Part 3 On to Africa via Amsterdam: Ready, Set, Charge !

We agonized about what electronic gadgets to take along to Africa.


Today, on the way to the airport, we realized that the laptop we were taking and the phone we had added world roaming to both needed to charge. We were able to plug into sister Susan's power thingies in her van because we had brought along an inverter for the laptop and a plug in charger for the phone. Thanks, Susan and Steve.

Oh well, add charging to the pre flight checklist. We were able to plug in at courtesy kiosk at the airport.

This is the first trip to Africa where we have taken a laptop. Thanks, Regina and JL!

Another decision to be made re the laptop was wi fi or no. The Houston airport does not offer free wi fi. A boingo screen popped up, offering wi fi connectivity for $9.95 per month. Our ATT Communication Software popped up with ATT Wi Fi finder, but we do not have ATT Wi Fi , but do have a laptop connect card that worked in the airport with no charge in addition to what we pay monthly. Wonder what we will find in the Amsterdam airport. We could have signed up for roaming on the laptop connect, but did not want to pay the montly charge plus data costs because expect few places that this will work in southern Africa. More likely to find free wi fi hotspots in a few cities, hostels, and camps...

Oops, gotta load this up, we are on the jet and about to leave!

Africa Self Guided Safari Series: Part 1 Prep

"Africa. Why are you going to Africa? How can you afford to stay that long? Is it safe? " These are all questions we are asked repeatedly.

Because of our trips to Africa, we have had over 1 million hits on another site where we post. Our work here will be more concise, and offer suggestions for having an adventure to remember!

Follow with us to Africa with us over the next weeks. We will post when we can. We will look forward to your interaction. It gets lonely on the road sometimes......

We will offer tips and strategies for getting the most for your travel dollar. Some of the countries we may visit are South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, and Namibia. Zimbabwe and Malawi are also possibilities.

Pack Early
Cut down on stress and insure a more successful trip by packing early. Self guided safaris and backpacker style touring requires more planning than the all inclusive safari.

Write It Down
Laura uses lists in order to insure that all the essentials make it. She keeps a small tablet in a pocket and writes down things to purchase and pack as we think of them. Sometimes this occurs at odd times, i.e. late at night and she flips on the bedside light and writes it down.

Budget Planning
How many days is your trip? This summer we will stay 3 months ! We have researched places to stay where we can camp and cook 90% of our own meals. Because this is our 5th trip to Africa, and our 3rd self guided and self catering camping trip, we have an idea of what we want to spend. Staying in our own tent, and cooking 90% of our meals leaves money for guided safari drives. We have picked a number, $100 per day, and we aim to stick with this.

Money
Some folks take their ATM card and don't carry much cash. There are ATM scams and muggings in some countries these days, and ATMs are not always available out in the bush. Credit cards provide the latest exchange rate, but often include charges for use, and there are identity theft scams that raise concern. Traveler's checks are safe, but sometimes harder to use than cash, or cost a 5 % or more 'commission' at some lodges, etc. We use a combination of all of the above.

Checklists

Here are couple of links to packing checklists that include most everything we pack, and then some:

http://www.african-safari-journals.com/camping-list.html

http://www.african-safari-journals.com/safari-packing-list.html

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