Jas Odusanya is not your typical travel influencer. A content creator, single mother of two, and expat who relocated from the UK to Gozo, her storytelling is rooted in honesty, humour, and heart. Through her Instagram account @minimumwagetravellers, Jas shares the realities of starting over in a new country while raising a family on a tight budget.
Her content resonates with expats, single parents, and anyone seeking a slower, more meaningful lifestyle. Beyond social media, Jas is actively involved in community work, using her voice and experience to support others, especially women and migrants. In this interview, she shares her motivations, challenges, and the joys she’s found along the way.
Journey Destination
1. What led you to relocate from the UK to Gozo, and what has the transition been like?
People always ask why I moved to Malta from the UK and my simple answer was Brexit. I wanted to remain European, knowing the benefits of being in the EU had not only for myself but also family. It was an added bonus being able to live in the sun and a tranquil location like Gozo!
2. How has being a single mother shaped your experience of living abroad?
I actively chose Gozo (over the UK and Malta) because I really can see the benefits of raising children here, it’s safe, relaxed and very affordable for a single mother like myself. Don’t get me wrong it’s super exhausting at the same time… the quote “It takes a village to raise a child” really resonates with me, as this is sometimes one thing I think I really struggle with not having my friends from my hometown and parents here to support me with my two little ones. Me and a couple other friends set up a group called “Sunshine Mummies” and this has become my “village”.
3. What have been the most surprising or meaningful aspects of Maltese and Gozitan culture for you?
Slowing down. This has been one aspect of Gozitan culture I really have learnt – after all, coming from a big city in the UK. It was really what I needed!
Honest Voices, Shared Journeys
4. What inspired you to start the @minimumwagetravellers Instagram account, and what message do you want to share with your followers?
Minimum Wage Travellers really says it in the name, I am on minimum wage (or even much below it) but I wanted to show others who are on lower incomes that they can too see the world. It may not be so glamourous at the beginning, but if you’re happy to get out of your comfort zone then finances is no reason to stop you. With budget airlines now existing, I don’t have any real excuse! On top of that, I wanted to show how having kids (& being single) you can still travel.
I don’t want to show off to friends and family, but maybe just help them to see that they don’t have to be trapped to their 9-5 living.
5. Your content is both funny and deeply personal. How do you find the balance between being open and maintaining your privacy?
This is something I have battled with a lot! Especially now having little ones, the question is always being asked what’s appropriate with sharing family life, can we show our kids’ faces or not? Should I share that today was a terrible day or not? Most of my content I just do for my own entertainment, I really laugh at my own captions and video edits. I post when I feel like I need to share but never really with the goal of hitting the thousands.
6. Have you had any powerful responses from your audience, especially other expat mothers or women on similar journeys?
What has been super encouraging is seeing friends from years ago see my content and feel inspired or resonate with it. It’s connected me with people that I thought I had lost touch with who are now mothers too!
Connecting the Dots – Community Event This Weekend in Valletta
Connecting the Dots is a heartfelt community event taking place this Saturday, 24 May 2025, at the Valletta Design Cluster, from 10 AM to 10 PM. Organised by TAMA, and featuring contributions from local voices including Jas Odusanya. The event is inspired by the lived experiences of its diverse team. It invites locals, expats, and newcomers to come together and explore the theme of Sexual Gender-Based Violence in the context of migration.
Through a full day of creative workshops, talks, film screenings, and lived storytelling, this event seeks to open up meaningful conversations around the struggles faced by women and children seeking asylum in Malta and across the EU. More than awareness, Connecting the Dots is about solidarity, shared humanity, and change.
Free registration is available, and everyone is welcome to attend.
Join us this weekend in Valletta to connect, reflect, and stand in support of justice, dignity, and community.
JAS ODUSANYA
7. How did the idea come about to organise the event, and what do you hope attendees will take away from it?
This event is all about igniting a much-awaited conversation on what really happens to women and children who claim asylum in Malta. What are the traumas they may have faced and what are the continued hardships in the EU too. I hope people come away inspired by the women who have contributed to the event, but also thinking what can I do to support.
8. How important are spaces like this for expats and locals to connect beyond cultural boundaries?
Spaces like Connecting the Dots are vital, they allow us to see one another not through the lens of difference, but through shared humanity. For expats and locals alike, these spaces offer a rare opportunity to step beyond assumptions, beyond language and cultural barriers, and truly listen. As women especially, I believe it is important to advocate for one another, to lift each other up, and to create environments where all voices (especially those often unheard) can lead.
The world keeps telling us to divide… but in all honesty, we are the same. We carry the same hopes, fears, dreams, and desires for safety, dignity, and belonging.
What’s Next for Jas
9. What’s next for you – both personally and professionally?
I am someone who does a million and one projects at the same time as changing nappies! One of my main side hustles is RAAH @raahfamily where I am one of the Co-Dreamers for this. We are a social enterprise based in the UK but now being set up as a VO in Gozo! This is one of my major passions, all about supporting creatives from Diaspora communities to regain access into the creative field now in the new home countries. Our plan in Gozo is to build from where The JAM project (a VO which is now transferring to RAAH) left off, helping to rebuild a community space for all members of society to enjoy!
I like to call myself “a mother in denial”
10. What advice would you give to someone considering a move to Malta, especially those doing it alone or on a tight budget?
I would say Gozo is the place to be! Still with very affordable rents and just a much easier way of living it really is a location I highly recommend to others. Just try it out for a couple of weeks in the off-peak season and see for yourself!
From her honest reflections to her hands-on community work, Jas Odusanya is redefining what it means to live fully on less. Whether she’s juggling motherhood, managing creative projects, or building bridges through her storytelling, Jas continues to inspire others to follow their path—even if it starts on a shoestring budget.
If you have a story to share or want to join the conversation, we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch via the Expatax Malta contact form or connect with us on Facebook oder Instagram – your voice matters.
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