Travel – BIG tiny World Travel

Camping in Namibia: 8 Amazing Campsites

Posted on October 17, 2019October 18, 2019 by Aaron Shade in Namibia

Campsites in Namibia are generally well equipped, easy to get to, and affordable. Upon reaching our first site, we were happy to find WiFi, hot showers, a restaurant, shops with food and water, and even electric outlets. These amenities seemed pretty standard across most of our campsites with few exceptions. Our time camping was very memorable and will stay with us for our lifetimes. The landscapes were beautiful, and some camps we had all to ourselves. How could you pass up such an opportunity to explore Namibia?

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The Ultimate Etosha National Park Wildlife Viewing Guide

Posted on October 10, 2019October 9, 2019 by Brianna Shade in Namibia, Planning

When we first checked in at the Andersson Gate at the south end of Etosha National Park, the guard thought he misheard when we told him we were planning to camp in the park for six nights. While much longer than their average visitors (who tend to only spend 3-4 days in the park), we had the luxury of time on our hands. With that time, we were fortunate enough to discover all the best places in the park to spot the wide variety of wildlife.

And now, we can share that knowledge with you. Which animals do you most want to find in the park?

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Visiting the Damara Tribe in Namibia

Posted on October 3, 2019October 4, 2019 by Aaron Shade in Africa, Namibia

The Damara are one of the oldest tribes in Namibia. We had the honor of visiting them easily at the the Damara Living Museum near Twyfelfontein. The experience was much different than the Himba, as it was more of a structured sharing of the culture, but was still a very valuable visit. We interacted directly with one of the tribe members, witnessed traditional song and dance, and were shown many of the traditions still held today by the tribe members. If you are traveling through this part of Namibia, the Damara are worth visiting.

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AfriCat: Big Cat Conservation (Video)

Posted on September 26, 2019October 7, 2019 by Aaron Shade in Namibia, Video

Big cats and other carnivores have been on the decline for a long time as they have nowhere to go. Farmers do not want them eating up their livestock and humanity’s footprint is continuously increasing. Hunters make them trophies or just kill them for sport. Others are taken to zoos around the world. To see these animals driven to extinction is terrible; as they are so beautiful and deserve to survive. That is why we support the AfriCat Foundation.

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Visiting the Himba Tribes in Namibia

Posted on September 19, 2019September 20, 2019 by Aaron Shade in Namibia, Stories

Visiting some of the native tribes was a must for us. It felt important to understand the cultural roots of Namibia and the primitive peoples. The history and way of life of the Himba was fascinating. They live a life without cell phones, cars, or even electricity. Everything in the village was made by hand. Sure, they are still plenty touched by modern life, but they try to stick to their roots and culture as much as possible. This is how to visit the Himba and what you can expect.

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Renting a 4×4 Camping Truck in Namibia – Everything You Need to Know

Posted on September 12, 2019September 21, 2019 by Brianna Shade in Namibia

How does one see Namibia? Full of wildlife, massive sand dunes, and vast distances, there’s really only one way to see it all: renting a car and driving yourself. Just be prepared to drive on the lefthand side of the roads, and be ready for very little pavement!

But then, where does one stay in this developing country? You might find some resort-style lodges near the larger towns, but if you’re on a budget like we are, the best option is a campground. Even in the winter, desert temperatures are mild, and precipitation is nonexistent in such an arid climate.

As adventure types, we don’t shy away from camping when we travel, but that activity requires quite a bit of specialty equipment – extra gear we didn’t exactly want to lug all the way around the world with us. Fortunately, there’s a popular solution in Namibia to the needs of both transportation and accommodation.

Hop aboard and see what life was like spending three weeks in our 4×4 camping truck!

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11 Things to Amaze You at the Frankfurt History Museum

Posted on September 5, 2019October 4, 2019 by Brianna Shade in Germany

With so many museums to choose from in Frankfurt, how does one prioritize? Aaron wanted to visit the History Museum. I was most drawn to the art of the Stadel or the cinema showcases of the Filmmuseum. These are all discounted with a Frankfurt Card, so we figured we’d start with one and just go down the line; why not see them all?

Time wound up putting a stop to that idea, but we were fortunate to have started with what I think was the most interesting of them all – because it was the only one we actually had time to see. It had so many fascinating exhibits to see, it’s no wonder we ended up spending an entire day there.

Here are 11 amazing reasons to visit the Historisches Museum Frankfurt.

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Frankfurt on a Budget: The Frankfurt Card

Posted on August 29, 2019September 20, 2019 by Brianna Shade in Budget Travel, Germany, Stories

Hello once again to another installment of our adventures around the world! We’ve been posting a lot about Africa (did you read our story about driving 8 hours out of our way to find big cats or how we were robbed in Cape Town?), so a lot of folks think we’re still there. The truth is, we have been in Europe now for about a month, but we’re soooo far behind on our blog posts (but we’ll catch up!). If you want to keep up with where we are actually at and what we’re currently doing, I recommend you follow us on social media – where we post regularly – or sign up for our newsletter where we send out periodic updates on what we’re up to!

In the meantime, we’re taking a break from the Africa posts this week to bring you a taste of Europe (don’t worry; we have lots more to share from Africa, so stay tuned!). When looking at Europe after Namibia, we scoured the interwebs for the cheapest airfare. Probably due to the large German influence in Namibia, Frankfurt came up as the best option. Germany, it is!

And as you know, funds are tight, and we’re always looking for ways to save money while traveling. Fortunately, many cities in Europe offer discount cards. We had our first opportunity to take advantage of this in Frankfurt, and it certainly helped us enjoy the city!

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How to Not get Stuck in the Sand Driving to Deadvlei

Posted on August 22, 2019September 20, 2019 by Aaron Shade in Namibia, Stories

On our second day in Sesriem, we woke up to bust down the gate at 6:45 am. Our mission was to get to Deadvlei as early as possible so we could get pictures before the masses arrived. We would have loved to get there in time for sunrise, but it is at the farthest point in the park.

The sky was still dark for most of the hour-long drive. It really felt like a race to get there, all visitors vying to lead the pack down the single, 65km road. Posted signs indicate a 60kph speed limit, but the early risers floored it through the park at nearly twice that, racing the sun.

The drive was enjoyable as our excitement was building for the day to come. We were warned that the last 5km was for 4×4 only, but we felt confident. When we got off the pavement and onto the sand we had good momentum, and I thought we could make it just fine. That was until the truck in front of us started to slow down. They got stuck… and then we did too. What do we do now?

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Okonjima Nature Reserve – The African Cat Experience

Posted on August 15, 2019September 20, 2019 by Brianna Shade in Namibia, Stories

After six days in Etosha National Park, we failed to spot any big cats – and this was what I had dreamt about when envisioning an African safari! Therefore, we took matters into our own hands and went to the one place we could guarantee a sighting of these magnificent creatures: Okonjima Nature Reserve.