Since it’s still around the beginning of the tour, I thought it would be kinda fun to introduce you all to “The Perfect 10” – aka the ten crazy kids who are on Desert Tracker together.

Desert Tracker from Acacia Africa is actually a really cool tour. It starts in Cape Town and if you do the entire route, takes you all the way up through Nairobi. You’re actually able to join in and/or opt out at various points on the tour, and we have two people who are doing the entire 56 days, and then various other increments, who started in Cape Town.

Here’s the team (protip: none of us booked the tour together – we’re a group of 10 singles!):

The Brits:

Kitty: Kitty is a total badass who comes off initially as a non-traveler but she’s a totally unassuming expert on everything from hiking to tent setup to what’s best to eat at which meals. She lives in London and apparently has some wicked funny parents who I’ve told her that I NEED to meet at some point in my life. She’s also got a sick sense of humor, an easy smile, and she can smell ginger cookies across the bus. One of our food restriction teammates (we have four…), she’s accidentally eaten nuts, her nemesis, three times in the past three years and almost died. Highlights include a dirty as hell Columbian hospital where a woman with an open gunshot wound ran through the ER while she was on an IV.

Amberlee: Amberlee and I actually were in Never@Home together for a night and then we ended up on this tour together! She’s also a Londoner like Kitty, and she’s traveled to all sorts of amazing places, including a previous trip to Africa where she did conservation work and survived an Elephant attack. No jokes. Amberlee may actually be the most ninja outdoorsy person I’ve ever met – I’m constantly blown away by how awesome she is.

Nathan: Like me, Nathan quit his job before traveling to Africa and he’s going to figure his ish out when he gets home. On Desert Tracker, Nathan is always up for a joke OR to pop into the Poison Room for a drink… and if you’re lucky he’ll grab you (and the rest of the group) one too! Previously a restaurant manager, he’s not sure what he’s going to do when he’s back in the UK but if it’s what he put as his career when we all entered Namibia, everyone worldwide is in for a real treat.

The Americans:

Lauren: Lauren ALSO quit her job as an event planner in Cali before starting her RTW adventure. She’s been on the road the longest out of all of us this time around, and she’s taking Desert Tracker the full 56 days. She’s got amazing hair, a song lyric for everything, and she’s ALWAYS got a smile or a giggle… or a story about food, her one TRUE love. I’ve also secretly decided that Lauren is like my little sister, which she’ll get to learn when she reads this post. Hey girl heeyyyy.

Me!: Uhhhhmmmm if you don’t know me, I’m a bit concerned. But in case any of the other Perfect 10 share this, I’ll give you a tl;dr bio. I’m from New Jersey, I quit my job in software marketing, and I bought a one way ticket to Cape Town in September 2015 and I’m going to see how far my money can take me. I’m the oldest in the group, but everyone says I look 25. Sweet.

The Kiwis:

Emme: Typically found wearing shorts, sporting serious goosebumps, but claiming to not be cold, Emme is a pretty legit outdoorswoman. I’m pretty sure she has the most camping experience out of all of us, but she’s also the most accident prone. Luckily, she’s a bad bitch and brushes off everything and keeps it moving in style.

Andrew: When we met for the pre-departure meeting, I knew I was going to like Andrew because he walked in and grabbed a drink with me immediately while we were waiting. His claim to fame is being the tallest in our group by a SIGNIFICANT margin, and you’d better listen when he’s talking because even though he’s quiet, he’s watching everything you do and making a funny as hell comment about it. Or just smirking when you do something dumb and you think no one saw… Whoops.

The Aussie:

Jane: The only Aussie on our trip, Jane is between her “highschool” as we call it in the US, and her Uni – when she gets back after her trip, she’ll be heading to Uni to become a physio therapist and leaving her pharmacy assistant days behind her. Before the Desert Tracker, Jane spent some time in Greece with her boyfriend, but since he had to go home, she figured she’d cut him loose and come to Africa for some more adventures. Jane is also my tentmate and she’s the bomb.

The Swiss:

Silia: Seemingly quiet, Silia and I sat together the first day on the bus and we’re PERFECT seatmates. While everyone else is romping around and being loud, the two of us are consistently either eating or passed out. For some reason though, I ALWAYS forget that she’s our vegetarian, and I’m constantly trying to offer her meat-related snacks. Whoops… Sorry, Silia! Silia is from a small village in Switzerland, but somehow she knows something about EVERYTHING in Africa, especially the animals. She’s also insanely funny and has the best giggle in the group, hands down.

The Frenchman:

Amaury: Last but not least is our Frenchman. He’s always up for a hike, and if you don’t know where he is, he’s probably off walking somewhere finding amazing animals or scenery that we’re all jealous about when he comes back with stories and pictures. He also speaks great English, but he won’t have any idea what you’re saying unless you address him directly because he’s “not translating” unless he knows you’re talking to him. Oh and just a note, ladies, he’s got a girl at home but he’s never had a “missed opportunity” while traveling, because he “always goes for it”.”

Sooooo there you have it! That’s our team – I know you’re a little jealous, and you should be, because we’re the Perfect 10 and we’re about to blow it up on this trip.