This is the story of Yousuf who chose to leave the corporate world after 7 long years to fulfil a lifetime ambition to go traveling and gain some lifetime experiences before he turned 30. He also decided to write the first paragraph of this ‘About Me’ page in the third person!

I hope this blog will act as a chronicle of my time exploring Africa and then beyond. I am determined to not just do a standard backpacking trip surrounded by other tourists but to actually experience how disparate communities live to understand how they think, what they believe and what their lives are really like.

One of the reasons I chose to leave my job was I felt like I was feeling ground down by the monotony of corporate life and the narrow obsession with profit and material possessions that accompanies that.

My hope is that there is truth in the adage that travel broadens the mind and these experiences will give me a fresh perspective on what life is really about, a greater understanding of both myself and other people – mainly I just hope it will give me more than just some edgy photographs for Instagram!

To that end the purpose of this blog will be not to an online diary but instead to document how the journey is affecting my outlook and what challenges and opportunities it has given me to provide advice to others considering a similar journey as well as to assuage my families concerns that I have been murdered!

Oh and as for the name of this blog, my uni nickname was YoYo and I hope as well as colourful clothes and a colourful personality, this journey will add a little more sparkle to my life!