When Mark Wambui travels,we all take notes…

Mark is one of the few male hobbyist travelers we have in Kenya. Over the years, females have dominated the travel scene and getting a male traveler who documents his travels hasn’t the easiest task. I met Mark during the Rusinga Cultural Festival slightly over two years ago and we’ve since kept in touch as I secretly checked out his travel escapades on his social media platforms.

Mark also did a comprehensive backpacking southern African trip and he shall guest blog here soon with all the necessary details.

We caught up and spoke a little about him and his travels in the interview below…

Who is Mark?

Mark Wambui is a 40% extrovert and 60% Introvert who loves telling stories in the form of content creation and I’ve been doing that for a couple of years now… and luckily for me that passion has been fused with a lot of travelling.

Why do you travel?

I travel because… Traveling always feels like an escape… its like you leave all your problems, fears and worries behind till you return. On the road I feel alive, excited… there is so much to learn, see, experience. Plus you have that extra benefit of meeting new people… and this is strange but for a long time I used to pressure myself in wanting to talk to people… but being on the road has taught me that the people you were meant to meet you shall… you just need to be open to it.

Do you travel solo?

70% of the time I do travel solo and 30% … I travel with friends… I think there is a benefit to both… Traveling solo allows you to be more open to new experiences and people while with friends it builds your relationships and allows you to build up a trove of shared memories that you will be able to talk about for years to come.

Are you a luxury traveler or a budget traveler?

Definitely not a luxury travel… I will do luxury maybe 1 out of 5 trips… I’m also not a tight budget traveler… and esp because I’m not that great at negotiating… for me… comfort and a great experience is what I use to measure and budget… how comfortable can I make myself and have the best possible experience with the budget I have.

Your favorite Male traveler in Kenya?

Do I really have a favorite male traveler… not really but I do read a lot stuff from the Kenyan Camper.

Would you quit your job to travel?

I wouldn’t have to quit by job… my job is telling stories and that partners so well with travelling… so maybe I should record more… although I find that take me away from the experience… I prefer taking photos… to just freeze that moment in time.

Best cultural festival in Africa?

Best cultural festival… that’s a hard one… I’m not sure I have attended enough to make a good comparison… but definitely a big shout out to the Rusinga Cultural Festival.

What’s the most bizarre cultural story you’ve experienced during your travels.

My most bizarre experience was in Dakar Senegal. I was shooting an African Union event and on the last day decided to have some street food… its normally some sort of assuring that you have experienced a culture. Its important to know Senegal is french speaking and it would take more than 30 mins of hand gestures and funny sounds for the chef and waiter… so back to the street food… we enter the ‘kibanda’… and using gestures order for their staple of rice and fish stew… the lady proceeds to warm the food… once ready she heads on serve us on the plates with her hands… yes for the stew as well… the shock…!!…

What’s your favorite African airline?

My favorite African airline will be Ethiopian airlines and this is all due to there great fares… I’m sure you can experience fancier airlines but on the budget and travelling each coin matters.

If you’d change anything about travel in Africa,what would it be?

If I was to change anything about travel in Africa…. I think that would be to have more Africans travel their continent… it is rewarding and fulfilling… there is so much to see and explore in our mother land.