We caught up with one of our brand ambassadors Simon van der Merwe, to find out more about what makes him tick and what his passion for the great outdoors and this beautiful country means to him.
Tell us about yourself and what your passion is?
I am a 30 something business management and marketing specialists who absolutely love the outdoors. I grew up in Springbok in the Northern Cape where the “outside” was right on my doorstep.
That sense of freedom and tranquillity that the outdoors brings got ingrained in me spending my free time outside in the mountains.
Simon van der Merwe
As I went to study in Cape Town and started my professional life a bit of that adventure took a back seat. Luckily not for too long and I quickly realised that I won’t be able to go for very long without travelling and exploring our beautiful world.
I have always enjoyed driving so the natural choice for doing the exploration was via 4×4 vehicle. As part of the travelling passion, I started doing photography to try and capture the moments we spend outside.
This quickly turned into a bit of an obsession and plays a large part in the way that I travel.
What don’t people know about you?
That I actually don’t just do the travelling full time (Wish I could). As mentioned I specialise in business management and marketing and is currently Head of Marketing for a biotech startup who specialises in genetic testing.
What I enjoy about it is that we are working to improve peoples lives which form part of the reason why I am an advocate for getting outside. It really does help peoples well being to be in nature.
Explain what you do and how SnoMaster fits into your trips.
Very often when I travel the areas we visit are remote and without power. Having a mobile fridge in the vehicle that can keep my food fresh and most importantly my beer cold is just a no brainer.
The 66L low profile model I have fits nicely into the back of my vehicle doesn’t use a lot of energy and has ample space to keep me going for a few weeks in the bush. I have had a few other fridges before and this one is definitely my favourite.
Name your favourite feature on the fridge and why?.
The fact that it’s the “low profile” version. Because of the vehicle I have, I don’t have that much space in the back with the drawer system etc.
The low profile of the fridge enables me to get inside the fridge easily and I can actually see out the back of my vehicle which always just makes your trips saver. The built-in bottle opener also works very well of course. 🙂
Your favourite camping destination in South Africa and what makes it so special? (Local is Lekker)
I have been to a fair amount of places in South Africa but I am definitely no expert. There are 1000’s of places I would still love to visit.
That said, there is a spot on a private farm near Upington in the Northern Cape that I just love. It’s on the red Kalahari dunes. I absolutely love it there. Unfortunately because of COVID, we couldn’t visit this year.
Where can people get in touch with you?
People can find me on my social channels. The most active is my Instagram account.
There will also be new videos up on my Youtube soon.
If someone is interested in partnering you can contact me either via email (Simon@Rolbosoverland.com) or the contact page on my website (https://rolbosoverland.com/pages/contact)
