Traveling to Africa!

Photos Courtesy & Copyright: South African National Park

I wish there were a way to wiggle my nose and be in Africa and not have to deal with the 20 hours of flying from JFK. The hardest part of this TRAVEL THERAPY trip is just getting there but I know this destination is more than worth the effort!I leave this afternoon headed to South Africa and while I’m there I’ll be checking out Johannesburg, Cape Town, Winemaker and Kruger National Park.

In Kruger I’m going to be working with the folks at the award-winning Siyabona Africa Travel and I’ll be staying at three different game reserves. One of the highlights is the private reserve called the Djuma Reserve  where there are no fences and the animals roam free and less than a dozen rooms to stay in so your safari experience is ultra private and authentic!

On the agenda so far for my time at Kruger while visiting the three different reserves are several early morning safaris and an evening safari as well as checking out the local culture and staying at several of the unique lodges on the reserve. 

* There are more than 2-million orphans in Malawi

 * 3 of every 10 children will die before they reach 5 years old

* HIV/AIDS has reached catastrophic proportions in Malawi

* Life expectancy is only 37 years old creating a country of orphans 

In researching my TRAVEL THERAPY book that I’m writing that’s coming out next spring and while tracking down information for the TRAVEL THERAPY TV Series that I’m in the process of developing, I’ve found there’s a growing number of people who want to do more than just relax on the beach during their vacations.

They’re interested in volunteer trips where they can experience an exotic and unique part of the world and give back at the same time. Now, that’s my kind of vacation! So I’m off to check it out.  I’m hoping to have some internet access while I’m traveling through South Africa but I hear in Malawi it will be extremely limited so please hang in there with me as I try to update this blog as much as possible on this journey.

Stay tuned because when I get home I will have some amazing stories and photos to share. I’m also taking a video camera with me to capture as many images as I possibly can. 

If you have any questions about volunteer vacations please send them my way and I would love to hear about your own experiences in Africa or one of your volunteer trips! 

Thank you for being a part of this very special TRAVEL THERAPY! For more on unique TRAVEL THERAPY destinations please check out the TRAVEL THERAPY website at www.mytraveltherapy.com and click on the other posts on this blog.     

More coming soon…