South Africa Travel Tips for World Cup 2010

You don’t have to be a hard-core soccer fan (or football fan, depending on where you’re from) to be interested in attending a World Cup. It’s the most-watched sports event in the world, and in addition to being a great way to see a country at its celebratory best it’s also an ideal situation if you like mingling with people from all over the world in one place.

The upcoming 2010 World Cup in South Africa is also an excellent excuse to visit a country with lots to do and see even if you’re not a sports nut.

But as is the case with any trips you’re planning, there’s some travel planning you’re going to want to do – and it’s even more important in this case when the country is going to be hosting (by some estimates) more than a million extra people during the tournament. So here are a few quick South Africa travel tips for the World Cup, and some links to find more handy travel information.

How to Find Cheap Airfare to South Africa

Your first order of business when you’re planning your trip to South Africa for the World Cup is how you’ll get there – and how much it’ll cost you. Flights to South Africa aren’t cheap, and they’re even more expensive in the lead-up to the World Cup. So it’s important to save whatever money you can on your airline tickets to South Africa so that you can spend that money elsewhere – like on those tickets to World Cup games you’re going to buy from the scalper in front of the stadium!

>> Read more about finding cheap South Africa airfare for the World Cup

Finding Cheap Accommodation in South Africa

Accommodation options in South Africa run the gamut from 5-star luxury to dirt cheap hostels, and there’s everything in between. Around a huge event like the World Cup, however, you can expect prices on every level of accommodation to go up. Really, your best bet was to be scouting out hotels (or even apartment rentals) several months ago to secure the best deals and get the pick of the litter.

If you’re just now getting to it, you’re likely to pay more than you thought you would… But you’ll get a room. You still don’t want to delay too much longer, however.

>> Read more about cheap hotels in South Africa
>> Read more about cheap hostels in South Africa

Things to Do in South Africa

Obviously, the thing you’re heading to South Africa for is the World Cup – but you’re going an awfully long way, why not stay awhile and make a vacation out of it? There are lots of things to do and see in South Africa to tempt you into adding more than just a few soccer games to your itinerary.

• Safaris – Aside from the World Cup in 2010, the biggest draw for travelers to South Africa are the safaris. You can do day-trips into the wildlife parks, or take longer trips and stay overnight.
• Water Sports – Diving, surfing, kite-surfing, and snorkeling are popular pastimes all along the South African coast, in particular around the well-visited cities of Durban, Cape Town, Knysna, Plett, and Langebaan.
• Wine Tours – South African wines are world-famous, and you can visit the picturesque vineyards and do tastings all along the South African wine route.
• Hiking – There are several national parks in South Africa, each of which offers excellent hiking.

>> Read more about what to do in South Africa in this South Africa travel guide

Things You Should Know About South Africa

Beyond the list of what attractions and activities there are in South Africa, there’s also the more general stuff – what you need to know before you go to a foreign country for the first time. You may have heard about the crime rate in South African cities – is it as bad as all that? You might have looked at a map of the country and wondered how you’ll be able to get around – what’s the transportation infrastructure like? You might think it’s on the African continent and therefore you’ll be roughing it the whole way – are there 5-star hotels at all?

The answers to these questions – and many more – are all included in this extremely helpful article.

>> Read more about what you should know about South Africa

photo by derekkeats