I've traveled quite a bit, but I feel like up until this point I've just been consuming experiences and meeting people. It's nice, but ultimately not very fulfilling. I would like to experience some real adventure and end up with some interesting stories, but I'm starting to realize that you can't just be a spectator, you have to be a part of something bigger. Maybe by trying to solve a problem, investigating an issue and creating a documentary, or fighting for something important.
The reason I'm writing all of this is because I also want to quit my job and go off on some kind of new adventure, but I'm not really sure what I should do. As Rep. John Lewis says, maybe I need to get into some "good trouble".
Reread your first paragraph, then reread your second paragraph. To paraphrase them both a bit: "You would like to experience some real adventure, but getting stuck in the mud doesn't really appeal to you". Hmm?
The only way you will experience something that is really fulfilling to you in this way, is if you go do something that you are not really all that comfortable with. Go do it and feel how you are not only a better version of yourself, because you know that you can now "do this too", but it also changed your view on the world just a little bit. It broadened you character and your perspectives a bit and THAT is fulfilling.
It doesn't have to be mud in Africa, but it does have to be one of those things where some part of it doesn't really appeal to you. The only fulfilling adventures are the ones that change you, and an experience can't change you if it is designed to only give you what you already know and like.
You don't have to do that one big thing. You can do a series of smaller things instead. As long as they challenge you it will be fulfilling overcoming that challenge.
Rich westerners save a bunch of money then go see the sights then come back and tell their friends!
These experiences are purchased, the equivalent of visiting China world at Epcot.
It treats travel, people, culture like an amusement park or even worse a status symbol...have YOU been to Africa?
The OP wants something more meaningful I think.
"First, I'm going to deliver this case to Marcellus, then I'm just going to walk the earth."
The counterpoint to this stance is that there's something about ground travel (and "slow travel" generally) that's very different from the usual airport → city center → airport drill. Having to do with being continually in contact with the earth, and experiencing the slow transition from one geology, climate, and local culture to another. Not to mention some of the stunning, accidental scenery you'll be exposed to (and some of which I can still see, as if before my eyes) that you just won't see from a plane... and certainly not during the (significant) times one spends stuck in, or on the way to and from airports.
There's a significant time investment involved, of course, and a life devoted only to sightseeing would be very boring. Bu it's an experience that puts us in touch with the world more the way it actually is, and -- at least I find -- literally helps me feel more "grounded", even many years past the experience.
Traveling can be fun, but also alienating. I met many people who renounced to their trip around the world after a few months. It can become boring after a while and you start to wonder what is the point of it. And you don't really build anything while traveling. Maybe not everyone has this feeling, but I'd like my life to have an other purpose than just roaming...
Nowadays, the way I like it is to travel from 3 to 6 weeks at a time. It's long enough so that you can go at a relaxed pace, but not so long that you feel you're wasting your time. I also like try to do something constructive a few hours a day (especially if I travel for a longer period of time).
As far as adventure goes, I find it more rewarding to live and work in a different country than to go to the usual backpackers circuits.
"Adventure" is what you get when you don't get what you expected. Such as breakdowns. ;)
–G.K. Chesterton
If you want adventure without things going wrong, you want play. So... go play, if you get bored with that, you'll be ready to try adventure.
It is more of a long-term kind of travel, but you will be doing real good and definitely living an adventure.
They need people with all kinds of backgrounds, not just medical, so it might be worth a look.
There are international builds where you travel somewhere and work on building homes in areas where there isn't adequate low-income housing. You get to meet and work with locals for a couple of weeks. I went to rural Hungry. I had one friend who also went on the build. He talked me into doing it with him, and I'm glad he did.
I've lived in a few places in Asia and really liked that. Spending a few months to a year in a place, making friends, getting to know the locals. It felt good, though it limited the kind of work projects I could do. (I was an English teacher rather than a programmer or other independent worker at the time)
In some ways the digital nomad lifestyle, which is related to what I was doing, is very appealing. I know a programmer who has been bouncing around Southeast Asia working on programming projects, some contracted some independent, for the last year or two and learning languages.
Is that or something like it what you're looking for?
Of course, the beauty of nature is a huge part of the trip, but being taken out of your comfort zone is what makes it extra special.
If you're not prepared to step out of your comfort zone, then everything will seem run-of-the-mill and ordinary. Because it is.
Just be prepared (we could survive for 2 weeks on our own at any point) and take the right safety precautions (don't drive into war torn areas).
You get a different experience from "outside looking in activities (travel, overseas volunteer work, habitat for humanity) than you get from activities where you see yourself as being a member of the group you're trying to help or create something with. Both kinds of experiences can be useful, though it's important to understand the limits of each.
That's so true. Once you are a part of something bigger, the experiences, adventure and thrill land up on their own. This applies not only to travel, but every part of life.
Do it.
You're missing the point. It's the adventure, not the trail, not the road you'll chose or the destinations... It's the adversities on the trip, the people you meet, the broken cars, that bus/airplain/boat you didn't catch that will make the difference, a point vey well made by my favorite Cavafy poem[1].
[1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n3n2Ox4Yfk&list=RD1n3n2Ox4Y...
No, I think the GP is fairly and explicitly disagreeing with what you describe as the point, which is very different than missing it.
Clearly you think what is desirable and worthwhile is...
> the adventure [...] the adversities on the trip, the people you meet, the broken cars
Clearly, GP disagrees that this is desirable and worthwhile, when writing:
> I do want to visit Africa, but all of this driving and getting stuck doesn't really appeal to me.
Not everyone has insufficient adversity in their daily life such that they need to take on additional and avoidable adversity for recreation.
It transforms the way you enjoy traveling. Every landscape you go through, you start having a real connection to the biology and ecology because you are actively thinking about the organisms that live there, and you are somewhat knowledgable about it. It makes you a biologist, and scientist as you're traveling. The choice of birds is for two good reasons: (1) other than plants and humans they are the easiest macroscopic organisms to see, anywhere in the world; (2) they are beautiful. It brings you into contact with areas of science -- evolutionary biology, genetics, conservation biology. It makes traveling through wild parts of the world so much more interesting than it would be otherwise.
I decided I didn't want to sit at a desk for 30 years to pay off a mortgage, so I'm not going to. Dumping my life savings into this likely means I'll never have a new car, big screen TV or new iPhone, but I'd rather have this experience than those things.
In 2009 I spent two years driving from Alaska to Argentina too.
The details on the Jeep I built into my house are here: http://imgur.com/a/OLK3o
I'm filming a YouTube series as I go:
http://youtube.com/c/theroadchoseme
And you can follow the adventure in real time across social media:
Facebook: https://facebook.com/theroadchoseme
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theroadchoseme
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dangrec
And my website: http://theroadchoseme.com
Friendly people everywhere I've been - in fact much more so than I was expecting.
Just today I was talking to a guy who agrees he feels much safer and more welcome here than he would if he showed up in a random city in the USA or Europe.
Are you in communication with the local governemnts about your travel.
How do you know what areas are ok to travel to? Do you have to register your vehicle in these countries?
Who do you ask for permission to park your car.
How are you on the internet right now?
How do you communicate with locals, do they know English or do you speak what ever local language there is?
Have you hooked up with any other travelers?
How about any of these tribal women?
How do you pay from stuff. Do they take U.S. Dollars or Euros or do you have to get a billion Zimbabwe dollars for candy.
What are you eating.
When you get sick from eating local food what do you do?
Are you armed?
If so did you have a license for your weapons?
How do you cross the Sahara. Do those sand dunes move around and block roads or do they just stay in one spot. Or are these trucks able to ride over them without sinking into the sand.
If you are in Sahara and water runs out what do you do?
wikioverland.org/Overland_Frequently_Asked_Questions
> Do you need a drivers license?
The one from your home country is enough, sometimes you will be asked for an International Driving Permit, so you may as well get one from your home country (the AAA, or CAA or whoever in your country will issue it for about $10)
> Are you in communication with the local governemnts about your travel.
Local ones? no. They don't care.
> How do you know what areas are ok to travel to?
Talk to locals, talk to travelers, read online from other travelers, read government travel warnings - i.e. checkout Mauritania right now - mostly OK, some red. I'll stay out of the red :)
> Do you have to register your vehicle in these countries?
No. It stays registered in it's home country, and I'm given permission at each country to "temporarily" be there with the vehicle. Usually 30, 60 or 90 days. I MUST take the car out again.
> Who do you ask for permission to park your car.
Depends where I am, but in cities there are paid lots just the same as you are used to.
> How are you on the internet right now?
There is a lot of infrastructure here - 3G is everywhere so I caved and bought a $20 smart phone that I now tether to. I'll buy a new Sim for $1 in each country.
> How do you communicate with locals, do they know English or do you speak what ever local language there is?
I'm trying to learn French as fast as possible, which is the generic language of West Africa. I can say a few words in a few local languages, but it keeps changing when I change countries. I want to learn more Swahili, which I'm told will be useful in many countries in South/East.
> Have you hooked up with any other travelers?
(assuming you mean met/hungout with) Yep, there are other people getting around in cars and on bikes and motorbikes, and there are backpackers, and tons of UN ex-pats.
> How about any of these tribal women?
Dude, keep the questions SFW please.
> How do you pay from stuff. Do they take U.S. Dollars or Euros or do you have to get a billion Zimbabwe dollars for candy.
There are ATMs in the capitals where I can take out the local currency, otherwise I'm changing USD and Euro to the local currency on the street - getting the black market rate is fun :)
> What are you eating.
I'm trying to cook as much as possible to save money - so oats, toast for breakfast, usually buy rice with some kind of sauce for lunch from a street vendor, and maybe cheap street food or cook rice/pasta for dinner. Food is a couple of bucks a meal when you eat on the street.
> When you get sick from eating local food what do you do?
Suffer. I'll be writing about the worst case I've ever had on my blog soon...
> Are you armed?
No. crossing an international border with a firearm is a serious, serious no no. I would spend many years in jail if they found it, and they've searched well enough already to find all my "hidden" stuff like my money stash, so they would find it.
If so did you have a license for your weapons?
> How do you cross the Sahara. Do those sand dunes move around and block roads or do they just stay in one spot. Or are these trucks able to ride over them without sinking into the sand.
There is a road from Morocco to Mauritania - the sand blows onto it (think drifting snow) it's passable.
> If you are in Sahara and water runs out what do you do?
Why would it run out? why does water magically run out because I happen to be somewhere hot? I have a 13 gallon tank, I make sure it's full as often as I can. Also there is traffic on the roads, I would flag someone down if I had major trouble.
Just this week I've bumped into three different people who just came North on the West Coast from Cape Town, including a guy from South Korea on a bicycle, alone, who doesn't speak a word of French and very basic English.
They all loved it :)
installing diesel instead of perfectly fine gas engine looked like typical mistake of a software engineer - we don't really need it, but it would be sooo cool to try!:)
But enjoy your time away, the creature comforts will still be there when you tire of not having them, and anyway, you will appreciate them more. ;)
Sympathy? I think you're confused. I'm living a life dream, no need for any sympathy.
> the creature comforts will still be there when you tire of not having them, and anyway, you will appreciate them more.
Last time I drove Alaska->Argentina, and since then I've been living in the Yukon. I'm in no hurry to get back to creature comforts, trust me :)
i think he's already made up his mind.
Las Ramblas is a large interesting boulevard through the middle of town and is a lot of fun to see. However, in any location where there are tourists, there appear to be very talented pickpockets targeting them; be careful.
I'm an amateur (very amateur) magician so I was fascinated to see the street scams based on the classic shell game being performed openly on Las Ramblas, complete with confederates winning money etc.
70% of French criminals are of Arab origin. Maybe Arabs are better behaved in the Arab world than they are in France?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/1135...
Maybe it's because the French are really soft on prisoners. That Coulibaly guy was furious they confiscated his playstation. I doubt Morocco or Algeria would have ever allowed him one..
My research in Africa was around Energy and the many forms it presents itself. I only encountered a handful of negative experiences:
[1] Getting jailed at the border in Mozambique for refusing to pay a bribe.
[2] Nearly getting kidnapped in Musoma, Tanzania by the biggest Tanzania I have ever seen in my life. He proceeded to grab my arm and pull be down and ally proclaiming I was to come with him and play the drums.
[3] In Nairobi during one of the worst storms in the past 25 years.
I just spent that past 11 months backpacking South America. This time, my research was focused on Drones and Last Mile Distribution.
Africa is a magical place - I've been fortunate enough to go for a reasonable period twice - also worked in Tanzania for three weeks in 2004 - but it's certainly not for the faint hearted; I'd not want to go there without serious mechanical skills as there isn't the level of support that you get in Europe, and the fuel supply is hugely variable; indeed some stations have a reputation for deliberately supplying poor fuel to travellers to allow them to try to buy the vehicle for a low price (this actually happened - dodgy diesel from a barrel, and then 5 minutes later the vendor was saying he'd buy the car off the guys we were with. Needless to say we fixed it). Anyway, the memories will last a lifetime, and perhaps more importantly the lessons learnt there (such as how fortunate I am to have been born by chance into a wealth, stable democracy) have shaped my life ever since.
[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_killing_of_French_tourist...
This generalization is so broad as to be useless (akin to "America is a racist, xenophobic place"). Africa is 54 countries and 1 billion people and countless cities and neighorhoods, painting with a broad brush is unhelpful. Only a handful of countries have active conflicts or instability, it is easy to avoid them on a trip such as this one.
[Edit] Here's a fun game that was featured on the Daily Show: see if you can you tell if a photograph was taken in Africa or the US[1]
https://www.roadscholar.org/find-an-adventure/21421/circumna...
If I really wanted to understand Africa I'd pick a city and go work and live in it... Not drive through it in an army truck.
The only major mechanical issue they had was caused by dirty diesel, and if they'd had some sort of pre-filtration setup they could have probably avoided this.
Their major issues were simply down to the weight of the vehicle and poor route selection.
This sounds like received wisdom. Is there any evidence to support it? Why would one believe that a land rover's engine requires more maintenance than the average engine found in all the aggregate "old trucks"?
Which could have been solved by using a landrover instead.
The tent was on the roof so it should have been safe from most animals:
The solutions seem to be "someone else fixed it".
>> Our truck weighed over 10 tonnes fully laden, and whilst driving through some marshland just before we got to Senegal we broke through the hard crust into boggy clay below.
>> We were very lucky to be just ahead of the Amsterdam Dakar Rally, and they helped pull us out. It took about 4 hours of digging, and 3 trucks to get us out - 2 pulling forwards, 1 sideways to make sure we didn't topple over!
[...]
>> We ran out of diesel, and all the crap that had been floating on top clogged up the entire system.
>> For 3 days we were stuck in the middle of nowhere, unable to fix it ourselves. We were travelling in convoy with another couple and they were able to drive to a small village a few hours away where they found someone who knew a guy in Congo who could help us! So he took our friends to a spot where he could illegally cross the border and smuggle his mechanic friend across.
[...]
>> Turns out the dry river beds weren't so dry after all, and the weight of this truck made it sink right through to the mud below.
>> It took 2 days and the help of a nearby village to dig us out.
I'm kind of surprised there isn't a buddy comedy movie about something similar. (I guess Into the Wild, although very much not a comedy, is similar.)
I love the idea of _Heart of Darkness_ filmed as a buddy comedy.
Hit the nail on the head. It's all quite amazing and awe-inspiring as well; I don't want to take away their achievement. However I can't deny how self-congratulatory it feels.
My first few months roaming the world were life-changing. Every day, I updated my Instagram with photos of my favorite sights: cones filled with scoops of glistening gelato; my hand lightly resting on a café table, near an early edition of “On the Road”; selfies of me hugging depressed tigers too stoned on sedatives to drown themselves.
i hate to admit this but im a photographer and have been dreaming about quitting and traveling just for opportunities to take photos. not sure i'd ever put photos of food/sedated tigers though.. but still hits close to home
As another photographer, remember exotic places are always tempting and can be very fun, but travel doesn't make good photos. You make good photos, and you can do it close to home.
So if you want to take beautiful photos of tigers you do have to find tigers, but you also have to be able to take beautiful photos. The tiger won't solve that for you.
(Now, if you're already a great photographer, good enough to sell your works, then you have the skills, so by all means devote yourself to pursuing subjects)
P.S. The OP is nothing like the satirical post you linked. It's an imgur album with fairly modest captions.
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/53eqlt/i_quit_my_job_...
Reddit thread has NSFW tag for source pictures
I would love to see all of Africa, but have only been to Morocco, which seemed very safe at least.
or https://www.truckafrica.com/tour/london-to-cairo-trans-afric...
which does much the same route as in the article for approx £8k
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanzelka_and_Zikmund .. these guys travelled the world widely in late 1940's. I've read the African book, and it's very funny reading these days.
The both despised the colonialist administrations, and the book frequently mentioned all the injustices done on the native populations. Yet the factual descriptions of Africa at that time make it look a far safer place.
Try getting a small group together and do like the author did. I loved Africa.
The vast majority of strangers you meet will mostly be sympathetic to your cause and help you when they can. You'll also be SOL if you are not handy.
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/50799-Democrat...
Multiple times, the travellers found spots where locals would make traps for cars and then ask for money to get the cars unstuck.
The only people who were invariably helpful were priests.
Frankly a lot of their problems related to getting stuck was not having a 4x4
Driving around africa in a truck for 19 months isn't exactly environmentally friendly. How many miles to the gallon do those things do?
