The Road Chose Me Volume 2: Three years and 54,000 miles around Africa

I’m extremely proud to announce I’ve published my second major book in print!

‘The Road Chose Me Volume 2′ documents my entire three year African expedition from start to finish. It covers the adventures, the characters I met, the misadventures, the logistics and so, so much more. At 375 pages it’s 50% bigger than TRCM Volume 1, and it has been an enormous amount of work to bring this to life!

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The Road Chose Me Volume 2 – grab your copy today!

INTRODUCTION

Bumping along a gravel road in Guatemala with my friend Kate I clearly remember discussing overland travel and what it might mean for my life. Two continuous years exploring foreign countries was substantially bigger than anything I had attempted before. To be perfectly honest, I still wasn’t sure it was for me.

“There are really only two options,” I said.
“Either this Alaska to Argentina drive satisfies my urge and I’ll never do this kind of thing again, or I’ll be addicted for life.”

The fact this book exists tells you which way that went.

When I set out to drive from Alaska to Argentina I didn’t know what to expect. I knew almost nothing about border crossings, bribery  or if I could learn another language. My plan was to go until I didn’t enjoy it any more, then do something else with my life. This meant I didn’t feel any pressure. If my little Jeep got stolen or destroyed I could simply walk away. I hadn’t made any promises, and virtually nobody outside my family knew of The Road Chose Me.

The Africa expedition was very different from the start. I began planning and dreaming fully aware of what I was getting into. I knew how disciplined I would have to be while saving money, and how difficult it would be to leave my comfortable life behind. I knew the depths of loneliness that were in front of me, and how hard it would be to push through my fears and doubts. To put it simply, I knew exactly what I was signing myself up for – or at least I thought I did.

I again quit my job and sold everything I wasn’t taking, and I promised a lot of people I would complete the lap around Africa. Once I committed, I was all in. There would be no turning back or stopping early this time. I knew an expedition all the way around Africa would be an enormous adventure, and it turned out to be a thousand times more than even I dreamed possible.

Africa and her people taught me so much and I feel a great responsibility to do their story justice. After three months I thought I knew everything. Then after twelve months I realized that was all garbage and I had a new perspective. This learning process was continuous as I tried to keep my eyes and ears open to the world I was experiencing.

Like volume one, this book contains more than just tales of adventure, but also the lifelong lessons I will never forget. Fair warning, some lessons are controversial and will be difficult for readers in the developed world. I learned volumes about how the world views and treats Africa, making it impossible not to touch on politics. To be perfectly honest, most of what I learned makes me sick to my stomach. I hope you will keep an open mind as you make this journey of discovery with me.

Throughout the expedition the endless kindness and warmth of the African people was a constant. Without their love and encouragement my dream wouldn’t have been possible.

So much is outside my control while on these expeditions I often feel as if I’m on a roller coaster, taking the unexpected twists and turns as they come. All I can do is plant a smile on my face, hold on and enjoy the ride. So strap yourself in as we embark on the adventure of a lifetime.

-Dan

 

‘The Road Chose Me Volume 2′ is now available in paperback and eBook formats:

Amazon (paperback & eBook): The Road Chose Me Volume 2: Three years and 54,000 miles around Africa

Apple books (eBook): The Road Chose Me Volume 2: Three years and 54,000 miles around Africa

P.S. Please don’t forget to leave a review of the book! Love it? Hate it? Please leave a review on Amazon either way!

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The Road Chose Me Volume 2

1 Response

  1. Barbara Beeton says:

    Thought you would like to know that your essay on producing this book using LaTeX and Pandoc will be “reviewed” in my editor’s column in the next issue of TUGboat (https://tug.org/TUGboat/tb42-1/tb130beet.pdf but it isn’t live yet). Very nice! The url to get to the essay is really ugly in print since it’s so long; suggest a shorter version for such references.

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