A Life of Travel: I just landed in Zimbabwe yesterday!

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It's Tuesday Wednesday and it's time for a travel newsletter... I’m delayed by one day this week due to the 25 hour trip that I just took (see below)!

📆 update

For the past two weeks, I’ve been in North Carolina in the US visiting family. Naturally, beyond the valuable time I spent with my family, this visit included the usual - a lot of burritos, replacing some worn out clothes, meeting some friends, getting some work done and eating more burritos.

And then, my visit came to an end, I went to the airport at 4:30am and off I went.

Where am I?

Yesterday I arrived in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. The plan is to visit Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana and Mozambique! All it took to get here from North Carolina was a short one hour flight, a long 13.5 hour flight, a quick 1 hour transfer in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and one last 4.5 hour flight… it was intense but I eventually touched down in Victoria Falls and and the adventure began!

This 3 week trip will include Victoria Falls, sunset cruises, wildlife safaris, helicopter rides, a beach stay, island-hopping and more. It should be spectacular.

It got off to a good start. After arriving in Victoria Falls, we went straight to the border (a 20 minute drive), crossed into Zambia, and immediately saw a bunch of elephants roaming around. We then checked into a peaceful lodge for the night.

The 45 minutes that I spent in Zimbabwe yesterday was probably the shortest period of time I’ve ever spent in any country after going through immigration. But I’ll be back next week. The order of destinations on this trip is a bit wacky and will involve 7 or 8 border crossings. Today we’re off to Botswana and then we’ll work our way back to Zimbabwe.

There shall be plenty of updates soon enough as this trip begins to really unfold. If you’ve been to this region and have advice or recommendations, please do share.

___

After Africa, I’ll be leading a tour in India, followed by leading a tour in Iraq. So, I have no shortage of fascinating experiences ahead and I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.

___

Apart from that, I’ve spent some time reading through and pondering the comments in this Reddit thread: “What’s a cheat code you discovered in real life?”

It’s full of good, simple life advice from all kinds of people.

💭 did you know?

🇭🇷 A Lake That Disappears Every Year
Croatia’s Red Lake and Blue Lake near Imotski are not only beautiful, they’re mysterious. One of them can completely disappear, draining into underground caves and tunnels, only to return with the rains.

🥥 You Can Mail a Coconut in Hawaii
In Hawaii, you can walk into a post office, hand over a coconut (uncut, unboxed), write an address on it, and send it anywhere in the U.S. It’s a quirky tradition known as “Post-a-Nut,” and yes, it actually works.

🏧 Lonely ATMs in Antarctica
There’s exactly one ATM (technically two but only one works and the other is used for spare parts) on the entire continent of Antarctica. It’s operated by Wells Fargo at McMurdo Station. And if it breaks? Then a repair tech has to be flown in from New Zealand.

With almost every tour for 2025 sold out, I’m offering a remarkable deal for the few remaining spots!

Iraq (Nov 2025 - 3 spots left)
Mauritania (Dec 2025 - 3 spots left)

The hotels and local partners I work with have offered me major discounts to help fill these trips.

Why? Because they’re passionate about showing travelers the real side of their countries, which is far different from what many people expect. They know that once you see it for yourself, you’ll spread the word.

If you’re interested, reply to this email — I have an offer you won’t want to miss!

Quick note - yesterday we added a brand new Wander to PERU trip for 2026!

👉 [See all 2026 tours here]

🌐 around the globe

💰️ The Cheapest Places to Live in 2025
From Bolivia to Guatemala to Laos, this guide covers where your money stretches the farthest without giving up comfort, community, or good food.
Check the list

🇧🇦 A Walk Through Sarajevo
A beautifully written personal piece on the feel of Sarajevo. It focuses on the city’s scars, its soul, and why sitting in a Bosnian café might be one of the most human things you can do.
Read it here

🌳 Massive New Nature Reserve in the Americas
The Biocultural Corridor of the Great Mayan Forest has become the second largest nature reserve in the Americas. It’s 14 million acres in size and is located in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala.
Read the news

🇬🇷 A Trail Linking 46 Ancient Villages
In Greece’s Pindus Mountains, there’s now a hiking trail that connects 46 traditional villages via old shepherd paths, cobblestones, and alpine bridges. Basically a living museum you can walk through.
Check out the route

🌌 Dark Sky Photo Winners 2025
From desert skies to frozen nights in the Arctic, these award-winning shots of the night sky will make you want to sleep under the stars.
View the gallery

🏝 Leaving a Sinking Nation
Tuvalu is disappearing into the sea. This powerful story explores how a nation plans to survive - not just physically, but culturally - after its land vanishes.
Learn more

🚗 The Self-Navigating Car in the Faroe Islands
Simply show up with no plans, rent a car and then the car will decide where you go each day. That’s the new tourism initiative in the Faroe Islands and it takes surprise trips to another level!
Read more

📸 Instagram Wanderlust: @austingwonderland
This photographer’s feed displays his stunning images of basketball courts in Hong Kong. There are 2,549 of them and believe me, the images are not what you’d expect.
View the feed

🇨🇷 Costa Rica’s Coast-to-Coast Hiking Route
The Camino de Costa Rica stretches 280km from the Caribbean to the Pacific, passing through indigenous villages, rainforest, and remote farms. It’s broken into 16 stages and provides a slow travel experience at its best.
Explore the trail

🗺️ where in the world?

A big congratulations to those readers who guessed the location of the photo in the previous newsletter! Here’s who guessed correctly:

Liz, Keith, Andrei, Elisabeth, Christine, Marcia, Hillary, Taylor, Anne, Kevin, Mark, Tom, Joanne, Jon, Janet, Corina, Steve, Brian and Michael

The location is the Matthias Corvinus Monument located in Piata Unirii in the heart of Cluj-Napoca, Romania! This is one of my favorite cities in the country as it’s relaxed, vibrant and makes for a great base to explore the northern counties of Romania. I hope to get back here at some point in the near future!

This week’s photo:

It’s time to guess…where was the below photo taken?

If you have a guess (the more specific the better), click reply and let me know. Anyone who guesses correctly will be mentioned in next week's newsletter 😄 

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Thank you so much for reading!

Derek
(my middle name is Earl)

WanderingEarl.com

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