Online booking sites are becoming the norm rather than the exception. With the internet of things spiraling to every last aspect of living; getting your vacation stay has become a one step find on the right click. Companies such as Expedia, Jumia Travel, Trip Advisor and a myriad others, big, medium or emerging are becoming the go-to for any savvy traveler. However, like any other invention, OTAs come with their special challenges. Here is a short list of factors and tips you need to look out for when choosing your OTA. #1 Speed of Communication Automated responses, robotic recordings and eternally engaged ‘direct’ lines are some of the things that can drive anyone crazy while trying to reach any travel agent. Unanswered calls and messages, mails that no one seems to notice as well as agents who appear in a rush when explaining their products/services should be marked red on your list of reliable OTAs. #2 A Listening, Diverse Partner It’s not uncommon to find out that your favorite hot...

An artistic impression of the Isiolo International Airport. Construction of the proposed resort cities in Isiolo and Lake Turkana region has finally been given the green light after the Government allocated land for the two Vision 2030 flagship projects. These resort cities are expected to boost the economy of Northern Kenya and make the region a preferred tourist destination. According the Lamu Port South Sudan Ethiopia Transport Corridor (LAPSSET) CEO, Mr Silvester Kasuku, 2,600 hectares of land at Kipsing Gap have been set aside for the Isiolo city, while in Turkana land has been identified at Elliye Springs for the resort. The two cities are envisaged under the Lamu Port South Sudan-Ethiopia Transport corridor (LAPSSET). Mr Kasuku said the resort cities will have five-star hotel facilities, national parks, golf-courses, leisure parks theatres and amusement parks. He further explained that the resort cities will boost business in the respective regions and Kenya at large. They will ...

China is known to have a very aggressive Olympic sports development program, but with hundreds of thousands of young prospective athletes trained for many years to develop, only a few make the cut. Those who fail to stand out are discarded from the program and are left to fend for themselves after years of sacrifice. Plucked from schools as young as four years old, the children are denied a normal education and are subjected to hours of grueling training daily. At the age of 12, Zhang Shangwu was selected to train for a spot on the national Olympic team. Through hard work, the boy from northern China’s Hebei Province would later become a brilliant gymnast at the age of 18, winning two gold medals at the 2001 Beijing Summer Universiade. His success gained him some short-lived fame, with local sites calling him a “rising star” of the sport, according to the Epoch Times. An unfortunate accident during training the following year, however, left Zhang with a torn Achilles tendon. His injury...

When you don’t live within your means, you will find yourself in debts, stagnation, and you wouldn’t make any significant growth as a person. Living within your means would set you on course to planning your life better and achieving set goals. How can you live within your means? 1. HAVE A BUDGET Have a budget, have a plan of how you spend your income. Don’t just spend money — plan how you spend. Create a list of your expenses for each week or month, depending on how you earn and have a plan on how much that should be allocated for each. 2. TALLY IT WITH YOUR INCOME Let your budget don’t be ambiguous; it should tally with your income. The aim of the budget is to keep you on track on how to spend your money. 3. STICK TO THE PLAN The problem with many isn’t really that they don’t plan their money. It’s that they don’t stick to the plan. Don’t just have a plan for nothing; try to live accordingly. 4. KEEP RECORDS Keep records of your expenses to know where your money is going. Keeping rec...

" alt="jumia1banner.jpg" /> Leading pan African e-commerce Jumia announced yesterday the launch of JumiaPay, a third party online payment solution aimed at providing a safer, faster and more convenient online payment experience. The online payment solution JumiaPay is a first for e-commerce Jumia and will most certainly be decisive in facilitating online payments across the 23 African countries where it operates, encouraging the progressive change to cashless societies. If the majority of payments performed on Jumia’s platforms is cash on delivery (between 70 to 90%), JumiaPay comes as a major milestone for improving customers’ online experience for the coming months and years, following in the footsteps of Chinese e-commerce Alibaba and its online payment platform AliPay. Jeremy Hodara, coCEO of Jumia, emphasized the value added of the new payment platform for the online customer: “Jumia Pay has a very simple yet crucial objective: go even further in providing a safe...

The Jumia Travel Report on domestic tourism in Kenya saw the launch of the first in depth report on key trends, as well as a panel discussion with players in the hotel sector. The online booking website, which recently re-branded from “Jovago” has analyzed booking trends on it’s website for the period between 2015/2016, generated by hundreds of travelers on the platform. The report contains a number of observations and recommendations touching on key areas such as type of travelers, purpose of travel and adoption of technology in the local sub-sector. Addressing the media during the launch of the report, Cyrus Onyiego, the Country Manager for jumia travel l cited lack of awareness and knowledge as a major challenge hampering growth in domestic tourism, “travel is still viewed as a luxurious affair, simply because the (consumer) has very little knowledge on the product.” He called on stakeholders to come up with customized and personalized products for the market, keeping in mind the cu...

A young writer pounds away at a beat up old typewriter crammed tightly in his laundry room. The year is 1973. He works three jobs – one as a full time teacher, and the others in the summer doing industrial laundry and pumping gas. These jobs, along with his wife’s, barely keep his family – a toddler and a newborn – off of welfare. For most people, finding time to write would be the last thing on the priority list. Especially with a stack of rejection letters as fat as this writer’s. Still, he believed you should never give up your dreams, and apparently, so did his wife. There were several opportunities for them to give up. Like the time he was offered a small side job, one that paid $300 a year, but would eat up all his time to write. Though it was tempting, he declined. Or the time his wife found the beginnings of a story he had thrown in the trash, out of sheer disgust. She pulled it out convinced he had something, and encouraged him to continue working on it. . . What Can Happen Wh...

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BY Bikozulu Last night I stayed up late reading about this 24 year old chap from Syria called Abdel Aziz al-Hamza. The feature was in the The Sunday Times. Do you read The Sunday Times? You have a 1000 bob to spare? Then you have to subscribe to The Sunday Times. For that paltry amount you are exposed to excellent journalism and beautiful writing. Anyhow, Abdel is one of the founding members of a group called Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS) a band of young IT revolutionists who began exposing the crimes Isis was committing in their home city, Raqqa, that they had turned into some sort of caliphate. Isis found out about them and started hunting them down and assassinating them, one by one, bullet by bullet. Abdel then had to flee to Berlin where he is now a refugee. I usually read something in bed until I black out, often with my Kindle or phone in my hands. I like to say that I fall asleep with words folded in my palms. It’s also beautiful to wake up with words in your palm,...

There are basic fundamentals every man should know. You can’t call yourself a grown man if you don’t know these fundamentals. Here are 15 basics every grown man should know 1. Every grown man should know how to treat a woman with respect. 2. Every grown man should have his own apartment. 3. Every grown man should have a source of living and stop depending on his parents. " alt="jumia1banner.jpg" /> 4. Every grown man should know how to prepare at least one great meal. 5. Every grown man should know how to keep his apartment clean. 6. Every grown man should know how to be sensitive to the needs of his woman in bed. 7. Every grown man should know sleeping around is for boys and not mature men. 8. Every grown man should have at least a week’s worth of clean underwear. Stop wearing underwear for two days. 9. Every grown man should know how to pick out clothes that look great on him. 10. Every grown man should have some savings. 11. Every grown man should know the importan...

BY Strive Masiyiwa __A big idea, an excellent team. A few months ago, Liquid Telecom, one of our businesses, bought a South African telecoms company called Neotel Communications, for about $450m. Quite a few of you who saw the news about the transaction wrote to me, asking me to share some insights into buying and selling businesses. I’ve therefore decided to use this acquisition as a case study to share some tips on the subject of buying and selling businesses. First of all, some background to the Liquid/ Neotel transaction: Liquid Telecom is a company I set up from scratch in about 2000. It was one of the first businesses I launched when I left my homeland Zimbabwe, and began to live in South Africa. Initially, our business operated from Mauritius and London. It was my first time to set up an office in a European country, when the idea of Africans setting up businesses in Europe or outside Africa was quite rare. I'm glad this has changed, as it should. __Liquid was a small high t...

Inner beauty comes from within; it’s the kind of beauty that has nothing to do with the outer beauty. It has to be worked and developed; it isn’t gotten freely — it’s earned. These 16 quotes about inner beauty would inspire you to build your beauty from within. 1. The best part of beauty is that which no picture can express. 2. “People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” — Elisabeth Kubler-Ross 3. “The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,but true beauty in a Woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she knows.” — Audrey Hepburn 4. “Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.” — Kahlil Gibran 5. “No matter how plain a woman may be, if truth and honesty are written across her face, she will be beautiful.” — Eleanor Roosevelt 6. “Outer beauty attracts, but inner beauty captivates.” ...

Habits form our lives. They provide a framework on which we build professional success and personal happiness. As a society, we’re fascinated with the habits of others, usually prominent figures – celebrities, political figures, and, of course, famous entrepreneurs. (Think: Richard Branson, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, to name just a few.) My team and I often discuss these founders' routines and how we can emulate them ourselves. Here are the some interesting habits of famous entrepreneurs that can help give you starting points for your own successful daily routines. 1. Minimize low-impact decision-making To maximize energy and effort for high-impact and creative decisions, entrepreneurs need to minimize as many day-to-day choices as possible. This can be as simple as eating the same breakfast every morning or giving each day of the week a goal-related theme . Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg focuses his energy on his most important decisions and completely eliminates a minor decision...

“When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I’ve got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn’t know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn’t seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn’t talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn’t love her anymore. I just pitied her! With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me...

1. When you are Alone, Mind your thoughts. 2. When you are with Friends, Mind your Tongue. 3. When you are Angry, Mind your temper. 4. When you are with a Group, Mind your behavior. 5. When you are in Trouble, Mind your Emotions. 6. When God starts blessing you Mind your Ego!!! GET JUMIA APP

Our bodies have a language of their own, and their words aren’t always kind. Your body language has likely become an integral part of who you are, to the point where you might not even think about it. If that’s the case, it’s time to start, because you could be sabotaging your career. TalentSmart has tested more than a million people and found that the upper echelons of top performance are filled with people who are high in emotional intelligence (90% of top performers, to be exact). These people know the power that unspoken signals have in communication and they monitor their own body language accordingly. What follows are the 15 most common body language blunders that people make, and emotionally intelligent people are careful to avoid. 1. Slouching is a sign of disrespect. It communicates that you’re bored and have no desire to be where you are. You would never tell your boss, “I don’t understand why I have to listen to you,” but if you slouch, you don’t have to—your body says it fo...

Tough-minded people have grit at their core. They are persistent and resilient in the face of failure, loss, success and challenge. They are committed. Whatever they pursue gets their full attention and nothing less. No amount of hard work is too much to capitalize on a worthwhile opportunity. Because of their commitment they feel no temptation to slack. They stay focused, determined and 100 percent resolute in the pursuit of their goals. To consistently do what you need to do to succeed requires a laser focus and unshakable commitment that is difficult for most. The tough minded are born with the fortitude and temperament to get back up and keep going through all failure or adversity. That is a trait you will need to adopt to become a more successful you. 1. History is your best teacher. The past is your valuable teacher. It allows you to learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of others as you go through change and challenges of business. Once you see the lesson, don’t harbor the p...

A ACCEPT Accept others for who they are and for the choices they’ve made even if you have difficulty understanding their beliefs, motives, or actions. B BREAK AWAY Break away from everything that stands in the way of what you hope to accomplish with your life. C CREATE Create a family of friends whom you can share your hopes, dreams, sorrows, and happiness with. D DECIDE Decide that you’ll be successful and happy come what may, and good things will find you. The roadblocks are only minor obstacles along the way. E EXPLORE Explore and experiment. The world has much to offer, and you have much to give. And every time you try something new, you’ll learn more about yourself. F FORGIVE Grudges only weigh you down and inspire unhappiness and grief. Soar above it, and remember that everyone makes mistakes. G GROW Leave the childhood monsters behind. They can no longer hurt you or stand in your way. H HOPE Hope for the best and never forget that anything is possible as long as you remain dedic...

A man just got married and was returning home with his wife. They were crossing a lake in a boat, when suddenly a great storm arose. The man was a warrior, but the woman became very much afraid because it seemed almost hopeless: The boat was small and the storm was really huge, and any moment they were going to be drowned. But the man sat silently, calm and quiet, as if nothing was happening.The woman was trembling and she said, “Are you not afraid ?” This may be our last moment of life! It doesn’t seem that we will be able to reach the other shore. Only some miracle can save us; otherwise death is certain. Are you not afraid? Are you mad or something? Are you a stone or something? The man laughed and took the sword out of its sheath. The woman was even more puzzled: What he was doing? Then he brought the naked sword close to the woman’s neck, so close that just a small gap was there, it was almost touching her neck. He said,” Are you afraid ?” She started to laugh and said,” Why shoul...

Feed your mind with positive, abundant and life prospering thought which can open the channels of miracle creating doors which is divinely constructed for your prosperous and purposeful destined quality of life. As you yourself is script writer, director and controller of your thought as well as best architect of your destiny. So feed your mind with quality thought as it determines your quality of life. The valid truth says, “Your mind is like soil, just plant the quality of seeds inside your inner world for manifesting quality of circumstances in your external world.”

My wife, everyone has gone home. The music is quiet, the celebration is over. Our wedding was beautiful but it is now in the past. We have finished the wedding/marriage, it is now time to build our marriage. All that is left now is the two of us… What we will become tomorrow, starts from tonight. Our life is no longer the same. There was a day you put on one red dress… You looked so beautiful in it. That Day I wanted to just touch you! We were in the Cinema and I was so tempted. I wanted to just take you inside the toilet and kiss you but I couldn’t. Guess what? Now I have you forever, I can do that everyday. Before I take off your cloth and make love to you… let me tell you few things. I have nothing to hide from you from this day. My phone, you can use it like your own. You can access my facebook, my twitter and my Instagram From today, I have become a child. For the past five years of my life, I have been a man. I wake myself up in the morning, sometimes I go to bed hungry, I do thi...

Nelson Mandela was the first black President of the Republic of South Africa. By any standard, Madiba, as he was fondly referred to by those who loved him, lived a robust, fulfilling and impactful life. Few people have had as much impact on history as Madiba had. History will remember him as one of the greatest men who ever lived – an incredibly selfless man who made so much of a sacrifice to re-write the history of generations of South Africans and the world. During his lifetime Mandela inspired us with his numerous words of wisdom, etched in our memories till tomorrow. And his words remain evergreen. Today, I wish to share with our young people what I feel were his most profound words - "It always seems impossible until it is done!" Together, we can do it, we can change our country for future generations!

BY Strive Masiyiwa __Scholarships for global leaders of the 21st century. Great news! For the second year now, I’m excited to tell you about a scholarship program for young people to get a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from one of China’s top universities. If you’re selected, this could really be the chance of a lifetime! Not only will you expand your learning, but you’ll also share the experience of studying for a year in China with other young leaders from around the world. If you follow world news – as you should – you’ll know how important this opportunity is for you to take part in and shape trends of the 21st century. If you’re looking to be counted as a global leader, this is one excellent opportunity to prepare yourself! Last year I joined a group of international donors that support the Schwarzman Scholars program, which each year will select up to 200 talented young people to spend one year living, working and studying together at Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University...

The words on your CV could be the reason you just can’t get a job. In an article published by Daily Mail, experts revealed the words you should never use on your CV. 1. MULTI-TASKING According to experts, recruiters might misinterpret multi-tasking to mean that you are easily distracted or often have too many things to do at the same time. 2. PERFECTIONIST This is another word you should avoid using on your CV because this statement is an exaggeration of your abilities. 3. HARD-WORKING Instead of claiming to be a hardworker in your CV, you should instead give examples of times you worked hard and the results you achieved. 4. ENTHUSIASTIC AND PASSIONATE Experts suggest you should instead show the recruiter how passionate you are by listing any voluntary experience or causes you care about. 5. CREATIVE Experts suggest you avoid using this word and instead use ‘I see the world differently’.

Some mistakes might seem common and ordinary, but what they do in the long-term and the impact they leave would damage even the best of relationships. These are some common relationship mistakes women make that they shouldn’t. 1. THINKING THE MAN SHOULD DO EVERYTHING Some women just have this belief that the man should do everything in the relationship, from communication to show of affection; they just believe that the relationship is theirs to enjoy and for the men to work and figure everything out. But is it? I doubt it. Women who make this mistake would find it hard to find a long-lasting and happy relationship. 2. BEING CRITICAL OVER MATTERS THAT AREN’T EVEN IMPORTANT Stop nagging and complaining about irrelevant things; sometimes, the things a lot of women nag and complain about are just too irrelevant, and this is a big mistake many women are guilty of. Your relationship would be a lot peaceful when you learn to let go of those little things that don’t matter. 3. UNDERMINING WHA...

There are certain things you do everyday that could be damaging your brain gradually. Check them out below 1. NOT EATING IN THE MORNING Not eating in the morning isn’t good for the brain because it deprives your brain of nutrients it needs. 2. WORKING WHILE YOU ARE SICK When you are sick, it is advisable you get enough rest because the brain overwork itself if you work while you are sick. 3.NOT USING YOUR BRAIN Lack of use makes the brain dull. When you don’t put your brain to use by thinking, you can gradually become dumber. 4. SMOKING Smoking isn’t good for the brain because according to a study by McGill University, smoking causes thinning of the cortex over time. 5. NOT DRINKING ENOUGH WATER Not drinking enough water isn’t good for the brain because dehydration causes cells in the brain to shrink. 6. OVEREATING Eating too much isn’t good for the brain. When you eat too much, you confuse the brain and this could cause an imbalance in insulin production. The imbalance in insulin prod...