What Is It Really Like to Drive 8,000 Miles Across Africa With Your Family? | Barry Maughan’s Memoir Beneath the African Sun

What does it take to drive nearly eight thousand miles the length of Africa — without GPS, cell phones, or modern safety nets?

In this powerful episode of Spirits and Stories, Donald Dunn sits down with adventurer, journalist, and memoirist Barry Maughan, who recounts his extraordinary journey from Alexandria, Egypt to Cape Agulhas, South Africa — alongside his wife and their one-year-old son.

Long before digital maps and electronic “tethers,” Barry navigated jungle washouts, desert crossings, political coups, malaria, mechanical breakdowns, and life-changing encounters across fifteen African countries. His journey wasn’t about bravado — it was about preparation, humility, and meeting people with respect.

In this episode, we explore:

1. What Africa was like before modern travel technology
2. How serendipity shaped a life-changing expedition
3. Lessons in courage, resilience, and human connection
4. Covering political upheaval and drought as a foreign correspondent
5. The “oneness of love” moment that defined the entire journey
6. Why travel reduces fear and builds understanding

Barry shares how this experience shaped his children’s worldview, his journalism career with Voice of America, and ultimately his memoir Beneath the African Sun.

This conversation is not just about travel.

It’s about perspective.

It’s about humanity.

It’s about what happens when you step beyond fear.

If you’ve ever wondered:

1. Is Africa safe to travel?
2. What was overland travel like before GPS?
3. How does extreme travel change a family?
4. What life lessons come from long-distance adventure?

This episode answers those questions — and more.

Listen in, feel the journey, and discover why Barry says Africa gave him more than he ever expected.

Links referenced in this episode:

1. barrymaughan.com

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