Traveling With Children Made Easy and Safely in Africa


Africa is a fantastic continent filled with both natural wonder and man-made spectacles.  Form the wonders of the pyramids at Giza to the vast grasslands, the deserts of the north and the rainforests in the west, Africa is a land that any traveller should spend time in.  One thing that many travellers don’t consider when travelling to Africa, however, is the state of their vaccine history.

This is important for a few reasons.  

  • First, African nations are still widely considered “third world” and lack the healthcare services that many of us take for granted.  Therefore, vaccines should be seen as preventative measures.  Consider asking your doctor to make sure you have all your childhood vaccines and ask to be further vaccinated against rabies, meningitis, and Hepatitis-A.
  • Second, you should get vaccinated because some African nations ask you to provide proof of recent vaccinations – especially yellow fever – to gain entry into the country.  You don’t want to show up at the border, passport in hand and hotels booked, and be told you need to turn back because you lack the correct immunisations.
When looking for advice on which immunisations are necessary to enter which country it is advisable that you go to the government web-pages of the countries that you plan to visit.  This way you can get the most up-to-date health information for any country you expect to see.

Travelling With Children Made Easy

Moving with young children can either be a nightmare full of stress and anger or a dream that both you and your kids will remember for a lifetime.  Meals, aeroplane seating, crowded environments, and long days are all risky and stressful situations – especially when you mix in children.  But there are a few things you can do to keep your kids comfortable and quiet while you get to your holiday destination.

  • First: keep them full.  This means, of course, a little bit extra in the way of planning and time allotted but it will be worth it for your peace of mind.  Just like modern prisons feed their inmates high calorie, high carb, and high-fat meals to keep them sluggish and sleepy, you can do the same with your kids.  Biscuits and gravy for breakfast, fried chicken for lunch – you get the idea.  Just avoid sugar.
  • Second: if your children are toddlers then keep them on a leash.  You can buy harness and leash sets for your little explorers that hook on to your belt and prevent them from wandering more than a few feet.  This will be important when you need to go through check-in and security.
  • Third: keep your kids entertained.  Portable DVD players and a stack of Disney films, when combined with step one, will have them sitting happily or napping through an entire flight.  Make sure to remember headphones!

Post a Comment

0 Comments