I am thinking of a travel-advice related project, and I am hoping you all can help me brianstorm. Here is the hypothetical:
A few weeks ago, you dropped your business card in one of those boxes at the local cafe, and you find you’ve won an all-expenses paid trip across Africa. For whatever reasons, the logistics of this word for you. Your job will be safe and continue to pay you, your family and any SOs are supportive, and any household respoonsibilities will be taken care of. There is no reason why you can’t go, but if you really really don’t want to go, you can gift the trip to any close relative (defined as those likely to inherit a part of your estate, should you have one) who has spent less than one year total in Africa.
You will visit a range of countries (to be determined) across all regions. You will not visit any active war zones or areas with US Travel Warnings advising citizens not to go. You will experience a range of travel styles, including five-star hotels and luxury tourism, independent travel, and even volunteering for a cause that you support in a rural area. You play an active role in planning the trip, including things like choosing hotels and planning transit routes. You won’t have to do anything you really won’t enjoy, but you will have to at least try a range of things and can’t just sit at the side of the pool at the Hilton the whole time.
The trip isn’t until six months from now. Until then, you have access to a team of travel advisors with diverse experiences living, working and traveling across the continent. They aren’t necessarily there to act as travel agents (booking hotels and the like) or provide reviews of specific hotels or sites, but rather they are there to answer any questions you may have about HOW to travel in Africa – what to expect, how to choose where to go and what to do, how to stay safe, must-sees, any history or background you might want to know, etc.
Is that a requirement? Some Travel Warnings (US and otherwise) are fucking stupid, such as advising people that “there may be demonstrations on the street” in multiple locations…
but doing so the week after May 1st.
Will interpreters be provided? I’ve met some people whose dialect of a language I’m fluent in was problematic to me; there are locations whose main language I just don’t know a word in.
Are non-US-citizens eligible? Are non-US-tax-residents eligible?
Since I have 6 months to prepare, what language would I be wisest to study in preparation for my trip? I currently speak English, French, German and some Italian.
How do I go about getting a comprehensive list of vaccinations I should have received prior to taking this trip? I’ll handle getting them completed, just need to know which ones to do.
Since I have a chronic medical condition that may flare up away from home, I’d like to make certain I have full instructions for getting quality medical care in any country I travel to.
The Trip Itself
Given a choice, I’d like to concentrate on three things - history and culture experiences; experiences with wildlife; and meeting other musicians/learning new instruments.
Awesome trip! Can I bring you, even sven as my personal guide??
I don’t think there are any transcontinental highways or railroads, so I guess most travel over a few hundred miles is done via air. Which airlines are the safest and most reliable? What are good transit options for getting around in various countries?
What immunizations should I get? What recommendations would you make for your typical North American gringo, health-wise? How to stay healthy while traveling around - like, do I need one of those water-purifying straws everywhere, or is the water OK in the cities? Should I just plan on being sick the first week I am there?
How about foods? Are there certain dishes that are “must have” in certain countries?
Are there certain expectations about women’s dress anywhere?
My interests would be early civilizations and history, current events and cultures, wildlife, and perhaps some hiking in the mountains of Tanzania.
You can go places with travel advisories (which are indeed overblown) just not the highest level ones that advise all US citizens to evacuate as soon as possible due to imminent danger. And even then, there probably isn’t an issue going to places like Somaliland. It’s just that advice about active war zones is out of scope.
The interpreters question is a good one.
Non-US perspectives are good-- it’d be interesting to know how questions people may have may vary by country.
Can you shoot any animals you want?
Weren’t you afraid of gang activity? (:rolleyes: )
What is the voltage there?
Was your wife able to use her hair dryer on safari? :smack:
An important question to ask is about clothing, because if you’re south of the equator, it can be damned chilly in July.
What era of history interests you most? Ancient history? Medieval? Colonial? Post-independence? Would you be coming in with much knowledge? Would you want any knowledge beforehand (summaries? Book recommendations?) or would you want to just learn it while you are there?
Where’s the nearest First World standard hospital?
How are we going to get from A to B when the road has been washed out?
Do you have a network of fixers who can sort out visa problems at the various national borders?
What’s the cell phone/internet access like?
What souvenirs (ivory/shrunken head/etc) can I take home?
Budget (Can I basically grab a backpack and buy my needs as I progress or do I need to show up supplied for the duration)
Medications (Do I need a supply or can I count on drop-offs)
Language (Is there any one language where a conversational level will help me. Maybe Portuguese?)
Great. I forgot to mention, if you gift the trip, you will still be the one with access to this service. Is there anything you’d want to know or would want your cousin to know before they go?
I’d want to know the social rules of the areas that I should follow to avoid causing offense.
I’d be interested in ancient history and modern culture.
What sort of things do I need to pack for each part of the trip (types of clothing, over the counter medicine and toiletries that might not be available in some regions).
Is regular sunscreen enough, or would you need a really high SPF?
