Hi Everyone,
My mother (65) and I (23) are taking the upcoming June 17th Safari to South Africa. We've never done an ABD before, so I have a few last minute questions.
We know we're getting a backpack (and no, our box has not arrived yet. ABD promised it would be overnighted on June 5th), but I am not a big fan of backpacks for trips like this. I feel that they are insecure and attract pickpockets. They also promote overpacking-I don't want to carry a backpack full of stuff everyday. We don't have children coming on this trip, so our needs may be different from families with children.
So, here come the actual questions (thanks for hanging in this long)! We've been told that the internal flight in South Africa do not offer overhead bins. So, we've searched high and low for an under the seat bag and found one, so I think we'll use that as our carry-on and we each have a medium sized purse. Does this sound reasonable? Maybe those that have done the safari can chime in on this aspect. But, feel free to comment even if you don't have specific experience here.
I am particularly interested in knowing if anyone has found anythign gadget particularly helpful on their travels - for any purpose, large or small. I've done quite a bit of international travel and I am always finding that something might make my travels easier. So, something to hold tips, easy laundry tools, charging tool, anything that made your life while traveling easier.
I know ABD does suprises and I don't want them to be spoiled, but please let me know if ABD offers "extras" that I might not need to bring with me. I tend to be a pretty comprehensive packer, planning for just about anything, so I hate to double up if I don't need to. For instance, I have heard that the guides carry ponchos to hand out when it rains. I like to be prepared without overpacking, so anything I can eliminate from my list is great.
I know these were pretty general questions, but not having done an ABD, I'm not entirely sure what to expect. However, we are thrilled to be going and have read some of the trip reports and that's heightened our excitement.
One other thing, we've been on guided tours that don't allow you to eat or drink on the bus. Is this true for ABD as well? I sort of assumed it wasn't because of the "kid factor," but please correct me if I'm wrong.
Please feel free to add anything else you think we might want to know. Thanks!
My mother (65) and I (23) are taking the upcoming June 17th Safari to South Africa. We've never done an ABD before, so I have a few last minute questions.
We know we're getting a backpack (and no, our box has not arrived yet. ABD promised it would be overnighted on June 5th), but I am not a big fan of backpacks for trips like this. I feel that they are insecure and attract pickpockets. They also promote overpacking-I don't want to carry a backpack full of stuff everyday. We don't have children coming on this trip, so our needs may be different from families with children.
So, here come the actual questions (thanks for hanging in this long)! We've been told that the internal flight in South Africa do not offer overhead bins. So, we've searched high and low for an under the seat bag and found one, so I think we'll use that as our carry-on and we each have a medium sized purse. Does this sound reasonable? Maybe those that have done the safari can chime in on this aspect. But, feel free to comment even if you don't have specific experience here.
I am particularly interested in knowing if anyone has found anythign gadget particularly helpful on their travels - for any purpose, large or small. I've done quite a bit of international travel and I am always finding that something might make my travels easier. So, something to hold tips, easy laundry tools, charging tool, anything that made your life while traveling easier.
I know ABD does suprises and I don't want them to be spoiled, but please let me know if ABD offers "extras" that I might not need to bring with me. I tend to be a pretty comprehensive packer, planning for just about anything, so I hate to double up if I don't need to. For instance, I have heard that the guides carry ponchos to hand out when it rains. I like to be prepared without overpacking, so anything I can eliminate from my list is great.
I know these were pretty general questions, but not having done an ABD, I'm not entirely sure what to expect. However, we are thrilled to be going and have read some of the trip reports and that's heightened our excitement.
One other thing, we've been on guided tours that don't allow you to eat or drink on the bus. Is this true for ABD as well? I sort of assumed it wasn't because of the "kid factor," but please correct me if I'm wrong.
Please feel free to add anything else you think we might want to know. Thanks!