Bethia Idoko, a Nigerian solo traveller and entrepreneur, has made history by visiting 100 countries using only her Nigerian passport – entirely self‑funded.
Despite the Nigerian passport’s strict global visa restrictions and low mobility rankings, Idoko achieved the monumental milestone in early 2026, celebrating in Kenya.
She funds her travels through real estate income and her travel company, Explore with Bethia. By using multi‑city routes, cheap regional transit, and free stopovers, she cut costs significantly.
Idoko documented numerous visa rejections and “visa heartbreaks” along the way, but deliberately refused to switch passports or seek alternative citizenship.
She built her travel history step by step, starting with visa‑free African nations to prove compliance before applying to strict Western embassies.
“A little girl once had a dream to see what the world looked like outside her immediate environment, and she held onto it as her life depended on it, despite visa rejections and visa heartbreaks,” she wrote. “Today, that little girl is a grown woman who has visited 100 countries… that little girl is me. 100 countries and counting.”
Her achievement has made waves in the travel community, earning her induction into the Tourism 100 Club. She also founded the Queen Bethia Love Impact Foundation.
Her message to African travellers: you can see the world without shrinking your identity.
