Kumuka Venture, May 2007, Travel to the Okavango Delta

What’s out there in the big wide world?

Find out on your Time out

Call it a gap year, sabbatical, backpacking, time out, whatever you want, extended travel and dropping out of the rat race is something that everyone should do at some stage in their lives. Why? Because it not only opens your eyes to another world, it opens your eyes to another life. Your boundaries widen in turn so do your opportunities.

In the past it was a club exclusive to the 20 – 30 yr olds, these days, people in all stages of life are packing up and hitting the road less traveled for an extended break. We’ve seen couples in their 50’s sell up and turn nomadic, newly married couples honeymooning for a year, hard working individuals taking voluntary redundancy in exchange for an itinerant life, friends of mine even took their children out of school for 3 months travelling, they took their school work with them and came back ahead of their class!

So what do people do on their gap years? This is up to the individual but a typical start would be looking into round the world air ticket options, which will help determine the destinations you can spend time at and what you can do, suddenly you will have the entire planet at your finger tips? Then some book tour after tour on all continents. Some do a tour, work a little, do a tour, work a little, this depends on where individuals can work and what they can do? Some start out with a tour to gain some confidence, then go on to travel independently, do some volunteer work or learn a language, some tailor their individual travels right from the word go.

Your next question may be how can they afford it? Ok some people simply have money, lucky them, but not everyone does, this does not mean a gap year is out of the question. Obviously working in-between ventures is the perfect way to keep the cash coming in. Then there is the scrupulous method of saving up before you go, or if you are in Australia some wise travellers are taking advantage of interest free finance, travelling for a few months and paying off before the 12 month term is up.

It’s daunting to take extended leave. What about the house, the dog, work, family, friends, granny’s getting old etc etc.

We recommend people planning such a big trip to do so well in advance. Start with the most important: Granny and the dog. Make sure your loved ones will be well looked after while you are away and find a good home for the dog for the duration. If you are really worried make sure you budget for a return trip home mid sabbatical in case of emergency.

Family and friends will still be around; you may miss a party or two, but believe me your conversation will be far more interesting when you have adventures to talk about

There are plenty of house sitting agencies who can help with looking after the family home, you could rent it out for a year or get a friend to house sit.

The Job! That must be the biggest commitment cementing you to home soil and I’m not about to start giving advice to people on throwing in the towel and walking away. If you are really keen on extended time off but need to work when you come home and are a little daunted by the job hunt, then approach the boss first, see if you can take time without leave, reminding them how fresh and productive you will be after time out.

Once you have these strategic issues sorted, the rest is nothing but fun; you’ve planned, you’ve packed you’ve been to countless farewell parties and the moment finally arrives! You head to the airport to get started on the first leg of your extended adventure, you feel as if you are floating, as if it isn’t real, after all this time, it is finally happening. You head to check in your bags at the airport and half expect the assistant to say, “There has been a mistake you are not on this flight” but she doesn’t, your bags are checked on, you are wished a safe journey and given directions on how to make your way to the boarding gate, there’s no turning back now. You have your last hugs with friends and family, the tears are silent, the cheers are loud, you turn your back on your old life and step into no mans land - customs. Behind the counter the customs official grunts and waves you through after looking vaguely at your passport and checking you out of your home turf, for now you are no where, not home not at your destination, the anticipation is so thick it could be eaten. Now its time to head to the airport bar, pay three times the price for a glass of bubbly and celebrate; your time out has started. Congratulations you have ventured a little further!!

Kumuka Worldwide offer countless options for people travelling the globe, click here and be inspired. Or contact our tailor made expert for personal advice.


Are you a past Kumuka traveller? Did you know that you automatically qualify for a 5% discount over and above any published discounts! So what are you waiting for, Venture even further…

Kumuka Worldwide in conjunction with GE Creditline, are offering travellers interest free finance on travel arrangements booked through the Kumuka Worldwide Australian office. This means that you won’t need to use your credit card to make your dreams of travel come true, nor spend the next year saving when you could be travelling now! (Available to Australian clients only) Visit www.kumuka.com/interestfree for details
The Kumuka Travel Photography Competition 2007. Send us your favourite travel shots from Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Europe, Latin America, The Middle East or the Trans Siberian and you could win a Kumuka tour of Africa, The Middle East or South America Click here for more information about Kumuka's Travel Photo Competition

Overnight in the Okavango

If I had been told before I came to Africa that I would be sleeping with only a slither of canvas between myself and 16 claws, 32 teeth and 2 metres of animal crushing body mass, I would have chosen Tenerife instead. But strangely when camping in the Okavango delta in Botswana, sharing the night with a leopard only metres away, it felt natural, if a bit thrilling. Ok I admit it; I was glad we had a huge fire burning and guards all around our campsite but we’ll keep that small detail to ourselves.

The Okavango is nothing short of wild, beside the leopard intruding our dreams; we could also hear the rumble of the family of elephants near by, owls hooting in the night, hyenas sardonic with laughter and the occasional inexplicable squawk.

As I lay in bed I cast my memory back to school days when I read “Where the wild things are”, how they roared their terrible roars, gnashed their terrible teeth and rolled their terrible eyes.
Max said …. “Be still!” and they were; I fell asleep.

When I woke up I wondered if it was all a dream, daylight was so peaceful and quiet; then our expert guides showed us the footprints from last nights activities and I realised that I had just experienced the wildest night of my life. One I will never forget.

Alan Wherthington

Alan went to where the wild things are on Kumuka Worldwide’s Southern Africa Explored

Do you have a Postcard you wish to send us? Email Meg

Where to go?

When it comes to travel, choosing where to travel is the most important decision you will make. Here are our tips to help you choose.

Climate: Check that the season at the destination you have chosen suits your chosen style of travel. Camping during a monsoonal downpour isn’t much fun.

Altitude: Have you ever been to altitude before? If not then make sure you choose a tour where you are not at a high altitude for the entire trip just in case your body doesn’t like it.

Culture: Whether you are a culture vulture or a first time traveller, make sure you are travelling to a destination with a culture that sparks your interest as people make all the difference on your travels.

History: If you aren’t into “crumblies” then don’t choose a destination that is famed for numerous historical sites, choose a destination for culture and scenery.

Scenery: Speak to the experts if scenery is a must on your list of things to see on tour. They will be able to give you a better “visual” on what you will see before you get there to help with your expectations.

Language: If you like to speak to the locals without a translator then choose a destination where you can communicate in your language, or learn some local lingo before you go.

Not sure where you want to go? Then speak to a Kumuka Expert

Melita Mulley, Reservations Manager Kumuka Australia

Born in NSW, Australia, Melita is a serial sleep walker who fled the sunny climes (whilst awake) to try out her English teaching skills in Japan, worked in the ski fields in Canada and tried her hand at being a nanny in the U.K. before donning her backpack and hitting Europe on a journey of discovery. When she finally returned to the land of Oz, she took up a post at Kumuka and has managed to venture a little further with us to Africa and South America.

In her own words

What do you like about working for Kumuka. I love the fantastic people I work with and talking about travel which is my passion.

What is your favorite country? Spain, I love the Spanish way of life, the long evenings, the outdoor tapas bars and sangria. The country is sensual, full of music, history and culture. I could quite easily live there.

If you could board a Kumuka trip tomorrow what would it be? The Piranha Express, I would love to trip through the Brazilian countryside, visit the Iguassu falls and end with the biggest party in the world, Rio Carnivale!

What was your favourite meal on your travels? A pig on a spit in Malawi, the process for cooking the pig was a complete work of art and took from 10.30am until 8.00pm, turning and basting constantly, the final result was fantastic, so, might I add, was the party that went along with it.

What is your favourite spot for a sundowner and what did you drink there? That would have to be the Africa House in Stone Town on Zanzibar. Frequented by a drove of travellers, it is a hub of travel tales echoing out over the ocean as the sun sets over an exotic sea. A Mojito is a must have to farewell the sun.

Favorite camp spot? Torres Del Paine in Chile, for the breathtaking views, like fingers clawing through the backbone of the Andes.

Venture a little further with Kumuka Worldwide

• In Bhutan government policy is based on Gross National Happiness; thus most street advertising is banned, as are tobacco and plastic bags.

• The total combined weight of the worlds ant population is heavier than the weight of the human population.

• If you farted consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb.

Meet David Stokes, serial Kumuka traveller, recently returned from his Central Kingdoms tour. Whilst on tour in Africa with Kumuka David got chatting to one of his travelling companions about the highlights of China, couple that with his interest in the three Gorges project, it didn’t take much tempting for him to pack his bags, his stuffed Koala “Kenny” and joined a new group of like minded travellers on a new adventure.

In his own words:

Can you tell me about Kenny? Kenny was a toy that I put up the tree at the back of my place, before the bulldozers moved in. He was fun at parties when it came to night spotting the wild life in the bush out back. So I took him to China for a bit of a laugh. He was an instant hit with the group and the locals. Some of the locals would come over and say Australia, kangaroo, then Koala with big smiles on their faces. After a week I bought him a local out fit, from then on he was known as Ping Pong Kenny.

Did the tour live up to your expectations? Yes and more. This trip I was very lucky to be with a top group of people that would have a laugh even when things didn’t quite go to plan.

What was your favourite meal on tour? McDonald’s in Shanghai. Banquet after Banquet every night, it was time out for me. My body needed some proper food like bread, meat, grease by the bucket, coffee, milk, sugar, and ice cream - not to mention the roll of toilet paper. YES!!

What was the highlight? Most of the show nights were tops. But the last dinner was the most touching. After two weeks together I felt like we were all really good friends, so partying was hard.

Did you meet any fun people on tour? Yes. I would say Geoff from NSW was always good for a laugh, and he laughed at most of my jokes.

What do you miss about being on tour? Every day was new and exciting. I’d like to add that the young tour guide Yearick was a credit to the Chinese people and Kumuka.

Click here to look at David’s photo album

Click here and speak to an expert.