MBABANE – American globetrotter Tom Anderson has added Eswatini to his growing list of destinations, making the kingdom the 104th country he has visited since beginning a personal world tour ten years ago.
Anderson, 42, shared his reflections during an interview at Plant Co. in Mbabane, hosted by Siphiwo Lushaba and recorded for the soon-to-launch MarketPlace Platform podcast.
His visit, which ends this coming Sunday, was part of a broader journey rooted not in wanderlust but in a deeply personal transformation. Speaking to local audiences, he revealed that his travels began following a painful period in 2014 when he lost several family members, his dog, his marriage, and his job. A final challenge from his grandfather — who had visited 95 countries — sparked the journey: “He told me I had to beat him.”
Since then, Anderson has taken an unusual approach to travel. He avoids researching destinations beforehand, relying instead on locals to guide his experiences. “I purposefully keep myself ignorant except around safety,” he said, adding that his first impression of Eswatini was overwhelmingly positive. “People here are refreshingly honest and well put-together,” he noted. “You take care of your environment.”
He compared Eswatini favourably with its neighbours, saying locals assured him that walking at night in Mbabane posed no danger, unlike advice he received in South Africa and Lesotho.
Anderson’s journey has not been without trauma. He recounted witnessing human trafficking in a country struck by natural disaster, an experience that left him with nightmares and pushed him into depression and therapy. These encounters, he said, helped shape his belief that travel is essential to understanding the world. “Otherwise, you’re just a product of your environment,” he said.
The MarketPlace Platform, which recorded the conversation, aims to document global business and social perspectives from Eswatini and beyond through in-depth interviews with thinkers, leaders, and travellers like Anderson.
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