We are aware that there are some at home who think we are on vacation. That may well be the case if you fly to Crete or the Algarve and settle in a nice hotel there. However, when you’re traveling, things look a little different.

For example, there are borders to cross. Either you have to hide the fruit or meat beforehand so that the customs officer cannot find it. If he does that, the supplies that the border officials would have to dispose of in the evening disappear into a bucket. Miraculously, however, the fillet ends up on the customs officer’s table in the evening. And his family also eats the fruit salad, which is prepared with the help of the collected fruits…

Another issue is border formalities. In Africa it is not like in Europe, where you can easily move from one country to another. Here you have to fill out all sorts of forms and you stand in the scorching sun with many others before you can enter the customs booth. There, border officials sit in an air-conditioned room and take it easy while processing the papers.

If you are looking forward to continuing your journey, it may well be that a customs officer wants to inspect the interior of the vehicle. However, this has become less common since officers have a smartphone and prefer to talk to their loved ones or play a game instead of doing their work…