Visas, passports and entry requirements

• Visas are required for some countries. If you are a resident of the United Kingdom you do not need a visa.
• Your passport must be valid for a sufficient period to cover the intended stay, and it is recommended that you have two clean pages available for immigration stamps.
• You must have sufficient funds for your stay and a return / onward ticket.
• Yellow fever certificates are required if the journey starts or entails passing through the yellow fever belt of Africa or South America.

Comfort

• Travel with the least amount of luggage you think you can get away with. You often have to walk long distances at airports and in carparks, and trolleys may not always be available.
• Wear layers of clothing, for example, if you leave the northern hemisphere in your winter, it will be summer in the southern hemisphere. Wear a tracksuit top or jersey and jacket, so that you can take it off when you hit the heat!
• Wear comfortable shoes, preferably lace-ups, as your feet swell when travelling by air.
• Carry some snacks, water and a book/magazine in your carry-on luggage, as well as your small, valuable items (an iPod is always a great option!).
• Book an aisle seat if you are travelling economy class and are tall. You can then easily stretch your legs, or get out to go walk about. The seats by emergency exits are also great – the airlines prefer putting tall, strong people there to assist in the unlikely event the plane goes down!
• Try not to sit near the toilets on the plane, as they get very busy sometimes.
• The safest place is at the back of the plane, but the smoothest ride is over the wings. Fear or comfort?
• If you want to feel good don’t drink too much alcohol, and do drink water, as the air in planes is kept dry with a lower air pressure than usual.

Security

• Use travellers cheques and credit cards for your major expenses.
• If you are carrying cash do not keep it all in one place, and don’t flash large wads of cash around. Keep R100 available in R10 or R20 notes for daily expenses, and keep the rest out of sight.
• When in the cities don’t be an obvious tourist! Large lenses on expensive cameras, expensive watches and jewellery all identify and mark you as foreign.
• If you are lost or have to use public transport or taxis, ask a local for advice, preferably someone working in a shop or restaurant, or a member of the public in a well lit, busy area.
• Try not to travel alone at night or in remote areas. Let people know where you are going and your expected time of arrival.
• Bring your cellular telephone to SA – you can get Pay As You Go cards relatively cheaply, and the coverage by the networks is excellent.
• Respect local culture (if you don’t understand, be polite), and do not take photographs of people without their permission.
• Don’t leave valuables and luggage unattended.
• Mark clothes and valuables to avoid loss and to help identify them if they’re lost and then found! Write down serial numbers of expensive equipment such as binoculars and cameras.
• Bring a memory stick to backup your digital pictures and e-mails.