YouTuber Dan Grec has travelled across five continents and 65 countries, including the legendary 19,000-mile Pan-American Highway from Alaska to Argentina and 35 countries in Africa
Dan Grec’s journey took three years as he drove around the entire coastline(Image: Dan Grec)
A globe-trotting YouTuber who abandoned his office job to pursue life on the road in 4×4 vehicles has identified an African nation he was relieved to leave behind in his “rear view mirror”. Dan Grec, an adventurer from Australia, chose to quit his job and chase his dream of experiencing “all the adventures that are possible out there,” journeying across five continents and 65 countries—including the iconic 19,000-mile Pan-American Highway from Alaska to Argentina.
He also explored 35 nations across Africa, an expedition that spanned three years as he drove around the entire coastline of the continent, where he created “thousands of unforgettable memories”.
Among the highlights were “hearing lions roar” whilst sitting outside his Jeep, being invited into people’s homes to share meals, observing a family of giraffes, and even “petting a cheetah”.
It wasn’t entirely without challenges, though, as Dan also confessed there was one country where he “didn’t feel safe”.
Dan, who has also written a book about his travels, stated: “On all my travels to date, the only country I didn’t feel safe in and was happy to see in my rear view mirror was Ethiopia.
“At the time of my visit, it was a complicated place politically, and there was a lot of unrest and anger towards tourists because all the tourist money was going to tour guides from the big city, not the rural areas where the tourists were actually visiting.”
He clarified that he doesn’t want to give the country a “bad wrap”, though, and is eager to return to experience the nation properly, mentioning that he knows plenty of people who “love it”.
Dan said: “I know tons of people really love the country, so I feel bad giving it a bad wrap. I really want to go back sometime so I can properly enjoy it.”
A landlocked East African nation sharing borders with Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa, Ethiopia is the continent’s oldest independent country.
A rugged and diverse nation regarded as the cradle of mankind, it is believed that Ethiopia’s history could stretch back to the earliest hominids. Its population speaks an impressive 82 languages, with more than 200 dialects.
Unfortunately, however, potential travellers need to be mindful of some possible dangers. The Foreign Office has issued travel warnings for parts of Ethiopia, advising against all travel to certain areas, and all but essential travel to others.
In its safety and security section, the Foreign Office warns that terrorists are “very likely” to attempt attacks in Ethiopia, stating that they could be indiscriminate and take place in “places visited by foreign nationals”.
It has also noted that tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea are high, with a possibility that the security situation in the north could deteriorate rapidly.
Other potential risks include civil unrest, arbitrary detentions (this has occurred with British nationals in a limited number of cases), mugging, theft near Bole International Airport, kidnapping in some areas, and landmines.