Jaunted

Special Visas
The South African authorities are so eager to extend a welcoming hand to the world’s football hooligans that they’re offering special visas to make it easier to get into the country.

In theory, you’ll be able to use special counters set up in major airports around the world, where South African immigration officials give you pre-clearance that allows you to jump the immigration queue when you arrive.

All you need is a match ticket, a return ticket and a passport.

Decide Where You Want to Go
South Africa is a bloomin’ big country, so plan carefully. The matches are being held in ten different stadiums, half of them newly built for the occasion: two in Johannesburg and the rest in Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Rustenburg, Nelspruit and Polokwane. Get yourself a googlemap and away you go.

It’s also a bloomin’ funny country as far as weather is concerned. Forget your images of Cape Town’s sandy beaches and strappy sandals – in the southern hemisphere winter it rains and rains for days on end. Even Jo’burg is chilly at night and in the early mornings and Bloemfontein will be freeze your studs off. Durban and the rest will probably be warmer, but aren’t quite as exciting to visit.

Get Practising Your Vuvuzela
No, it’s not what you think it is...it’s actually a big, brightly coloured plastic trumpet that football hooligans and small children like to blow and blow until they’re sick, making a buzzing, bellowing noise in the process. Like this.

Related Stories:
· Fifa 2010 tickets to go on sale [Dispatch Online]
· World Cup Travel [Jaunted]