Sunday, March 6, 2011
South Africa travel tips: Weather, getting to and around South Africa, currency and time difference
Travelling in South Africa is a life changing experience. Before you plan your trip ensures that you have read the following South Africa Travel tips, so you have all the information you need to make your journey a easier and more enjoyable. Find information about the weather, how to get to and around in South Africa, the time difference and currency.
Weather
South Africa's hottest and busiest time is during UK winter months from November to March. This is also the busiest period for tourists and locals. For a cooler temperature and less busy period UK summer months of July and August is a good time to go. When I visited South Africa in July and August was mainly sunny weather and warm but not too hot as this was the best time for me to travel. It was perfect for all activities. It was nice and quiet at this time also, and this is the cheapest time to visit. I read a lot of South Africa travel tips before I traveled to ensure I travelled on the best time for me, which was July and August, as I prefer milder temperatures ensured.
Flights
The most important airports are Johannesburg International Airport and Cape Town International. Flights usually take 12 hours. I flew from Manchester to Amsterdam to Johannesburg on the way and on his way back from Cape Town (additional 50 and extra 2 hours) to Johannesburg to Amsterdam back to Manchester. On the way in which this took about 12 hours and was all during the day so that left the first thing in the morning and got there tonight, but on the way back I spent approximately 36 hours to get home, as I had long delays between my different connections. I found the Johannesburg very busy and had actually managed to collect much more baggage than I started with, but there is space to store your luggage in the basement, so you can wait for your flight without carrying all your bags around with you.
Getting around
As a general guide, public transport in South Africa is not very reliable, but the roads are good, so it's easy to rent a car, or Baz Bus is a very affordable hop-on hop-off bus service for backpackers, which is an excellent way to meet like minded people. You can also order a organised tour, which also can be very economical. I used all three methods for transport during my travels. I started with an organized tour, which was a great way to make it easier for me to travel alone as you get familiar with new people really well, so I used Baz Bus and met hundreds of people all travel the same route as me, so I rented a car with 2 of the people I had been friends with on the trip. This was a great way to see South Africa by splitting the costs and have more freedom to go where we wanted to. Best South Africa Travel Tips I can give them is to make sure that you trust the people before you put yourself in vulnerable positions.
Time Difference
South Africa is 2 hours ahead of GMT and 1 hour in front of BST, so when I went in the summer, only I had a time difference of 1 hour. It was excellent, as it meant no jet lag!
Currency
The South African currency is the Rand (R). At the time of writing the RAND weaker than pound, Euro and Dollar, which means that you get a lot for your money. Eat out, accommodation and top attractions will be very affordable. Credit cards can be used in most areas. I remember staying in the most beautiful hostel in Drakensburg mountains have a room to myself with gorgeous views, all of equal to about 3 per night. There are many hostel reviews online, you can read in order to decide where to stay. I ate out most nights and the quality of food was most excellent places for very little money.
I hope these South Africa travel tips will help you plan the vacation of your dreams.
To read a detailed blog of my trip around South Africa, and several South Africa travel tips and information, please visit http://www.TheSouthAfricaTravelGuide.com
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Hotel Secrets from the Travel Detective: Insider Tips on Getting the Best Value, Service, and Security in Accommodations from Bed-and-Breakfasts to Five-Star Resorts
• How to tell if your room is really clean
• What never to order from room service
• The real way to prevent hotel crime
• How to beat excessive hotel phone charges
• The exact rooms where headline-making events took place
Drawn from the author’s experiences as both an investigative reporter and a constant traveler, Hotel Secrets from the Travel Detective is an essential guide to everything from luxury resorts to motels, from airport hotels and bed-and-breakfasts to outrageous (and often secret) alternatives to hotels.
Price: $14.95
