M.P Blog

"There is no reason for you to miss out on the #VacayMood posts, just because your travel budget is limited!"

December is almost here and we just can't wait! It is that time to see the various social media posts, reels and YouTube vlogs on the different destinations. Some will be posting from the white beaches of Zanzibar, others from the plains of the Serengeti or the gorgeous valleys of Ngorongoro national park. The question is, where will you be posting from?

Today I want to share some tips on how YOU, can also be part of the hashtag #VacayMode , without breaking your bank account. Budget friendly tips that will help you get those Instagram worthy photos and reels :) So, here we go;

1. Early Bookings

This is one important tip, especially since most of us Tanzanians (and Africans really), are not used to plan and book early for our transport and accommodation when traveling. One thing that help our family is using those early booking offers that most hotels advertise. As I am writing this, we are already in November. This means, the prices are starting to go higher due to the upcoming holidays. However, different offers are still there, you only need to do your research and visit hotel or booking websites. I like using booking.com as a website because their prices are usually cheaper than other websites.

2. Budget Accommodation

I know many of us like to stay in high end hotels, especially when traveling for the holidays. However, what I gathered over the years is, you may travel to Zanzibar or go to Serengeti/Ngorongoro/Mikumi/Kilwa, Dubai etc and stay at a budget friendly lodge/AirBnB and still get those luxury Instagram pictures for the gram. The money you serve from accommodation is what you use for that luxury brunch or a day rate pool time at a 5 star hotel, a fancy dinner or a spa date. Just make sure you book yourself at a safe neighborhood that is accessible. For example, did you know that there is a lodge that costs 60,000 TZS a night only, and it is located right opposite Park Hyatt in Zanzibar?

3. Eat with the Locals

If there is one thing I enjoy a lot when traveling, is eating where the locals eat. Don't get me wrong, I also indulge in fancy brunch and dinners, but these are usually occasional. When traveling on a budget, it helps to talk to those street vendors, taxi drivers and hotel receptionists to know where they eat. Their recommendations will take you to amazing local food areas that provide great experiences at affordable prices. In order to balance your day, you may have a hearty local lunch together with a fancy light dinner (less expensive). You have got to be strategic about it :)

4. Affordable Transport

This has layers and layers of content, and it all depends on the distance towards your holiday destination. For those destinations that are accessible via a bus, boat or train ride, making use of that is a budget saver! For example, taking a bus ride to Morogoro and starting a Mikumi tour is much more affordable than booking for a tour car from Dar es Salaam to Mikumi. The same applies for Ngorongoro, Serengeti etc. In order to add into your experience, you may blend different types of transportation in your travels (boat + air flight or Bus + Train etc) However, for those destinations that requires an air flight, booking early is also helpful. Especially if you book through the less grand and popular airlines like Emirates etc. For example, taking a FlyDubai flight is way cheaper than using Emirates.

Bonus Tip: When booking for your flight or accommodation, it is believed that there are specific days and months that are cheaper than others. For instance, Wednesday is believed to be a cheaper day, while September is said to be a cheaper month. I am yet to try this hack but some travelers swear by it!

It is my hope that you got one or two tips to try out...and I look forward to your #VacayMode posts. Just Tag me @MissiePopular pleaseeeee

Happy Holi... oooops, sorry, it's too early :)

M.P

"I am sure if there was an #airportlife challenge somewhere, I would be participating and I might even win it! That's just how much traveling means to me. "

“Traveling for pleasure can contribute to subjective well-being because people have more opportunities to detach from their work environment, to experience new things, and to control what they want to do during vacations,” says Paul Simeone, Ph.D., Vice President and Medical Director of Behavioral Health with Lee Health. “There’s ample research to support that positive travel experiences can make a person healthier, can strengthen their relationships, and benefits their overall wellness.” (www.leehealth.org ) It goes without saying that traveling is a great way to improve your mental health, learn new things and rediscover yourself.

With the current fast life that most of us are experiencing, traveling can be the solution to many issues. Let me share with you some of the benefits I have enjoyed through traveling;

1. Stable Marriage life

There is no such thing as a stable marriage life but I think ours has been better due to my travels. Because of the nature of my work, I travel most of the time. I hardly stay at home for 3 months consecutively. And it is through these ins and outs that I believe my hubby and I have continued to cherish each other over the last 8 years of our marriage life. We miss each other when apart and value our presence when we are together. I think traveling also makes it easier for us to see different issues through multifaceted perspectives and thus we solve our differences easier. Don't get me wrong, like any couple, we do have our hard moments too...yes we do... they are just made a bit easier due to the distances.

2. Exposure

If there is one thing I cherish more due to the different travels I have done, is the level of exposure I have gained. Ranging from cultural differences, foods, drinks and languages, I have experienced a lot that has made me more aware, tolerant and open minded. Through traveling you are able to meet people and immerse yourself in various experiences that changes/improves the way you perceive life itself. From the Brazilian carnival, brunch food culture of Accra, to the ugali and skuma in Nakuru, Kenya...I continue to learn more, one travel after the other.

3. Self Discovery

Have you ever been on a 14hours flight and sitting on a middle seat, squeezed between 2 giant men? Ooooh I never knew I had such patience in me! Traveling gives you a chance to self discover yourself through the various experiences you encounter. You learn your strengths and weaknesses, and also develop your character.

4. Mental Health/ Happiness

The psychologists say that moving yourself from your normal environment to somewhere new, has benefits in your mental health. You get to relax and breath a bit as you explore new things and discover new adventures. Traveling (both business and leisure travel) has major benefits for your mental health. For a moment you get to leave behind your stress and be open to new experiences.

I am very sure there are many more benefits you might have seen in your travel days too. Don't be shy to share them through the comment section below.

You may see my travel adventures through the posts I continue to share via Instagram @MissiePopular

Life is too short, Travel!

xoxo

M.P

Dear Missie

First of all, Asante sana for this opportunity. I can say its like you have been reading my mind and see what I am going through now at work. My name is Stephania (not her real name) and I have been working for a xxx company for three years now. I joined the company through their graduate program and I was so excited when I got selected to continue as an executive.

I feel like my initiation into the corporate life started last year. And it has not been pretty. Sijui nianze wapi.

It all started last year before Christmas, when we met as a team to finalize some reports. During the meeting our boss mentioned how he found our team not very motivating because the ladies are not well "endowed" as African women. His actual words were “watoto wa humu ndani hata hawaleti motisha…hamna wezere za kiafrika kabisaaaa” Did I mention that I was the only girl in the team?

Maybe let me take you back to when I started working here. From the graduate program, about 4 of us were selected to continue in the company as employees. 3 guys and I, the only girl. I was assigned to the product development team which is lead by a very interesting boss and a team of 3 other men. Our boss is a short guy with a round face, upara kwa mbali as his hairline is quite undefined, plump with a protruding belly and he has a pride and temper that goes with the stereotype of short men. Sometime i think he tries too hard to be seen as "the boss" and also as "a man".

To be fair, he is very good at his job and as a new recruit I have learnt a lot through him. It is his pride and temper that has made me write this today kwasababu kwakweli i need your help.

Sasa back to Christams last year. We were in an official team meeting to close the year and here is our boss making fun of my butts. Yes I am slim and I have that typical Meru body lakini this is not its place for such a discussion. Mind you, this was not the first time he made reference to my body in a group setting. In every meeting, this boss would make jokes and most of them are always sexual jokes. The other men will laugh so hard and even add their jokes in there too. Of course since I was very new, I used to laugh along because I didn’t want to appear to be judging and a party pooper. But this day, I was just fed up...and so...I lashed out kisawasawa!

He wasn’t expecting it and for a minute the whole room went quite. Then he looked around the room, looked at me as if to assess which part of my body he should start insulting first. He rapped for like 5 minutes, insisting that I was out of line and he can end my career right there. Imagine! Mimi ndio niko out of line for telling him the truth! I was so angry my body was shaking so I decided to leave the meeting.

Since that day, he has been ignoring me and all my contributions in the team meetings. I remember there was this trip to market the company outside the country and he took the whole team except me. One of the guys in the team came to me in private and he asked me to go and apologize to our boss. He insists that since I am just starting my career, my boss can actually black list me to his friends who are in other companies. This scares me even more now.

I don't see why I should apologize to him because he is the one in the wrong. I also wanted to go and report it to the HR but my sister thinks I will make it worse. I don't know what to do and frankly I am even scared to start looking for other job opportunities. Please Missie and the readers, help me. How do I handle this? Thank you, Anonymous

.........................................................................................xxx........................................................................

I leave this for you all M.P's, how should she go about this? Should she report him? Can a boss really black list you to other companies? Help Stephanie by leaving a COMMENT below

xoxo

Missie Popular

If there is something in my career life that I would have done differently, is claiming my spot very early on and not let everyone walk all over me. There is a lot to unpack from that sentence, so let me try and hopefully it will help someone in their career development, today.

I started my official employment at the age 25, being the youngest at an organization of 600+ people. My first position led me to the Public Relations office where I served for almost a year, and thereafter, I joined my favorite department, Sales and Marketing. I love marketing! I was on fire! Which means I burnt bridges, created pathways where there was none and sometimes, I burnt myself too...but that is a story for another day.

Being the youngest means you are hardly taken serious, especially when you are in an industry that is quite male-dominated. So I had to learn to tame myself and let others talk on my behalf, or sometimes do what I am told even when I knew things could have been done the other way. This worked for the first 2 years, until the frustration that was building inside me, couldn't take it any more. I started to act out and just be stubborn for no reason. As you can as well guess, I received several discipline letters and was called to the HR for insubordination issues. I was ready to quit.

Then one day, my dad asked me to share exactly what it is that frustrated me. Ooooh I had a lot to say! Him being the patient and cool collected man, he listened until i was done. He waited for me to cool down (I was literally sobbing). Then he calmly asked me, "Let alone the activities that you do, what do you see as your role in that organization?"...I was dumbfounded. I had never before, thought beyond my position and the activities I performed for the organization. It took me few minutes to actually come up with an answer, I said " My role is to create a platform that connects the organization and its potential customers/stakeholders."

He smiled and said, "That's correct. Now, are you 100% in control of that role?" I shook my head "No"...because that was indeed the root cause of my frustration. I felt that I was not in control of the role, but I still received all the blames when things went wrong. My dad gave me a long talk about understanding the organization structure and claiming my spot without apologizing for it. He talked about how leadership is about pushing things forward and breaking the barriers that I come across, daily. At the end of our almost 3 hours talk, he bluntly told me, "You are a young lady with so much fire in you. You can do amazing things if you learn to claim your spot, work hard and earn everyone's respect. I believe in you kiddo, don't shrink yourself for anybody". With tears in my eyes, I promised to make him proud.

When I got to work after that weekend, I brought the fire with me. It took less than six months for my then boss to call me, and asked if I wanted to take on more responsibilities. I said YES! I went on to out perform all tasks related to Events Planning and coordination, which was a big part of the Marketing activities. And after serving for 6 years, my boss gave me his blessings when I asked if I could leave and go to a job that was specifically Events Coordination, at a different organization.

5 years now and I am loving every single challenge that comes with Event coordination. From organizing events in Rwanda, South Africa, Ghana and almost every major city in Tanzania...Coordinating events that bring together former and current presidents, heads of various regional organizations and African countries, private sector etc... It has been such a ride, and quite fruitful. I am forever grateful for my father's advise that day.

Let me come back to you. What is that career thing that is currently troubling you? Let's share and discuss in the comments below

xoxo
Missie Popular

It goes without saying that I LOVE my city, Dar es Salaam. Besides its beautiful architecture, the beach, the super crazy but amazing people, it is also home to great fashion and style in East Africa. It is where fashion trends start and spread to other parts of the East African region, especially through the incorporation of fashion in music and films. This is the Bongoland, and I love it to the core!

It is its majestic architecture and resilient people that inspired me to do this photoshoot. Interpreting how beautiful my city is, the strength and pride its people has and of course, the fashion and style that can be found here. The green color goes with our attempt to embrace sustainability in most of what we do, while the exaggerated moves matches our very own pride and egos as Dar es Salaam dwellers. If you have ever been to this city, you will understand that last part better. No matter who you meet and what their social status is, the pride and ego is of the same size!

But we laugh at every situation we go through. Be it the April rain and floods, the usual crazy traffic jam or getting into the bus through the window, it is never that serious :) You will always hear that same phrase, this is Bongo!

I accessorized the look with ivory colored bangles, earrings and shoes, as a way of showing my sincere optimism for the economic development of my city, which can be contributed by the formalization and development of the fashion industry. I have hope that this East African fashion hub can be able to manufacture and distribute fashion items to the whole of Eastern and Central Africa. We can go beyond fashion designing and events, If only we try.

As I celebrate this, I also congratulate the likes of Khadija Mwanamboka, Kemi Kalikawe and Ally Rehmtullah, who own fashion institutes that groom more designers for the East African market. I urge more investors to take on various opportunities in this sector, and together we can create a bigger impact

xoxo
Missie Popular

Finally, I got to start writing about what I do everyday. EVENTS.

I have received so many requests asking if I could share my experience and various tips in planning and managing events. From the roles of an Event Manager to what should be in the Event Checklist and how to write event proposals/concept notes. Different people want to know different things and it has been really a struggle to answer one by one, through the DMs. So here we are. I will start sharing the different aspects of events, through my social media channels. Highlights on Instagram, Content in writing here on the blog and Swahili videos on YouTube.

Today we start with one of the most important item in event management. The Checklist.

An event checklist is a document that contains 5 elements that can make or break your event. These elements are as briefly explained below;

Content is what carries an event. What is the event about? What message is being passed on? Through which modality? Who and how many are the speakers? For how long? All these questions and more, are what lead you in venue selection, speakers and participants list development, and coordination of all technical and knowledge experts/resource persons that will be required.

Logistics for the event follows what is required to achieve the above content/event deliverable. This involves booking venues, transport, food vendors, security, and all other logistical details as per the event. Majority of Event Planners get it wrong by putting concentration in this element without connecting it with the CONTENT element. Try to make this shift and you will see the best results in your coordination.

Your Financial plans like budget, sponsorships etc can now be made, following the needs above. This will assist to be as realistic as possible, since you already know the content and logistics required for your event. Remember to itemize each detail in your finance plans, including your own rate as the event manager.

This element includes the design and production of branding/decor materials, media, photography, videography etc & it varies according to a specific event. There are events that do not require PR or media presence, while others can be done through issuing a press release or updating social media channels. Regardless of your PR plans, do not forget to include them in your checklist in order to make a follow-up before, during or after the event.

If there is something we can agree on is that, during an event, ANYTHING CAN GO WRONG. And sometimes, many things that happen during an actual event requires you to navigate and make changes in your checklist. This is were a miscellaneous element for an event, comes in. In this list we put alternative/risk management items just in case things do not go as planned. It can be an ambulance, a standby generator, the name of an alternative guest of honor/pastor/sheikh, etc. All major things that might kill the event completely, need to have their risk management listed here.

Well,I hope that helps and you will have a better experience when doing your next event.

I will post the Swahili video over the weekend, as well as the plan for a zoom meeting for those who will need personalized/customized help on their event checklist.

xoxo

Missie Popular

Spending a full day in the wild is one of the best experience ever! Especially if that wilderness is one of Tanzania's National Parks!

My family and I decided to celebrate new years and my birthday at Mikumi National Park,located in Morogoro,Tanzania. Our safari vehicle picked us from our doorstep at 5a.m and we left Dar es Salaam. It was an adventurous drive all the way, as the kids point at this and that and play in the car. Mind you, we two 4year olds and one boy who is less that 2 years. Soooo,you can imagine the excitement!

Our driver,Mr. Peter from Lavano Tours is also an amazing tour guide. He made sure we had a smooth ride as well as taking us around the National Park, all the time giving us details on various animals and their behaviors. His mission was to make sure we saw all the animals that the kids mentioned as their list, and we did! From the mighty lion (Mr Peter will disagree on the mighty part hahaha),the ever elegant giraffe, birds, crocodiles, hippos, antelopes, zebras, buffalos, to the king of the wilderness, the elephant!

We rested under this 300 years old baobab tree, and had our snacks before heading out again for some more fun!

Taking pictures of this scenery was just magical! I felt like the cameras were failing to actually capture the beauty!

We had so much fun!

Our accommodation was Camp Bastian, a rather tourist spot that is well blended into nature. I loooove the greenery of the place and their staff! Oooh such friendly and helpful people!

I wish I captured more pictures of the camp but....you know when traveling with kids, plans change as time goes. Hopefully I will get another chance to visit the place and share it with you :)

I hope this motivates you to plan for a trip to one of Tanzania's beautiful parks. I assure you, no words and no pictures can capture the ACTUAL beauty of this place! You have to experience, to understand.

Get on my Instagram here @MissiePopular to see my everyday travel and lifestyle stories.

Goodluck on your future travels :)

xoxo

Missie Popular

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