Dingolay around the world

This time around, the young adventurer targeted destinations in Europe and Africa but has travelled extensively throughout Asia in the past. Clarke has now been to a total of 45 countries within the past ten years.

On this particular trip, though, Clarke had a special intention in mind: he wanted to accomplish the majority of his mission before his 30th birthday last September.

Why? “By 30, society pressures you to have your life in order or at least be on the right path,” he said in a Sunday Newsday interview.

“If you try something crazy or make a mistake in your twenties it is more easily forgiven. Make the same mistake in your thirties and many times it is viewed less favourably.

“I knew I wanted to try living outside the confines of the proverbial ‘rat race’ and with my twenties coming to an end, it felt like now was the least risky time.

“I am still young and I knew that even if I had failed miserably and had to return home prematurely, I would be a better me for trying.” Clarke, who began travelling five years ago, has accomplished a feat most people only dream about: it’s not every day that an average person can just uproot - leaving behind their loved ones and a secure job - to travel the world.

But, for this Kelly Village, Caroni native, who took a complete year off from work as a merchandiser, accumulating the money for the journey was the easy part.

“I had just gotten my pension refund from a short stint working abroad. I should have probably put it in a savings account but felt like at no point in my life again would I have both the time and money to do this trip, so it was either now or never,” he said.

“The way I look at it, you can recoup money that you’ve spent, but you can’t recapture the time you’ve lost.” Deciding on where he should go first also was not a problem.

Backed by his mantra, Follow The Sale, Clarke found a relatively cheap airline ticket to Tanzania, the first stop on his year-long journey.

Cape Town, South Africa, though, proved to be his most enjoyable visit.

“It can appeal to even the most discerning of travellers,” Clarke said of Cape Town.

“It has great weather, a beautiful scenery with table top mountain, history with Robben Island (prison in which late South African president and freedom fighter Nelson Mandela was incarcerated), beaches, night-life, vineyards, safaris, surfing, great white shark cave diving and so much more.

“There is something for every traveller in Cape Town.” The young man said although apartheid was abolished in South Africa some 25 years ago, the country still had its struggles with the racists system.

“But there is visceral hope,” Clarke said, adding that Poland also was an eye-opener.

“This was primarily because of Auschwitz Concentration Camp.

It’s kind of chilling the magnitude at which the Holocaust (the Nazi’s killing of millions of Jews throughout Europe during the early 1940s) destroyed lives.” Clarke said Budapest, Hungary, also ranked among his favourite destinations, largely because of the “stunning” architecture of its historic buildings. Clarke said he also loved Germany’s culture and the warmth of its citizens.

“Germans were very straightforward and pragmatic, yet warm and hospitable.” As a tribute to his travels, Clarke established Dingolay Adventures in May for anyone with a passion for the unknown.

“We know how daunting it can be to shed your anxieties and embark on a solo adventure to countries like Cambodia or Kenya, so at Dingolay, we aim to alleviate such trepidations by organising educational small-group tours to exotic locales,” he said.

But the company, he stressed, was not a superficial entity.

“We want our expeditions to be more engaging than just selfies at an old church in Italy, or partying at the best nightclubs in Miami,” Clarke said.

“We strive to create a personalised travel experience for our customers. Whether it be camel riding in the Thar Desert of India or sharing a tea with a Masai Warrior in Tanzania, we guarantee a truly immersive cultural experience.” He added: Our mission is to also provide a platform where like-minded adventurers can interact and share stories, photos and advice with each-other. We want to help travellers who don’t have the time or know-how to plan an epic adventure, to take that first step in exploring a new culture.” According to Clarke, potential travellers seeking his company’s assistance are required to fulfil basic requirements: a proposed time for departure and budget.

“We’ll prepare a detailed itinerary that is personalised to your taste. Or travel advisory service is more affordable than you think,” he said. Clarke said the company also aimed to provide a platform from which like-minded adventurers can interact and share stories, photos and advice with one-another.

Dingolay Adventures, he said, hosts its first cultural tour in Mexico from October 29 to November 5. The tour will cover the Yucatan Peninsula and Dia de los Muertos, Mexico’s biggest festival.

Growing up in what he called a “quintessential middle-class household,” Clarke migrated to the US as a teenager to study Environmental Engineering at Howard University. Living overseas, he said, whetted his appetite for adventure.

“I always wanted to see more of the world and felt emboldened after reading a quote by Henry Ford which read, ‘If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability.” After internalising the quote, Clarke said he vowed to travel the world. Clarke also found that he was becoming “very consumeristic.” He told Sunday Newsday: “I was making decent money and buying many shiny new toys but wasn’t getting any more utility out of them. I remember buying myself a US$500 watch as a graduation present.

“I was working to buy stuff and I felt trapped by my possessions.

I wanted something more. I figured I should try to find my niche in this world while I still could.

I wanted to live life on my own terms.” Clarke received support from his mother, whom he said, shared his adventurous spirit.

“She encourages me to see the world as much as possible before settling down. I probably got my adventure genes from her,” he joked. “My Dad is a little more apprehensive about me travelling the world. He’s significantly more risk averse.” Clarke said many of his friends had no idea about what he was doing until they saw the photos posted on social media.

“I think some of them wish they had to fortitude to do the same,” he said with a laugh. Clarke said navigating between destinations was “remarkably easy.” “I feel as if humans are meant to be on the move,” he said. Transportation between countries with contiguous borders was never a problem. “There is always a bus, train, or plane linking neighbouring countries.” Noting that Malawi was perhaps the hardest country through which he had to travel, Clarke said comfort was his only concern.

“Because I didn’t really have a clearly defined plan per se, plane tickets were bought on the basis of cost.

“For example, I flew from South Africa to Germany because Berlin was the cheapest city in Europe to fly into from Johannesburg.” Clarke said although he has travelled extensively, he was never truly alone.

“My favourite thing about travel is meeting new people,” he said.

“Sightseeing can be monotonous if I’m by myself too much. It’s the people that you’re with that make travel enjoyable.” Clarke said meeting new people also enabled him to keep costs down. He recalled that a French guy he met while travelling in Zambia hosted him at his apartment during his stay in Paris.

Asked what has been the most important lesson he has learnt during his travels, Clarke alluded to the complexities of man.

“I’m never surprised by the brutality of man, yet at the same time, I am never surprised by the humanity of man,” he said.

“Yes, there may be a few people hell-bent on destruction but they are vastly outnumbered by good people. The world is nowhere as dangerous as it is portrayed in the news.” His message to those who desire to travel the world: “Go for it! You have nothing to lose by going somewhere new or trying something different. It may seem daunting, but there will always people willing to help you if you are brave enough to ask..

“The first step is the hardest but once you take it, you wouldn’t believe how easy it is to find people who share the same outlook, Clarke said. Clarke said if given the opportunity, he will do it all over again. “I’ve never felt as free as when I was wandering the world,” he said.