Garonga Safari Camp, Garonga Pride, Lions, South Africa Big 5, South Africa Safari, Travel in Africa

As Her World Turns Travels Africa with Acacia

From a soap opera script supervisor based in Los Angeles to a full time travel aficionado, Erica Meyer has grown a supportive following through her storytelling and to travel for photography. Two years ago she took a big leap of faith to travel the world and ‘wallah’ the name of her blogging website, As Her World Turns came about, and its complete magic.

We jumped at the chance to interview Erica and learn more about her Africa travels in particular, so let’s dive right in:

erica 1
1.) What was that “ah-ha” moment that made you start taking your travel around the world dreams seriously?

It was a series of “ah-ha” moments built up over many years — every time I heard about someone quitting their job to travel, I felt a twinge of recognition that a similar desire lived within me. A few years before I made the plunge into full-time travel, I took a 5-week trip to Southeast Asia to verify that this nomadic lifestyle might suit me, and of course I fell in love with it. From there I set about downsizing my life: selling my condo, renting a storage unit, and eventually quitting my job. And all along I’d jotted down bucket list destinations so it was just a matter of narrowing them down and plotting a potential route. It all felt real the moment I bought my first one-way ticket.

2.) You recently returned from travelling our amazing continent, Africa. Tell us about your favourite African country and what made it so darn special.

That would be South Africa. The landscapes are astounding — the coastline along the Garden Route, the mountains of Drakensberg, the wildlife in Kruger National Park. You can relax at a winery or go cage diving with sharks. Plus, I fell in love with Cape Town — what a city! It’s more affordable than other major cities like Sydney or New York or Tokyo — all places I love, but my money goes farther in South Africa. If you need to get some cash for emergency purposes during your travel, you can try checking out online.

erica 2(photo of Blyde River Canyon, South Africa)

3.) You have travelled with Acacia Africa twice now. What made you choose Acacia as your African tour guide?

I did two tours with Acacia Africa — [highlight]Mountain Gorillas to the Mara[/highlight] (which covered Kenya & Uganda) and [highlight]Cape Desert Safari – Southbound[/highlight] (which covered Namibia). I had the same stellar tour guides for both trips, and they are a big reason I love Acacia Africa — Riaan & Juliana are unique among guides in that they are a married couple who run the tour together, sharing guiding and driving duties. Under their leadership, everyone on tour came together in a beautiful way and we had a fantastic travel experience.

erica 3

The other main reason I like Acacia Africa is because their tours attract travelers with a similar mindset — we are ready for adventure and camaraderie. I’ve been on overland trips with other companies where they combine campers with people who have paid for an accommodated trip. Those ended up being a mix of travelers: some backpackers, some seniors, a few couples on their honeymoon — all very nice people. But I prefer the way Acacia puts campers into one group; it feels like we’re all in it together.

erica 4 erica 5

4.) Not everyone is familiar with overland travel. Can summarise your experience overlanding the rugged yet beautiful landscapes of Africa?

The beauty of [highlight]overland travel[/highlight] is watching a country pass by outside your window. Unlike flying from point to point, overland travel provides a better impression of a place — you glimpse details of the landscape and impressions of the people from the comfort of your seat. You feel the energy of a country. And the slower pace is a great way to experience Africa; there’s time to reflect on what you’ve seen between each destination, instead of jumping from highlight to highlight with no breathing room.

erica 6(photo of locals in rural Rwanda, as seen on a day trip from Uganda)

5.) Looking back at your heaps of African adventures, do you think you would have been able to experience as much as you did without a tour guide such as Acacia?

No — it would take a lot more effort, time, and money to plan each of those itineraries as a solo traveler. It would be particularly challenging to navigate the border crossings and public transit in more rural parts of Africa. Acacia Africa made it easy: I could focus my energy on enjoying the activities and landscape while my guides took care of the planning and driving. I liked not having to worry as much about safety compared to when I travel alone; I always felt looked after and in good hands. I love solo travel and have done a lot of it in other parts of the world, but it was a strategic move to travel Africa via overland style.

erica 7(interior of our overland vehicle)

6.) Your photography is ‘To Travel For’ and often all is needed to share your experience. Can you spoil us with your favourite 3 photographs snapped during the course of your overland travels?

Thank you! Here are three favorites…

[highlight]Gorilla trekking[/highlight] in Uganda was unforgettable. I snapped this photo just as this female gorilla looked up at me — as though she were observing us, and not the other way around. They are so human-like; you really feel a connection when locking eyes.

erica 8

This next photo was taken during our sunrise climb up Dune 45 at Sossusvlei in [highlight]Namibia[/highlight]. It’s the only dune open to the public for climbing and it’s the size of a skyscraper. The colors of the sand changed from moment to moment as the sun rose higher; it was a magical morning.

erica 9

This last photo was taken at the main watering hole in Etosha National Park. Our campsite was only a few minutes’ walk from here and our guides encouraged us to check it out throughout the night to catch various animals sipping from the hole. When I staggered over half-asleep at midnight, I couldn’t believe the variety of wildlife on display — elephants, giraffes, rhinos, oryx. Then two of the rhinos locked horns and fought. It was a very cool scene to walk into.

erica 10

7.) Will your world continue turning? Is settling back down in Los Angeles in the cards or will the travelling continue to new territories?

Travel will always be a part of my life, and I was lucky to spend most of the past two years doing it full-time. Going forward there will be more of a balance — work for a few months, then travel for a period of time. My hope is to keep my work life fluid through freelance projects so that I still have time to travel to new countries every year. I’m eager to get back to Europe (I haven’t been since studying abroad 10 years ago!) and to visit Central and South America. Of course Antarctic and the Arctic Circle rank high on my bucket list — I hope to get there on a photography assignment one of these years. I’m eager to visit Alaska. So my world will indeed continue turning!

Contact As Her World Turns:

Website: [highlight]www.asherworldturns.com[/highlight]
Facebook: [highlight]www.facebook.com/AsHerWorldTurns[/highlight]
Twitter: [highlight]https://twitter.com/AsHerWorldTurns[/highlight]

 

Related Posts

Africa’s Eden – Business for Tourism

Africa’s Eden is the brainchild Jillian Blackbeard. With the support from members like Kim from Jolly Boys Backpackers in Livingstone Zambia and Louise Nielsen-Doran who is an event and wedding planner in Victoria Falls. these guys have over 60 years of combined experience of in Tourism at such a wide level they see the bigger picture of promoting the collective region known as KASA which is the words largest connected wilderness.

Read More