Africa is a great place to visit because it has very many attractions that will make your vacation fun. From Cairo to Capetown, and from West to East Africa, there are many nice places in different countries that you can visit. However, to enjoy your vacation to the maximum, you need to plan your trip in advance so that you don’t encounter problems that may ruin your trip. Below is a list of some things I think you may need to know or have;
- Passport – When traveling outside your country, you require a passport for identification purposes. Different countries have different requirements for passport applications.
- Visa – Many countries require their visitors to have a visa to enter their country. You can apply for a visa in the foreign country’s embassy/consulate in your country. I usually base my posts mostly on Kenya. If you travel to Kenya, you can get a visa to enter the country at the airport in Nairobi once you arrive. This is more convenient than fist visiting the consular office.Kenya welcomes tourists and so it is hard for them to deny you a visa unless they suspect you are on an illegal mission.
- Plane Ticket – This is an obvious requirement. Choosing an airline is also something to consider. Some airlines have more layovers than others while others are cheap. Do your research well before you buy your ticket.If traveling from Europe, you might just need one flight to any destination in Africa or two. However, if you are traveling from the Americas, you might even have three connections except if you are traveling to West Africa. If you are traveling to East Africa, for example Kenya, i recommend British Airways and KLM if traveling from the Americas. I came to these conclusions because i have talked to many Kenyans who travel home every year and these are the most popular choices. BA has cheap fares and long layovers at Heathrow Airport while KLM lay overs are short but fares are a bit high. Kenya airways is an excellent choice when flying from Europe. It also works with major US airlines because it is a member of the sky team.
- Luggage – Make sure you have marked your luggage well so that it is easily identifiable. People lose their luggage sometimes during these long flights to Africa. Don’t put any valuables in your checked luggage.
- Accommodation– Shop for hotels before you travel. Make sure when you travel you know where you are going to stay because some flights arrive at night. Unless you know a hotel really well, don’t do online transactions.
- Currency – Most tourist destinations in Africa might accept foreign currency but it is a good idea to convert your money. Research the exchange rate. Most reputable hotels do the conversion risk free. Carry newer notes/currency because they get a better exchange rate.
- Travel – Most hotels pick their visitors from the airport. However if that does not happen, you can seek help from the information desk to be directed where to get a good taxi cab. If you get into a bad taxi, they might overcharge you. If you want to get around the country you visit, the hotel can help you with information of where you can rent a car. Make sure you have your license handy but leave your other documents in a hotel safe box. Some African countries drive on the left side of the road and others drive on the right.
- Directions – If you are driving a rental car, you might want to know how to get around. Recently, Google maps started to cover Africa and you can pull your directions from there.(To be specific, they are covering Kenya for now.) They are great to use around the city and also on major highways. However some small roads are not named.
- Camera/Camcorder – Make sure you remember your camera to capture memorable moments in your trip.
- Communication – Most cellphone companies will give you roaming services even though it is a bit expensive. You can also purchase a prepaid cellphone to use in your stay which is a cheap option. If you want internet access, there are cyber cafes which charge you a certain fee per minute but it is cheap.
Those are just a few basics you need to know/ have for your trip. I will guide you more in future posts to the best of my knowledge.
Stuff About Africa 