Hey — I’m the person behind On Hols.
Not another polished highlight reel. This is the ‘trips that actually happened’, the real budget behind them, and the planning that goes into pulling off three weeks in a place I’ve never been.
Quick facts: Jamaican born, Florida-based for many moons, traveling seriously for about 6 years across 17 countries and 4 continents. Usually on a budget. I’m the friend who has the spreadsheet, the backup plan, and the “just in case” kit, travel rarely catches me off guard, and on the rare occasion it does, that’s usually the best story I bring home.
I’m not a landmark-checklist kind of traveler. Give me the off-the-beaten-path spot, the historic thing nobody’s posting about, the chance to see how people actually live somewhere, not just the postcard version. Sometimes that’s solo with a local guide. Sometimes it’s chaos with the whole family in tow. Both are correct.
The trip that started this whole thing
Right now I’m a few weeks out from the biggest one yet: Kenya. Maasai Mara, Ol Pejeta, Tsavo, then the coast — Watamu and beyond. Doing it with my best friend from boarding school. We go back further than most people keep anyone in their lives, lost touch for a long stretch somewhere along the way, and found our way back to each other — and somehow “let’s go on safari” felt like exactly the right way to mark that.
Last year, for context: four countries across Asia in three weeks with my best friend and family, my annual Netherlands trip for Zomercarnaval (non-negotiable yearly tradition at this point), and a second solo trip to Egypt because once wasn’t enough.
This year, it’s KENYA.
What’s actually here
The planning behind the trips, packing lists that actually work, honest pre-trip thoughts, and real budgets — not vague “it was affordable!” vibes. The posts about past trips are reflections — hindsight, looking back. Kenya (and whatever’s next) you’re getting in real time, as it actually happens.
Come along for Kenya. More is coming after that.