Travel Journal: Explore Southern Africa by Intrepid Travel. Booking the trip.

As a solo traveler, I usually try to organize my own trips. I like the freedom to follow my own pace and visit what is more interesting to me. That, some times does not alignt with the plans that most people would do, but it fits me perfectly.

Unfortunately, also because I am a solo traveler. And specifically a female solo traveler. There are some destinations that I still have not dared doing on my own. For this situation, I decided to try, for the first time, an organized trip. I certainly did not want to feel like sheep been taken from A to B and then to C without really experiencing anything in depth. In addition, I was also quite worried about how much more money I was going to have to pay just because I was going alone.

After lots of research in many fellow blogs and travel websites, I ended up deciding to take a leap and get a ticket with IntrepidTravel. For years, I had been curious about their itineraries but the whole “organized trip” was still a deterrent. But the best part about this company was… No solo supplement!

I was on their website for what feels like ages. I read the itinerary, the reviews, the advice on safety, the costs… Everything. And then I started reviewing the countries’ safey, their political climate, their history… yes. I recognize that because I did not have any control over the itinerary, for my own sake it felt as if I needed to control everything else.

The Sign

While I was still partially undecided, I received one email from Intrepid Travel: they were having a 15% discount on most of their trips! Well, I call that a sign. I checked on how much the flights would cost for the dates I wanted, checked if I needed a visa for any of the places I wanted to visit and… booked the trip to Explore Southern Africa!

How to book a trip with Intrepid Travel

Well, once you click on “booking”, you will be directed to a website where you will have to give your details and then someone will contact you afterwards. If you decide to book with this company, make sure that you check for any possible extras you may want before you book. In my case, I knew I wanted to book the transfer to and from the hotel. And, I also wanted to rent a sleeping bag. Because you see, I booked an 18-day camping trip and I had never camped before. Yay me.

Right after clicking into “booking” you will not have to make any payment. Although you will indeed block the price for you. Someone will contact you within a day or two, in my case a very nice man called Harold. This travel agent will set up the final details for your trip. He will need your arrival and departing flights, as well as, the number of your policy insurance. You do not need to have all of this right when you book, but you will need it within a week after clicking on that “book” button.

Arriving and Leaving

In my case, I pondered two possibilities regarding my arrival. I could arrive the day before the tour started, relax a bit and visit the city. Or, I could arrive a few hours before the tour started and save the money of one hotel night. Well, part of my initial research showed me that Johannesburg is not a place you visit by foot. And that it is also one of the most dangerous cities in the world.

As you can imagine, I decided to book the flight to arrive the day of the start of the tour. And I did the same on my way back: my return flight departed at 11 pm the last day.

Real costs of booking a trip with Intrepid Travel

So. Money money money. The cost of this specific trip can range from 2100 to 2300€ depending on the date. In my case, when I booked it, and before the discount, the trip was 2150€. Because of the 15% off, it ended up saving 333€. But, I booked the transfers (45€ each way) and the sleeping bag (33€). And there were hidden booking fees (25€). In summary, I ended up paying, approximately, 2000€.

And yes, you are all going to scream about the hidden fees. Oh God, they are so expensive!

Sorry, but no. If you are willing to pay 2k+ for a trip, do not tell me that 25€ is too much. Some things you need to accept and booking fees usually fall within this cathegory.

I could have also tried and take the train to the starting point. And, if you are brave enough, it may be a possibility. In my case, my paranoia about the safety in Jo’burg was so high that I would not have booked the trip without the assured transfer.

The same goes for the hotel. If you wanted, you could have booked a room by yourself. Some of the people in the group did that for the last night and enjoyed a bit of a cheaper price. Of course it is more comfortable to ask a travel agent to do it for you, but if you want to save a bit more, it is a possibility.

Other (necessary) expenses at the time of booking

So, as I told before, you need your plane tickets at some point after booking your ticket with Intrepid. In my case, I spent about 450€ on the plane ticket itself. But because I asked to choose a seat, I paid about 70€ extra. At the same time, I also did not buy any extra luggage as I as traveling only with a carry on (in theory).

The final things you need to consider when getting this type of trip are: first, vaccines; and second, travel insurance.

In my case, because I got seven vaccines to go to Thailand a couple of years ago, I only needed to get an extra vaccine for HepA before departing. Depending on where do you live and where have you traveled before, you may end up needing more or less shots. The visit of the doc, the shot, and the malaria pills were about 160€. And please, do get your shots. Vaccines are good for you. They will protect you from getting sick and bringing any nasty disease back home. Trust your doctor.

Finally, it is mandatory with Intrepid Travel that you contract additional insurance. I will comment on this very often during the rest of the journal, but, for starters, you need it to join the group. So just get it. In my case, I opted for WorldNomads. I still have not had any problems and never had to claim anything back, so I can only give you my opinion on how good they are when everything goes well.

I hope to never need to give you my opinion when everything goes wrong.

Click here to continue to the first part of the trip or go back to the index of all the journals for this trip (here).

Tiny disclosure: Nothing in this post or in the following series was sponsored by any company.