As you may know by now, we are preparing for a trip around the world. We now know a few things about our journey and I am here to share them today.

First off, we will begin the trip in January of 2025. When I chose this date, it was simply because it was the beginning of the year and felt like a very good place to start.

Recently, we started to actually write out possible travel itineraries and it occurred to me that January does not make for great weather in any of the locations we had initially thought about visiting first.

I do not want to go places for the sake of being there. I want to enjoy them. I am cold-averse and will only spend time in it when it is necessary. So, I started to shift my focus to the Southern Hemisphere to take advantage of the opposite seasons.

My eyes turned to Africa.

An unnamed prejudice

It seems that anywhere South of the equator gets a really bad rap. We spent eight months in South America a few years ago and people in the U.S. constantly thought we would be murdered at any moment.

Africa is a different story. The entire continent, even that above the equator, is shadowed by a bad reputation.

Colonialism and exploitation really did a number I guess.

Even though I was “enlightened” enough to know there are large Urban and suburban areas in Africa, I was still filled with misunderstanding.

Could our family visit? Would we be safe? Would everyone criticize me for taking my child into danger?

When I googled the “safest countries in Africa” I was taken aback. Rwanda was on the list? What? The only thing I knew about the country was images in my mind from the 1990’s. War torn. Genocide.

As I read into their newfound peace and welcoming of tourists, I found myself in a bit of cognitive dissonance. Then, I felt overwhelming guilt. The more I read about places in Africa to visit, the stronger the feeling grew.

Yes. There are still countries in Africa that I will absolutely NOT travel to.

Yet. I found so many that are really worth a visit. I had no idea. Now, I am even more determined to go to them.

The plan

We intend to start our journey in Cape Town, South Africa. I really want to see the African Penguins on the beach with my daughter. This is an area full of History and beauty, so we will stay at least a week to explore.

Next up is Johannesburg, South Africa. We found a Safari by hot air balloon that I must try. Admittedly, I have been more nervous about some of the safari options than the potential human danger. I keep picturing stalking lionesses and angry hippos. Flying above it all in a balloon sounds like a good way to dip my toes in and get a feel for it.

Then we will fly to Botswana. There is a lodge that was reasonably priced near one of their main rivers. It is here that we can take a river safari and hope the hippos do not get us. They also have day trips to Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls, and Namibia to visit a traditional village. Three countries in one! I believe we may be able to go to their four corners as well and perhaps “be” in Zambia too.

Onto Rwanda, because I have to. Apparently most people visit to see the Gorillas. I think we can give that a try. Although I am afraid of them too, haha. I read about the Genocide Memorial and I think this is an important stop to make. War and genocide are hell on earth. Many alive today still remember it, but eventually it would be forgotten. That cannot be allowed to happen.

Finally, Nairobi, Kenya. I am not even fully sure what we plan to do there yet, but we all agreed it would be worth a trip.

Part one

So that is part one of the trip. We will cover all of that in one month. I don’t know if that is too fast or too slow.

Our goal is to travel on and off in one month chunks. Spending a month on travel and then recovering at home. I wish we were the types to just live out of a suitcase for who knows how long and always be on the move, but it just isn’t us.

Even a month is going to be difficult. Physically and mentally. I am grateful that we are planning so far in advance so that the headache of logistics can be largely sorted out. We will only have to worry about all the times plans have to change.

The next leg in Africa will be in places like Morocco and Egypt, in which we will follow up with the Mediterranean. So, we may save it for later in the year. In other words, there are no plans on the books for our March journey just yet. I hope to get to it soon.

Have you been to Africa? Where did you visit? What are your thoughts on the continent and various countries?

Thank you for reading!