This is Africa, the second-largest continent on earth and home to 54 countries. From safaris and wildlife retreats to luxury resorts and voluntourism (basically just volunteering with a hip yet controversial name), there are countless options here for new experiences and getting off the beaten path. It’s adventure time!
Did You Know? Africa is home to the newest country in the world, South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011.
Although the birthplace of civilization, when it comes to international tourism, Africa is the overlooked continent. Annually less than 4% of all global tourists visit — and that number is decreasing slightly due to the massive flood of new Chinese tourists, who have not yet made it to this continent. All the more reason to go visit now!
Why follow the crowds? Africa is an amazing continent with plenty of adventures and animals awaiting.
An American passport is like a golden ticket to go almost anywhere you want. Visa? Letter of invitation? Pre-approval? Excessive paperwork? Ha — not for nine out of ten countries. They’re all easy countries for Americans to visit. The only problem is barely a third of all Americans have a passport and many never even … Read more
Having the opportunity, freedom and desire to travel has created endless opportunities for me to visit countries outside of my own, explore different cultures and meet a variety of diverse and interesting characters. Over the years I’ve lost count of the all the profound, inspirational and sometimes most basic of lessons learned from traveling, but … Read more
My husband and I had been living in Nairobi for a month when we decided it was time to visit Mombasa, a coastal city in Kenya. Mombasa is about 475 kilometers (about 300 miles) from Nairobi. The trip is a 50-minute flight, a 7-hour drive, or a 14-hour train trip lovingly referred to as “The … Read more
Ever visited the African country of Mauritius? It is an island nation east of Madagascar in the southwest corner of the Indian Ocean. It was the only known habitat of the now-extinct Dodo bird. And much like that ill-fated avian species, the colored sands of Chamarel are also unique to Mauritius. Nowhere else on earth … Read more
Experiential travel is one of the biggest buzzwords in today’s rapidly changing travel industry, but there’s more than one way to get under the skin of a country. For ultimate cultural immersion, a voluntour provides you with the perfect mix, and there’s a deeper sense of commitment when the holiday is focused on the objectives … Read more
My most overwhelming first impressions of Nairobi are centered on the smells. As my friend Julie pointed out to me, the U.S. is so sterile. People wear deodorant; we clean ourselves, our clothes, and our homes obsessively. Our trash is stored in dumpsters and cans and taken far away to decompose. My husband puts it … Read more
