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Explore Africa | Introvert with Itchy Feet

Hey Reader!

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I've had even more questions since the last IWIF email about how to travel to Africa with just a carry on - especially for long term travel.

As you could see from that email, it's not rocket science, but it can be hard to grasp. Here are a couple of those questions answered.

One popular question is about compression packing cubes. These can be good - or not.

It's great to be able to fit more into your bag, but remember that you still need to be able to carry it on your own, and to lift it into the overhead bin. Don't stuff so much in there that it ends up being too heavy.

Otherwise, packing cubes or the non-compression variety can be a terrific way to keep your stuff organized. But either make sure yours don't all look the same - get different colours, or get ones that have a mesh panel that you can see through.

It's frustrating to have to open each one to find what I'm looking for - I want to be able to go straight for shirts, shorts, whatever.

I love to have a set of zipper pouches, too, to corral small things like chargers, the little roll of duct tape (always), adapters, etc.

Again, see-through or different colours - these are the best ones I've found. There always turn out to be more of these little things than I thought there would be.

One item I recommend that has a lot of uses (for men and women) is a sarong, also called a pareo. It's basically just a length of fabric, around 66"x44".

It can be tied various ways for use as a robe, shorts, etc; use as a towel/ beach towel, light blanket, sun protection, window shade...

And they take up very little space in your bag. Click here for an example.

Finally, the best bag. Wheels take away space and add weight. If you'll be travelling on small bush planes at all, they're usually not even allowed.

A duffel-style with a good shoulder strap or a duffel/ backpack hybrid are your best bets, made of good quality nylon. Canvas and leather tend to be heavy.

​This one and this one are my favourites.

Hit reply to this email with the best ways you've found to cut down on what goes in your bag.

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If you'd like a little - or a lot - of help with your travel plans, keep Kim in mind at Go Explore the World. Click to go to the website, or email Kim directly at ​info@goexploretheworldtravel.com​​ with ​I Want to Go to Africa!​ in the subject line to get in touch. Easy!

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Here are a couple of new articles that will help if you're looking for some incredible safari destinations in South Africa:

​Pilanesberg National Park Safari – Should You or Shouldn’t You?​ Pilanesberg’s is close to Johannesburg and Pretoria, is in a malaria-free zone, and is the perfect place to see the Big 5. ​ Read article

​ ​Addo Elephant Park: A Big 7 Safari​ Addo is one of the few places where you can see the Big 7 - all the animals of the Big 5 plus the marine contingent of the whale shark and the big white shark. Read article

*Big 5 = lion, leopard, rhino, Cape buffalo, elephant

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than the ones you did do...” – Mark Twain

Travel Tip: Different countries have different emergency numbers. For example, South Africa and Botswana each have 3 different numbers for police, medical, and fire emergencies.

Download the Emergency Call - International app. You'll always have your location's important numbers available to you, wherever you are.

And as always, feel free to hit reply if you have questions, comments, or just want to share. I'd love to hear from you.