Key Takeaways
- Years ago, my friend Zach backpacked from Cape Town to Egypt. It was him, a small backpack, and nothing else.
- He hitchhiked, rode in the back of buses and trucks, slept in ultra-cheap accommodation, and ate only local food. I was fascinated by the stories he t
- But there are a lot of people who travel the continent alone, people like Helen. Helen is a 33-year-old English woman who spent months volunteering an
Updated: 12/05/19 | December 5th, 2019
Years ago, my friend Zach backpacked from Cape Town to Egypt. It was him, a small backpack, and nothing else.
He hitchhiked, rode in the back of buses and trucks, slept in ultra-cheap accommodation, and ate only local food. I was fascinated by the stories he told me of his adventure. Africa is always seen as a scary place to travel alone, with danger and theft lurking around every corner for the unsuspecting traveler.
But there are a lot of people who travel the continent alone, people like Helen. Helen is a 33-year-old English woman who spent months volunteering and traveling around Africa on her own. Today, she shares how she did it and how you can do it too.
Route for Less: Tell everyone about yourself.
Helen: My name is Helen, I’m 33 and originally from Liverpool in the UK. In 2009 I made a life-changing decision to backpack around the world, starting in Africa. It was one of the best years of my life, and since then some fantastic opportunities have come my way — but then I believe you make your own destiny!
I now divide my time between my travel blog Helen in Wonderlust and my job supporting social entrepreneurs in business. Last year I was working as a tour guide in Zambia and Malawi.
What inspired your trip?
I’m a massive fan of the TV documentary shows with David Attenborough and Tribe with Bruce Parry. In the program, Bruce lives with remote tribes for a month at a time.
I also grew up watching films like The Goonies, Indiana Jones, and Romancing the Stone, but I was always a little bit scared of actually going on adventures of my own.
Then my grandmother, who I really admired for her adventurous spirit, became really ill. It really devastated me and made me think about what I had been doing with my own life.
So I began to save money and then I was made redundant from work. I decided it was the ideal time to take charge of my future and go on the adventures I’d always dreamed of.
Did you feel overwhelmed when you were planning?
There were so many times when I was so overwhelmed! From deciding where to go to deciding which companies to choose, everything seemed daunting at first! I did as much research as I could and plotted a basic route and then booked a few things so I had a basic structure, especially for the first leg of my trip.
Once I’d done that I felt a whole lot better and everything began to fall into place. Once you’re actually on the move, things tend to get a bit easier and you relax into your travels.
Where did you go on your trip?
I started off with a volunteering project in Zambia called the Book Bus. I spent a month there, before getting the Tazara Train across to Tanzania, where I spent a month volunteering for an orphanage that runs a lot of outreach programs in the Bagamoyo region on the east coast.
After that I took the bus up north to climb Kilimanjaro. After that I took an overland truck through Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia, and down to South Africa, where I did a self-drive along the Garden Route.
What drove you to explore Africa?
Everyone thought I was crazy to be starting off my trip in Africa. I guess it’s not the obvious destination for your first solo venture. But I found Africa to be fascinating and beautiful; it was a bit of an enigma.
The media portrayal of Africa is rarely positive, and the history of the place is just mind-blowing, so I wanted to go and see it for myself. A few of my friends had spent their post-university days exploring Europe, Thailand, and Australia, but I didn’t know anyone who had been backpacking around Africa.
I also love wildlife and sunsets so Africa seemed the most obvious choice.
Was it difficult being a solo female in Africa?
To be honest, no. There are tons of preconceptions about what traveling in Africa is like, and about Africa in general. But in reality, it’s actually not that scary at all.
Don’t get me wrong — there are places that I might not necessarily go to, but that’s not because I’m a woman or that I am alone. It’s more to do with the fact that there might be political unrest in the area or something like that. Africa is vast and there are many ways to travel safely and easily as a woman.
What safety advice would you give to others?
Africa can be a very safe place to travel, if you take a few basic precautions. First, take your malaria medication and get all of the relevant vaccinations. Drink bottled water, carry antibacterial hand gel, and wash your hands. The most common cause of illness is people not washing their hands properly around food.
Whilst most Africans are very gentle, honest and respectful, as with anywhere else in the world where there is a lot of poverty, you need to be careful with your belongings and not make yourself a target. Don’t keep huge amounts of money in your main wallet.
I always carry the bulk of my money about my person, either in my bag or a hidden money belt, and then keep a small amount of cash in my wallet to pay for basic things.
Don’t walk around alone after dark in unfamiliar areas — use reputable transport, stay in well-reviewed accommodations, and trust your instincts. When in doubt, ask locals or fellow travelers for advice. Most communities are incredibly welcoming and eager to help responsible visitors.
