Is South Africa safe to travel to? - 12 Tips for staying safe when you visit SA

people often ask me Nick how should I prepare for my trip to South Africa [Music] how's it everybody it's great to be back on your screen again today I want to chat to you about something close to home one of the questions I get asked the most as a tour guide is how safe will I be when I visit South Africa and my answer is always the same if you pay attention to what you are doing and what's going on around you you'll be as safe as I am and I love you so if you're planning a trip to sunny sa no matter if you're young old group traveling solo traveling or volunteering here are my 12 tips on how to stay safe when visiting South Africa as soon as you land at the airport in South Africa get yourself a South African SIM card from one of the kiosks at the airport or at a cellphone shop near your accommodation this will allow you to keep your mobile data on and you wouldn't have to rely on finding Wi-Fi spots for doing things like ordering an uber or using Google Maps and you'll also save some money by not having to use international roaming as a tour guide I prefer to use a Vodacom SIM card because I found that they have the most reliable network coverage in South Africa just be sure to tell them that you're a foreign traveler so they know what you need and how to help you so now you're gonna save the local emergency numbers to your phone like the police ambulance your tour guide accommodation and your consulate or embassy it's also a good idea to send a copy of these numbers to a close friend or relative back home if an emergency situation happens you won't want to waste time in searching for these numbers and you'll know exactly who to call ask your tour guide or accommodation if you're not sure where to find the right numbers but to make things easier for you I've linked an infographic in the description below for you to download which has all the important numbers for the major cities in South Africa [Music] well it's no secret that South Africa doesn't have the most reliable public transport in the world hey but we do have other options before arriving in South Africa you can prearranged a rental car or for your accommodation to send over a driver to meet you at the airport otherwise you can take one of the meter taxis waiting outside or order an uber there is Wi-Fi at most airports so ordering one is easy to do I prefer to use an uber because they're fast reliable and often work out cheaper than the other options also the drivers give good tips on cool local places to visit just a side note uber is only available in the major cities here and if you do order one at night I recommend that you travel with a buddy or in a group [Music] the best ATMs to use are the ones inside a shopping mall or at your accommodations not the ones that are situated on the street I usually look out for an ATM that has a visible security guard nearby remember never accept ATM help from strangers rather go into the branch if you're unsure or Austral tour guide to go with you it's better not to carry too much cash with you in South Africa and if you do need to use cash carries small denominations and do not store it all in the same place luckily most places here accept card payments I recommend that you only take cash for the souvenir and food markets if you're taking a taxi and if you visit the local bars or pubs you'll also want to keep a few coins on hand to tip the parking and petrol attendants if you're renting a car it's a good idea to keep your passports locked safely away at your accommodation and to keep a copy of it on your phone this will prevent it from getting lost or stolen while you're out exploring it will also make the check-in process a lot faster when you first arrive at your accommodation and you won't have to dig deep down in your luggage to find it [Music] if you're the kind of traveler who likes to walk and explore check with your tour guide or accommodation for which areas and routes are safe for walking otherwise join a local walking tour you'll find plenty of them in the major cities and most of them are free if you're walking around at night walk with friends stay in a group and stick to the well-lit busy areas [Music] as we know South Africa is incredibly beautiful and there are many places where you're gonna want to stop and take a quick photo or a selfie although it might be easier to carry your camera around your neck or your phone in your hand it's better not to flash your expensive gear while you're out in public and of course it goes without saying that if you're walking while staring at your phone you're not paying attention to what's going on around you be travel wise some South Africans follow the philosophy of Finders Keepers if you carry a handbag a backpack or travel pouch be aware of it at all times while you're out in public if you lose sides of it for even just a second don't expect it to stick around I always keep my backpack close to me while I'm out with my guests I carry only what I need in it and I leave the rest of my stuff locked safely away at my accommodation or in the trunk of my car so if you're driving in your own car or rental car I recommend that you keep the doors locked and keep your valuables out of sight or in the trunk smash-and-grabs can happen at all stop streets and traffic lights now let's just see how we can be safe on the hiking trails if you go hiking like up the famous Table Mountain it's best to hike in a group if you are a solo traveler and not sure how to find a group check out your accommodation if there might be other guests who are keen to hike with you or ask about scheduled hiking tours in the area remember to charge your phone and let someone know where you're going and which trail you're hiking and have those emergency numbers saved to your phone just in case it's always a good idea to take with a hat enough water and sunscreen as you can see South Africa is some of the most amazing beaches but not all of them are safe for swimming when going to the beach make sure to take a buddy with you many beaches will have lifeguards on duty and these guys and gals will show you which areas are safe for swimming [Music] our beaches are also really great for an early morning jog or run and that brings me to my bonus tip and that is live location so now that you have a South African SIM card in your phone it will make your data costs much cheaper which means that if you are worried about going for a run in the morning all you have to do to show your live location with your tour guide or friends and have peace of mind that somebody knows exactly where you are so it's almost time to say goodbye and I just want to say thank you for watching I really hope I manage to address any of the questions you might have had about your safety or traveling in South Africa if you found my video to be useful or at least a little bit entertaining feel free to like subscribe and share this with everyone who you feel might benefit from it and of course if you have any questions about South Africa or requests for future videos check to me in the comments section below or find me Nick V T on social media [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music]

Channel: Nick VT

Views: 130,479

Keywords: travel, travel guide, tour guide, south africa, western cape, travel tips, adventure, adventure travel, travel south africa, cape town, garden route, road trip, safety, emergency numbers, samsung, safety in south africa, how safe is south africa, holiday in south africa, how to travel cheap, how to, table mountain cape town, kruger national park, budget travel, south africa travel, south africa travel guide, south africa travel video, safety tips, south africa tourism

Id: TqXvFhOp7Cs

Length: 9min 19sec (559 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 14 2019