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Comment by grecy | Hacker News Reader

I quit my Software Engineering job and am now spending two years driving my Jeep around Africa.

I'm working while on the road, writing for magazines, selling photos and filming a YouTube series.

I am having the time of my life, and am extremely happy I made the decision I did. IMHO, sitting at a desk is just not worth it. Life is too short. I'm meeting a ton of people who agree, and are living the kind of life people spend their lives dreaming about.

If you're interested in my trip:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/theroadchoseme

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theroadchoseme

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dangrec

YouTube http://youtube.com/c/theroadchoseme

And my website: http://theroadchoseme.com

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Visit the Land of a thousand hills(Rwanda) while on the trip.

I love getting advice like this. Now added to my list! thanks.

All the way up to Lake Kivu! As safe as Rwanda is, you need to be wary of the neighboring countries: DRC and Burundi.

Yeah, I'm wary of DRC, but I have to cross it on my way South on the West coast. I'll go fast.

My research says Burundi is pretty stable.. I was planning to go there. Do you recommend otherwise?

You're planning to cross the DRC, and you're going to do it "fast"? Please tell me that was a joke, because this is what awaits you:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/ride-tales/democratic-...

Update: Ah, I take you're going to cross north to south, meaning you only have a (comparatively) tiny slice to go through. Then you'll likely survive, good luck getting the Angolan visa though...

Angola transit visa has not been a problem for any overlander in the last 6 months.

30 day Tourist visa seems to be issued to about 50% of people that ask.

From what I remember, the southeast corner, bordering Uganda and Rwanda, is/was the most unstable. Burundi had issues because of the election. Not sure where it stands now. I did not go to Burundi since the travel visa was expensive. I was traveling on public buses, so even a three day visa might not be enough.

Thanks for the info. It seems virtually every country on the continent has issues around elections, and should be avoided. DRC, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Mali, etc. all have recently been not-good places to be due to elections

Enjoy your time. I dream about going back to Africa. If I had to do it again, I would do it exactly like you are doing, using self-transport. Besides setting your own schedule, you get to pack your own food. Much of Africa simply does not have stores. However, I would travel with others.

Cool stuff man, love the youtube videos.

Nice Jeep, what was the total cost to have it configured like that?

http://imgur.com/a/OLK3o

How do you sell your photos, if you don't mind?

I pitch to magazines and other publications.

Please next time take me with you

I have toyed with the idea of running some kind of "competition" where someone can win a couple of weeks on the trip with me. Fly into some airport, I will pick them up, tour them around a country or two and drop them off again.

I have no idea if people would actually be into that, or stay away because I'm nuts.

Serious question - would you go for that if I offered it?

Totally.

that could actually be something people could pay you for as well. airbnb on the road with scenic views.

let me know if you ever try that.

I think they call that a "tour company".

Ripe for disruption. It'd probably look just like a tour company but with less insurance and amateurs at the wheel.

You could look into providing airbnb experiences, though I assume they are generally repeatable and not once off.

These guys (https://www.patreon.com/LaVagabonde) were/are running a competition to invite a handful of paetrons on board for a week or two. Seems like people go for it (https://youtu.be/zKwjPr9vINM?t=13m42s). GL!

I'm about to start a deep-dive into Africa in Namibia in March. I'd totally be interested to learn the ropes from someone more experienced as a way to get my feet wet before heading off solo. For some reason despite having been to 90+ countries, the African continent is still daunting. So a hands-on practical intro would be more than welcomed if it wasn't outrageously expensive.

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