South Africa Checklist
South Africa is a country quite far away from where I live, and even if we don’t plan do survive on a small budget or do a lot of backpacking or hiking, there are still a few things that need to be done, purchased and thought about.
To help you speed up your own preparations, here is my own quick checklist before traveling to South Africa.
Things to do
- Get the proper vaccinations. Depending on what country you are ariving in South Africa from, you need different vaccines. Check this article for South Africa Vaccines.
- E-mail your password and tickers numbers to yourself or copy and keep it with you in a safe place. If you loose your belongings you can log on to your e-mail and find the necessary information there.
- Buy and read a good guidebook! No matter where you are going, you will always experience and enjoy your trip better the more you know about the destination before you leave.
Things to pack
- Going on a Safari? Great! But don’t forget to dress properly before you leave. Long pants and shoes for walking out in the nature is really good. Some sort of boots that reach higher up your leg is good, but they can’t be to warm. The same goes with the pants, if possible uses a model that can be tightened at the end of your legs and they should also not be to warm.
- Even if you sleep in a bungalow and eat your malaria medicine, a mosquito net is always good to bring. You can hang it up over your bed or simply cover yourself just before you go to sleep. At least I sleep better when I know the bugs can’t reach me.
- Considering the crime in some areas a safety bag that you wear inside your shirt is always a good idea. They can generally not be spotted outside your cloths so if you do get robbed, you still get to keep your passport, keys and some money…
- That guidebook you studied at home! Even if you studied it at home, always bring it with you. It’s always funnier to be able to read more about the things you see before you forget about them.
Things to consider
- Traveling in major cities? Know where you should not go. The crime levels in the major cities of South Africa, such as Johannesburg and Cape town is still really high. Read your guidebook and ask the staff at your hotel about which areas to avoid. If you do this, you should be quite safe.
- In South Africa you drive on the left side of the road. Depending on where in the world you live, this might be a huge difference from home. It’s not really that hard, but if you are more than one person in the car, let your companion remind you every now and then so you don’t make a wrong turn.
Have all the above cleared out? If so, you are ready to visit South Africa! If I should stress any of the above one more time, don’t forget about vaccination and a guidebook.
If you have any additional suggestions for this checklist, please leave a comment bellow.