Into the World

Motorcycle Diaries

There are at least two architects in this world who are not obsessed by unbendable foundations. On the contrary. Ana and Jon deconstructed their roots and dove into a world ready to be shaped by other realities.

Seven years ago, they adopted a nomadic lifestyle, and they are happier than ever. Who are ‘they’? The faces behind www.intotheworld.eu, their “digital crib” as they put it, and the authors of “OYIBO” the story of their fourteen months travel through Africa.

In 2010 they experienced some very unpleasant events, leading to a loss of stability and financial support. This led them to reframe their thinking. They could’ve fallen into negativity, but they chose to see their experiences as an opportunity to take a different path. Ana says: “It was the right kick in the ass.” It gave them the courage to pursue their dreams.

When you don’t have much to lose, your focus changes and you start to think about what you can get from life instead.

So far, life gave them 100K through 65 countries, and it all started in Africa.

“The place where humanity started”, Jon says, “To be honest, Africa had been on our radar since ‘forever’. As a kid Ana was inextricably drawn to all black culture; she could only find very little things related to African culture in the communist Romania of the 1980’s. We both loved the music, were intrigued by the possibility of experiencing tribal life, and the idea of seeing elephants and such gave us butterflies in our stomachs. But you know what has startled us the most? The true wealth of Africa lies in its people. They were pretty much incredible.”

After 3,5 years of combined travelling through Europe, the Middle East and Asia, it is Africa that stole their hearts. Was it because of the overwhelming deserts or just because of its people? Hard to say. What they know for a fact is that they have barely scratched the surface of the continent, although they have circumnavigated it once. Africa is “the love of their lives” to use their words, and the place where they’ll always return to.

As Jon says: “We continuously devour books, films and new media about Africa; every day we talk about going back for more. The strangely alluring places like Sahara, Kalahari, Namib and Nubian desert blew our socks off! And the people who live there are quite extraordinary too!”

What to expect?

An overland travel like this isn't just about diving into the world and learning about it. It's challenging, demanding and it will most definitely make you learn about yourself too.

“Like many before us we realised that one has to step outside the comfort zone to start the process of personal growth. We were having fun, of course, and nothing really significant happened, until we experienced hunger, cold, feeling lost and scared. Things changed a lot for us first in Nigeria where we had the chance to stay longer and volunteer. It taught us to appreciate time. Then a series of unfortunate events led to us crossing the Democratic Republic of Congo, in the middle of a brutal rainy season while being very low on supplies, which taught us to appreciate people. The thing is that there may be a little lesson in the most mundane of things, you just need to keep yourself vulnerable, open.”

Are you curious?

This is your chance to include Africa in your overland trip plan! Don’t miss the opportunity to read about Ana and Jon’s experience at www.intotheworld.eu.

Get inspired by their pictures at www.instagram.com/2intotheworld/ and learn about their volunteer work at www.intotheworld.eu/volunteering/. After all, life is a continuous exchange between you and all that is around you. Make it a kind one!