Unexpected Journey of Roaming Fox Travel Blogger
South Africa
An unpredicted notion that became a reality
Dear Readers, fellow adventurers and travelers,
This blog is long overdue and a little different to my previous blogs, but one I felt I had to tell. Why launch a travel blog website and why name it Roaming Fox?
If you had told me a decade ago I would be a travel blogger I would have said, nah, never! Yet, here I am, almost 170 blogs later. That’s roughly 3 to 5 books of average length.
I am an avid reader and have always loved books and blogs about travels of pioneers and adventurers, whether it is a national or international destination. The intrigue of different cultures, the fantasy of exotic destinations and the quest for adventure is always a page turner for me. Of course the tips and facts are a bonus, just in case I ever get the opportunity to explore foreign places!
Writing about them? Never in a million years would I have thought I would even consider it. If you had rephrased that question and asked if I would like to travel? Yes please! At any opportunity. And just about anywhere.
Elephant at Mana Pools, Zimbabwe - Cute and clever elephants
“Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta.
In 2012 we had just returned from an interesting two-week overland trip to Zimbabwe. I will be publishing the blog soon on my website, but not right now, that’s for another time. Up till that trip I had never written an article about our travels or adventures.
I wanted to see Zimbabwe since my early twenties and a great opportunity crossed our paths. Although our Zimbabwe trip was perhaps not the most adventurous on earth, it had some interesting moments, as it happens, and hubby had to play bush mechanic. I had some stories to tell. It got me thinking.
Should I share our experiences with others? It took me a while to pluck up the courage to write and then I procrastinated even more. Would anyone really be keen to even read about our escapades? The more I thought about it though, the more I remembered about our other adventures. Some were even incredible when we told a few friends or family.
I had kept a rough journal of our Zimbabwe trip because we had toured from the south to the north and had seen so much of this beautiful country in the short time we were there. I typed the information of my journal onto my computer and then added more substance to it. Once it was complete, although I still had my doubts that anyone would really be interested to read it, I was eager to risk it and publish a travel blog.
A small island off the coast of Praslin, Seychelles - Virtual travel during Lockdown
I had found a travel community website that was shared by other bloggers where you could join and publish for free. I read a few of the blogs and was instantly hooked. It looked easy enough to do, so I went ahead, registered and submitted my first blog. Exhilarating! Then I dreaded that no one would read it and it would be a dismal failure.
I was like a dog waiting for a bone, checking the website regularly to see if at least one person had read it. I will admit it was probably not my best work but soon a few people, as in over 600, found it an enjoyable read. I even received a few comments! I was thrilled.
Unbeknown to my dearest husband, and faithful travel companion, I had been secretive about my latest hobby, becoming a part time writer. I nonchalantly sent him the link of the blog to read, casually asked what he thought of it, but kept it under wraps that it was our trip. Any mention to him that I had written it? Zilch.
I peered over his shoulder like a curious fox as he read and scrolled down his computer screen. I could hear a few mutters of interest. He then mumbled ‘This is very similar to our trip.’ A few seconds later he exclaimed ‘This IS our trip!’ The cat was out the bag or should I say the fox was out the den?
Burj Al Arab, Dubai
Click to book a Big Bus Tour through Dubai
I then plucked up the courage and wrote a few more blogs about our travels on that same website but because it belonged to someone else it had certain limitations. Before long I deemed it a good idea to have my own website where I could have more control.
I knew nothing about owning a website, other than that you could read and click through them but I did some research and in 2017 Roaming Fox was born. Our eldest son helped set it up and design it, then he said, ‘Over to you mom!’ I was thrown in the deep end. Little did I know how busy it would keep me, but I am not complaining.
Diving with dolphins in Mozambique
Why name my blog roaming fox?
On the communal travel blog website we each had a pseudonym to write under. I chose Roaming Fox so of course that stuck. Why fox? At that time I happened to get a speeding fine – for about 5 or at the most 10 km/hour over the speed limit. No big deal, but our sons started teasing me and called me Silver Fox. It somehow just seemed like the right name but because I was writing about travel I changed it to Roaming Fox.
I also had to rewrite every blog for my own website for a couple of reasons. One of them, even though I wrote the original articles myself, Google deemed it plagiarism if I republished it word for word. No quick fix there.
Bitten by the travel bug from an early age
I have always had a deep passion for travel. My godparents were one of the few couples we knew that had travelled internationally. As kids, some evenings at their house they would set up a projector to show slides of their travels against a wall in their lounge. Yip, it was that long ago, before modern technology of TV’s and computers!
We sat on a Persian carpet, one that they’d bought as a souvenir on one of their international trips, and drooled over their slides about exotic places, such as Hong Kong or Europe. Mysterious places that I yearned to see.
I fingered the trinkets they bought and kept on opening their intricate Chinese lacquered music box to play its delightful tune, a gift they had given me. There my desire for travel was born.
I might only have seen some of the places they visited, but I would like to think I did justice and honoured those memories. They may well be looking down on me from somewhere in another realm, thrilled that they inspired me to follow in at least some of their footsteps.
Driving around Seychelles, sightseeing
About being a travel blogger
There is something you may not know about me. I am a dreamer. There you have it; I have admitted one of my weaknesses. My escapism is reminiscing about our previous travels or planning our next trip.
Initially I wrote to keep a journal for our family and friends to read. Shortly after that I dabbled at entertaining and inspiring others with my writing about our travels. It has evolved over the years and I am now dipping into the monetizing pool to see if I can make a small income out of it, because unfortunately owning a website and a domain costs money.
Do I have a dream job with loads of money coming in? Not by any means. I can barely afford a coffee. I try not to overload my page with adverts so that your reading experience can flow and be enjoyable. But if you would like to book a flight or accommodation, or even enjoy an experience, please click on those links as I will then get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
A few home truths about being a travel blogger:
I work hard at writing and publishing these blogs. I spend hours researching about a place we have been to, so the blogs can be informative as well as interesting. Then I spend many more hours writing about it.
Don’t get me wrong, I love writing and naturally I am thrilled to be able to travel to the places I have been to. In my own small way, I am succeeding.
I hope that my facts and fables are either entertaining, informative or inspirational. None of our travels have been sponsored or discounted. We have paid for every single one of them, unless you count our trip to the Victoria Falls which was partially covered by points we had earned on our credit cards.
Flying over Victoria Falls in a helipcopter
I only write about places we have been to. I only tell you about experiences that we have had or how we got there. It would not be authentic if I wrote about anything else.
Travel blogging is not an easy career to enter, but I would not have it any other way. It is a saturated profession, with a perception that it is glamorous and well paid with loads of perks. Unless you win the internet lottery and your blog, video or post goes viral, money generally only trickles in if you are one of the fortunate ones.
If you are lucky enough to travel for free or get your accommodation thrown in as a freebie, it is not a long-term payment. I have not had the opportunity to be given accommodation in return for an article or a sponsored trip, but I have heard that it is not a relaxing holiday or a long stay. This is where I feel my blogs are trustworthy – I tell it how it is.
About our travels
(If you are intrigued by some of the photos, click on them or on the underlined text and a relevant blog will be opened.)
Much of our travels started long before I decided to write about them. My first trip was a flight from Cape Town to Durban, unaccompanied, to visit family. That was in the early 1960’s before I was 10 years old. I don’t remember much about the trip apart from a few snippets of memories. In my teens I also went on a couple of train journeys to also visit our relatives, unaccompanied or with family.
My husband and I have always done short trips, the longest being about five weeks. We have not had the luxury or opportunity of traveling indefinitely. Hubby had a fulltime job – a true passion for him that I could not ask him to drop - for my dreams and fantasies. But he made sure that we could have the next best thing. Unforgettable and unanticipated adventures as a family and couple. I thank him for that.
Standing on top of the world in the Drakensberg after helicopter flight
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You may have noticed our travels have been quite diverse, from camping and road trips to visiting castles in Europe and England. Below are a few of those blogs for you to browse through.
Buckingham Palace
Bridge House Lake District, UK
Madagascar
Sailing on a catamaran in Madagascar
Our first international trip as a family was an adventure of note. Our sons were teenagers at the time and we chartered a yacht to sail some of the islands of Madagascar and learn to scuba dive. Why did we choose this adventure? Find out here. Suffice to say it ignited a sense of adventure for them too.
Click on the summaries below to read our adventures. Scroll to other blogs by clicking the arrow in the right corner.
Comoros
Our next family adventure was to the Comoros, also sailing and scuba diving. Another memorable trip with a mishap before the time that nearly caused the trip to be cancelled. This trip was not without its memorable near misfortunes and unforgettable special moments.
Ladies of Moheli, Comoros
Mozambique
Mozambique has always had a special place in our hearts and started with an adventure to the southernmost tip. Once we sampled the Mozambican culture, we had many road trip adventures. A couple of hair-raising moments too!
Island and beach Vacations
Island hopping and beach vacations were some of our favourite and beautiful indulgences over the years from islands such as the unique Seychelles, magical Maldives and touristy Thailand too.
Looking for accommodation? Check Booking.com
South Africa
How can one travel and not see your own country? Don’t worry, we have seen a fair amount of South Africa too.
Kgalagadi
Traveling in the Kalahari, or the Kgalagadi as it is now known is always an adventure from seeing wildlife to camping off the grid.
Off grid camping in the Kgalagadi
Lioness in the Kgalagadi
Overland trips in Africa
Although we have only travelled overland in Africa to Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, we would love to still add a few more countries to our list. Nevertheless, it is a start.
Okavango Delta flooded road
Baobabs at Kubu Island, Makgadikgadi Pans
Climbing up to the Zimbabwe ruins
Scuba diving trips
Our first trip to Madagascar was the beginning of our scuba adventures. Not to miss out, we had to visit one of the top scuba diving destinations, the Red Sea. We spent some time on board a dive boat as well as diving from the shore. Another highlight on our first trip was to see the pyramids and walking through the Sinai desert.
Looking for flights? Check Aviasales
Pyramids of Giza
Schloss Nymphenburg Palace - Munich
Canal boat UK
Looking for adventures? Check out Expedia
Sydney Opera House
Sydney Harbour Bridge
Click and book a Big Bus Tour
I am thankful for the trips we have had and grateful for all the adventures, big or small, even the hair-raising ones. I am even more appreciative that we came out unscathed!
Thank you for following me on this journey and I hope you will continue to do so. Have I inspired you to travel and see exciting places or do interesting things? Above all, I hope you have enjoyed reading about them.
Happy & safe travels,
Best Wishes
Alma
Quick link to our Zimbabwe trip where this all started.
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About the Author
ALMA VAN AS | ROAMING FOX
Alma is a South African travel blogger and writer. She hopes to inspire you with facts and fables about her adventures, road trips and international travel.
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Let me tell you a fable about Madagascar. To be honest, it is fact. In places it certainly is paradise. It has also been known to ooze adventure or at the very least excitement.