Regarding a few comments about the difficulty new travelers face when reading some threads, I thought it may help if we offer some advice on how to best use these threads or to begin one's travels to Africa. Please add your thoughts.
The below deals with deciphering other posters opinions.

As we all know, these boards are highly subjective and terribly confusing for a newbie who must learn to cut though the bull.

One must weigh each opinion and further research:
1. the said complainer or praiser - do these folks have a record of over dramatizing or do you get the gut feeling that nothing or everything pleases them.

2. Who is this person - did they appear out of nowhere - sometimes these people have an agenda.

3. How many times are you hearing the same thing over and over from different posters - could be that there's some truth there or is it mob mentality - the African board doesn't seem to have much of that (mob mentality, that is).

4. Only you as the traveler will know what's right for you and what your specific needs are

5. If you want to get good answers come to the board a bit educated on the areas in question - it's too easy to get swayed or disjointed if you don't have a clue.

It's such an advantage to have travelers, TA's, locals and others giving advice from all sides. I appreciate that most of us feel that we can give an honest answer without getting flamed (usually)

Too funny.......i agree.

one more thing......recently there was a trip report (east africa) where the writer complained and complained and complained until the cows came home......barely, a mention of the animals or wildlife or the privilege of being in a wilderness area....

New readers may comprehend the details with a pinch of salt (or, a BAG OF SALT!!!)

Sherry,

This deserves some additional thoughts. Maybe they'll be of some use to newbies, maybe not.

I find Fodors full of very useful tidbits, but it's also full of pitfalls which are not obvious to newcomers...some of which you've mentioned. I come for the tidbits and the entertainment, and for the occasional contribution (of both information and entertainment) I can make . For trip planning, I wouldn't rely on it at all. Not because it's <i>&quot;no good&quot; </i>, but because I don't need to. And if I were a newbie, I would be unlikely to use it because it is too much like a general TA's shop-front...shelves full of confusing brochures, and a person behind the counter who is often just as confusing for commercial reasons and/or because he's inexpert.

However, quite a few people obviously do a lot of their planning, if not all of it, through Fodors. That is easy to understand. Most of the regulars in this forum could draw up an itinerary which would please most people, and not only please them, but prompt them to return. Each of us would draw up a different itinerary...some quite similar, but some quite different, with cost being the only truly significant factor which might turn some in a different direction. Almost all of these first-time Africa travellers would finish their safari with a <i>WOW!</i>. Why? Because it is Africa.

That's my opinion, anyway. And that's all it is, an opinion

John

I use this forum primarily for <i>ideas</i>. For me, it is the principal of two heads are better than one.

I also found great comfort in the Africa forum when I was planning my first safari. I was excited and extremely nervous. I'm sure I asked ridiculous questions, but people here were kind enough to take them seriously, and help me overcome my anxiety.

Lastly -- I would never have gone to Tanzania last year if it hadn't been for the people on this forum. I had torn my ACL on a trip last spring, and had ACL reconstructive surgery towards the end of June. Two days before my surgery, I posted here expressing my disappointment that I would need to cancel my September safari. Several people responded, encouraging me not to be too hasty in canceling the trip. Since I had no idea of what to expect on a safari, I would definately have canceled if it hadn't been for the encouragement I received on this forum. I will be eternally grateful for the support and encouragement of virtual strangers -- or should I say - virtual friends. Thank you so very much.

But a committee can and usually does bog things down, nevermind! Nothing truer.

However, on a more serious note, yes, the kind of encouragement you received is probably the best thing about Fodors, and it's great that you mentioned it.

John

it's to bad that fodors doesn't work with a sophisticated forum that allows people to see a users profile, post count, and even thumbs ups and downs... That would make it easier for newcomers to value the opinions and comments of all the different users....

Sorry John, as one of those new safari goers as of last year who stumbled onto this wonderful forum, I respectfully disagree re. gathering info. here being worth only &quot;tidbits.&quot;

There so many things I would never have known from just looking at websites or making queries--both of which I had spent many confusing hours doing before finding my way here.

Perhaps your opinion is from the perspective of an experienced safari goer for which this board has limited learning value and is more of a &quot;chat&quot; room where you relay your experiences and as a venue to show wonderful pictures.

There are so many things I didn't know about going on safari that I found out here. Some camps are fenced. It can be crowded in some places at certain times. Game walks and night drives are not offered in many areas. You might be stuck in a crowded pop up van rather than in an open vehicle unless you check. Even elelphants are not a slam dunk at certain times of the year in some areas. Baiting is done to attract predators at some lodges.

And that's just for starters.

Reputable-and knowledgeable (not always a given) operators would honestly answer these kinds of questins. But you have to know to ask.

Yes, you have to do your own due diligence, and when the wonderful people here would offer a suggestion, you bet I did additional research to corroborate what was being suggested.

For the experienced safari goer, this venue is more of a off line chat room in which to share experiences and pictures. An awful lot of useful information is conveyed even there.

But then, maybe I'm a &quot;tidbit&quot; junkie.

Jim

You're right, of course, Jim. Fodors is different things to different people, and my view of it is nothing more than that. I still can't imagine my using it for my first safari, but you never know!

John

I find info gained from Forums to be invaluable. I always take it with a grain of salt though as I realize that &quot;one man's meat is another man's poison&quot;. With a careful read, one can gain a sense of where a poster is coming from and weight the proferred advice accordingly.

As a newbie, and a person planning my first safari, I must credit this forum with several things. It has given me real details that all the colorful and well-scripted TA info left out, about lodges, transportation, migration location, to mention just a few. Through this forum, one thing I found out about is that the drive from the Serengeti to Arusha is arduous and long has made me add a little to the budget so we can fly at least one direction.

A couple of the operators recommended here, who I had found prior to Fodor's, sent me itineraries that had us staying no where near the heart of the migration, and sending us to the Selous (upon my un-informed request), without mentioning the very high temperatures (our trip is planned for January) After gleaning some fair knowledge on this site, I asked these operators about these two issues, and they just blew me off, for lack of a better description. It turns out one of the TA's I had been dealing with had only been to Africa once.

So, thank you to this forum and all its contributors, my planning has been fun and, I believe, better informed. At least here you get everyone's opinions right up front - with all their variety, slant, bias - what have you - which IMHO, is excellent.

One of the first things, new travellers should do is read up &quot;trip reports&quot; from the trip report archives thread.....i'm sure it's time consuming to read all that info before making a decision, but, necessary....

I think we probably have trip reports on every major safari destination around these boards?

Hari

I too am a newbie safari goer (depart 3 March 2007 for No. Tz circuit) who has lurked on this board for a long time and I've gleaned lots and lots and lots of excellent information, great tidbits and quite a few chuckles to boot.

This is the best informational and most up to date info that I can find out there, and due to that I fact, I do listen to what people say. However, I and most other people, even newbies aren't idiots.

Cybor: yes, basic questions get asked time and time again. Perhaps it would be a good idea to explain how this whole board works and how to research a thread. As a lurker, I've had the priviledge of letting other people ask the basic and oft repeated questions and have sorta figured out how to use this board. Not all of us are totally computer savvy.

John: How did you plan your 1st safari? It's one thing to be a 1st time traveller to a foreign country, another to being a 1st time traveller to Africa. Big difference.

Yes, you have to use due dilligence and several bags of salt, but let's face it, Africa is a huge continent...where, what, when to go, see and do etc. Had it not been for this board I wouldn't have even known what questions to ask!!!

I thank all for their input (even the complainers who never cease to amaze me), but especially the great positive energy regarding a place that most on this board obviously truly love. I'm taking the postman's approach to Africa; neither rain, tse tse, bad knees, expensive meds etc will stop me. And if I get stuck in the bottom of the Crater and have to overnight down there, wow, I should be so lucky!!!

travelnat,

I was lucky to the extent that I knew exactly where I wanted to go. It was my first trip outside Australia (except to the near-neighbours of New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, which hardly count as foreign countries...PNG was a territory of Australia when I was there).

Sorry, travelnat...twitchy finger.

To finish my reply...I'd done a lot of reading about Africa over many years, so it wasn't a matter of conscious research for a trip but just great interest in the continent.

So when I eventually (and suddenly) decided to go, I knew which places I wanted to see. After throwing out a lot of glossy TA brochures because they were like so much junk mail, I saw an advertisement placed by a specialist safari agent and went to them. They gave me what I asked for with minimum fuss, with one minor adjustment to suit my budget. I've used them ever since.

John

John,

I actually like collecting all the &quot;TA brochures&quot;....i have a pile of them!!! also, bring back all the brochures and stuff they have at camps for you to take with you. The CCA and WS catelogues are close to coffee table style books....

Hari

As a one time safari goer I believe this forum can be relied on for all aspects of planning. We had a great trip to Africa solely because of this forum. I quickly learned where to go (my fairly extensive research on the internet had told me to go to Namibia in August because of the waterholes.) I only learned about the Migration and the Mara because of posting the &quot;where to go in August&quot; question here. Jasher and Thit_Cho quickly steered me to Kenya. I believe the &quot;Committee&quot; here by and large does a great job of helping someone do all their planning.

IMHO

Kevin

P.S. Using LyndaS's trip report index is especially helpful for East Africa.
Also, folk like Shaytay appear to be very good at impartially helping the person decide between East and Southern Africa

Thanks for your kind words, Kevin. A lot of Africa travelers concentrate on either Eastern or Southern Africa. I've split my time between both and love aspects of each area. A &quot;first timer&quot; should weigh those aspects against their expectations and decide where their &quot;trip of a lifetime&quot; will take them. As most of us know, it will probably turn out to be only their first trip to Africa!

Yes! And then there is Rocco's unbridled enthusiasm for, and knowledge of, Zambia (and now, it appears, Botswana).

I am embarassed to say I did not even know where Zambia was until finding my way here. And rather than finding confusion on this forum, we finally found focus and answers to questions that, previously, we had not even known to ask. The biggest problem I wrestle with now is how to go back to some of those wonderful places in Zambia and be with those wonderful new friends we met there, and also to add to them all those exciting places described here we've yet to explore.

Jim

Hari,

Yes, I love the substantial magazine and book-style brochures of the specialists...I order my agent's annual publication whether I'm planning a trip or not...but the glossy folded mass-market stuff which you find on racks in TA shopfronts? No.

John