Kayla Nelson
Staff Writer
Where In the World Are the Jensen Brothers?
Two brothers, aged 18 and 24, set out on an unforgettable journey in 2014. Jaxon Jensen, the older of the two, is currently a junior in the Communication, Media, & Persuasion department at Idaho State University, along with his younger brother Colin Jensen, who had just graduated from high school, decided the time was right.
They were, quite literally, ready to conquer the world.
The brothers set out for their journey on August 3, 2014 and came home December 17, 2014. One of their first activities was snorkeling in South East Asia.
They spent time in Hong Kong and then headed to Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, India, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya and Egypt. They traveled by foot, boat, plane, ferry, bus and car.
“We are adventurous and don’t like to do things that average people do,” said older brother Jaxon Jensen.
The boys had saved up around $6000 for their trip by doing odd-jobs and working part time. They also made the trip as cheap as possible by getting low cost food and board. In addition, they used travel buses to get around South East Asia instead of renting a car.
“We stayed in a lot of rustic places that were $30 a night and they provided us with food,” said Jaxon Jensen. “Three meals a day, we had fish, fish, and more fish.”
Tuna fish was one of the cheapest meals provided because of its size and capacity to feed a lot of people. It seemed to keep the boys in good health.
“One common misconception about these kinds of trips is getting sick, but it’s a lot more manageable than portrayed,” said Jaxon Jensen. “We only ended up with a couple common colds.”
The Jensen brothers grew up in American Falls, Idaho, and have always loved traveling. Jaxon Jensen enjoys watching baseball and currently does play-by-play for the Idaho State University softball team.
Colin is currently serving an LDS mission, but hopes to follow in his brother’s footsteps by studying biology at ISU. Jaxon hopes to have a career related to television.
The most terrifying experience for the boys was when their train derailed traveling from Zambia to Tanzania. They found another man aboard the train from Ireland and the three worked together to make it to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
“We were in the middle of Africa and the only places around us were poverty stricken. We worked together to make it to our final destination,” said Jensen.
One of the highlights of the trip was taking a safari cruise through Kruger National Park in South Africa and Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. Jaxon Jensen was able to see almost every kind of African animal in the parks.
“Above all I enjoyed seeing the way people lived and the different cultures,” said Jaxon Jensen.
His favorite part of the trip was going to Egypt because there were so few tourists due to riots and dangerous areas there. He was able to explore pyramids without having a bunch of people in the way.
“Don’t be afraid to travel,” said Jaxon Jensen. “The best part of backpacking and doing this kind of trip is you set your own pace. If there is any area you don’t care for you can leave. If there is an area you love you can stay longer and enjoy it.”
