About Me and This Site
Welcome to Introvert with Itchy Feet
My name is Deb, and I created this site with a goal. I want to make it easier for people everywhere to explore Africa and the world. There is so much to see, and it’s all more accessible than you might think!
I share:
- Planning guides and tips on packing. Not just what to pack, but the perfect bag for you. You notice I said bag, singular?
Yes, you can travel for months with a single carry-on size bag!
- Planning a Trip to Africa: A Step-By-Step Guide includes everything you need to think of before you leave home.
There’s even a section on how to make sure you have the mobile date you’ll need for your phone while you’re away.
- Our Packing Guide has ideas on how to achieve the single carry-on bag goal. You can do it!
- And if you go to Best Travel Products, I share the ones I find most useful, or just the most fun, when I’m on the road.
Or in the sky. Or riding that camel or donkey (Ladies – Important Tip: bring a good sports bra!)
I’m just beginning to add guides and information from the years I spent living and working on Hawaii. Stay tuned – there’s a lot to cover!
✔️ The site’s also full of stories and pictures – of wildlife, people, and amazing sights. All with a healthy dose of inspiration.
Travelling is an amazing experience. Unfortunately, girls especially are still growing up with the notion that there are some things that they just can’t, or shouldn’t, do on their own.
One of them is travel. If this sounds like you, don’t give up the dream. You can do anything! People are incredibly capable and amazing beings. Whoever you are.
And this site is here to help.
So whether you’re travelling with a partner, solo, or you just haven’t travelled to Africa or maybe anywhere before, don’t be daunted by the prospect of landing in an unfamiliar place.
You don’t need to take people with you when you travel; each place comes with people of its own!
More About This Site
What You’ll Find Here
On this site, I’ll also share what I’ve learned from my own travels. You’ll see what I’ve found to be the pluses and pitfalls of travelling in Africa. And what there is to see when travelling in Hawaii.
I’d love for you to realize how simple and attainable a goal it is, to travel anywhere you dream of.
And if you don’t have a travel companion, there’s no reason to give up on that dream trip. Sometimes it’s hard to find someone who wants to visit the same places we do.
Because you know what? You don’t have to take people with you when you travel. There will be people there when you get where you’re going!
And many of them just might be hoping to meet up with someone to share a leg of their journey with.
In addition, one of the beauties of travelling solo is that you get to decide if you want to meet them or not. You just need to start slowly, educate yourself, and decide – I’m doing it!
And if anything that I’ve experienced can help you get past your hesitation? Then please, ask away. I’m up for all questions.
You’re also invited and encouraged to share your own stories!
Contact Me and let me know where you’ve been. Tell me about what you’ve learned, and what places you recommend. I’d also love to know if you love to travel alone. Or not? What’s your favourite?
Do you have questions, trepidations, thoughts… Share them!
More About Me & My Travels
Where I’ve Been
I began travelling when all we had were guide books to go by. My favourites were Lonely Planet and Rough Guides. Since those days I’ve spent months exploring destinations around the world.
If I can, I like to spend at least a month in my chosen destination, though that doesn’t always happen (anybody else with dogs?!). My experience is in these destinations:
🧳 Uganda – Kampala, Jinja
🧳 Kenya – Maasai Mara, Amboseli, Hell’s Gate, Lake Nakuru
🧳 Tanzania – Serengeti, Zanzibar, Tarangire, Arusha, Mwanza*, Mount Kilimanjaro National Park
…….. * I lived in Mwanza for one month of a 6 month trip
🧳 South Africa* – Richards Bay, Tembe, Mkuze, St. Lucia, Hluhluwe, Kruger, Hermanus, Cape Town, Clifton Beach
…… * I spend a month volunteering with wildlife conservation in South Africa, and another month exploring the country.
🧳 Namibia* – Fish River Canyon, Solitaire, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, Damaraland, Etosha National Park
……* I spent a month road tripping through Namibia.
🧳 Botswana* – Gaborone, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Central Kalahari, Nxai Pan, Maun, Okavango Delta (including Moremi), Savuti, Chobe (including Khwai Concession), Kasane, Gweta, Nata
……* Deb spent a month living in Gaborone, and 6 weeks total using Maun as a base to explore Botswana.
🧳 Morocco
🧳 Egypt
🧳 Oahu
🧳 Europe – England, France, Italy, Austria, Monaco, Switzerland, Germany, Vatican City, Liechtenstein, Netherlands, Spain
🧳 Cook Islands – Rarotonga
🧳 New Zealand – North and South Islands
🧳 Australia – East, Central, North
🧳 Singapore
🧳 Thailand
🧳 Malaysia
🧳 Peru
🧳 Brazil
🧳 Mexico – Puerto Morelos
🧳 Canada – British Columbia*, Alberta*, Saskatchewan*, Manitoba, Ontario*, Nova Scotia*
………..*Provinces that I’ve lived in
🧳 United States – Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon*, Wisconsin*, New Jersey, Florida, Hawaii, California, Nevada
……….* Deb also lived and worked in Hawaii, Oregon, and Wisconsin
I’ve had the most amazing experiences and I’ve loved every single one. But Africa is the place that keeps drawing me back. Whenever I go, it’s always for at least a month – or 6. Once I get here it’s hard to leave.
I’ve spend 3 weeks in an overland truck in East Africa, and 2 weeks on a train exploring Morocco. I wandered around Egypt for a week and wished I had more time.
A month driving across Namibia, marvelling at the diversity of the landscapes. Another month volunteering in South Africa, learning about the conservation work being done to protect African wild dogs, lions, and other wildlife.
I lived in Mwanza, Tanzania for a month, using it as a base to explore the area, and doing my best to live as the locals do. I topped that month off with a week on the island of Zanzibar, learning the fine art of beaching.
I got very good at it 😎.
I spent another month in Gaborone. Then 6 weeks in Maun, Botswana after a 3 week camping safari, learning my way around the town. I tried to see whatever there was to see in the surrounding area. It’s a lot – but watch out for potholes!
I spent a birthday touring Cape Town, an incredible city that should be on every bucket list.
I never run out of new places to explore, new cultures to learn about, and I never get tired of Africa’s epic wildlife
Every time I’ve travelled to Africa, I’ve done so on my own. Don’t be held back by the fact that you prefer to travel alone. If you get lonely, join a day tour or safari, or stop in at a backpackers and meet other travellers.
I still have so much to see of this big beautiful continent; I can’t wait!
Where I’ve Been Featured
As a travel writer with a passion for Africa, you can find me elsewhere around the internet. Here are just a few articles I’ve contributed and collaborations that I’ve been apart of:
CNN Underscored – 17 Tips and Tools to Make Your Economy Class Seat More Comfortable
The Backpacking Site – The 13 Most Fascinating Historical Sites in Tanzania
Araio Flight – Best African Islands in Africa
Can Travel Will Travel – Best Time to Visit Tanzania
Bush Walking Blog – Platteklip Gorge Trail, Table Mountain
World Wide Writer – Spectacular Hiking in Cape Town
Mike and Laura Travel – Cape Town vs. Johannesburg
Grey Globetrotters – Best Christmas Destinations for Solo Travellers
Faraway Worlds – Maun, Botswana: Wildlife, Safaris and Local Crafts
Boundless Roads – The Perfect Self-Drive Botswana Itinerary for an Epic Safari
She Saves She Travels – 34 Best Countries to Visit in January: South Africa
Directionally Challenged Traveller – African Wild Dogs in South Africa
A Dime Saved – 46 Must-Know Travel Tips For Seniors
Julie Around the Globe – Best International Outdoor Family Vacations Outside the US (collab)
Miry Giramondo – 21 Best Winter Activities for Solo Female Travelers: Botswana (collab)
Spend Life Traveling – South Africa in 2 Weeks: An Itinerary
The Very Hungry Mermaid – Diving Sardine Run South Africa
World of Lina – 25 Most Famous Landmarks in Africa: Okavango Delta
The World Overload – Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Itinerary
World Wide Writer – Spectacular Hiking in Cape Town
A World to Travel – Best Destinations in Africa
Wanderer Era – Tribes of Namibia
Love and Road – Best Time to Visit Botswana
Travel Resources
I’ve spent years travelling, researching my own trips and those my friends and family have taken (even though they don’t ask, and may not even know 😄).
Through it all I’ve learned a lot about the the best ways to travel, and the best resources to use. I share those on this Travel Resources page. From the best travel insurance to the best car rentals and eSim, and so much more.
Thanks for joining me – Welcome to Africa!
