By Ferdinand de Trazegnies (Travel mate from Peru, we met in Luang Prabang, Laos)
When my dear friend Tanner, who I met solo traveling through Laos, asked me to write a travel story for his blog, I was a bit intimidated by the idea, because I had no idea which story to write about. There are so many. Ultimately, I decided to focus my post on a singular trip that impacted me in a profound manner, rather than detailing numerous other amazing adventures I have been fortunate enough to experience while traveling all over the globe. Additionally, I want to take this opportunity to write a short reflection on solo traveling, the numerous benefits of embracing uncertainty, and lastly, I wish to recap the lessons I learned on this particularly life changing trip: lessons of which I am extremely grateful and I continue to apply in my day- to-day life.
Choosing to Live My Life on the Basis of Uncertainty
Questions people tend to ask me regarding my travels often start with the adverb “why”. Why do you spend your free time traveling to remote destinations? Why do you prefer to be uncomfortable and on a budget when you could be resting at home in your free time? Why do you choose to live your life on the basis of uncertainty? I will now proceed to answer these questions, while specifically focusing on this last question concerning living my life on the basis of uncertainty. I do what I do, and I love what I do, because I am a firm believer that only by fully embracing uncertainty are you able to become truly aware of your surroundings, you learn to appreciate details, and finally, and most importantly, you develop the ability to slowly and introspectively learn to know yourself.
I thoroughly enjoy traveling alone. Don’t get me wrong, this does not mean that I don’t like traveling accompanied by friends or family. I think that traveling alone pushes your comfort zone to such a point where you are willingly (or forcefully) deemed to learn to embrace uncertainty wholeheartedly. To most people I’ve met, the sole thought of traveling to a foreign country, with a completely different culture, and an incomprehensible language seems daunting. Regardless of the arguments that they give me to justify why traveling alone is an inherently bad idea, I remain firm to my position on the subject: solo travel will change your life.
In this short story, I will avoid listing a variety of factors to showcase the countless “pros” of solo travel. If you are looking for that you will get your answer by copying the previous sentence into Google. With the following “travel story”, I will attempt to describe a specific experience, one that I can honestly say has changed my life for the better, and that in my opinion engulfs everything that I cherish and value about solo travel. Who knows, maybe it will even inspire you to one day embrace uncertainty and embark on your own life changing solo adventure.
Celebrating Semester Break in a Non-Traditional Way
It was the end of the second semester of my third year in university, May 2019. I was particularly relaxed in comparison to my classmates regarding my short-term future, since I had already secured a summer internship with a consulting company, and I had performed fairly well on my final examinations. After a long academic semester, I finally had a short spell of time to go out with my friends, relax, and enjoy the first weeks of European summer before flying home to Lima, Peru to take part in the internship.
At the time, an ongoing debate was taking place between my friends who were trying to decide where to celebrate the end of the academic term. Popular destinations such as, Mallorca, the south of Portugal, and the Greek islands popped up, but I discovered that I was becoming less and less interested in the classic definition of “celebration”. Tables at clubs, the excess consumption of spiritual beverages, and the traditional friend-group banter wasn’t going to do it for me this time. Personally, I was more inclined to use this time to do something more closely aligned with my passions, and hence use my free time in a productive and self-fulfilling manner. I don’t mean to say that I am above my friends and their celebratory priorities. Hear me out. The previous summer I had embarked on my first solo trip, a five-day hiking trip in Iceland, and honestly it was one of the most self-fulfilling, fun, and thrilling adventures of my life. Hence, I already had a positive experience justifying my desire to experience this solo travel format again.
Long-Term Benefits of Being Exposed to the Elements
When you solo travel, by definition, you are stepping completely away from your comfort zone for an extended period of time. In the short-term, this type of “exposure to the elements” can be either highly beneficial or traumatizing. Even if this exposure seems traumatic at first I am confident that in the long-run these experiences will become resources you can rely on in your personal and professional life. My first solo trip to Iceland showed me first-hand that I should attempt not to fear what is unknown, and instead accept that it’s something new, attempt to become comfortable with it, and furthermore identify the positive impact such an experience can bring to me in the long-term.
Backstory on My Passion for Nature and Wildlife Conservation
Ok, sorry for that, I went along the lines regarding my rationale behind solo travel, I tend to do that, now we are going to move to the story I’ve been talking about to attempt to illustrate these ideas. First of all, a bit of backstory. I fell in love with nature from a very young age. Since I had my first cinematic experiences with Disney movies such as The Lion King and Tarzan, my dream has always been to visit Africa, get to experience the diverse and rich cultures that reside there, and moreover, to see the majestic animals in their natural habitat.
I am a big advocate of wildlife conservation, and I thoroughly believe in the importance of maintaining our remaining “wild” areas as a pillar for the future development of the human race as a whole. Therefore, I decided to pass on the end-of-term trip with my friends in favor of journeying to Africa, to witness and participate in wildlife conservation and the protection of natural habitats, and to be able to work with communities that reside around their designated area of study to promote conservation and teach the values of protecting wildlife to future generations of local children. I was aware that most of my friends wouldn’t be keen on such a vacation, but that was fine; it was the perfect opportunity to solo travel once again.
Selecting the Navakango Conservation Program
After a great deal of research into several different projects in countries such as Namibia, South Africa, and Kenya, I finally landed (by accident) on the webpage of the Nakavango Conservation Program. Based in a private game reserve on the outskirts of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, this project revolves around the protection and conservation of black rhinoceros and the protection of their natural habitat, the Kalahari scrublands of northern Zimbabwe. The more I read about the project, the more convinced I became that this was a place I had to check out.
A long-term dream of mine is opening a conservation and wildlife reintroduction project back in Peru, so I figured that the more I became exposed to successful projects of the same nature, the more experience I could gain in order to open my own reserve in the long term future. This project checked all my boxes, it: was based in the middle of a protected wildlife area; had concise mission and vision statements; consistently worked with communities in the area to foster the importance of wildlife conservation in locals; and appeared to have scientific, social, and economic backing. I felt it was the ideal place to learn while providing a helping hand in the day-to-day project activities.
At the End of the Day Excitement Rules Out Nervousness
Regardless of how much I was looking forward to participating in such an inspiring project, I won’t lie, from the moment I booked my flight, that invigorating feeling that combines anxiety, adrenaline, and excitement kicked in, knowing that I would be flying halfway around the world, by myself, to a place completely foreign to me. It took a while for me to wrap my head around the fact that literally anything could happen along the way, and that feeling of uncertainty is precisely what made it intoxicatingly compelling. It was the first time I was going to be traveling for an extended period of time to a completely unknown destination by myself. At the end of the day, excitement ruled out the nervousness and adrenaline kicked in at a gradually increasing rate as I neared my departure date. I’m sure that other solo travelers who are reading this will be able to relate to such a feeling.
Touching Down in Zimbabwe
After an endless series of flights, with layovers in London and Johannesburg, once the airplane started its descent towards the Victoria Falls International Airport, as I looked out through the window, I automatically knew that I had made the right decision coming to Zimbabwe. The endless and remote arid lands of the Kalahari, filled with vegetation, an immense amount of wildlife, and a smell of adventure started to appear through the gradually clearer clouds until they became completely visible below the cloud layer. It is a feeling that is hard to explain, after living in the city my whole life, witnessing this unending expanse of untouched wilderness was daunting and inspiring at the same time. I was used to the sound of car honks and being constantly surrounded by towering concrete buildings. Seeing the unraveled tranquility of nature to such an immense extent was truly jaw dropping.
My New Volunteer Family
After going through the painfully long Visa cue in the immigration lounge (traveler trip #1: have a folder with all the necessary documents printed with at least two copies of each in order to avoid an embarrassing bargaining attempt with Zimbabwean authorities regarding the validity of my “business” Visa), I entered the arrivals section of the terminal to meet many of my fellow project volunteers. To say that we became close from the very first day would be an understatement. When you meet people while traveling alone, especially people that are in the same situation of discomfort and have the same mindset, it is nearly effortless to establish a close bond with them since it is fairly easy to relate to each other, regardless of the country you come from, your educational background, or the cultural differences between you. We quickly got to know each other and became a sort of semi-functional family that, regardless of our differences, we knew we were all there with the same common goals of learning, helping, and ultimately discovering this new environment we were being exposed to.
Our Day-to-Day Life Living in the Bush
I am truly lost for words when trying to describe what it was like to live in the middle of the bush. Being in permanent contact with nature, being surrounded by these magnificent animals, and knowing that our day to day struggle was purposed to ensure the sustainability of this diverse habitat and the species that inhabit it, is probably one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve ever had in my life.
Every day, we lived numerous unique experiences that solidified our bond as a temporal foster family by constantly forcing us to step a bit further away from our comfort zones. We witnessed unbelieve events and engaged in numerous unforgettable activities, such as: being charged by elephant bulls, tent-less camping in the heart of the reserve, tracking black rhinoceros on foot, doing trail censuses to monitor and estimate the population of specific species in the area, building a sustainable garden and athletics field for a school in a nearby community, stalking a buffalo carcass in search of predators and scavengers, removing alien vegetation from the reserve, watching giraffes feeding from our dining area, and experiencing a mongoose flash mob every day after lunch. These events made this experience completely unforgettable and highlighted nature’s importance for our sustainable existence in this world. Every day was a new adventure, and we had to accept that we were never going to be able to prepare ourselves for what nature had planned for us next.
Let’s Talk Nature
As well as participating in data gathering, community engagement, and reserve maintenance activities, we had the privilege of listening to highly informative talks by our shirtless, politically incorrect, and elephant feces loving master guide, Dean, and the incredibly knowledgeable reserve manager, Ian. These talks touched upon topics such as the underlying effects of poaching, innovative conservation methodologies, reserve maintenance, the financial side of wildlife conservation projects, and the importance of community engagement for the long-term impact of such projects regarding human-wildlife conflict, amongst others. As you might guess, this was an invaluable opportunity for us to learn about wildlife conservation from leading practitioners in the field, something that came particularly useful to me as someone who wishes to venture into this world in the future.
Bartering with the Locals
On weekends, most volunteers headed to town where you could truly engage in the local lifestyle and culture of northern Zimbabwe as well as enjoy the touristy attractions of the area. One such attraction is the world-famous Victoria Falls, locally known as “Mosi-oa Tunya”, which translates to “the smoke that thunders” due to the deafening sound that these massive waterfalls produce as the water hits the lower Zambezi river.
Other activities that you were able to explore in town included bungee jumping, river rafting, crocodile diving, or private tours to nearby national parks such as Chobe National Park in Botswana and Hwange National Park. My personal favorite weekend adventure, by far, was bartering in the local traditional market for African hand-crafted goods. Although I am not a big fan of hoarding travel memorabilia, I loved going to the market, talking with the locals, and hearing about their perspectives on local cultural and political affairs, and about their day-to-day life. I ended up trading a piece of clothing for a small stone statue that I gifted when I returned home. (Travelers trip #2: clothing accessories such as an old pair of trainers can prove to be useful trading materials if you are running a bit short on cash).
Nature in its Purest State
One particular experience that will forever be engraved in my memory was when we saw a wild lion pride for the first time. Returning from a census activity, a few hundred meters away from camp, we were completely star-struck when, quietly out of the bush, a mature lioness slowly walked out of the vegetation onto path.
Everyone went completely silent while we appreciated the majestic elegance of such a beautiful animal for the first time. Suddenly, the lioness looked at us, completely unperturbed, and decided to lie down in the middle of the trail, as her three cubs joined her out of the bush. I have never felt so powerless, entranced, and in awe, all at the same time, as I did when we witnessed these majestic creatures, in their natural habitat, living free as every single one of these animals deserves to do so. It was a truly inspiring and humbling experience to be able to witness nature in its purest state and, even more so, to live in it for an extended period of time.
My Zimbabwean Wilderness Experience Opened My Eyes
Overall, this experience in the Zimbabwean wilderness truly opened my eyes. It taught me numerous lessons regarding my future as a wildlife conservationist. Lessons that include: the importance of considering the mutual dependency of animals and their habitats; the reliance of an entire ecosystem on the activities of particular animals that live within; and the complexity of the logistics and execution of sustainable conservation projects. But, more than just lessons on wildlife conservation, my time in Zimbabwe taught me three particularly powerful lessons: 1) in a short period of time, you can start to absorb a culture completely foreign to your own; 2) in the span of a few short weeks you can become a family with complete strangers, far away from home; 3) and, most importantly, it is critical for humans to maintain a close relationship with nature, to be able to unplug ourselves from the modern relentless pace characteristic of city life, and learn to appreciate the natural marvels that seem to have been forgotten in our modern society.
I would like to end this short travel story with the words of Sir David Attenborough, “the natural world is the greatest source of excitement. The greatest source of visual beauty. It is the greatest source of so much in life that it makes life worth living.”
