This trip feels different.
I’m on what will likely be my very last Monsoon trip that embodies the spirit of how this all began: a whirlwind journey through multiple countries no one in our group has been to before. This time, it’s Chad, Niger, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of Congo, and Burundi—all in a single itinerary with 5 other monsooners. It reminds me of that first trip back in May 2010, when The Monsoon Diaries was nothing but an idea and a leap of faith.
Back then, it was about the unknown, about throwing ourselves into the deep end, trusting each other, and coming out the other side with stories we could never have predicted. It was “group travel for people who hate group travel” and pushing boundaries together, even when we had no guarantees that things would work out.
But after this trip, the nature of these adventures will change. No more new slew of countries to visit. My future adventures will likely be more focused, single-destination trips, with no new multi-country whirlwind itineraries like this. The kind of experience The Monsoon Diaries is known for—the bold, messy, transformative chaos of visiting 3+ new countries in a week or two—will come to an end.
I’ve spent the first few days of this trip thinking about that. Mourning, even. Because while this isn’t the end of travel for me, it’s the end of a certain kind of travel—a style that defined not just these journeys but also who I’ve become and the connections I’ve made with others along the way.
How do you say goodbye to something that’s shaped you so deeply? It feels self-indulgent to grieve when this kind of privilege—to travel, to explore, to connect—isn’t accessible to most. But I believe it’s also important to honor what this era has meant, both to me and the countless others who’ve joined me over the years.
This is more than a trip; it’s a reminder of how far we’ve come, of the connections we’ve made, and the idea that no matter what comes next, those lessons will carry forward. It’s an ending, but it’s also a new beginning.
For now, we’re only four days into this journey. The horizon is still wide, and the story isn’t finished yet.
