pre-trip planning Ron & Viv Moon africa overland


Read about Ron & Viv's pre-trip planning and preparation for the big trip.


GO TO PAGE 2 GO TO PAGE 3 Click on the headings below to go direct to the paragraph. PLANNING THE ROUTE PASSPORTS & VISAS VEHICLE MATTERS Carnet Comprehensive Insurance 3rd Party Insurance Other Vehicle Costs Pre-trip Inspection & Maintenance More Information Shipping Vehicles Ferries from Africa to Europe GO TO PAGE 2 for MEDICAL CONSIDERATIONS OTHER IMPORTANT MATTERS SECURITY COMMUNICATIONS & PHONES GO TO PAGE 3 for COUNTRY INFORMATION GUIDEBOOKS FOR OVERLANDERS MAPS & MAPPING OTHER INFORMATIVE WEB SITES
	PAGE 1 - Pre-trip Planning & Preparation Remember the old army adage: 'Prior Preparation and Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance' We'll find out a lot more info as we head through Africa but here's the result of our experiences before we even get to drive through this vast continent! Planning the route Half the fun is in the planning so take your time to investigate the countries you want to visit and the places you want to see. Some countries are to be avoided. Others are dangerous while others are risky. Keep up to date and check: www.smartraveller.gov.au The National Geographic have an excellent book - African Adventure Atlas - see it at: www.nationalgeographic.com Full of maps and great ideas if it doesn't get your blood racing and fire up the travel bug to head for Africa, nothing will. Pick up a range of travel guides and maps. We've listed quite a few towards the end of this section. Return to top of page. Passports & Visas You'll need a big passport for all the countries you are passing through. Get a heap of passport photos for the visas you'll require. As most visas only have a life of 30 days or at the most 3-6 months from date of issue, you'll probably have to get most along the way. In most of Southern Africa, Australians don't require a visa or they can be easily obtained at the border crossings. Further north its harder and you'll need to go to the country embassy in the African country you are already in, ie Kenya is good for Ethiopia and Egypt and hopefully Sudan. Sudan is difficult and we're still to find out how we enter the country. 'Suck it and see' seems to be the main recommendation. Libya needs a 'letter of invitation' from someone inside the country and you require an security escort or guide, sometimes both. That costs money as you are up for a daily fee, air flights and daily living costs Return to top of page. Vehicle Matters Carnets For Australians you need to belong to your state automobile association to be able to get a carnet, which is issued by the Australian Automobile Association in Canberra via the state branch - ie; RACV, NRMA, RAA, etc. For info check out NRMA web site and look under their 'Car Care' section, 'Taking a car overseas'- Part 1 and Part 2: : www.mynrma.com.au/ - Taking a car overseas'- Part 1 www.mynrma.com.au/ - Taking a car overseas'- Part 2 You're up for a application fee ($600 - as at Jan 2007) as well as a $250 bond per carnet as well as covering the value of the vehicle. We found the AAA Insurance indemnity policy to be the cheapest way to cover the Carnet, which for Africa is based on 200% of the official value of the vehicle, ie. if your vehicle is valued at $40,000 you need to provide security of $80,000! Comprehensive Insurance Seemingly impossible to get for traveling through Africa. But we did find a couple of companies that have insurance for accidental damage, fire and theft - not comprehensive. Still they are expensive, ie. about 10% of the insured value for 12 months cover! Check out: http://uk.lockton.com/International Vehicle Risk Management/ If you have a vehicle registered in South Africa you will stand a better chance to get insurance that covers some, or even all of Africa. Try: http://www.allterrain.co.za/ 3rd Party Insurance Nearly all countries require some form of 3 rd party Insurance (Yellow Card, Green card whatever it may be called) for bodily injury of any other person involved in an accident. These are generally available at the border when you enter any particular country in Africa, or the insurance is included in your fuel levy, (ie South Africa). For 3rd Party bodily injury and property damage check out: www.alessie.com Return to top of page. Other Vehicle Costs Some countries in Africa have unique ways of extracting dollars from you when it comes to a vehicle. There's a carbon tax payable in some countries, a vehicle use permit in others. Pre-Trip Inspection and Maintenance Before leaving we went over the vehicle with a fine tooth comb. We changed oils, refurbished brakes fitted new tyres, serviced suspension, winch and more. You've got to do it! More Info South Africa AA-info for travellers - http://www.aa.co.za/home/travel_services.aspx Shipping Vehicles You can do it all yourself but we'd advise getting a 'Freight Forwarder' to look after all the paperwork and detail. There's a new world here and a whole new vocabulary to get used to. For shipping info check out: P&O Nedlloyd: http://www.ponl.com/ CMA - CGM shipping guide-world: www.cma-cgm.com/network/worldwidenetwork.asp For Australians, Cargo Online specialize in shipping vehicles worldwide and will look after all the paperwork. We've used them a couple of times and recommend them: www.cargoonline.com.au/home.html Ferries from Africa to Europe There's a number of ways to get from Africa or the Middle East to Europe (or vice versa). Check out: Ferry Lines: www.ferrylines.com SNCM Ferries have regular services between North Africa and Europe. See: www.sncm.fr Return to top of page.