A Few Cautionary Tales of What to Beware of as you Travel in Africa
A few practical tips for your travel in Africa involve not being taken in by scammers, starting with taxis when you first emerge from the airport. Some taxi drivers will take you for a ride, so to speak, by driving needlessly around a few extra streets to raise the fare price. Only travel in licensed taxis, and negotiate an agreed-upon fee first, and don’t pay the driver until he gets you to your correct destination. Another tip concerning taxi and rickshaw drivers, or others you may meet on the street: if they try to lure you to a particular merchant with tales of incredible bargains on items such as jewels or woven rugs. Such merchants are likely not honest, and the items will be worthless or never delivered, so shop elsewhere at more reputable stores.
A third scenario while you travel in Africa is when a taxi driver will tell you that the hotel or restaurant you want to go to is closed, but by chance, they just happen to know of a better one (for which, unbeknownst to you, they will receive a commission for steering you that way). In other cases, the hotel he takes you to will have a very similar name to the hotel you asked for; the proprietor will get you to pay ahead for several nights as well as get you to pay ahead for a few non-existent day tours. Many hotels deliberately have very similar names to the reputable hotels so they can dupe tourists.
Be wary when approached by strangers during your travel in Africa, starting with good old-fashioned pick-pocketing. Travellers may unexpectedly get splattered with bird droppings, whereupon someone will quickly approach them and clean up the mess, or a stranger will literally bump into them or accidentally spill something on them. Unfortunately, when the stranger disappears into the crowd, the traveller realizes his valuables are missing. Wearing a money belt under the clothing can deter pickpockets.
As you travel in Africa, you may be approached by men claiming to be the police, and demanding your passport, and demanding that you pay them a fine on the spot. Instead, offering to accompany them to the police station will usually put an end to the ruse. Other scams include being approached by a friendly local on the street. If someone offers you a scratch-off card, decline. All cards are winners, and you’ll be cajoled into accompanying the person to a hotel to claim your prize, so he won’t lose his job; once you arrive, you find a group of other tourists, all being pressured to buy into timeshares. Also, beware of offering to buy a stranger a drink; they can disappear when you get the bill, which could be much more expensive than you planned on.
