Wilfred Thesiger
Explorer
British explorer and author who rejected the world of technology for a life with the natives of Africa.
He didn't care much for his studies, and took off traveling on his very first summer vacation from college.
He braved the dangerous natives of Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia), noting that they were no worse than the chaps he endured in college.
He was born into British royalty. His father was a second baron and a diplomat.
Hugh Clapperton was another famed explorer of Africa.