Airfare and Accommodations Issues Addressed

iAfrica had this great piece on airfare hikes. It is great to see that smaller lines like Kulula (also a wireless carrier for those interested in getting a phone plan) and Mango potentially offering a lower cost alternative.

One thing to note about accommodations and travel for the World Cup is that a lot of availability depends on demand patterns that will be determined after the draw on the 4th. That is one of the points made by IOL in their posting on SA's World Cup challenges. Two hundred buses and planes will be added; new roads are being built, the high-speed Gautrain in the Jo'burg-Pretoria area will be completed. The hotel room shortage may be mitigated by what they call "ungraded" beds or rooms. These would be the smaller hotels, B&Bs, and dorms. MATCH, the official FIFA partner that will sell rooms to WC fans and take 30% off the top, has signed up 55,000 rooms. In fact, FIFA has removed accommodations from its "to-do" list.

I'm still hoping to try camping in an RV or maybe renting an apartment for parts of my trip. These would certainly qualify as ungraded accommodations. One of my travel mates, Neal, has been contacting RV rental companies and they've all said they're fully booked. One has indicated that the picture may change after the draw, so we'll check back with them.

One last bit is this article from Simon Austin's blog on the BBC site. There are some great numbers in there showing that crime may not be nearly as big a threat as people think. Thanks to Neal for the tip!