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Packing and clothing
Packing and clothing! We depart for B Z & SA on Sept. 9 (spending 3 days in London and 2 early days in Victoria Falls. I got a message from Tauck they are sending rolling duffel bags. We had them for K & T without the rollers. I was going to try and do this trip W/O checking a bag.....is this a reasonable goal (one carryon and backpack)? I see photos of people bundled up, are gloves, hats and puffy's necessary on this trip? Thanks ro this and any other information you can share or if. you are on this trip!!!
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Yes, you will need warm clothing.
I have managed to pare down my toiletries so that I can in fact have enough to just do check in, it involves smaller sunscreen containers which is the main challenge for us. Oh and you will need insect repellent or use wipes. Be warned that Heathrow airport remains very strict about any toiletries being in small zip lock bags. They deem unusuall things as needing to be included in these restrictions.
Can’t you take a small checked bag as well if having enough clothing is a concern?
For our Africa trips we carry everything we “need” on the airplane. We check one bag with the liquids and stuff we don’t “need” but we would like to have with us. We wear or carry aboard a complete set of safari clothes. We have witnessed several times people who have arrived with nothing but their ‘nice’ travel clothes that are not suitable for a safari. They spent several uncomfortable days before getting their luggage. As British said, the mornings can be very cold … hats, gloves, jackets.
We try to do carry-on only but we are certainly not the best dressed. On our last trip , Peru and Galapagos, some of the luggage people brought looked like refrigerator size. Some people said they felt like they needed to wear it all because they brought it. The Tauck duffles and water bottles, we had to bring, we returned to the TD because they wouldn't fit in our luggage on the return. If we had checked luggage, we wouldn't have made the connection in Miami to home.
Also, yes you do need a puffer vest for the Botswana trip, and a lightweight jacket with hood, I didn't need gloves. They provide blankets, which I did use.
Mary, you are going to love this trip, one of my Top Five Favorites. I traveled in September as well and did COO - backpack and small carry on roller bag held everything I needed. Upon leaving Zambia, Tauck stored my roller bag and replaced it with a duffel which is necessary for the internal flights on small Cessnas that service the camps in Botswana. I was reunited with my roller bag at the airport in Maun en route to Cape Town. I was never cold enough for gloves, but I was happy to have two hooded jackets (one was a puffer that I slept in under the stars in the Kalahari - Tauck provided a hot water bottle that stayed warm all night). In my experience, it was cool but never cold in the early mornings and late evenings. Wishing you the best time!
You can get by with a minimum amount of clothing because most of the places we stayed at offered laundry services & they did a great job. Tauck gave us free laundry services throughout much of the tour. I’m not sure what they’re offering now, but it’s worth checking out. They’re strict about the luggage weight during the domestic flights.
They have very warm blankets in the vehicles, but I would highly recommend gloves. This was one of my favorite trips ever!