Julie Olum

Contribution: feature/spread on desert lakes around the world and their unique features and inhabitants.

"From the bestselling authors of Atlas Obscura and Gastro Obscura comes Wild Life, a nature book like no other—a dazzling, over-the-top collection of the world's most extraordinary wild species that takes you to all seven continents and beyond. It's more than a field guide–it's an adventure."
Publishing Date: September 2024

A sidebar on Kara-Tunga, a Ugandan community tourism initiative for and by the Karamoja region.
Selamta Magazine (Ethiopian Airlines). Mar/Apr 2024.

Whether it’s to follow a personal passion or a way to decompress, a big solo trip can be the best kind of birthday celebration. At least according to these travelers.

Published in the Wall Street Journal's Off Duty Travel section, print and digital. January 2024.

Part of the team putting together the 11th edition of the Lonely Planet Kenya and East Africa travel guide books.
Conducted field research and writing the North Coast and Western Kenya (+Masai Mara) chapters in the book, as well as an essay on indigenous-led conservation in the country.

Published November 2023.

Kenya’s Miti Alliance is growing a living seed bank to help counteract deforestation, preserve indigenous tree species and boost knowledge of local ecosystems.

Before Nashulai, Maasai communities around the Mara triangle were selling off their rights to live and work on their land, becoming “conservation refugees”.

A dive into the ‘cultures’ around the world invented for tourism and capitalist consumption.

Reader’s Digest UK December 2020.

Known as the Green City in the Sun, the Silicon Savannah, and even NairoBAE to locals, Kenya's capital is in many ways the gateway to East and Central Africa.

Though it’s long been overlooked as an inevitable airport stop on the way to explore other parts of Kenya, Nairobi is a vibrant, inspiring city where modern art and design coexist with traditional crafts, and indigenous wildlife roams just a few miles from the city center.

Things have rather escalated in the past 40 days. Uganda closed all borders for passenger movement on March 22—a government directive that I found out about that very Sunday while preparing to jump in the pool, not having considered my last chance to leave the country and go home.

More than just safaris: Kenya travel itineraries and city/region/park profiles.

Here are some useful tips to stay safe and have fun while Couchsurfing around the world.

The global fest AFROPUNK came to Africa for the first time.

In light of this event, Once in Joburg offered an Afro-centric event called the Rebirth Festival. A variety of experiences were on offer prior to the AFROPUNK Festival; expanding guests Afro experience beyond the festival gates.

An Afropunk Rebirth – A Cultural Awakening in Joburg

Cape Town, affectionately called the Mother City, or Ekapa by locals, was long a “spring-break” destination for many of us who went to university in the slightly less exciting cities of South Africa. Like many before and after me, I decided to make it my base for a few months after studying to join the fan club of ex-students, ex-holidayers who could find no good reason to leave and CPT originals, born and bred between the mountain and the (freezing) cold ocean who remain loyal to the city.

We all know the stereotypes. Venice is the ideal getaway for couples old and young, strolling beside canals, kissing in gondolas and other activities on boats (re-watch Casanova and you’ll get it.)
Shock on me when I found myself alone there for a week one June.

A while ago the bomb dropped on us internet folk that Shudu, a stunning ebony-skinned model with a following of over 30k on Instagram, was in fact the 3D art project of London-based photographer Cameron-James Wilson.