I have a trip to Namibia in May of this year. First trip to Africa and I'm a little nervous about taking my guns. I'm working on getting my flights booked and am trying to decide to book tickets with American Airlines (connecting flights on different airlines) or British Airways. I'm worried about my guns getting lost with different airlines, but British Airways scares me because it goes through London. Any experience in this regard would be greatly appreciated. Am I worrying about nothing???
CWJ
1. If it were me, I would not fly with American Airlines if I had any other choice. In my opinion, they're about the rudest airline going. I have never flown British Airways with guns but from what I've heard, I would prefer to avoid it.
2. Definitely get gun insurance that covers foreign travel. If your guns really get lost, it would be an inconvenience but at least with the right insurance you'd get new ones.
3. Work through a travel agent that knows the ins and outs of airlines and is familiar with traveling with guns. I used Kathi Klimes of Wild Travel on my recent trip to South Africa.
4. I would rather fly through Germany with guns than through Great Britain.
5. My preferred route would be from the U.S.A. to Johannesburg to Namibia.
6. On my trip last fall, I found that various officials wanting "tips" had greatly increased over my previous trips. The strategy is to have some delay in getting your guns, separating you from your PH or the person meeting you at the airport and, when they have you alone, asking for a tip. Guess how much I paid? That would be $0.
7. If you have an unlocked cell phone, you can get a sim card that will allow you to make calls from over 100 countries (actually I think it's closer to 200) in Europe, Africa and other places. I used an older Blackberry that my AT&T rep unlocked for me; they won't do it with a new phone but if you have one that's 2 or 3 years old, they probably will. You can also use "Jailbreak" to unlock it yourself (I've heard about it but never used it). Sim cards can be had from Telestial.
8. Remember to take appropriate adapters so you have the right plugs to use with Namibias 220 volt current.