International Travel

[KGemma]

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I just found out that I will be volunteering at the CARE baboon conservation in South Africa in the summer of 2010. I've already PM'ed a few people who have done it, but if anyone else has advice, I would gladly accept it!

I also had a few questions for others who may have done international travel for internships/volunteering/studying. I will be traveling for about a month, and I am thinking on buying medical insurance like SOS. Has anyone done this? On top of SOS, I was also considering getting insurance for flight changes. Did you get a phone for international talk? Visa? Register with the US department of state? Soo many questions!!!

 

[luplodw]

I went to South Africa for a little more than 3 weeks for a veterinary thing. It absolutely was the best thing I've ever done. You will love it there! I didn't buy any medical insurance. I took the medicine for malaria but actually the people that lead the program discouraged it because it doesn't do much to prevent malaria and if you do it get, it delays the symptoms until your condition is really really bad. (That's just what they told me) I would get insurance on the flight though. It is a really expensive ticket and I think it would be well worth it. I suggest getting an international phone. When you get there, you can buy a SIM card that works where you can call back to the US. Don't buy phone cards because it is a waste of money. I registered with the US dpt of state online, and it didn't take long at all. You'll need to get a Visa...although I didn't. The leaders of the program just told everyone to tell the travel people that you were visiting the country for pleasure (not for a school/work program)

 

[Harumph]

Wow, that sounds amazing! Congrats, that'll be an awesome summer for sure.

I did not got to South Africa specifically, but I am in Africa.
I would say yes on both insurances. I'm the healthiest person in the world (in terms of being able to stomach just about anything) and I'm pretty cocky about it, but on a new continent you never know what you'll have a bad reaction to. I don't know much about SOS, my insurance is through my university. So someone else will have to advise you on that.

And registering with the US department of state is really easy. I'd definitely recommend it. They don't keep tabs on you or anything; they just send you emails if something poentially dangerous comes up in the country. (If I had actually READ those emails I wouldn't have gotten stuck in the middle of a soccer riot and forced to spend the entire night sitting on the sidewalk the night before an exam!) So I vote yes on that, too.

What I did was keep in touch with my parents through Skype and just buy a local phone for within-country calls. Skype isn't very reliable, but it's cheap on international calls. You can buy a Vodaphone here for a little over $20 (less if you know where to go) and just recharge it at any convenience store.

I got my visa before I left home. I just sent the passport and application to the closest embassy. You can find the embassy and application online. Even if it's not required to enter the country, it's one less line to stand in at the airport after your insanely long flight.