Collecting Experiences, Not Things: East African Explorer Tour

Our motto and motivation is to “collect experiences, not things”. Whilst on our journey, we’re aiming to spend our time and money on spectacular experiences, to be left with incredible learnings and memories, not tangible objects. This way, we’re sure to keep our lives light without additional luggage, but also be the change we want to see in the world.

Our next featured experience is the Topdeck Travel tour, East African Explorer.

This was our third taste of group travel, so one could say we are slowly growing out of the ‘Group-Travel Novice’ status, after the 17-day European excursion late last year, and now this trip – something a little closer to home, and something a little more adventurous.

Surprisingly, we’re starting to love group travel (yes, even in our 30s and even after having all the freedom to travel non-stop as a couple). Let me tell you why…

Aside from the obvious benefits of having all accommodation, transport, and food pre-paid and organized (besides the odd evening where you’re free to roam around on your own, searching for the best local curry),  group travel adds a certain comradery to the entire experience. When something doesn’t go entirely to plan (because, let’s face it, with travel, almost everything is a mystery) it’s more of a conversation starter and team-work initiator, than a sour taste leaving you feeling helpless. Of course it helps when the people you travel with are fun-loving, adventure-hungry and up for anything (which we were very lucky to have on both of our Topdeck trips).

The East African Explorer tour is extremely different to the tour we did through Europe, though.

For a start, we were required to camp 90% of the time (although the option to ‘upgrade’ was available at almost every spot), and this meant no restaurants (so a lot more hands-on involvement in the bush kitchen), wet tents in the rain (and some manual labor to put-up and pull-down your own sleeping cove almost everyday), and a constant ‘team player’ attitude (as daily routines and jobs for every member were part of the norm). I think it’s safe to say that if you’re a prince or princess who needs 85 pillows and silk sheets, this is probably not a tour for you.

The mode of transport is also somewhat different – a cushy European bus has been replaced by a 3.5 ton truck that offers “Afrimassages” and “Africon” (affectionate terms we gave to the bumpy rides and open-window air supply).

So yes, this type of trip is probably not for everyone.

You’ll need to be ready for bush toilets (i.e. bushes for squatting), having damp clothes and towels almost all the time, pot-hole-covered dirt roads, bugs in and around you constantly (ok, not constantly, but they’re definitely close by), chilly and moist mornings (yes, ‘moist’ felt like the perfect adjective), and you’ll need to be ready to help out and sometimes get your hands dirty at a moment’s notice.

The benefits of a trip like this? Wow, where do I begin?!

Firstly, you’ll get to see a part of the world very few get to experience. Unlike the bustling tourist-ridden CBDs of the Western world, most of Africa is still very much untouched and preserved with local cultural nuances. The white sandy beaches of Zanzibar, the lush forests surrounding the base of Mt Kilimanjaro, the true animal kingdom of the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, and the world’s largest waterfall, Victoria Falls are just a couple of the highlights.