Itching for a Change

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Going to Africa in:



The economy is down. The housing market is on the decline. Unemployment and lay offs seem to be the inevitable. In three months I lost over 25% of my 401(k) portfolio in the ever sinking market. What better time to voluntarily leave a good, stable job of six years and flee the country during the most beautiful summer months of Seattle? I must be crazy.

Although it may not be the most optimal time to go on a trip of a lifetime, when is? I have had several friends that would travel the world. I always used to think they’re just lucky, have loads of money and was something I could never ever do and that was that. I love to travel, anticipated my next vacation getaway and always wanted travel plans to look forward to and break up the routine ways of my life. However, when I come back home from traveling, it leaves me craving more instead of feeling relaxed and rejuvenated. I started to look at the world map differently. There is so much out there to see. Seattle is just a tiny spec and I wanted to explore the unknown.

It’s a bitter sweet feeling to leave my job at MCM. I got this job straight out of college in 2003; so in a way, it is tough to leave, but I am eager for the refreshing feeling of a new start and change. MCM has been good to me and I have met people there that will be life long friends to me. I met Leah at MCM two years ago. We have grown to be close friends, see each other everyday at work and even have taken trips with Tiffany to Vegas, Leavenworth, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Mexico. She is the much needed catalyst for this African safari. We talked about traveling together for a few months and explored the possibility of going to Australia and New Zealand. When she suggested Africa, it sounded so out of my element, she might as well have suggested that we go to Mars. But after learning of how beautiful Africa is, it sounded like the only place we’re meant to go. Within Africa, you can find parched sandy deserts, lush green jungles, wide open game parks, Victoria Falls, Mount Kilimanjaro, and white sand beaches.

In November 2008, we officially booked our safari: a 73 day safari with a tour group called Oasis Overland. This safari will begin in Kenya and end in South Africa, visiting about 10 countries along the way in a huge truck. Everything we own in one backpack and tent camping in the great outdoors every night.

Since we’re bringing one backpack, it may seem like you cannot bring that much and in turn, don’t have much to buy to prepare for the trip. Boy was I wrong. On lunch breaks, Leah and I would make trips to REI, also known as “the time suck”. An hour flies by when you wander through the store and realize how much stuff we’ll eventually need to get. One of my first purchases was a self inflatable ThermaRest sleep pad. I tested it out and slept on it one night in my sleeping bag. The next morning, reality hit….oh my gosh, this is going to be my BED for 73 NIGHTS! I began to think how we rushed into booking this trip and didn’t think of how long the trip actually is. I looked up the cancellation policy and if we could refund our trip for a shorter one. I eventually calmed down and realized that this is going to be a different kind of trip, not a relaxing sunny vacation trip like I’m used to. I began to look at this safari as an experience, not a vacation. I believe it is going to be challenging, eye opening and very rewarding.

I’m proud to say that I’m past the nervous stage and am super excited and cannot wait to go. A whole other world awaits us. I’m looking forward to seeing wild animals in their pristine environment and not caged up in zoos, meeting locals who embrace tourists although they may be in political turmoil, and doing a vast array of activities from adrenaline rushing bungee jumping to memorable philanthropic visits to the genocide museum, school or orphanage. Our safari is booked full. It’s crazy to think that there are people around the world who are booked on this trip who I don’t know yet. Pretty soon I will meet them!

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