Africa 2017
I love to travel, seeing new places, eating new foods, and meeting new people are all wonderful parts of travel. The new places and experiences can be life changing. Travelling is my favourite thing to do. A close second favourite thing to travelling is planning my travels.
I can spend weeks looking up places to see and things to do. I plan multiple route maps and once on the road get side tracked by the wonderful people I meet. Some places are so enchanting you have to stay a few more days. Missing plans at the end of your trip just gives you a reason to come back.
There is one trip that I have been dreaming about for years, a Safari. I have looked at safari’s planned out safari’s, explored the differences between countries offering safaris. I have always dreamed of going on safari and there was nothing holding me back except in my dream safari I wasn’t alone. In my dream safari I had taken my dad on the trip of his life.
My dad, like many others, has worked hard all his life to let me have an easy life and I will be forever grateful. He puts in long hours and takes few vacations. What he does do is watch every documentary on the animals of Africa. Floods and the dry season, South Africa and Tanzania, life and death have all been on the TV at one time.
I remember when I was in high school promising myself that I would take dad on a trip to Africa if it killed me. I’ve tried a few times before but never seriously. I made the suggestion and we’d joke about it and then let it go.
Now, I’ve travelled more and I’ve dragged both mom and dad along for some of the rides. This summer is was Ireland and Scotland (which I will eventually get to typing up and posting). Last summer it was Iceland.
Next summer is South Africa. I’ve been in contact with different tour groups getting routes and quotes. I’ve sat down with mom, who is really getting invested in the trip, and narrowed it down to two tours. We’ve been in contact with the company about customizing the tours for us. We’ve looked at dates and flights. We’re just a few back and forth emails away from committing to an amazing trip.
This experience will be once in a lifetime and I can’t wait to share it with mom and (mostly) dad. The anticipation builds each day as I obsessively check my email to see if there is an email about Africa. I can’t wait for Safari 2017.
