The best of ideas are often born at the intersection of coffee, camaraderie, and curiosity. Sitting at Allen’s local Sayfani cafe, sipping on Yemeni chai, sisters Megan and Tessa Steiner unleashed a bold plan.
Inspired by her older sister Megan’s 2021 trip, where she backpacked solo from South Africa all the way up to Jordan, Tessa asked what they could do together. Tessa was in between critical life phases, having graduated from Texas A&M in December 2024 and starting a three-year physical therapy doctorate program in Oklahoma in May 2025 and getting married in August 2025.
Megan, on the other hand, had already been planning her return to Africa for countless days. Together, they knew it was the right time.
Backpacking through Africa was the perfect environment for a mini-metamorphosis. The sisters first visited South Africa for five weeks. A haven for tourists seeking both cultural and linguistic diversity and natural beauty, South Africa maintains 12 official languages. Its sheer size lends to significant geographical variety, such as rolling grasslands and plains, beaches, wetlands, forests, and deserts.
The girls then embarked on an unforgettable 24-hour bus ride to Namibia and continued backpacking there for another three weeks. Namibia is known for its stunning landscapes, rich wildlife, and natural mineral resources. English is widely spoken in Namibia, as is German and several local languages, including Swahili. The country is almost as large as the state of Alaska.
Their travel adventures seemed endless: driving a rental car with a “rooftop tent,” breathing in the salty air of the seacoast, witnessing majestic sand dunes, and feeling the dry heat of desert climates. For those who love animals, Africa is a dream come true. One of Megan and Tessa’s standout moments was witnessing the grandeur of a family of lions emerge from the savannah at Etosha National Park, Namibia's premier wildlife destination, alongside rhinos, giraffes, elephants, zebras, and hyenas.
“When I reminisce about our trip, it’s nice to have someone who has lived through it too,” says Megan. “Going solo has its own pros and cons, but having a shared connection with someone like your sister creates memories for a lifetime. This doesn’t mean we didn’t argue! But who else could relate to the coolness of the night, sleeping on top of a car, inside a makeshift roof? Or going to the local grocery store, stocking up on meat and potatoes, and using a rented propane tank and burner to cook a decent dinner!”
Although the dynamic duo never felt particularly unsafe in Africa and took all necessary precautions, Megan witnessed the presence of many more tourists this time around. In fact, during one overnight camp stay, she serendipitously bumped into a woman whom she had previously met in Zanzibar in 2021!
“There is such a stark difference between vacationing and traveling/exploring,” Tessa reflects. “The latter is immersive; where you have the freedom and time to lose yourself in the moment.”
Vacationing, however, often entails preplanned itineraries. “But when you’re traveling like we did, you’re exploring on the fly, staying in hostels at the last minute, changing routines, and getting word of mouth referrals from fellow travelers,” she says. “Yet, I had so many reflective moments; moments in which I thought about what kind of family I wanted to start. Yes, schooling and careers are great for kids, but there is so much more. Traveling gives you that contrast.”
The process of reintegration upon arriving home is a well-known phenomenon. For some, it can be bumpy. “When you’re traveling, certainly every day is different and spontaneous. But once back home, the routine of day-to-day life enforces a certain type of 'same-old, same-old' mentality,” explains Megan.
This can lead to a kind of “travel homesickness,” where travelers romanticize their adventures to such an extent that it prevents them from being present in their current circumstances. “On a deeper level, I’d say make sure travel is not just an escape, because when you return, you still have to deal with ‘you.’”
“One of my biggest takeaways from being abroad is observing how most people around the world don’t have access to our modern-day, industrialized conveniences. But yet, they’re still happy. They don’t live like us, nor think like us. Our way is not the only way,” she reflects.
While Megan and Tessa miss the stars of the clearest skies they have ever seen in Namibia, or the majesty of the orange sunset at the Twelve Apostles mountain peaks in Cape Town, South Africa, they take comfort in knowing their next trip is just a dream away.
Backpacking through Africa was the perfect environment for a mini-metamorphosis.
There is such a stark difference between vacationing and traveling/exploring.