Adventures in South Africa with Craig Ziman, Episode #18

 

Today’s guest on Mitlin Money Mindset™ is Craig Ziman, a South African national tourist guide. Craig was born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. His family’s roots date back to 1735, and he is very passionate about his country. As a tourist guide, he’s been guiding groups through Southern Africa for the last 23 years. He’s an award-winning guide and lives a full life when not guiding. He surfs, skydives, goes flying in wingsuits, and BASE jumps. We were lucky enough to speak with him in between trips traveling North for a month-long surfing adventure with dolphins. If you want to be inspired to travel and be more adventurous then don’t miss this episode!

You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…

  • What led Craig to become a tour guide in South Africa? [3:03]
  • Requirements needed to become a tour guide [5:08]
  • Must see places when visiting South Africa for the first time [5:58]
  • The most memorable thing Craig has seen on the reserve [11:43]
  • Craig’s favorite part of his country [13:20]
  • The one activity Craig does that stands out the most in his mind [15:39]
  • What Craig did today that put him/her in the right mindset for success? [21:53]

 

What compelled Craig Ziman to become a tourist’s guide

Craig’s pride for the history of South Africa is one of the things that led him to become a tourist guide. He says he never really knew what he wanted to do and that things just evolved into becoming a guide. Craig thinks it’s the perfect job for him because he loves meeting people and traveling.

At one point he was teaching English to foreigners and had conversational classes so they didn’t have to be in the classroom. At his suggestion, they left the classroom and he would take the students to the botanical gardens or to the museums and before he knew it he was doing the work of a guide. He decided to get educated as a tour guide and never looked back. That was 23 years ago and it’s gone by in a flash. He thinks he’s made the right choice and I would have to agree.

Craig’s top must-see sights of South Africa for first-timers

Who better to ask— than an award-winning tour guide that has a rich history in South Africa— what the must-see sites are for people visiting the country for their first time? Craig says the top 3 places he recommends are Cape Town, Garden Route, and the Kruger region.

Cape Town isn’t just Cape town it has so much more to offer. There is Table Mountain, Robben Island, the waterfront in Cape town, and there is the Cape Peninsula, which Sir Francis Drake described as being the fairest cape of them all.

Craig says some highlights of the Garden Route are Knysna Lagoon and the Knysna town. There’s the Featherbed Nature Reserve where they have an unbelievable hike and one of the oldest elephant orphanages in South Africa.

When people think of Africa they think of game reserves. Kruger is so big that you can fit the country of Israel inside of it. Private individuals can go there. They have paved roads and large camps where you can find tour coaches and rental cars. Another option is the private game reserves where they restrict the number of vehicles, it’s just jeeps that belong to the reserve, and you get assigned a ranger and you need a tracker to spot tracks.

What Craig Ziman did today that brought him joy and put him in the right mindset for success?

I asked Craig, as I do every guest, what he did today that brought him joy and put him in the right mindset for success. This is what he had to say:

“That’s an easy one. I make my bed. For many reasons. One— and it’s probably the last reason I do it— is that when I come home, I come back to a room with a bed that’s made. It looks great, but that’s not the real reason I do it. The real reason I do it is what it does for me. I think that a lot of people do things for one of two reasons, either to avoid pain or to gain pleasure. I’ll make my bed and I’ll associate the making of the bed, not with the pain of having to make it, but with the good feeling that I have after I’ve made it. I’ve accomplished the task. I’ve done something and I’ve now finished this task successfully. It gives me that good feeling. So I aim for that good feeling and I focus on that good feeling and then I think to myself, okay, what can I do next today, what other tasks can I do because I want to feel good that I finished it?”

Resources & People Mentioned

Connect with Craig Ziman

Craig Ziman was born and raised in Cape Town South Africa. His family has lived there since 1735 and he is very passionate about his country. He is a South African National tourist guide and has been guiding groups throughout Southern Africa for the last 23 years. He is an award-winning guide and lives a full life. When not guiding he surfs, flies wingsuits, and BASE jumps.

Guests on the Mitlin Money Mindset Show are not affiliated with CWM, LLC, and opinions expressed herein may not be representative CWM, LLC. CWM, LLC is not responsible for the guest’s content linked on this site.

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