How often have you wished to vacation to Africa. Then you stopped yourself from dreaming because you realize the task seemed overwhelming. The major difficulty in traveling to South Africa is the flight. This article is intended to give you an idea of what to expect when traveling there, from my own experience.
What compelled me to go to Africa? I wish I could tell you it was my passion for seeking the unknown or that I wanted to see a place starkly different from what I know. Though those reasons are part of why I went, I had an even more compelling reason to visit, though not as dramatic. My parents had been living there for 18 months already, serving a medical mission. The final push that got me to undertake such a long trip was to visit them, since I hadn’t seen them for a year and a half. And, having a personal guide willing to give me a tour was very enticing.
How did I get there? I didn’t have time to spend cruising on a ship to get there, that’s for sure. I, like so many other people, flew on an airline. First, I flew out of Texas and landed in Miami. The airport was reasonably comfortable and the layover was only a couple hours.
From Miami, I flew into Cape Town, South Africa. The flight was about 15 hours long. It was here that I wished I would have opted for a transatlantic cruise instead. With cruising, at least one can stretch their legs, enjoy good food, and not have to endure fellow airline buddies’ elbows for unendurable hours at a time. What did I do for entertainment for that many hours? I read a lot, listened to the satellite radio available, and tried to sleep.
Now you can see why this part of the journey prevents most folks from traveling to South Africa. Even though the flight was 15-17 hours, expect your actual time to get to Africa to be longer – anywhere from 24 to 33 hours. It all depends upon which airport your plane may touchdown on before traveling on to Johannesburg.
My stop in Cape Town was very brief. I was able to stretch my legs on the plane before enduring a couple more hours before reaching my final destination: Johannesburg.
Once I reached Johannesburg, I forgot all about my flight discomforts. My shock and awe at the unfamiliar culture and the size of the city evaporated every other thought. I won’t write my experiences in that area in this article, but suffice it to say, it was a memorable experience.
After spending about a month in Africa, with my parents acting as tour guides, I reluctantly returned home: reluctant to leave my parents behind, knowing I wouldn’t see them for 6 more months, but also reluctant to leave the enchanting land. If you go to Africa once, you will find your heart yearns to return again and again.
Though you will find some people there who will try to take advantage of your tourist status, you will meet a larger number of good people. For example, when returning home, there was an issue with my luggage. The attendant said it was 17 kilos overweight. My father, familiar with the customs there, approached the attendant strongly and forcefully exclaimed that there was no way the luggage weighed that much. The supervisor was called over, who re-checked the luggage, and found the error on the attendant’s part.
What is the lesson learned here? Don’t be afraid to stand your ground; be aware of opportunities that others might take advantage of here; and thank others profusely for help and assistance they render. Don’t be surprised to hear the response, “My pleasure,” often shortened to “Pleasure” when you express your gratitude. Your experiences there will be more than enough to keep your thoughts entertained for the long flight back home.
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Matthew Hales, International Travel Expert http://www.TravelTopside.com
