WRITING PROMPT RESPONSE

Crossing Southern Africa From West to East is the Plan

Traveling from coast to coast — will we make it?

The hairs are cut, the tires changed and the mosquito net bought. That is as far as our preparations go for a 2-month-long road trip. The route isn’t set yet and not a single accommodation is booked.

But we are traveling with the home on our roof. We can literally camp anywhere. So, no. We don’t worry about campsites. We might worry about safety in foreign countries, the condition of the roads and the weather.

We are planning to cross southern Africa from West to East. In the wet season. It might rain more than the sun shines, and we should have equipped our car with floatation devices instead of solar panels.

But here we go. This is our plan as far as I can anticipate at this stage.

We are planning to leave our current home in Swakopmund, Namibia, in less than a week. Driving north, we are planning to enter Zambia just before the mighty Victoria Falls.

From Zambia, we will hopefully make it into Mozambique at some stage somewhere along the national borders.

Mozambique is the actual destination of this trip but not not the end of the journey. After playing in the Indian Ocean and embracing beach life it will be time to turn around again.

Entering Zimbabwe and then Botswana, we will be driving West until we arrive back in Namibia.

Does it sound like a long journey? It certainly is. Especially in southern Africa where nothing is guaranteed. Not the fuel you’ll find at gas stations, not the road conditions and certainly not the weather. We don’t know what police officers will ask us as bribes just because they can. And who knows what other problems or obstacles will arise?

But we aren’t the kind of people that stress about such things. We prepare for what we can and the rest will be improvised. We take it day by day and are certainly excited about our longest road trip yet.

Being 24/7 together is the least of our worries since we’ve done that for the past 3 years already. But we are ready for any challenges we have to face and I can’t wait to hit the road.

And this is where I want to add bits of information since I read already wrong details about my trip. While we are planning to cross southern Africa from West to East and back again, we are not planning to go to South Africa.

Yes, those two are indeed two different places. South Africa is a country in southern Africa. In fact, it is the southernmost country on the African continent.

Southern Africa is a subregion on the African continent and includes all countries below the Congo River Basin. You’ll find deserts, wetlands and forests. Temperatures above the melting point and those below freezing.

Yes, southern Africa is diverse. It includes South Africa but is not the same as it. We’ll be crossing southern Africa by road without entering South Africa. If that makes sense.

If not, just stay tuned. I’ll bring light to your geography knowledge about the African continent within the next few weeks.

This is a writing prompt response to Globetrotter’s monthly challenge. Travel plans for 2023. I’m not taking it too far but let’s make it through the first quarter of the year and then we see where it takes us.

Read about the travel plans of other globetrotters:

Adrienne Beaumont with “I’m Off to The Philippines for My Youngest Son’s Wedding”

Scott-Ryan Abt with “When the World is Your Oyster: Where I Want to Go in 2023"

Michael Rhodes with “January Challenge — My Travel Wish List 2023"

Aarti Tailor with “Kicking Off 2023 By Checking Off Travel Goals”

Sandy Maximus with “My 2023 Travel (Wish) List”

Jordhan Robinson with “My Incredibly Loose Travel Plans for 2023"

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