Bitter kola is Joy’s travel buddy—here’s why!

After this trip, Joy* learned a one-time lesson that made her always carry bitter kola (a small fruit native to West Africa). Just like MTN, it’s everywhere she goes!

Before reading on, what’s your travel buddy? Tell us here

Every week on Miles and Moments, we share traveler stories to understand how far people have journeyed and the culture shocks they’ve experienced along the way. There’s always something to learn from each story.

What’s Your Earliest Memory of Travel?

My first travel experience was to Ogori, Kogi State. Something common about all my trips when I was little was traveling with my parents. For this particular trip, I rode in my dad’s car. I honestly can’t remember much about the journey itself—I was more focused on just arriving at the destination, which always happened smoothly.

Nice! So, how did Bitter Kola become your travel buddy?

It all started during a trip from Akure to Ibadan. It wouldn’t have happened if I had managed to get a seat closer to the door…

I Never Knew Seat Positions Matter

It really does. After some time, I finally got the seat I wanted, and I realized how important it was. The issue started with the way they arranged us in the vehicle—”they packed us like sardines.” Just a few moments into the trip, things took a turn for the worse.

This Has Always Been the Issue with Informal Transport Operators—No Coordination or Arrangement

I completely agree. In almost all the trips I’ve taken, the vehicles I’ve entered with informal operators never prioritize passengers, unlike bigger brands like GIG and others..

It’s Not Stopping Anytime Soon, So What Led to You Using Bitter Kola?

During one of my travels, I felt like I was about to vomit, and it was about to be a complete disaster. To this day, I can’t even explain why it happened. I’ve always heard stories or seen people vomit during road trips, but it had never happened to me before.

This particular day, I was set to travel to Ibadan at around 12 pm and boarded a car from Akure with about 6 people. I needed a seat close to the window to get some fresh air, but that didn’t happen.

The car took off at 1 pm, and while in transit, my stomach started to rumble. I felt nauseous, like I had food poisoning.

What Happened Next?

I tried to keep my cool, like the fine girl that I am, but it didn’t work.

Omo! Every attempt to stay composed failed. I had to tell the driver to stop because I needed to vomit.

In the car, there was an elderly man chewing bitter kola, an Aboki with a strong stench, and a few other guys I didn’t really notice.

But I made a mental note of the man with the bitter kola—that’s how it became my travel buddy—and the Aboki, well, because of the stench.

What Happened to Pringles, Since You Were Maintaining Fine Girl and Steeze?

Honestly, at that point, my mind was blank. All I could think about was how I was going to survive the trip and live to see another day. Anyway, I got the driver’s attention. He stopped the car, but weirdly, I couldn’t throw up, so we continued the journey.

I Understand How That Feels, But That Was Your Only Opportunity! You Don’t Always Get a Second Chance With Informal Trips

Exactly! That was my only chance, and I missed it. Passengers started complaining, except the man and the Aboki I mentioned earlier. I was already sweating, and soon after, the nauseous feeling came back with full force. At that point, I couldn’t hold it in anymore.

So What Did You Do?

While still on the road, I stood up, leaned out of the window, and threw out what felt like a whole lump from my stomach. The men around me, especially the Aboki, were concerned. He even offered to switch seats with me since he was sitting near the door. That way, I could easily access the window if I needed to vomit again. Nice man, right?

Lmao, Nice Guy or Just Trying to Avoid You Vomiting on Him? What Happened to Your “Fine Girl” Vibe?

Lmao! At that point, I didn’t care about the fine girl vibe anymore. As we started the swap seat, the man I mentioned earlier offered me some bitter kola to chew. My first instinct was to say no because of all the warnings from my mom about not taking things from strangers. But let’s be real—she wasn’t there, and I didn’t have a choice.

Big Girl Days—Did It Work?

Yes! I took the bitter kola and started chewing, and just like that, the vomiting stopped. Plus, with the fresh air from the window, I was finally feeling better. I promised myself that I’d never take road transport where I’d be squashed like a fish again. But hey, that time, money wasn’t really flowing like that.

So Next Trip is a Flight, Right?

I still use public transport, but now I’m definitely the loudest if I don’t get the space I want or feel crammed in. I’m not shy about it anymore!

Lol!

That experience was wild, but I learned some valuable lessons:

Bitter Kola is my travel buddy – It’s perfect if you feel like vomiting while in transit. Trust me, it works.
Comfort can be expensive, but it’s worth every penny. If I have the choice, I’ll always go for comfort, at least until I can fully afford to fly every trip!