Travel Roundup: 4 Tips and Deals

There’s always news in the travel industry. Here’s a round-up of best products, airfare deals so you can book your dream safari, a new app designed whiz you through customs, and a list of places some consider risky for women traveling alone.

Top Travel Products: TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice

Still can’t figure out what to get your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day? Then consider one of the items that made TripAdvisor’s top travel products and services list. Likely, you won’t go wrong since nearly 33,000 travelers worldwide participated in the survey.

Note to the gift-challenged: Giving your Valentine cough drops or hand sanitizer, even if approved by thousands of people, may mean you take your next trip solo. Instead, consider the cameras, backpack and luggage.

2016 U.S. Travelers’ Choice Favorites

 

Airline Deal: South African Airways & South African Airways Vacations

Now is the time to book your dream safari vacation. The US dollar gets you 15.85 South African Rands, translating into lows for lodging, restaurants, and outings. Combine these savings with South African Airways discounted fares for a trip you’ll remember forever.

Roundtrip airfare to Johannesburg starts at $769 from Washington, DC and $859 from New York. South African Airways Vacations offers a Sunset, Romance & Safari package that includes four nights in Cape Town and a three-night safari in the Kariega Game Reserves. Rates start at $2,699 per person.

Fares and trips must be purchased by Feb. 15, 2016 for travel between April 1 and May 31, 2016.  

Tech Tip: Passport App

Get through customs faster at DFW by using the new Mobile Passport Control app. After downloading the app and completing the trip section, submit your declaration through the app prior to arrival and receive an electronic receipt. Show that and you passport to a Customs and Border Protection officer for quick entrance into the country.

Traveler Beware: Riskiest Places for Women Traveling Alone

According to site About Travel, here are the five riskiest places for women traveling solo: Saudi Arabia, Brazil, India, Kenya, and Morocco. I’ve traveled in Kenya, Brazil and Morocco, sometimes by myself. In Kenya I was with my daughter. By using common sense and being aware of my surroundings as I would in any city in the US, I’ve felt comfortable.

What do you think? Have you experienced problems in the countries citied above? Would you travel to those regions? Where wouldn’t you travel as a woman alone? Comment below or connect with me on Twitter, @familyitrips.