The Route: An epic nine-week, 7,000-mile-plus 4WD-truck journey through southeastern Africa, with stops at the Ngorongoro Crater, Okavango Delta, Masai Mara, and Serengeti, for starters. You'll help cook, wash, and push the truck out of quagmires.

When to go: Year-round

Difficulty: Moderate

Travel advisory: To encourage road-trip compatibility, Himalayan Travel only accepts clients between 18 and 40; your travel mates will be mostly Europeans with vacation to burn. Group spirit also extends to the food: Expect to ante up about $500 to the trip's grocery kitty.

High/low points:

• The euphoric relief you'll feel after bungee-jumping from 364 feet above the Zambezi River at Victoria Falls.
• Nine weeks in a truck.