Why wait to visit South Africa? Just do it!

by Judy M. Zimmerman

“Haven’t you heard how dangerous it is? Aren’t you afraidto take off for South Africa alone?” asked several friends justbefore I left. Their concern was understandable. Someone who has never ventured forth on an independent journey would certainly havegood reasons to fear the unknown.

But no one who yearns to travel should stay at home just because friends and family are not as footloose.

I’ve had the good fortune to experience the special joys of solo travel for 46 years both as a young person and a widow.

Sometimes, while traveling with my husband, I also struck out on my own for awhile. When it began to rain hard during ourarduous bicycle climb out of Bath, England, I stopped at the train station to buy a single ticket for our next destination (mybike was free), and agreed to meet Don at the village pub. Warm and dry by the pub’s fireplace, I settled in all afternoon with a shepherd’s pie, a pot of tea, and a good book for company.

The irony of traveling solo in a strange land is that you are rarely alone. Motivated to seek conversations and connect with others, you’ll learn much more about their culture and find a greater understanding of your own.

If, however, you’re not yet ready for full independence, book a bus trip that allows plenty of free time, or sign up forday tours when you reach your destination.

When traveling with a friend, intermittently go your separate ways. For example, while sharing a comfortable home exchange with a friend in Brugge, Belgium for three weeks, I took the train to Paris and Amsterdam for several days.

In Nairobi, the Norfolk Hotel (in the film “Out of Africa”) was an ideal R&R home base to leave my dirty laundry and pick up clean clothes between safaris: by camel into Kenya’s Northwest Frontier, gorilla tracking in Zaire and to Tanzania’s Serengeti Plains.

Having the freedom to make my own way in China was evident on a Yangtze River cruise. When two small tour groups cameaboard, I was grateful I had been spared the constant presence of two rude and terribly overbearing individuals among them.

Alone, you may join other travelers when your interests or plans converge. Once, a five-day group hike in Switzerland was a pleasant change of pace from my two-week journey by rail.

A luxurious cruise is usually more fun with another person as well, but single ladies who enjoy dancing and playing bridge choose a cruise line that offers gentlemen hosts for these activities.

Many singles, however, prefer the advantages of a casual dress code on a small expedition ship that offers moreopportunities for educational encounters and physical adventures.

In the past, I made disparaging comments about women who chose to cruise primarily in search of romance However, once, Iactually did encounter a shipboard romance that lasted years after the journey’s end.

On the other hand, on a three-day Rovos Rail trip in South Africa, because most of the passengers in the club car were homosexual partners, I had the unique opportunity to learn about the gay community of Cape Town.

Almost any unexpected and wonderful thing can happen during a solo voyage. So, have the confidence to try your wings. Nodoubt you’ll say, “Why did I wait so long?”

July 30, 2010   Posted in: Africa