A Life of Travel: I Fainted During My Flight to South Africa and More...

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It's Tuesday and it's time for a travel newsletter...

update

I’ve been in South Africa for the past 10 days. The reason I’m here is to lead my Wander Across South Africa Tour that I’ve organized. We have such a lovely, laid-back and fun group of 11 guests and so far, we’ve been to Cape Town, the Cape Peninsula, the wine regions of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek and the stunning Garden Route.

Today I write to you from the small coastal town of Knysna, right on the Garden Route, where we are based for 3 nights. We use this time to make the most of the National Parks in this area and as you read this, we are probably out hiking through the gorgeous Robberg Nature Reserve in Plettenberg Bay!

From here, we’ll fly to the other side of the country and then spend some time focused on seeing the diverse wildlife, with a bunch of great safari experiences lined up in a few different parks.

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From South Africa, I’ll head to Azerbaijan for a few days. I know it’s not exactly around the corner but I have a couple of weeks to spare, I’ve never been to Azerbaijan (always excited to visit a new country!) and oddly enough, it was quite easy to reach.

—

On a different note, a bizarre thing happened on my long 15.5 hour Delta Airlines flight from Atlanta to Cape Town. About 4 hours into the flight, I suddenly awoke from a deep sleep. Up until this point, all was well. But when I woke up, within seconds I was feeling extremely hot and uncomfortable, and I started sweating profusely.

I wanted to get to the bathroom so that I could splash water on my face. So I stepped into the aisle and despite some sudden dizziness, I walked towards the bathroom.

Well, the next thing I knew, I was sprawled out on the aisle floor in front of the bathroom door, and a South African guy was holding my arms and asking if I was alright. It turns out I had fainted.

This friendly passenger and a few flight attendants then helped me into one of the staff jump seats. I was still sweating like crazy (sweat was pouring off my face) and feeling quite dizzy. They gave me ice for my neck, a cold drink and a banana and about four staff stayed with me.

It took 30 minutes before I felt better but slowly I stopped sweating, the light-headedness went away and I regained my strength. Then I went back to my seat and had a fine rest of the flight.

I have no idea what that was about. Nothing even remotely similar has ever happened to me before and it came out of nowhere. I had eaten well, drank plenty of water and was quite comfortable on the plane.

But here’s the thing…the flight attendants told me that I was not the first person to have this happen on this route. One of them said she could count at least 3 other passengers having a similar episode on this route over the past month.

That seemed quite odd to me and I’m not sure what to make of it.

Have you ever had anything like this experience while traveling?

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2025 destinations: Vietnam, Mauritania, Jordan, South Africa, Romania, Cuba, the Balkans and a Surprise Tour

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quote to ponder

“There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.”
— Christopher Morley

canola oil

As we were driving from the wine region to the Garden Route in South Africa the other day, we found ourselves surrounded by beautiful fields full of bright yellow rapeseed flowers. And while it made for an impressive sight, the topic of canola oil, which is what the rapeseed plants are used to create, came up in conversation.

Despite being the most popular type of oil used in cooking, once you read the history and the process used to create canola oil, you might think twice about using it again.

For starters, think about this… original rapeseed oil was invented as an oil to lubricate ships and engines, not for human consumption!

around the globe

Somaliland
The relatively stable breakaway state of Somaliland declared independence from Somalia over 30 years ago. But it’s not recognized by any other country. It’s still hoping to change that.

A Special Place to Stay in Bolivia
An indigenous community-owned eco lodge in Bolivia’s Amazon jungle sits in one of the most biodiverse locations on the planet. This eco lodge offers a unique travel experience based on sustainability, wildlife conservation and cultural immersion.

Discover Puerto Rico
Making huge strides with tourism, Puerto Rico is a ‘hot’ destination right now and its Discover Puerto Rico campaign highlights everything it has to offer travelers.

Incredible Plant Life
This article had me reading closely - it shows where you can find 32 impressive plant life species around the world. My favorite - Dragon’s Blood Trees from Socotra Island - were mentioned!

Cybersecurity for Travelers
It’s worth reading through this list of cybersecurity tips for travelers. Some of these are obvious, but some are not so obvious, and definitely useful.

Beautiful Destinations
Here’s a quick Instagram post that will inspire anyone to visit these 10 fairy-tale towns!

Overtourism
The issues continue in Europe as citizens of various countries are fighting back against the hordes of tourists taking over their towns and cities. The situation is complex and it will be interesting to see where it all leads.

The Best Airport Meals
I had a good time reading this long list of the best airport meals that you can enjoy in airports all over the globe. The mortadella, pistachio, burrata, and focaccia sandwich in Rome’s Fiumicino Airport…yum!

where in the world?

A big congratulations to Mike, Stefanie, Alex, Michael, Ann, Jay, Steve, Jennifer, Keith and Rafael for correctly guessing the location of the photo in the last newsletter!

The photo is of the picturesque town of Luang Prabang, Laos. Receiving far less recognition than neighboring Thailand and Vietnam, this area of Laos is not only gorgeous but offers travelers all kinds of fascinating activities and chances to interact with various communities.

It’s so pleasant that I could easily spend half a year there. It’s laid back, friendly, full of great food, surrounded by endless natural beauty and has a positive vibe that is incredibly appealing. The nightly market is an especially great spot to wander, try new foods and mingle with both locals and other travelers alike.

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

Travel Insurance: My personal recommendation for affordable and reliable travel insurance is Safety Wing. It was created by travelers, for travelers, and it's rapid growth in popularity is well-deserved.

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