In 2013, I backpacked through 13 African countries. By myself. Using public transportation only. That’s right, no planes. Just one train, a few boats, and hundreds and hundred of buses.

I started in Cape Town in March and after seven months I traveled Africa (complete length of the continent) and ended in Cairo.

It was amazing.

I mean absolutely, incredible, not-enough-English-words-to-describe, life changing kind of trip.

Ironically, for being such a huge trip, it was also my first real time backpacking.

I say real because I did go to Costa Rica once with my friend Kelly. But we brought suitcases and not backpacks. Used hostels but not local transportation. And basically just drank beer on the beach for a week. So despite being incredibly fun, it doesn’t exactly fit into the rugged, backpacking category.

So whether you count it or not, either way, I traveled Africa as a complete, naive, beginner.

I had no clue what to do, how to get around, or what to pack. I kept asking myself, “Is Africa even safe?” So I said a bunch of prayers. Packed everything I could possibly think of, including exercise equipment (seriously what was I thinking), and grabbed a map of South Africa that my best friend had printed off of Google.

Then I arrived in Cape Town.

Barely able to lift my bag (which is why I now only recommend backpacking light) and saw a whole new world that I never knew existed.

It was like a veil had been lifted and a great secret uncovered when I realized that I wasn’t the only traveler. There were tons of other backpackers. And beautiful beaches. And 54 other reasons that quickly made me fall in love.

It didn’t take long before I got into the backpacking groove. Other travelers were quick to show me the ropes. And locals could not have been any more friendly or helpful.

So my original goal to make it to Ethiopia in two months going through as few of countries as possible shifted. Dramatically. My backpacking route turned into a giant zig zag where I included as many countries as I could, spending as much time in each as possible.

What ended up unfolding was a multitude of experiences like no other. Everything I saw, every person I met, and everything I did was over the top incredible.

When I tell people about my trip though, they are always amazed. And the one question I get always without fail is, “How did you do it?”

The answer?

Easily. That’s how.

In fact, I truly believe that if I traveled Africa as a newbie backpacker, anyone can. You don’t need an expensive tour and you don’t need to have traveled extensively before.

Here’s a few tips to get you started:

How I Traveled Africa: Getting Around

Getting from point A to point B isn’t as hard as it seems. My not so sophisticated method was to decide where I wanted to go and then ask someone how to get there. Either a traveler who had already been there or a local was always able to give me directions. Typically it meant going to the bus stop, finding which bus was going there and when, and then buying my ticket.

Sometimes I could get buses going directly to the city I wanted to go to which made it really easy. If it was a bigger bus or a longer travel, I usually had to buy my bus ticket the day before I left. If it was a smaller distance then I could find multiple mini-buses going there all throughout the morning and afternoon. For those, it was usually first come first serve.

Travel did take much longer than I expected. A 200 mile trip never was as quick as what it would be back home. Nor was it ever as comfortable. But either way, I always made it. Sure my legs were a little cramped or the person beside me held a chicken that squawked the entire time, but it was always an interesting, one-of-a-kind, and often humorous experience.