This week we’re profiling another of our brand ambassadors, Roland Rau from My Life in Africa, to learn about his passion for overland touring in Africa.
Without further ado..
Roland Rau – In his own words
I think if I best had to describe who I am and what my passions are, two words come to mind; “adventurous soul”.
The reason I say this is because if I look back on my life and think of what I really enjoy it’s a complete mix and match of all sorts, from rugby to mountain biking to motocross to paintball to overlanding and 4×4 adventures…
One of these, however, has been a deep-rooted passion for years and has seen us travel to some remote and often hard to reach destinations. This is 100% the over-landing.
So, in a nutshell, I am completely head over heels in love with overland travel and all aspects of it.
We (when I say we, my family and I) started travelling to these remote destinations quite often, friends would ask to join and then friends of friends would ask to join and, before very long, complete strangers were travelling with us.
At that point, it occurred to us that we were actually travelling more often than our regular jobs and we should start looking at opening an overland/guided 4×4 adventure business to help inspire others to travel and get out there and experience the dark continen.
This is how My Life in Africa – Overland Safari Tours started.
What most people don’t know about me is my background is actually in Information Technology. So, basically, I am an IT Geek, with over 20 years of experience in the industry and it was time to try on different shoes so to speak.
But, this time instead of a smart shiny shoes in the corporate world, it was for a good old pair of hiking boots with foot and ankle protection and some dust to cure the adventurous spirit within me.
Years later I am still heavily involved in guiding both local and overland travel groups for people from all walks of life as well as from many different countries around the world, showcasing this beautiful country and those over our borders as well.
My Life In Africa trips can range from 5 – 30 odd days, this depends on the client’s needs and wants as I custom design to suit both budget, timeframe and try to include all the best places to visit along the way at reasonable rates that are affordable and value for money.
I have been running my overland business now for just shy of 10 years and have been travelling for a lot more than that. This is where my relationship with Snomaster comes into play.
Being one of the most important bits of kit for any extended overland travel, the ability to carry needed fresh goods and frozen items to be consumed later, a 12v fridge in my vehicle is a must.
I think it’s also important to note that when you are over-landing it’s very thirsty work and at the end of a long day a much needed cold beer is always a great addition to any sunset in a remote area.
As the slogan says, ICE-COLD ANYWHERE and ain’t that the truth. I never have warm beer.
The fridge has a remote control which you can use to check the temps of the different compartments while driving and not have to stop or go to the back of the vehicle and have a look at what the fridge is up to.
With the remote, another great additional extra is if your fridge, for whatever reason, becomes unplugged the remote will warn you until you have sorted out the problem.
Basically, this completely removes the worry of driving on a corrugated road and not realizing that your fridge has been unplugged and your yummy frozen steaks you were saving for a couple of days time are now defrosted and will be ruined if not cooked. This has to be my favourite feature of all the Snomaster fridges.
Our overland travels have lead us all over South and Southern Africa, we’ve seen the good the bad and the ugly, had great experiences, bad experiences and we’ve crisscrossed here, there and back again. We have visited some places once, some places 10 times.
What are my favourite destinations?
I can’t pick a favourite destination. There are sooooooo many good ones out there, and to limit your best place down to 1 destination is unfair to the ones I have not seen yet.
So my favourite destination would have to be the one I have not been to yet or am going to next.
I look at every new place I visit as the potential next best thing, I go with no expectation, often no research as I am a firm believer of seeing something for the first time with my own eyes.
Supporting the local tourism industry is a must and an obligation to us all
Roland Rau
Pictures say 1000 words, a well-taken one can either make it look better or worse than just experiencing it for yourself…
In light of the blur that was 2020, I would, however, have to say supporting the local tourism industry is a must and an obligation to us all, after all, local is lekker, travel local, you will be surprised at the gems that are out there on your very own doorstep!!!
Quite a lot of my adventures are documented on YouTube for all to view, I take it as it comes and I film it as I see it, no-frills, sometimes spills, no bells (OK sometimes there are bells, watch the videos and you will see) or whistles, just plain old adventure and a good-old love for the great outdoors.
Stay Up to Date With My Life In Africa
You can follow Roland Rau’s adventures through the My Life In Africa company pages on the following platforms:
