Through Dust and Dreams: The Story of an African Adventure

At a crossroads in her life, Roxana decides to take a ten-day safari trip to Africa. In Namibia, she meets a local guide who talks about "the courage to become who you are" and tells her that "the world belongs to those who dream". Her holiday over, Roxana still carries the spell of his words within her soul. Six months later she quits her job and searches for a way to fulfil an old dream: crossing Africa from north to south. Teaming up with Richard and Peter, two total strangers she meets over the Internet, Roxana starts a journey that will take her and her companions from Morocco to Namibia, crossing desserts and war-torn countries and surviving threats from corrupt officials and tensions within their own group. Through Dust and Dreams is the story of their journey: a story of courage and friendship, of daring to ask questions and search for answers, and of self-discovery on a long, dusty road south.

Born in Romania, Roxana Valea lived in Italy and Switzerland before settling in London, where she currently works as a freelancer in management consulting. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Bucharest and an MBA from SDA Bocconi, Italy. She has worked in various fields, from advertising to a translation agency that she founded herself. At the age of 28, she took a career break and spent eight months on a voyage across Africa.