties to Lagos as a source of self-reflection and growth.

In Kemi’s ethereal photography project, she dives into the interplay of Yoruba culture, self-discovery and creativity. In this photographic journey lies a personal journey, in which Kemi has had to navigate the creative scenes of both NYC and Lagos. We sit down to talk to Kemi about the project and the journey she took to get here today.

How was this project born and what inspired it?

I worked closely on it with creative director, 

, who is based full time in Lagos. Cheche really has such a strong vision, work ethic, and eagerness that is really hard to find when collaborating, someone who can keep up with my pace. Working together has turned into a friendship and ongoing creative partnership, and plain and simple reminded me why I love working with other Nigerians. We as a people just have a certain energy and attitude towards being unabashed when taking on what’s in front of us. Therefore, this project just came together naturally and to life around New Years 2019.

New Years is my favourite time of year, as I love the sense of renewal and rebirth that comes with the reset of the year, and of course this past season was special for it being the start of a new era. I think of rebirth not in the sense of completely reinventing yourself, but in looking inwards, staying true to yourself but also encouraging room for improvement. Those close to me might even say I am introspective to a fault. This really ties into my strong sense of spirituality that is intrinsic to my Yoruba background and my overall upbringing. I am lucky to be getting older and it’s amazing to feel my intuition begin to radiate. As for the photography itself, I’d say, it’s a visual representation of my connection to Lagos, the importance of self-reflection and an output of my creativity. To me it’s a showing of thanks and the honour to be formed into who I am today from a lifetime of journey’s to my father’s home country and the city that raised him, Lagos.

I first went to Lagos as my father’s child, as a second-generation kid given my father is Nigerian, my mother Liberian, and I being born and raised predominantly in America. Even though I went during summer as kid and throughout my adult life, it was always seen to me as my father’s terrain. As I was my father and Lagos’ guest, looking at his city through his eyes, which is a privilege and a gift within itself. My more recent trips to Lagos over the last few years have allowed me a new gift, being able to see it in a different light; as somewhere I can develop my own personal memories out of and mark my own place out as a creative and as a foreign-born Nigerian. This ties in with the sense of death and rebirth; I’ve begun to move away from this identity as purely a foreigner and embrace my role as a newfound insider with much to still learn and exchange from my peers in Lagos’ creative scene.

Why was Tarkwa Bay your choice of setting?

This was my father’s influence, as he spent a lot of his youth here on Tarkwa Bay and the beaches of Lagos. It was a place that physically and emotionally saw him grow up. It ties in well with the themes I wanted to explore and I saw a beauty in the circular nature of it - him coming here as a young adult growing into himself and me coming here to Lagos over my lifetime to better understand who I am and helping my self growth into the individual I am today.

How has your heritage influenced your creativity?

I’d say my heritage is intrinsic to my work. I fully believe I would have nothing to guide me in my work, in my life, if it wasn’t for the dedication my parents had for my understanding of my family's story and journey to now. Both my father and mother’s careful nurturing provided me as a young black girl of West African descent in the American South as something to really ground me. My father travelling with his children to Lagos as often as he could was his way of connecting with me. He instilled into us more than just heritage, but a sense of pride and confidence as to who I am and who I will become. That is truly written in what has come of our family over generations. Over the years, all the trips became a journey of further understanding as to how my world came to be, what my actions and impact represent therefore. That in itself is a big part of Nigerian identity, being someone who carries yourself well in the world as a reflection of those who raised you.

My time spent in Lagos exposed me to levels of unwavering beauty and a perspective I find absolutely invaluable. The city has always been a source of inspiration and will continue to be. A big part of this is its culture and heritage as the heart of Yorubaland. Being Yoruba greatly influenced me as a person overall from the dress, the music, the language, and especially the attitude and beauty of Yoruba women haha. We are very spiritual people who value respect and honour, especially for your elders. As an American, Nigerian, and Liberian, I have come across challenges my entire life navigating what can feel as if 3 opposing cultures and viewpoints. But it’s always more than rewarding, but defines who I have become as a person, to find a balance of these cultures. My work sits at the intersections of my identity, my life, and my family's experience over generations, that simply fuels me more than anything.

To build on this, how did you navigate this journey?

I feel like all second-generation kids go through this, to varying degrees. It can be very hard to find a balance that fits for you, and often it’ll be ever-changing with your age and environment. I think the bottom line for me - coming out of this transformative project, and just through growing up - is that each experience is different and being kind to yourself and honest with your family about where you stand, is essential in your self-growth. I believe that continuing to learn how to compromise without breaking your own personal boundaries and perspective while moving with patience and compassion, especially for yourself, has brought me to this level of understanding and clarity.

What are the similarities and differences you see between the two creative scenes?

To be honest, NYC (especially Brooklyn) and Lagos draw a lot of similarities: they both have this grit and undying drive that is both infectious and relentless, both people move with urgency and are hungry for life. I would say that the Lagos scene is more forthcoming and people are more open to honest feedback, which links to their strong sense of self-growth. Because the Lagos scene is small in comparison to that of NYC, people have a stronger sense of working together in a way that is new to me but is both rewarding and challenging. Lagosians are also some of the most resourceful people you’ll ever meet! Generally speaking, I ask myself every time I reach out to someone or connect with someone to collaborate, am I showing up as my best self? What can I learn from them? What can I provide in return? In Lagos this question definitely means so much more to me as I always come prepared to give as much as I take in knowledge and experience in a way that feels different than in NYC.

Also, my experience is that there are different obstacles in the way for me, as a young Black image maker and artist in NYC, than in Lagos. In NYC there is still great room for improvement in the creative scene in terms of opportunities for us as Queer POC and women in general in NYC, especially as an image maker from my personal experience. In Lagos I am most excited about the community queer people and women who are creating visuals and compelling stories, and am dedicated to working and collaborating with them, giving our community further amplification to individual voices and experiences. This is not to discredit either scene, but simply to say that there can always be more room for everyone. There is a larger conversation here on the freedoms and access communities have within the arts and our greater society that is being had, I will always contribute to it in the most productive means.

What do you hope for yourself as a creative and for the creative scenes in both your homes?

I want to tell stories that are reflective and put my energy into personal experiences that can inspire and help others. These places are both my homes - places I can relax, unwind and look inwards - and so will always inform my journey as a creative human. My hope is to contribute to growing and maintaining a space that is both open and nurturing regardless of the scene I am a part of. But, also to not be afraid of showing up as my true self while emulating the authenticity and self assurance of the creative leaders who have come before me.

There is always a fear across both scenes that if I say the wrong thing and show up in a way that is not whatever the given status quo of a world that has some obvious improvements then I’ll be flat out done, silenced. I want to push against that always in my work and how I work with people, because my work is how I have conquered my personal fears and hesitations that keep me from truly being and showing up as my whole self. Being a photographer and overall creative has truly been my liberation. Through collaborating with various makers and artists across scenes with this mindset, it’s beautiful how we come together, create an honest community and chosen family through our storytelling.