When I tell people that I’m going to take a career break at 39 and travel the world solo, the question most often asked is “what prompted the decision?” Like any major life decision, it wasn’t just one thing, but rather a multitude of reasons that culminated in July 2024 with my ‘f**k it’ moment that led me to just ask work if they would support a six month sabbatical. They said yes and once they did, the reality hit of planning six months travelling solo.
Eastern and Southern Africa has always fascinated me, seeing the gorillas in Uganda has long been at the top of my life experience list and, Botswana has held a fascination for me, since reading the Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. That was my starting point to plan out an entire African itinerary, I hadn’t originally intended to spend three months on the African continent but the more I researched, the more places I wanted to visit. Although I’ve travelled solo for years, through Europe and across Asia, I’ve never spent this long away without a travel companion and aside from South Africa I’ve never been to Africa. Research suggested that travel would be long, hard and uncomfortable via the limited public transport options and expensive if I chose to self-drive. That’s why I am taking two tours.
The first tour is for 27 days starting in Nairobi Kenya, we then make our way into Uganda to visit the gorillas, down to the Masi Mara and into Tanzania for another safari in the Serengeti before finishing up in Zanzibar. I'm taking a couple of extra days to relax before I fly back to Arusha to undertake two weeks volunteering on a Woman’s Empowerment project. I’m living with a host family which will be a great way to understand more about the country and its people.There is family history connected to Tanzania, my grandfather was a surgeon and acted as director of surgical studies for East Africa. He and my grandmother lived in Dar es Salam and Malawi and my mother also spent her formative years in Tanzania before going to boarding school in Lushoto, a beautiful region in the mountains of Tanzania. I’ve asked mum for some memories of her time there and I’ll share more in a later post, but I'm excited to learn more about this country that my grandparents spent so much time in.
My second tour is with G Adventures, I’ll join them in Victoria Falls before we head into Botswana for more safari. In hindsight, I already wish that I had chosen to either self-drive or join a tour on the ground but during my planning phase I suffered an acute disc prolapse, which has been an ongoing issue for a couple of years (and one of those many reasons why I’m taking six months off work). This prolapse resulted in me going to hospital and being offered surgery however, I decided to opt for a nerve block injection and physiotherapy which has delivered a positive outcome in that my pain and mobility is now under control. I never questioned if the trip would still go ahead, I’m too stubborn to allow that to be the case, but it did mean that when planning I had to take into consideration potential limitations. Joining a tour seemed liked the safest and easiest option at the time.
The fourth leg of my African adventure will see me in Namibia where I will pick up a 4x4 land cruiser with a tent on the roof and drive across the country for two weeks. This is the part of the trip that captures everyone’s attention and aside from the Gorillas, it’s the part I’m most excited about. I’ve watched numerous YouTube videos, even reaching out to other solo female travellers to hear about their experience directly and I’ve read up extensively on what to expect. The country looks like nowhere else on earth and for me, after 2.5 years of chronic pain, multiple flare ups and restricted mobility, it’ll be the moment that I show myself anything is possible with a little determination.
Finally, I fly to Cape Town, a city I’ve been to before and a country that I was utterly charmed by when I visited in 2015 with friends. We drove the Garden Route, returning from Port Elizabeth to spend five days in Cape Town. This time I’m going to stay in and around the city, although I’ll definitely be heading out to Stellenbosch for some wine tasting. I will be in Cape Town for my 40th birthday which is very much deliberate planning, I’m a huge foodie and Cape Town is a city for those that love their grub! I can’t wait for a huge plate of the freshest seafood and crispest sauvignon to celebrate my milestone birthday.
Part 2 of the trip will see me land in Australia followed by New Zealand, but as I mentioned in an earlier post, this is not yet fully planned. I’m trying to maintain some flexibility so that I can catch up with friends whilst I am out there. The final leg of my grand adventure may change but currently the plan is to head to Peru from New Zealand and travel down to Bolivia. Machu Pichu, the Amazon and the salt flats are all destinations that I’ve always wanted to visit for a long time and so whilst I’ve been afforded this extended leave, I’m going to take the opportunity to head to those places that need more than your average 2-week leave request.
I’m due home in mid-July when I suspect I will be exhausted so I’m going to spend a week with my parents in Spain to readjust and relax before I rejoin the corporate grind. This trip is a huge undertaking in both planning and energy and, for those who are immediately thinking that it also doesn’t sound cheap, you would be right but as I note in my planning post, I’ve been saving for this trip for years. I might no longer be able to retire early but tomorrow is never guaranteed and neither is good health.
If you’re inspired by any of my plans then please follow along here and on Instagram and who knows maybe you’ll be requesting your own career break in the not too distant future.
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