Top 10 tips for travelling in Africa:
1. Money and Documentation: Compared to the rest of the world Africa is largely a cash society. This can pose problems when travelling as the combination of carrying large amounts of money with little or no secure storage and sticking out like a sore thumb invites possible unwanted attention. The good news is that on the whole the people of Africa are, in spite of being considerably less wealthy than most of us, basically honest and law-abiding. In my experience ninety-nine percent of the population will not cause you any problems at all. The trouble is that the few shady characters around will target the unwary and are likely to seek you out. Sadly many manage to migrate to positions of minor authority. There will be opportunities to top-up your cash supplies from banks or cash machines, mainly in larger towns or cities. In the meantime it is a case of managing your cash to the best of your abilities. Try to spread your money about your person and only have enough in your wallet to see you through the next day or so. Never show large amounts of cash in public and try to have plenty of small denomination notes at hand. (Often large bills will present a problem with small traders. Your large note is likely to disappear to be broken up into smaller notes. A little worrying, but my experience is that it is always returned). Personally, I carry a mixture of currencies. US dollars are always a safe bet, with the Euro and Sterling being the next best thing. Apart from my wallet I have money in other locations. Some favourites are in a secret pocket, under the insoles of your shoes, a money-belt under your clothing. I also keep some US dollars in a location on my bike. Credit cards / Debit cards are essential to gain access to your main reserves of money. When travelling to Timbuktu I took three separate cards. Again I kept these in different locations. Make sure you can remember all your PIN numbers. If not write them down in a form that only you can understand. For instance, write them within a block of 10 numbers with the sequence reversed or use every alternate numbers within a string.
Your passport is your most important document and needs to be kept handy as you will be asked to produce it at most checkpoints, borders and at the more established hotels. It needs to be protected from the weather, so make sure you have a waterproof bag to keep it in. Before you depart take a couple of copies of the important pages. Laminate the good quality colour images so you have a couple of ’spares’. Don’t forget to take plenty (up to 50) spare passport photographs with you. At every border crossing and when applying for any official pass you will be required to attach at least two photos. Your travel insurance document can be sealed in a waterproof cover, as hopefully you will not need it. However, take a copy of the policy number and contact information. Laminate these details and keep them with your passport. Should you need to make a claim the important facts will be readily at hand. If you are in a position where someone has to act on your behalf they should be able to find the relevant information.
2. Adjust your outlook: The pace of life in Africa can be dramatically different from that experienced at home. It takes a little while to adjust to ‘African time’. Try not to be inpatient with people, even if you are in a great hurry. It can be infuriating at times, but being unpleasant doesn’t solve anything and with petty officials can seriously hinder your progress. Often these minor bureaucrats consider themselves to be quite important and ’string the job out’ to justify their existence. I try to remember the crap service I experience every time I try to travel by train in the UK and then the ‘jobsworth’ in front of you doesn’t seem so bad. Try to smile and exchange pleasantries with your nemesis.
3. Treat people with respect: Remember you are a guest in the country you are visiting. The vast majority of people you meet will be considerably less wealthy than you. This is a sad fact of life, but often these people have a very positive outlook on life in spite of difficulties that would have us Westerners whinging from dawn to dusk. It costs nothing to be polite and spend a little time listening to others. After all this is part of the reason many of us want to travel. In a lot of cases you will be offered hospitality that will be humbling. Those that have the least always seem to be the ones to offer the most.
4. Learn the language: Being able to communicate effectively is important. On my trip to Timbuktu the countries I intended to transit were mainly French speaking. In spite of being a complete duffer with languages at school I spent a lot of time leaning to speak French. Although my conversation was not fluent it reached a reasonable standard and was a godsend on many occasions. In fact I quite enjoyed the experience after the initial shock of overcoming the language barrier. In a country with a minor language it is always possible to learn just a few words, such are yes, no, please, thank-you and a greeting or two. If you can count to ten as well this will show some willing on your part.
5. Prepare for change: Often it is not possible to predict what will happen ahead of time so it pays to have some contingency plans either written down or at least sketched out in your head. In Africa many things can change at a rapid pace. Borders can be opened or closed if political circumstances alter. An official can prevent progress with a stroke of a pen and expectations can be dashed once the reality of the situation is experienced at first hand. A line on a map may indicate a road. The truth may be that the road has not been maintained for decades and bad weather may make any journey impractical. The ability to think on your feet is important. Sticking rigidly to a preconceived plan, regardless of the reality of the situation, will lead to frustration at best and highly unpredictable consequences at worst.
6. Choose your sources of information well: Doing lots of research before departure is a must. This will allow you to plan your trip effectively and give you a good template to work from. Once you ‘hit the ground’ this initial plan will need to be adjusted according to latest information. This can range from, what hotel to stay in to whether a country is safe to visit. It is not unusual to receive totally contradictory advice from different people. For instance when travelling towards Mauritania I enquired of a Frenchman who past me on the road as to what to expect. The reply was, ‘Don’t go to Mauritania, they will kill you’. A short while later I met another traveller and asked the same question. This time the reply was, ‘They are the most wonderful people in the world’. One of my golden rules is that if someone approaches you they will almost certainly want something. The best plan is for you to choose someone to ask advice from. I have found this invariably works.
7. Keep healthy: If you are unwell it is unlikely that you will be able to travel far and most likely you will not enjoy the experience. This means that staying healthy is probably the most important aspect of your journey. Before leaving the comfort of your own home ensure that you have received all the necessary vaccinations for your intended areas of travel. Read up on what the risks will be for each place on your itinerary. If malaria is likely to be a problem ensure that you have the most effective medicines to prevent infection. Take a comprehensive first-aid kit with you and know how to use it. Discuss with either your doctor or practice nurse the likely requirements for the trip and take what medicines you are likely to need. Included in my first-aid kit would be several courses of anti-biotic, various pain-relief remedies and a supple of needles with syringes (these can then be given to a qualified health-care professional if needed as it is not uncommon for needles to be used over and over again in Africa, giving a high risk of cross-contamination).
8. Water: Drinking contaminated water will seriously hinder your progress. Standards of hygiene can be poor in many places you visit in Africa. Clean drinking water is not always readily available and bottled water may be unavailable or from a suspect source. It is possible to use a filtration system to purify water of dubious quality although sometimes it is not practical to do so. For instance if visiting a village and you are offered a drink of water it would be considered impolite to take the water and then filter it in front of everyone when they are drinking it every day. The good news is that after a little time in Africa ones stomach toughens up and becomes used to the new and exciting forms of bacteria found locally. It is mainly a case of using common sense to decide when to refuse water and when to accept. I use a Kayadyn water filter on my travels with iodine drops as a back-up. However I found the quality of water in West Africa to be on the whole reasonable when not in big towns or cities.
9. Eat well: Cycling long distances require a lot of energy. This has to be replaced by calories consumed. Within a few weeks you will reach your ideal cycling weight and then it is important to maintain this equilibrium. Nearly all your fat will have been burned off by this stage and it is then a case of calories in must equal calories out. The average cyclist will require up to three times the amount of energy supplies as that of a sedentary individual in our comfortable Western world. Food can become scarce in places and it is only possible to carry at most two or three days supply on your bike. Therefore when the opportunity arises make the most of what food is on offer and fill your boots. It was not unusual for me to have three separate meals during one evening the last time I undertook a long cycle adventure.
10. Enjoy the experience: There will be times when things turn against you on your travels. It is unrealistic to expect everything to go well all the time. Some of my most memorable experiences were those that gave me the most cause for concern. At the time I would have gladly wished these problems away, but after the event these were the occasions that were the most noteworthy.
