“We’ve both been scammed, but we haven’t been mugged,” Velez-Green said.

In addition, despite the prospect of danger, the two were most worried about their budget entering the trip. Including airfare, a safari, and climbing Kilimanjaro, the two have spent roughly $6,000 apiece, which they consider to be pretty cheap.

“We’re being careful not going to super expensive places, but we’re eating well and not starving ourselves,” Clement said.

“What I love about traveling is finding the local joints,” Velez-Green added. “If you’re doing it right, you can go to [inexpensive] places…. You have to be creative with how you have fun.”

END POINT

Throughout the trip, Velez-Green and Clement have enjoyed remarkable timing, as they entered Egypt during the end of the revolution and touched down in South Africa only a few days before the passing of Nelson Mandela.

In this final location, Velez-Green and Clement were lent a unique perspective and observed firsthand how a nation mourned—in a slightly different manner than may be expected—one of the world’s most influential leaders.

“The atmosphere at those services was remarkably [upbeat],” Velez-Green said. “More people were dancing and singing than crying. People grieve in different ways. At least the people I saw that were grieving by celebrating. There were a lot of feelings that he was the best thing that happened in the last few decades.”

Now that Velez-Green and Clement have reached Cape Town, they will both be leaving Africa shortly. The two have gained a multitude of experiences from the journey and learned a variety of lessons, and the takeaways are applicable to all aspects of life.

“I think that one thing that made our trip really cool was that we were extremely willing to change our plans,” Clement said. “So be flexible.”

Velez-Green added: “Don’t forget to smile.”

—Staff writer Patrick Xu can be reached at patrickxu@college.harvard.edu.