Tag: south africa travel

View All Tags

/ / / / / /

2010 World Cup Travel Guide: Flying To and Around South Africa

June 4, 2010 at 1:07 PM | by | Comments (0)

Outside Nelspruit/Kruger Airport

All this week, we'll be giving you the low-down on the many venues of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This five-part guide is designed to inform and ease the logistics of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see all the action, should you decide to get on the ball and go for it! Next up, how to get to the games!

Let’s be real. Unlike previous "winters", flying to South Africa is unlikely to be cheap at this time due to the World Cup. Round-trip air from U.S. gateways like JFK, ATL and IAD on South African Airways,(don’t forget their partnership with JetBlue!) are starting at around $2,000. Yikes.

But this may be the one time where the ultimate fan (and those still holding on to their tax return) may consider upgrading to the flat-bed outfitted biz class (some routes are just double economy fares) for the 16-hr plus flight ahead. You’ll get to sleep and then hit the ground running once you land. Hey, if you’re gonna go for it, don’t do it half-assed.

more ›

/ / / / /

2010 World Cup Travel Guide: How to Get Last-Minute Tickets

June 3, 2010 at 1:20 PM | by | Comments (0)

All this week, we'll be giving you the low-down on the many venues of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This five-part guide is designed to inform and ease the logistics of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see all the action, should you decide to get on the ball and go for it! Next up, how to get tickets to the games!

Kick-off is less than two weeks away, and despite early reports of sold-out games, FIFA says that there are seats still available for choice games.

How is this so? Air/land/ticket packages through Match Event Services, FIFA’s exclusive agent and their approved tour operators, were criticized for holding a mass of both plane and match seats, then releasing them after their packages weren’t quickly snapped up by fans. This means there are now tickets available for games previously said to be sold-out.

more ›

/ / / /

2010 World Cup Travel Guide: 8 FIFA Stadiums and Their Big Games

June 2, 2010 at 11:30 AM | by | Comments (0)

All this week, we'll be giving you the low-down on the many venues of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This five-part guide is designed to inform and ease the logistics of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see all the action, should you decide to get on the ball and go for it! Next up, finding out where the rest of the FIFA Stadiums are.

There are 10 stadiums (including Durban’s newest) scattered around South Africa. Here we've got a bit on each of the eight most major stadiums, its most anticipated match, and distance from other locations.

· Cape Town: The brand-new Green Point Stadium (above) will host eight matches, including a semi-final. The backdrop includes a view of Table Mountain and the Indian Ocean, just minutes away. The exterior is covered with noise-reducing cladding for the anticipated 70,000 visitors.
Big Game: The semi-final teams. At this stage, fans will be on fire waiting to witness the results of the month-long event.
Distance: Cape Town is an eight-hour drive from Port Elizabeth and a two-hour flight from Durban.
[Photo by David DiGregorio]

more ›

/ / / / / / /

2010 World Cup Travel Guide: Inside Moses Mabhida Stadium

June 1, 2010 at 1:00 PM | by | Comments (2)

All this week, we'll be giving you the low-down on the many venues of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This five-part guide is designed to inform and ease the logistics of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see all the action, should you decide to get on the ball and go for it! First up, The Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban.

Dedicated soccer...er, excuse us...football fans still have time to plan a trip to South Africa for the World Cup if it's done quickly. The 30-day event, starting June 11 and continuing a month until July 11, gives those who take both sport and travel seriously the opportunity to knock out two birds with one stone: Witness a legendary event and make a dream trip to the Continent.

Football already receives beaucoup global love, and the USA is finally catching the fever too, especially for a home team that’s performed well enough to generate excitement about beating the formidable England team on June 12.

Now let's go inside the main venue, Moses Mabhida Stadium...

more ›

/ / / / / /

From Tim Tams to Abba-Zabas: Eat Your Way Around the World in Candy

April 23, 2010 at 12:40 PM | by | Comments (0)

Tim Tams, Pocky, Wine Gums and Guld Nougat bars...make your mouth water, don't they? Expats and seasoned travelers can probably name the countries associated with each of these candies, but sinking your teeth into one isn't so easy. They're rare to find outside of their countries, but luckily a New York candy shop is rounding them up and shipping them out directly to you.

Started by the daughter of American fashion designer Ralph Lauren, Dylan's Candy Bar is a mecca for those with a sweet tooth, as the triple-floor store doles out everything from ice cream flavors like "coffee and doughnuts" to shower gels scented like "birthday cake." But Dylan Lauren also has a taste for rare and historic candies, ones that immediately send the parents of the kids that come into the store into warm nostalgia. This month, she's collected the best of the United States' regional candy favorites into one $30 box and added it to her line of international candy suitcases.

more ›

/ / / / / /

A Honeymoon Fit For 'The Bachelor': Jason Mesnick and Molly Choose South Africa

March 18, 2010 at 9:02 AM | by | Comments (0)

When it comes to The Bachelor TV show, we've only really cared about the most recent seasons—the fourteenth—because the star Jake Pavelka is a pilot, but now that he's off and attempting a relationship with his pick, we've lost all interest in the show. That is, the news landed in our inbox that Jason Mesnick, the Bachelor from the thirteenth season, not only actually got married recently to his choice from the show, but that they're taking a two-week luxury grand tour around South Africa.

They're actually down there right now, in the middle of a trip from Africa Answers, which organized the route which will take Jason and Molly from vineyards to a private game reserve, and from the luxurious Rovos Rail train to a five-star hotel in Johannesburg. It's definitely a far cry from the simple life that Molly left behind in Grand Rapids.

more ›

/ / / / /

Three Top Destinations For a Medical Vacation

February 18, 2010 at 9:30 AM | by | Comments (2)

With health-care reform stalling out and the recession in full swing, there are more reasons than ever for people to seek cheaper medical treatment overseas. According to a recent report from the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, although the U.S. economy has slowed down, the demand for cosmetic procedures is up. In 2007 an estimated 750,000 Americans traveled abroad for health care, and the number is supposed to reach 6 million this year, Deloitte reported. We take look at popular medical tourism spots.

See which countries people are traveling to for a quickie nip and tuck after the jump.

more ›

/ / / / /

Discovering South Africa's Apartheid History Through 'District 9'

August 14, 2009 at 4:19 PM | by | Comments (0)

District 9, in theaters now, is a sci-fi extravaganza that has thrilled critics and geeks alike. The movie centers around a group of refugee aliens that arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa, and are segregated into an area called District 9.

The film's title is a direct reference to District 6, the area where thousands of South Africans were relocated during the years of apartheid. Unlike most Sci-Fi fare today, the film addresses issues like segregation head on and actually creates a real social commentary. That's not to say it doesn't have cool special effects; it still has plenty of "how'd they do that?" moments too.

Here's a look at how to get into the spirit of District 9 while visiting South Africa.

more ›

/ / / / /

Summer Vacations With an Edge: Great White Cage Diving In South Africa

August 10, 2009 at 3:14 PM | by | Comments (2)

Are you forlorn because Shark Week is over? Do you need to get your Great White fix? Do you have between $150 and $3,700?

If so, UnrealDive has an extreme summer vacation for you. The South African expeditions company offers a series of one day outings and extended shark diving expeditions for adrenaline junkies and ecotourists alike. Great Whites are surface feeders so simple boat watching is always an option, but UnrealDive puts customers inside cages for eye-to-eye viewing.

The company boasts a 12 year track record without a single incident; no small achievement given that South Africa has some of the densest shark waters on the planet.

more ›

/ / /

South Africa Will Drop Everything To Save You From Drowning

August 7, 2009 at 2:29 PM | by | Comment (1)

This isn't strictly a travel campaign, but it's certainly that too. It's no secret that South Africa has been having some branding problems. Being the "world's rape capital" doesn't exactly look good on the brochures (what font face do you use for that?). The drownings last year certainly didn't help their image. Now that they've begun the pushback against drownings, maybe they can try to address that other thing.

The point being made by South Africa's new campaign for their National Sea Rescue Institute is that their volunteers, dedicated men and women that they are, will drop whatever they're doing to rescue stranded ocean goers. They might be at their wedding, but they'll jump into the water dress and all. Or they might be a sports event, but they'll rush to rescue you without even pausing to dump their foam hand. Or they might be a guy dressed as a chicken.

more ›

/ / /

Cookies Could Send You To Cape Town

June 16, 2009 at 3:57 PM | by | Comments (0)

Eat cookies, win trip. That's a no-brainer if we ever heard one, so the marketers at the Khaya Cookie Company might be on to something. They've started up the Quest for Cape Town competition and the winner gets a 10-day trip around the Cape Town area in South Africa, choosing from food and wine, eco-tourism or sun and surf themes.

Khaya Cookies include various shortbreads and granolas that are made with organic materials sourced from the winelands area near Cape Town, and the "cranberry rooibos shortbread" sounds like the most delicious one to us. If you buy a pack, you get an automatic entry into the competition to win the trip, or runner-up prizes like a Kindle, or extra boxes of cookies.

You can even check fellow cookie-addicts at the contest's stats page - when we checked, the leading entrant had scoffed down 22 packets of cookies so far. Entries close on July 15, after which time buying extra packets of cookies will become a slightly more "guilty conscience" action – although at least these cookies say you're helping create local jobs in South Africa. Eat up!

Do you love travel contests? Enter the Jaunted-Competitours Contest here!

Related Stories:
· Quest For Cape Town [Official Site]
· Cape Town Travel Guide [Jaunted]

/ / / /

Get to South Africa for the 2010 FIFA World Cup

February 5, 2009 at 2:05 PM | by | Comment (1)

If you’re one of the expected 300,000 to 500,000 football fans flocking to South Africa for the FIFA World Cup 2010, don’t think you can just hop on a plane and go. Football fans are notoriously crazy about attending football matches (cue The White Stripes "Seven Nation Army" which has become the de facto football cheer.) You really need to start planning now.

Tickets
Tickets for the FIFA World Cup 2010 finals will go on sale on the FIFA website, starting February 20. One million out of the three million total tournament tickets available will go to international visitors – the other two million go to sponsors, teams and South African fans. Tickets are expected to cost about $136USD a piece but can vary from anything from $80 to $900, depending on which of the 64 matches tickles your fancy and how close you want to be to the action.

If you’re reading this is May 2010 and the tickets are all sold out, you can still hop on a last-minute plane over there – giant screens in public areas will be set up, and pubs, restaurants and bars are shelling out big-time on mega-size TVs ready to keep the neighbours up all night.

more ›

Previous
Use of this Site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (effective 3/21/12) and Privacy Policy (effective 3/21/12). © Condé Nast. Your California Privacy Rights. All rights reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast.
Ad Choices