For three months at the beginning of 2023, Matt Maddaloni and Soile Halonen, and their three girls Annika 8 , Eveliina 11, and Chloe 10, embarked on an excellent adventure through Africa. The family traversed the southern end of the continent, visiting South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana.
The plan was loose enough: fly into Cape Town, get a vehicle, hit the road, and make memories. But as the days moved into weeks, and the pavement transitioned into dirt, every one of them realized what many visitors to Africa do: this place gets under your skin.
A Road Trip Through South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana
Coming from Squamish, British Columbia, the self-proclaimed Adventure Capital of Canada, the family already knew a thing or two about good times outside before they met. Surfing, rock climbing, river rafting, and any other excuse to have fun outside is standard operating procedure for this family. So when the idea came to travel to Africa, they knew that a quick jaunt couldn’t cut it.
So, they decided to spend three months there, taking the girls out of school but keeping them up to date on the curriculum so they didn’t fall behind. A tall order, but a doable one with the right motivation. And for Matt and Soile, giving their daughters a trip to remember was enough motivation to do so. Soile, “The big dream when we met 6 years ago was to travel the world for a year but we were a blended family. It became clear pretty quick that the other parents were not too into that for obvious reasons. So to get them to allow us to go for 3 months was a big ask but they appreciated what this trip would do for the girls and the reluctantly obliged.”
Finding The Right Overlanding Vehicle
Getting a good vehicle might have been the most difficult part of the trip. Thankfully, there is a good option for people who want to take to the dirt roads and camp out in the wild. Matt made a post about it: read about the option they found for an affordable way to get an overlanding vehicle in Africa.
Taking The Girls Out Of School
There are countless challenges that come along the way with taking a road trip through several countries on a continent that does not have the amenities of the Western world. But perhaps one of the biggest challenges was not what they were doing while in Africa, but what the girls had to do to keep up with their schooling back home.
Three months out of the school system meant that the girls would have to stay up to date on their curriculum to be able to maintain their standing in school back home in Squamish. This meant consistent homework, and for Matt and Soile, the additional hat of Teacher/Tutor to wear among everything else.
But, aside from the girls reluctantly going through their coursework, they managed to stay up to date and continue to do well in school. But the great majority of their education, would come from the day to day challenges that would arise from having to solve problems on the fly.
Facing The Challenges
The sand dunes in Namibia stood out for everyone as a major challenge. “We had to dig ourselves out,” said Annika. Or Evelina commented on how often “we would get flat tires and help Papa with the tools.” But, like anything you put your mind to, eventually you learn how to navigate the challenges much more easily and efficient. “Eventually we figured out how to go just about anywhere,” Soile remarked.
Other challenges had to do with just adjusting to life on the road in a foreign country. Two of the girls remarked on how they had to eat almost the same food every day. For many in the west, this would be hard to believe that most of the world lives this way. So just through a daily habit, the girls were learning something about being Human that they may have not otherwise considered by just doing their normal routine back home.
Finding the Animals
As is true with most people visiting Africa, probably the most exciting part of the trip is viewing all the animals. Of course everyone wants to catch the “Big Five” animals (Elephant, Rhinoceros, Leopard, Lion, Buffalo) but some proved to be a bit elusive.
Not the lions, though. One night, the family heard some noises outside and upon further inspection found out that several curious lions were inspecting their new neighbours. As it happened, the lions eventually moved on without incident, yet the adrenaline induced feelings were enough to cause a bit of reflection.
Time to Create
On an extended trip, the girls had a chance to unleash their creativity. Having so much free time meant that (once schoolwork was done, of course) they had ample time to harness their creativity in positive ways. One of the best examples of this was through their video series. Below is just one episode from the road where the girls shot and edited a video blog of their adventures. Now, they not only have inspiration for others to see their trip, they will have their memories to share for the rest of their lives.
If You Go...
I asked each of them to give some insights on the journey to share with people who might be inspired to do a road trip to Africa of their own. Here’s what they said:
If you were only allowed to bring three items (besides food, clothing, and hygiene products), what would you bring?
Matt: Camera with a long lens, a surfboard, international drivers license.
Annika: More books to read, a ukulele, and camera.
Chloe: a book, a hobby you would like to work on.
Eveliina: Music, books, and a buddy
Soile: Surfboards, a phone for navigation and pictures, malaria pills
Would you go again? Why, or why not?
Matt: Yes! Because it is endless and would take a lifetime to see everything.
Annika: Yes! Three months and there is still so much we didn’t see.
Chloe: Yes, to see more animals.
Eveliina: Yes, because it was so cool.
Soile: Yes, unlimited things to see.
What would you do differently?
Matt: Spend more time with the locals.
Annika: Spend more time with the locals.
Chloe: Bring better protected shoes for spikey things.
Eveliina: Drive less and stay longer in cool places.
Soile: Drive less. spend more time in Botswana. spend more time in places and spend more time with locals.
Anything else you'd like to say?
Matt: Glad we went when the kids were small as school is getting more complicated for them and they don’t want to be away from their friends as the become teenagers. There are a few years when they are old enough to get a lot out of the trip but not old enough to be consumed with their life back home.
Annika: If you go, try to see as much as possible!
Chloe: The little moments make the biggest impact.
Eveliina: I liked going when school is not as much of a priority. I think now that I’m in middle school it would be harder.
Soile: Go for an extended trip. takes awhile for everyone to let go of screens, stress and begin to connect. 1 month minimum. 3 months awesome!
