We just returned from a trip to South Africa and wanted to pass along some travel tips and information so that your travel to South Africa for our upcoming retreats is smoother for you. The trip involved knitting under the stars around a cozy bonfire, surrounded by the warmth of different cultures and the serenity of nature in a game park. The blend of creativity, community, and cultural exchange created a truly special atmosphere.
International Flights
As mentioned on our FAQs page and in a previous post, we prefer direct flights to South Africa from where we are located in the US. We like to leverage the Google flights search capability as we find it very helpful in performing broad searches across the various airlines to see who is the fastest and cheapest. The two primary points of entry for international flights into South Africa from the western hemisphere are Johannesburg (JNB) and Cape Town (CPT).
We shared last year that we flew direct to Cape Town to see the local sights in town (and to sleep off some of the jet lag) before taking the short domestic flight to Port Elizabeth (which is also referred to as the Xhosa name of Gqeberha). This year, we first flew to Johannesburg due to business plans and to visit family before heading on a domestic flight to Port Elizabeth.
So which is better? It really depends on your preferences, budget, amount of vacation time, etc.
Inside the Airport
The airports are user friendly and relatively easy to navigate. If you’re not staying in the airport for a connecting flight to Port Elizabeth and opt to venture into Cape Town or Johannesburg for part of your vacation; please know that people may approach you to offer help with your luggage, transportation, or logistics. As with most international airports, you should ignore them. Please go to the information desk if you need assistance or have questions.
If you’re going to use an eSIM for your cell phone, you can get it at the airport. The major cell phone carriers usually have a store near where you first exit with your luggage inside the airport. You can go directly to the cellphone store and they will assist you with the purchase of data and minutes. We like to use Vodacom as our preferred cell phone provider given its coverage in the country.
Local Travel
If you need local transportation, Uber is a safe and reliable mode of transportation. Use the same safety principles and protocols as you would in your home country; such as confirming correct number plate, color, make and model of car, and the driver. We use Uber for a significant amount of transportation in the US and follow these same principles and safety protocols with each ride we take in South Africa.
For this trip, our local travel included celebrating my sister’s 50th birthday.
Domestic Flights
As mentioned on our FAQs page, a key resource that we leverage for research is FlightConnections to see all the direct flight options from any given airport; such as from Cape Town (or Johannesburg) to Port Elizabeth (PLZ). The results quickly enable us to view connecting flight carriers, their prices, and how often they fly to Port Elizabeth (which is also referred to as the Xhosa name of Gqeberha). Use PLZ as the airport code for Port Elizabeth and you should be sorted in your bookings. Once we had that information, we further narrowed down the domestic flight carriers to select FlySafair since they seemed to have better checked luggage options and fares compared to the others. Remember, domestic checked luggage policies are usually more restrictive than on international flights.
For domestic flights, we highly recommend paying for the service at the airport to wrap the bags you’ll be checking in to the domestic flight. It was 100 Rand (R) per wrapped bag and they only take cash. (R100 / 17 = $5.88 USD per bag). This wrapping helps further protect your bags and it’s contents.
We booked seats on a FlySafair flight in the second emergency exit row which was determined to be just in the second half of the plane. For boarding, the airline’s gate crew directed passengers with seats in front half of the plane to board through the front door. Since our aisle was deemed to be in the second half of the plane, we followed the second group and carried our carry-on bags across the tarmac, up a flight of stairs, entered the rear door of the plane, and then proceeded to our seats. This method is supposed to make boarding the plane more efficient overall.
Arriving at Port Elizabeth Airport
Upon arrival at Port Elizabeth airport (PLZ), we disembarked with carry on bags, strolled across the tarmac, entered the baggage claim area, and then secured our bags before exiting the airport. The following video depicts the smooth experience in more detail.
For people attending our Threaded Journeys retreats, we will pick you up from the airport and all your transportation will be covered for the entire retreat.
