I quit my job, bought an army truck, and spent 19 months circumnavigating Africa

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Sep 19, 2016, 10:18 PM UTC

ambientdark wrote: post #226

Msurrow wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, I have. About two month in South Africa. Amongst other things spending 21 days volunteering and another 16 days-ish driving around the country.

Congrats, that sounds very exciting and it sounds like you helped people as well. I'm not sure you need it, but just in case, I would like to validate you and your decision to go off the beaten track. Ultimately it's important to do what makes you happy and fulfilled and traveling seems to make you happy and fulfilled, which is great to hear.

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Sep 19, 2016, 11:12 PM UTC

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #237

forgotpwtomain wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Probably you have never experienced a stuck heavy vehicle. It's usually impossible to get one out without assistance. Rarely, you may have a winch and can anchor to something which can support the vehicle's weight, but certainly not 'dig yourself'.

A winch that can pull the truck seems an essential item to take, but your general point stands. Also, perhaps, don't drive a 10 tonne truck?

Post by totalZero » Tue, Sep 20, 2016, 1:31 AM UTC

forgotpwtomain wrote: post #121

todd8 wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a simpler, less ambitious adventure, suitable for people that don't want to quit their job, you might try Habitat for Humanity. 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 d…

> There are international builds where you travel somewhere and work on building homes in areas where there isn't adequate low-income housing. I highly advise against this. There is no shortage of unqualified labor in underdeveloped countries. Most of these projects are just 'feel good charity tourism'. If you want to make a difference you are much better of donating 20% of a US salary which will employ many more und…

Post by enraged_camel » Tue, Sep 20, 2016, 3:14 AM UTC

shitgoose wrote: post #183

mb_72 wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Australian here. What you say is true, but avoid long grass (snakes) when out walking and check under the toilet seat (spiders) before sitting and you'll be fine. More importantly, make sure you look up constantly when around gum trees to avoid sudden and violent drop-bear attacks. The exact number of deaths and injuries caused by drop-bears is keep secret by the Australian government to avoid putting off tourists, b…

i had to google 'drop-bear'... are spiders under the toilet seat also part of australian folklore or they are real?

Post by knowaveragejoe » Tue, Sep 20, 2016, 3:25 AM UTC

extr wrote: post #190

grecy wrote: post #154

I also quit my Software Engineering job, and I'm driving around Africa right now! 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…

I remember your reddit thread, nearly everyone was convinced you'd be murdered and robbed by the end of the first day. Seems like you're doing alright so far, but have you run into any substantial trouble along those lines?