The world watched as Pelumi Nubi, a 29-year-old content creator and internet personality, successfully drove from London to Lagos. Born in Lagos and raised in London, Nubi saw this journey as a way to connect her two homes. Any previous trips between the two countries have been via flight, leaving her curious about her birth country, Africa, and her familial roots.
Nubi's journey inspires others to explore the world and proves that even seemingly impossible feats can be achieved with determination. It has been incredible to watch Pulumi Nubi’s journey.
The Route and Distance
Your trip begins in London, United Kingdom.
The shortest distance (air line) between London and Lagos is 3,119.89 mi (5,020.98 km). The flight distance between the nearest airports London (LHR) and Lagos (LOS) is 3,100.99 mi (4,990.57 km). This corresponds to an approximate flight time of 6h 22min.
The miles based distance from Nigeria to London is 2974.4 miles. The driving distance or the travel distance between Nigeria to London is 6577 KM and 198 meters.
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In between London and Lagos, her journey took her to France, Spain, the West Sahara Desert, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo.
To calculate the distance between London and Lagos, the place names are converted into coordinates (latitude and longitude). The respective geographic centre is used for cities, regions and countries.
Travelmath helps you find distances based on actual road trip directions, or the straight line flight distance. You can get the distance between cities, airports, states, countries, or zip codes to figure out the best route to travel to your destination.
The database uses the latitude and longitude of each location to calculate distance using the great circle distance formula. The calculation is done using the Vincenty algorithm and the WGS84 ellipsoid model of the Earth, which is the same one used by most GPS receivers.
Compare the results with the flight time calculator to see how much longer it might take to drive the distance instead of flying.
Read also: Your Ghana-London Travel Guide
Midpoint
The geographic midpoint between London and Lagos is in 1,559.95 mi (2,510.49 km) distance between both points in a bearing of 176.23°. It is located in Algeria, Adrar, Aougrout District, Aougrout.
Mid way point or halfway place is a center point between source and destination location. The mid way point between Nigeria and London is situated at the latitude of 30.364624659902 and the longitude of 5.2739125965535.
Challenges and Setbacks
But any trip of this magnitude is not without hardship and setbacks. We watched her chronicle the realities of being a solo woman enduring sexual harassment, battling spurs of loneliness, navigating language barriers, sleeping at borders, car woes, being denied entry into countries, and several bureaucratic hurdles.
After a car accident that wrecked the front of her vehicle, many of us thought that would end her road trip. “And then after the accident, it felt like it couldn’t end there.
“The borders were tougher than the accident,” she says.
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While Nubi had previously gone on a road trip around Namibia in a 4x4, and traveled from Ghana to Lagos and back on public transport, her experience of overland travel was relatively limited. “When I crossed into Morocco, I literally broke down crying,” says Nubi. “It was just this overwhelming feeling of [realizing,] wow, I overcomplicated this process in my head. I really thought it would be more difficult than it was.
“I was thinking that it [the Sahara] would just be like sand dune, but it was a whole town,” she says. “It was definitely terrifying,” she says. “It [the truck] was parked in the middle of the road. No hazard light. I went sliding into it.
Inspiration and Support
“It started as a solo trip-another crazy adventure from Pelumi-but as I kept going, it became something bigger,” she says. She received messages from parents and teachers, sharing that their daughters and students were invested in her travels. They were curious, and her journey was a testament to a life they may not have envisioned.
“Every time I felt knocked down, people gathered and rallied around me to pull me up,” she shares. “That’s what kept me going. There were just so many people riding along on the journey.
“The engagement with the society and the people that have rallied me on has just been incredible,” says Nubi. who partnered with American company Osprey early in the journey.
Preparation and Resources
Her 73-day road trip was over a year in the making. In preparation, she modified her car, a Peugeot 107, to include a sleeping area and spot for cooking, which took about a month to get right. Using services like Google, she was able to determine road conditions. Blog sites and YouTube videos provided her with information on the cities and countries along her route to help her learn about attractions, cultural norms, and must-see spots.
In addition to spending a year to save funds, she shared that she also had a sponsor, Osprey, the outdoor backpacker brand, who helped with some of the costs.
Upon her return, the car, nicknamed Lumi, was donated to the J Randle Center for Yoruba Culture and History. Nubi hopes a glimpse of the vehicle will inspire others to explore the world.
Experiences and Encounters
Amidst obstacles, familial and community support allowed Nubi to experience once-in-a-lifetime encounters. “Gambia had incredible beaches,” she recalls. “And I enjoyed everything about Sierra Leone.
Nubi's Future Plans
While she may not embark on this same route again, she says she will continue to take road trips, travel, and embark on new adventures. “In terms of holiday destination, this is possible,” she says. “There’s viability. As for her future plans, she’s contemplating a road trip from Lagos to South Africa.
Between preparing and setting off on the journey, Nubi learned she was an audacious woman who could do hard and crazy things. “When you put your mind to something, it can come to pass no matter how hard,” she says. “Even when people say it’s impossible and the odds are stacked against you, it’s still possible when you’re determined.
After a moment of rest, Nubi intends to use her platforms to empower women with aspirations, including hosting seminars, booking speaking engagements, mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs, and making TV appearances. In her words, the possibilities are endless. “We are so boxed in by society that it is so important for us to seek new things and step out of this restriction that we constantly put on ourselves,” Nubi says.
“It was very much [about] inspiring people. In terms of, ‘You think London to Lagos is impossible?
“It was about the bigger picture.
“I just proved to myself the strength I have within me,” she says.
“This has been a solo trip, but it’s really gone bigger than me,” she says.
“There was just this bond,” she says. “She’s seen me on the hardest days. I’ve cried in her.
Her adventure is just a notch in the belt of Nubi’s accomplishments in her life thus far. She graduated with honors with a degree in medical science and pursued a Ph.D. program in human genetics and cancer research. During her undergrad, she co-founded The Black Explorer, a print magazine that amplified Black travel. Undoubtedly, she’s excited about what the future holds.
| City | Latitude | Longitude |
|---|---|---|
| London | 51.500153 | -0.126236 |
| Lagos | 6.455057 | 3.394179 |
London to Lagos by Road — Pelumi Nubi’s Fearless Journey
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