You haven’t quite reached your destination – Part 2
Problems arriving somewhere is not a new issue for me. In fact it happened my very first day of travelling as I got caught up in French train strikes that…
You haven’t quite reached your destination – Part 1
Finding your accommodation can be a trickier experience than you might think. Even after planning, checking maps, saving screenshots to your phone and writing down directions. I've had more problems…
Panthera Africa: Volunteer with animals in South Africa
The opportunity to volunteer with animals in South Africa was too good to resist. I spent 2 weeks getting to know the big cats and their unique characters.
How not to surf
Photo by Chelsey Horne from Pexels
I always like to try new things when I travel and surfing was high up on my list of things to do. The first time was in Australia in the Town of 1770, pretty much the smallest place I’ve ever been. They offer the cheapest 3-hour surf class in Australia, but because of that they regularly have upwards of 15 people trying to surf. In a group that big it’s difficult to get into any kind of rhythm or receive any help from the instructor. Having said that I’ve never had so much fun doing something I was so bad at. I was eager to give it another go and on my recent trip to southern Africa I got my second chance.
(more…)12 days, 5,453 km, 4 countries, 2 tents, and another VW: Part Two
To read the first part of our African road trip click here.
While we were in Maun we had some free time so decided to take advantage and plan our onward route. Louise had to be in Windhoek in a couple of days and was planning to take a bus from Maun, whereas myself and Céline were hoping to go to Kgalagadi National Park. Unfortunately that appeared impossible from the Botswana side without a 4×4. We’re gonna need some bigger tyres for the Polo!
(more…)12 days, 5,453 km, 4 countries, 2 tents, and another VW: Part One
I’d been back in Windhoek barely an hour after my week exploring some of the highlights of Namibia when the next part of my Southern Africa trip began. I was chatting to the people in my dorm when I met Céline, a girl from Belgium who was travelling alone and happened to have a rental car. As we talked it appeared we had similar plans and she asked if I’d like to join her.
(more…)Namibia Part 2: R Kelly and a VW Viva
After eventually leaving Swarkopmund the guides I was supposed to meet in Usakos hadn’t arrived yet. Instead we met them further along towards Windhoek at a random gas station. I had already met one of them, Kefas, from a couple of tours in Windhoek and now I was introduced to Benjamin.
(more…)Namibia Part 1: Germans, taxis and sand dunes
Namibia was my first real taste of Africa and somewhere I’d been wanting to go for a few years. I just wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to do there. I’d read about Etosha National Park in the north, but other than that I had no idea what there was to see. In Windhoek I found a company that booked excursions and they organised a whole week of activities for me, including Etosha, together with accommodation, transport and some meals. The plan was altered on pretty much a daily basis after this. In fact, on the day I was supposed to leave the plan changed so I would be doing it the opposite way round. For a very German country, organisation is not a strong point.
(more…)Easter Island: Or how I met stray dogs and tried to lose them
Easter Island. Isla de Pascua. Rapa Nui. One of the most remote places on the planet featuring an unusual mix of Polynesian and Latin American cultures. It’s on a lot of people’s bucket lists and rightly so. Not least because of the mysterious giant stone figures known as Moai. However my memories of the island are somewhat different. (more…)
Pushed to the edge
I was looking out of the window on the flight from Alice Springs to Cairns. “It doesn’t look too bad,” I thought. “And this is higher.” Two days later, crammed into a tiny plane with 14 other people, I wasn’t so confident. (more…)