The Thrill of the Overlanding Life. Does It Exist After Years on the Road?
Some reflections on the last five years on the dusty African roads – and life.
So what keeps us so thrilled, amazed, and entertained that, after over five years of almost constant travel, we still want to continue?
Someone asked this question a while ago, and it took me a while to think about the answer. But then, I could have given many solid and deeply resonating answers.
As we prepare to leave the African continent, I've begun to reflect on what this place means to me, the lessons it has imparted, and the reasons for my deep affection for it.
And even though it may take some time, I will return someday, over and over again, as this place certainly is a part of me. I couldn’t even imagine living the rest of my life without seeing elephants and all the other amazing animals, hearing the familiar calls, and smelling the distinct odor of the wet African bush.
Am I already sad to leave? I guess I am a bit. But if you don’t go, you cannot return.
Why Africa Has Imprinted Itself So Strongly Into Our Souls?
I think it’s the deep peacefulness I feel when I sit around the campfire in the middle of the bush. Where there is just me and the wild animals, and I can hear the sounds of the elephants cracking the branches of the Acacia trees, and I can watch while their huge, grey backs move silently among the bushes. How can such an enormous animal move through the thick vegetation without making the slightest sound?
It’s a marvel that doesn’t cease to amaze me. But it’s just one of many marvels this continent has to offer.
When the darkness falls, and the cries of the jackals pierce through the night, I close my eyes and feel like I am part of the scenery. I’m not an outside observer; I dissolve into the wild and feel immense peace and balance.
Even though it sounds like one of the biggest clichés, there is something so primitive in this “Mother Continent,” Africa, that mere words cannot explain. So I don’t even try. Something that imprints into your being and speaks volumes without words, but you can intuitively understand everything. And you feel peace inside.
One of the essential lessons Africa has taught me is that time is relative and always having too much hurry is comprehensively destructive for you.
And always being “busy” is a flaw many of us have. But when you learn that, most of the time, you make up the “busyness,” and when you learn to “live easier,” you’ll notice a shift in your well-being for the better.
It has also taught me that we can always make a plan, regardless of what happens, and everything will be okay in the end.
And now, after over five marvelous years of zig-zagging all over the place, we have decided to leave this continent and head for new adventures on other continents. Even though we haven’t even left yet, I feel a bit sad. For so long, Africa has felt like another home.
Maybe it’s also because here, you can still eliminate all the consuming technology, cell phone networks, social media, etc. if you want to. You can drive along the almost overgrown tracks into the bush where there are no signals, just you and the blanket of millions of stars. And the callings of elephants, lions, hyenas, cicadas, frogs, hippos, and hundreds of other animals and birds you haven’t even heard of.
They are the sounds we were meant to be surrounded by—not the constant cacophony of cars, trucks, trains, airplanes, cellphones, and all the other urban noise that envelops you in any city and makes you tense, inside and outside.
When you are in nature, you remember what it is to be human again. You remember how to be an integral part of your environment, with all other creatures of nature, and not as a separate being.
Would you like to get some elephant vibes on your wall? ✨
We have added this pencil drawing, which was done by Piritta, to our shop! 🐘
It’s available as framed or non-framed versions in different sizes. Please read more specs at the link above.
The original drawing was made with HB, B, 5B, and 6B pencils.
This is how Piritta drew “The Old Elephant” in about 20 seconds. In reality, it took almost 3,5 hours.
Then What Is Happiness?
I have learned so much during these years and am forever grateful for the lessons, even though not all have been pleasant or happy. Wild animals and nature have taught me much about themselves and myself. If I felt a bit lost when we started this overlanding lifestyle in 2019, I have found myself here in Africa.
All these years have also taught me what “happiness” means to me. And that is not a small gift to receive.
For me, happiness is being in the bush amongst the wild animals. It’s about the freedom to go where I want to when I want to and live my life on my terms. Do things that have a meaning for me. And if I do them well, they may give joy to other people, too.
Happiness means different things to everyone, but I think that one of the meanings of life is to find the thing(s) that make you happy and then do them. And live a life that feels fulfilling and meaningful.
Of course, to get something, you must probably give up on something. But just ensure that the trade-off makes you happier and one step closer to your ideal life.
I wish everyone dared to make their dream life a reality, even though it’s scary—sometimes even terrifying. It takes a lot of guts, but it will be worth it!
We can be masters of making a thousand excuses not to do something. But that’s just your fear talking, not your heart. And we are not meant to live our lives in fear. We are meant to shine and be happy. Only then can you give something of yourself to others and help them, too.
It’s About the Balance of the Good and Bad
Hardships are unavoidable when leading an overlanding lifestyle (just like in any other lifestyle). Sometimes, you must constantly repair your vehicle with expensive parts and labor or drive when you are already too tired to, but your destination is still 100 km away, and you have no other choice.
Sometimes, it’s arguing for hours straight at a chaotic border where people are trying to rip you off. It’s settling for “less than ideal” places for the night because there is nothing else. It’s washing your dirty clothes by hand for months straight. It’s sometimes feeling sick and defeated, only to rise again like the Feenix from the ashes.
But it’s also about having fantastic experiences in the wild, feeling balance and freedom, overcoming your fears, exceeding yourself, and learning new skills. It’s about having courage and trust in life, which always carries you.
Overall, it’s certainly not perfect, but would I swap this lifestyle for something more “secure and traditional”? Absolutely not! I once had that life, and I hated it in the end. It felt like I was already dead, even though I was alive. But I wasn’t fully alive.
The benefits of this overlanding lifestyle significantly surpass the drawbacks, and as long as I feel this way, I cherish our life.
All it takes to get me excited is to think about all the new places and animals I haven’t seen yet. And I want to hop into my car and drive into the sunset. 😎
And I guess that keeps us going and embracing our life on the road after all these years.
Please follow along; we’d love to have some company! 😊
Stay Wild,
Beautiful story!
Great read, thanks. Happy travels