About Us

We are Erika and Martin,

We are from the Philippines and Denmark.  We are one of those who left their jobs to travel the world…

except…

We got stuck in Africa.

Quick Summary

We both had our steady corporate jobs in the Philippines for the last x years until Martin got a job offer in 2015 that required him to move to Cyprus. At the same time, Erika had an epiphany and found out her passion- to see the world. So off she went to Africa.

Now a bit more details…

Erika’s first solo backpacking trip was in Africa
In 2015,  I left my office job in the Philippines to travel the world. With enough savings to live on for about 2 months, and motivation to go by for another 5, I went off on my first solo trip while backpacking Africa.

I found an Ex- Deal Opportunity to Travel Cheap
As I didn’t have enough money, I first emailed travel operators within Tanzania and tried to volunteer to help in their marketing in exchange for free meals and accommodation. I found luck in Arusha through the kindness of one safari operator, and that’s where my exposure in African tourism began. Through this opportunity, I was able to put whatever skills I have to good use while exposing myself to the rich cultures of the continent.

Martin tags along with a vision to promote Sustainable Traveling
For almost 3 yrs, Erika had been traveling while I stayed in my corporate job. I was happy but I can’t deny that at the back of my head, I wish I could do the same… Then it hit me,

About While in Africa
Erika’s sideline as a freelance marketer eventually turned into a business that they now both manage full-time. They work and promote tour companies within Africa towards the international market.

However, the couple felt that they should put their exposures and learning in Africa to serve a higher purpose. And so, at the end of 2018, they started While in Africa – a personal blog they thought was necessary to share their experiences as a traveler. With this page, they hope to inspire and share travel tips for Africa. At the same time educate themselves more on sustainable traveling with the hopes of creating ripples to pass the knowledge along not only to fellow travelers but to the clients they work within the business side.

Setting Expectations
We are not safari experts or African tour specialists. Here, we hope to share our experiences, our personal recommendations on where to go, what to see, how to do it, and most importantly…  to introduce the real Africa.

Like everyone else, we were once just a tourist whose knowledge of Africa goes as far as Lion King, or some late-night watching of Animal Planet because there’s nothing else to see. I understand the feeling of not knowing and the wondering of what to do, where to fly, where to go, and most of all, the question of “is it safe to travel to Africa?”

So here’s what you can read here:

• Introduction about Africa from a tourist’s perspective
• Destination and visa guides
• First-hand experiences as we crossed border to border
• Volunteering and couch-surfing experiences 
• Read unbiased reviews of companies we have tried 
• Find recommendations to hang-out
• And a lot of other stuff here and there