Hi, my name is Tim, a.k.a Trekking Timmy. I work as a travel guide with G-Adventures and I want to show you how beautiful Uganda is.
4 years ago I left a good job in the bank to follow my passion for travel. Everyone I know thought I had lost it but I assured them there was gold in travel — Uganda is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and I believe it will soon be the world’s top travel destination.
We have the highest number of Mountain Gorillas in the world (did you know that some scenes in Wakanda were shot near Bwindi Impenetrable Forest?). We have the best river-and-lake network in the world; we have snow-capped mountains, abundant wildlife, welcoming people, and diverse cultures.
One of the things I love most about travel is meeting new people and learning about their cultures and lifestyles back home. In just 4 years of guiding, I have helped 358 travellers find magical moments in the most remote locations in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Tanzania. Do you know what bothers me most? Not more than 40 of them have been Ugandans!
It is said that you can never know the gold you have at home unless you have travelled. I see this every day I’m out there in the wild with a group of Americans, Europeans, or Australians who have seen more of Uganda than most Ugandans. For most of us, life starts and ends in Kampala, or in whatever town you find yourself posted to.
So much has been written about the benefits of travel, but did you know how important travel is to your health?
Did you know that lifestyle diseases are today’s number 1 killer? You are more likely to die from cancer or diabetes than from malaria or an accident.
Doctors say it’s because people are eating more junk and exercising less. Our life has become work-party-home, day in, day out — the only changes in this routine are visits to church or the mosque and occasional trips to the village.
When I was in primary school my teacher used to make us sing “prevention is better than cure”. It took me growing old enough to travel all over East Africa to understand how true this statement is. In the global fight against lifestyle diseases, small changes in your lifestyle can have a huge impact, and regular travel is one of the best antidotes.
I always ask the travellers I guide how often they travel: 8 out of 10 foreign trekkers tell me they travel at least 2-3 times in a year. When I ask my Ugandan friends the same question, they tell me, “ebyo bya bazungu” (trans. “that’s something for white people”).
According to scientists, travel lowers stress levels, decreases the risk of heart disease, enhances creativity, improves bone health, aids with weight control, boosts your immunity, strengthens personal relationships, and makes you happy.
It makes sense.
Since I quit a well-paying bank job to become a travel guide and live my passion for travel, I have never been happier. I feel healthier, more creative, more energetic, and more balanced than ever before.
As a guide who has been to every corner of this beautiful region and seen how immensely gifted it is, I have made it my life mission to share my passion for travel with the world and convince my fellow East Africans to put at least one trip on their annual budget.
On April 2nd, I took my first step. I rallied a small band of 24 residents of Kampala City to join me on the first of a monthly series of treks. Here’s more about the first trek.
I wish to invite you to join me on my campaign to promote travel in Uganda: #trekwithtim is a simple campaign that anyone can join. I am organizing monthly treks under this campaign, and taking road trips to different destinations in the country as a way of showing Ugandans how amazing their country is.
All you have to do is sign up for a trek, or a road trip, take great pictures of all the fun you’re having, and share it on Facebook with the hashtags:
#trekwithtim #tulambuleuganda
We are having our next hike on 6th May 2018. Follow Trekking Timmy on facebook, twitter, linkedin, or instagram to keep yourself posted on updates of the campaign.