Catch Me If You Can: On The Road With Jessica Nabongo
Jessica Nabongo is a professional traveler and writer who is best known for her work at The Catch Me If You Can. In 2019, she became the first Black woman to document her travels to every country in the world. She is working on a book that features images from 100 out 195 countries she visited. She is the founder of Jet Black, a travel firm that promotes travel to the African diaspora.
Along the way, cars have been an essential part of many of her escapades. “What I love about driving is that it's meditative. You're not on social media. You can’t respond to email. Those daily distractions are gone,” she says. One of her favorite recommended road trips is to drive around the Balkan Peninsula.
Nabongo shifted her plans to the 50 states during the pandemic and spent much of last year planning and road tripping around the US. Last summer, she embarked on a New England trek. She started at her home in Detroit and headed to the northeast, destination Maine. “Getting all the way out to Acadia National Park was the highlight, and all of the lobster your heart desires,” she says.
A wedding and a photo shoot inspired another road trip around the majestic state of Utah. “Utah is all about the outdoors,” she says. “Whether you go in winter to go skiing in Park City or if you’re exploring in summer, you’re going to Bryce or Zion. You have the Bonneville Salt Flats outside of Salt Lake City. Even the Great Salt Lake is really beautiful.”
Last summer, she also partnered with Visit Charlotte, for a southern road trip, making stops in Atlanta and Nashville before heading back to Detroit.
Her last epic trip in 2020 was to Hawaii, where she drove around the island of Maui in a Jeep Wrangler (top off, naturally). A highlight was a drive up 10,000 feet to watch the sun rise on Haleakalā. “I enjoyed driving in western Maui. We stumbled across crazy landscapes, black sand beaches, and cliff sides.”
Nabongo has learned a thing of two about how to travel well on the road. She shares her essential travel tips for a well-planned road trip.
ON WHAT TO LOOK FOR:
I love seeing different landscapes. When you fly in and out of a place you miss the nuance. When you’re driving you get to see more of the character of a place. You get to see changing landscapes, and it’s a fuller experience.
ON HOW TO LISTEN:
I listen to my favorite music and am uninterrupted. I don’t have a playlist. My iTunes, which I think is legendary, is pretty full. I’ll just play music that I own. I don’t even stream that much when I do road trips. I have a little over 7300 songs in my library. Right now my five favorite artists for road trips are Kenna, Sia, Adele, Kanye, and Tobe Nwigwe. A lot of my music is older, early 2000s. I also have Nina Simone and Fela Kuti. I listen to albums. That’s why I really think I don’t use Spotify when I’m driving. I like bodies of work.
ON WHAT TO WEAR:
As far as what to wear, definitely comfy clothes, easy on and easy off. I wear slide sole Birkenstocks because I don’t drive with shoes on. I can easily take them on and off.
ON WHAT TO HAVE IN THE CAR:
I typically have a reusable water bottle. I don’t drink too much. For most of the trips I was driving a Cadillac Escalade. What I love about it is that there’s a cooler under the armrest, so I could have my juices and coconut water and they were able to stay cool the entire time, which was really great. I always have change and cash in the cup holder. I also have hand sanitizers and masks easily accessible for toll roads to make sure I’m sanitizing and wearing my masks to protect myself and others.
ON WHAT TO EAT:
I’m not a snacker. I try to plan my meals. I use Google Maps. If I’m leaving in the morning, I look for a good restaurant around lunch time. If I absolutely must, maybe I’ll get a bagel from Panera. I try to eat as decent food as possible. I don’t eat fast food. I’d rather starve rather than eat McDonalds. If I must have fast food and there’s no other option, then I’ll do Chick Fil A. That’s my only guilty pressure. Though, when we were in Utah and there was nothing around and we ended up going to Arby’s. That was the first time I had Arby’s in 15 years.
ON SAFE AND SOUND ACCOMMODATIONS:
Whitebarn Inn in Kennebunk, Maine is at the top of my list of complete experiences that I’ve had. Feeling safe, but also them still maintaining that luxury feel. Another property that I love is the Emeline in Charleston. It was a really great experience. The room and the staff and the food options were amazing. As far as chains go, Four Seasons did a great job. In terms of the safety in the property, you see that corporate directive, across the board. Fours Seasons in Maui is going above and beyond. I think that’s indicative on how strict Hawaii is.
ON HOW TO TIME THE DRIVE:
I always want to get on the road before 7 am. I love that. I’m an early riser. I feel like if you get out there before that 8 am hour, you pick up that pace.
On my way back from my last road trip, I was coming back from Kentucky to Cincinnati. I can’t drive at night. Driving at night in super rural areas, as opposed to freeways, when you’re on a two lane highway, I just can’t do that anymore. I start before 7 am so then I can put in 10 to 12 hours a day.
ON WHAT VEHICLES TO DRIVE:
A big truck is more comfortable. For better or worse, it allowed me to bring more stuff. I have a foldable bike. When you’re driving alone, is it necessary? Maybe not. If you’re doing urban driving, it can make a more comfortable drive. I think for long distances driving a regular midsize sedan is really great. It’s better on gas. It can feel a little bit safer, in that you’re closer to the ground.
ON HOW SHE DRIVES:
I drive fast. I think Waze is absolutely necessary and it saved me from plenty of tickets on my road trips. It pops up about half a mile out where the police are at. I like to see how much I can cut off of that time.
Photography by @jessicanabongo