I'll be leaving for Botswana in two weeks, my first trip to Africa and the first international flight in over 30years.

What provisions do you make for keeping in contact with the travel agent, PH, etc., in case the SHTF in transit? Calling cards, satellite phones?

I don't plan on yakking on the phone just to kill time (don't do it at home, won't do it there) but am curious as what is best to make contact in case of emergency. Not concerned about what to do once in camp.

Thanks

In case of flight delays or whatever, I take the phone numbers for the travel agent and PH, along with the country codes and basic dialing instructions, including from the US and SA (look at http://www.howtocallabroad.com/botswana). I also take their email address.

Also, I carry the phone number for the Afton House in Joburg, just in case I get stranded there. I needed this once, the connecting flight to wherever I was flying was delayed something like 12hrs, and I called them [on my sat phone, but the SAA/Delta desk has a phone). They picked me up and, gave me a day room, and brought me back all refreshed. There is also a hotel in the airport.

Afton House
Louis & Annelise Bekker
Gauteng, SA
00 27 11 391 7625 (00 27 not needed if calling from a SA landline)

Of course, if going via another route, this won't apply.

My wife bought a European cell phone from Mobal Communications, there are other vendors with similar deals. She paid $50 for the unit, has a permanent UK number and we are only billed for minutes used, no monthly or annual fees. The per minute charge varies depending on were you call from/to, but is HIGH (1.95/minute of completed call). Still, for the purpose you described, that is acceptable, at least we found it so. We just tell the person we are calling that we need to minimize our air time, worked out fine. It worked for us all over Namibia, and we carry it in Europe, not to yak, but for necessary communications.

For something like $5 per month, my cell phone has been set to allow it to be used overseas.

As long as there is a cell tower, I can use it anywhere.

Afton House with Annelise' help saved my bacon last year. I left my itinerary and information at customs in Johannesburg. Annelise called Kathy Climes who rescued me by faxing a new set for me and they both contacted and forwarded information to my PH in Port Elisabeth.
A great team.
My Host at Woodlands on the East Cape allowed me to use his Satellite Internet connections to post home and AR while Hunting.

Frank

Well, here is my two cents: My cell phone has not worked overseas yet, so, I take an iridium sat phone; however, you cannot use it inside the terminal, or at least I can't. This year we bought a BGAN unit in order to be able to send/receive email in the event of delayed flights, lost baggage, what ever since it seems that when ever I call my travel agent I always get the answering machine and this should be a simple way to exchange info.

In 8 safaris to Africa with 911 happening while I was in a bush camp and one when the Embassy in Kenya was bombed. I never made any particular arrangements or carried any other information other than my itenerary and the information provided by my booking agent. Just fat,dumb and happy I suppose but I actually never worry. Don't carry a phone and actually never really conciously have any phone numbers stashed.I don't travel any differently to Africa than I do to Hawaii,Tennessee,Belize or anywhere else. Common sense prevails -------I hope.

quote:

Originally posted by Bryan Chick:
Well, here is my two cents: My cell phone has not worked overseas yet, so, I take an iridium sat phone; however, you cannot use it inside the terminal, or at least I can't. This year we bought a BGAN unit in order to be able to send/receive email in the event of delayed flights, lost baggage, what ever since it seems that when ever I call my travel agent I always get the answering machine and this should be a simple way to exchange info.

You can use an Iridium satellite phone inside a terminal if you have a big window. I have used it from the Atlanta airport. There is no lace to use it in Johannesburg.

I just spoke to a good friend on his cell phone that was riding around ckecking leopard baits about 2 1/2 hrs from Arusha, Tanzania. Cant beleive that he gets reception there,but it was clear as a bell. Times are changing.

So far, I've been able to use my Verizon Blackberry in Europe and the Middle East thanks to the sim chip I've had installed. In global mode it simply acquires the signal of the local provider. I can check email with it as well. Prior to getting the Blackberry I would buy an inexpensive cell phone overseas and pick up a sim card and calling cards in the countries I visited. Worked like a charm in SE Asia.

I have been able to use my cell in some very remote places.

In 07, we were in a village in Tanzania called Tungamalenga. There was no power. It was very remote. I noticed a bunch of people with cell phones. The next day, I brought mine along. it worked perfectly.

One has to have the right phone and pay the monthly fee for foreign usage ability. Perhaps more importantly, one has to learn how to dial from those countries. It is not the same as making a call in the US.

In the last couple of years, I have used mine in Senegal, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Netherlands, Bahamas, Argentina and Spain that I can think of.

I carry a satellite for phone for those places where the cell won't work.

Sat phone, period.

I've been to the verizon store, their website, and called their 1-800 number before every international departure over the past 13 years. I've had a new sim card, had an international service plan activated, a secret signal booster code entered, and done everything imaginable to have international cell service. The only time it almost worked was one time when I could send text messages from New Zealand.

If you want to be sure you can communicate with home, take a sat phone. Othwerise, you run the risk of no comms.

Also, if you have a wife or loved one that wants to check on you, activate an international plan on your home phone service. Let her call you at a fraction of the cost since many sat phones have free or greatly reduced fares for incoming calls.

Satellite phone, without any doubt. I use the new Iridium and get the international 500 minutes from GMPCS that can be used anywhere in the world. I used them in Germany, France, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mexico, etc. etc. etc., as well as here in the U.S.

Been away for a few days. Thanks for the replies.

If you have a BB with world wide service, you will probably be able to use it most places in Botswana. Last year we had reception everywhere we went, from the Mara in No. Kenya to the Serengetti and all over Tanz and I even got reception in the middle of the Selous on some hills. However, the rates are high (about $4 a minute), so it's cheaper to use a sat phone. Iridium works well over there. I'd definitely have all the phone numbers you might need on your person.

I just got the low down on a verison phone... I can use it in Europe, and Dar while in Tanzania... The verison deal is pay for time used and texting used... They will use my wifes phone number and download all of her info and disable her cell... It is overnighted to your address and if under 30 days no pay... after 30 days $199... In camp they have aa Sat phone and I only have to pay for minutes...
This way I have contact info for all parties the meet & greet guys in Dar and Pierre in camp...

Mike

I was able to use my cell phone in Namibia in '05, but I had to climb up on the sunroof to use it.

In '08 my cell wouldn't work, but I think the problem was that it was still locked on Cingular which had been bought up by AT&T by that time. Someone else on my plane was using AT&T with no problems right beside me in the airport.

I have used my AT&T cell phone in J-Berg and in Zim ---- but the per minute charge was enormous -- can't remeber exactly what it was but it was a nut buster --- part of the problem was that in Zim the calls kept getting dropped just as I dialed them but I was still getting charged -- this trip I will take a sat phone from Andy Cool at acool@explorersatellite.com -- he is definately the place/person to rent from
G