Having done a bit of traveling myself, one thing I would usually recommend is that you bring one of those instant endothermic ice packs…you know, the ones you crush and they get cold really fast. Nothing worse than spraining your ankle in the middle of a host climate place, where ice is not at all available (especially if they don’t speak English and you have no idea how to describe what you need).

However, you’ll be in a part of Africa where English is very widely spoken. I lived in Botswana for a year, and it’s a beautiful country. I definitely second the caution on safety in South Africa. Definitely ask the locals in S.A. about safety and HEED THEIR WORDS! Get used to carrying your backpack on your front, safety-pinning your pockets shut and being extremely vigilant when you’re in the big cities.

I wouldn’t recommend bringing gifts to hand out to the children on the streets (unless it’s a ball for them to play with). It’s a cliche scene we see on TV here a lot, but in my experience,it’s not really like that. I think you’ll feel a lot better as a visitor, if you can pass through relatively un-noticed. Perhaps look up orphanages, schools, clinics, and find out what they need (blankets, clothing, dictionaries, medical grade cotton wrap, etc.). Also, if you’re going to take photos of children, always ask if it’s ok first and it’s also a good idea to only take them if you can actually offer to give them (or their parent/guardian) a print.

Tsamaya Sentle.

Glad to hear you’ll be coming to SA! You may be surprised to know that you have a few readers here. Hope you have a great trip and please please try the local dried meats called “billtong” and “wors”.

Have fun!!!

Please please please tell me about Madagascar!! It is one of my dream places to visit since I was in HS. They have ring tailed lemurs and so many living things not seen anywhere else on the earth. (I am sorry I am so irrationally excited about this but what an experience it must have been)

Can’t wait to hear about it when you get back!

Children in more rural areas will appreciate your pens and small gifts a lot more than city child beggars who are very tough and disillusioned. City child beggars may even throw them back at you and say they want money.

If you don’t want to engage city beggars you should walk quickly, don’t talk to them, don’t smile, don’t make eye contact, just keep going. If you happily engage beggars be prepared for a crowd to form and want you to give them all your money. I would really save my gifts and charity for rural areas if you are going into any or give to a local charity.

Cheers

If you still have a lot of the stuff at the end of your trip, request that one of the local guides/cooks whom I am sure you will meet donate them to their local school. They may keep them, but hopefully you will meet someone who you like so you won’t mind it too much. Adults will likely appreciate the globes btw.

Have an amazing trip, take your meds, drink water like crazy, buy 3-4 bandanas and detergent packets as soon as you arrive and leave your expectations at home. Can’t wait to read your posts when you get back!

Oh! one more thing – use the bandanas as your first exercise in bargaining, buy one from one vendor, then try to get a lower price on the next, and next, etc. Detergent packets will likely be fixed price

I would recommend finding an orphanage or school that you can spend an afternoon at. Not only will this be a GREAT use of your time, but you will have names and faces of kids to put with your memories of giving away those things you listed.

I would also recommend giving those supplies to the African teacher or principal or whoever you are in touch with and letting THEM be the ones to give the gifts to the kids.

I say this because I lived in Zambia for most of 2009 and it’s hard to describe the level of “give me” attitude that pervades much of the thought there. The best thing you can do is share personal love and laughs with the children and not perpetuate a “you are white and so you should give me something” mentality that is left over from colonialism and continued today by well-meaning NGOs.

We did not get sick from Mefloquine but definitely needed those mosquito nets when we have visited Ethiopia.

Enjoy your time on the continent. Whatever country you plan to visit.

Pack those Cottonelle FreshWipes things for the days when you get traveler’s diarrhea. The local 1ply is fine for anything and everything else, but the wipes are crucial for the 6-10x/day period of “adjustment” to the local food.

A travel bottle of Woolite, it’s great at getting the dirt of hiking out of your clothes.

In the city, I have been using the local laundries, but the cheap soap or residual bleach in the machines is fading my colors fast and a couple favorite items now are ruined with blotchy colors. Even items I’ve had for a few seasons now are fading rapidly.

Happy travels!

But in the interest of full disclosure, I thought I’d tell you that our packed bags include 100 colorful pencils, three dozen ball-point pens, 12 inflatable globes, and 30 child-sized notebooks. How do we give these away without seeming obnoxiously ostentatious? Will we be mobbed the first day and give away everything? We’re very curious to see how it will play out. An adventure awaits.

I love the penny idea and will go through our penny jar and see how many we can take along.

Kids like shiny pennies, btw. They have to be shiny though. They call them ‘Lincolns’ because they know that Lincoln freed the slaves. I had little kids tug on my shirt – “Lincoln! Lincoln!”. But only shiny pennies, bright ones. Dirty ones, they don’t recognize as being the same thing!

A suggestion — if you have a carry on that has room? Pack a lot of (new) kid shirts. Plain white ones, little onsies . . . there is such a need there for them and you can easily donate them. You can buy them new and just donate them at the airport when you land. And then voila – you have room to bring back souveniers!

Ack . . . I want to go back. Can I go with you????

Amazing.

Africans are the most friendly people in the world. Such smiles, and so welcoming . . . you will fall in love with everyone you meet.

Safe travels, have fun, take a ton of photos . . . and come back with a big smile on your face!

Again, have a wonderful trip. I can’t wait to see your photos!

*JD is freaking out now that he realizes either he and / or Kris might need to do more shopping*

The bottom line is, you are affluent, and you are being a tourist in a poor country. You WILL be asked for “presents”. I lived in Madagascar, an EXTREMELY poor country, for 18 months, I know it’s not easy.

I think the Europeans have more experience than the Americans with this issue, only because these countries are closer, so the Europeans are more likely to visit them than your average American.

So either you give money, or you buy the overpriced souvenirs that you don’t really want. (One is OK, any more than one means Accumulating Stuff unless you want to give the item as a present.)

So (the reasoning here in Europe is), it is kinder and gentler to give people something they can really use. Be it a pen, a crayon, a bar of soap or a toothbrush.

It is VERY difficult to have this discussion without sounding patronizing, I am well aware of that.

J.D.’s note: Thank you. I appreciate the advice. And you’re right — I’ll have to do a little more shopping. The stuff we give away just frees up room for bringing stuff back, right?

http://www.travelindependent.info/amazon/index.htm

Maybe you can give them some tips to improve revenue.

Regarding the gifts, no chocolates, it will melt. Most of the US chocolates do at least. Hard candy might be better. May be some hygienic product pouches like toothbrush, paste, soap, shampoo, small sample sized packs put together. And also coloring books, crayons and pencils.

My son is in an international (bilingual) school. I was at the school for parent-teacher conferences today. One of his teachers is on sabbatical, spending this school year in India. She has a friend (and some HS students!) coming to visit her soon, and posted a request on the board saying that if anybody wanted to, could they please send (the exact list I gave you) with one of the people coming to visit her.

ETA: Not sure what your itinerary is nor how you feel about it, but here (in Europe) many tourists often take bulk packages of pens, pencils, crayons, colored markers, stickers, candy etc to give to the kids they meet along the way. Just a suggestion, do or discard as you wish.