Aside from spending your time on the gorgeous Mediterranean beaches, you can visit the ruins of Carthage, plenty of Roman ruins, including on of the best preserved amphitheaters at El Jem and the Saharan National Park.

The main entry point for foreign travelers is Tunis International Airport. Tickets to Tunis are quite affordable as many low cost European carriers fly here. Return adult fares from London start at €316 in mid September. If you fly from North America, you need to take a connecting flight in one of Europe’s large hubs, such as Amsterdam, London or Paris.

If you want to save money, Tunis hostels are a good choice, with private rooms starting at €10 per person per night.

The best time to visit Tunis is either in spring or in autumn, when the weather is pleasantly warm. If you plan to stay in the capital, schedule your vacation from mid-March to mid-May, while if you want to visit the Saharan regions as well, make sure to travel in November.

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The old city (the medina) with its tangled warren of streets, bustling souk and Djemaa el Fna square – itself packed with hawkers and performers and dozens of food stalls – both overwhelms and dazzles. Tickets to Marrakech are typically cheaper than Fes and cheap hotels in Marrakech are easy to come by, so this city makes a great, low-cost introduction to Morocco.

Part of the appeal of Marrakech is simply wandering the narrow alleys of the medina and taking it all in, but there are plenty of more structured experiences to be had as well. Visit the tanneries, the Koutoubia mosque and the El Bahia Palace or learn about Moroccan history and culture at the Dar Si Saïd Museum. And of course, don’t miss out on one of the most memorable experiences in Morocco, an afternoon being soaked and scrubbed in a traditional hammam.

Marrakesh also makes a great base for exploring the High Atlas or starting a trek into the Sahara, but for your first taste of Morocco, nothing beats a few days in the city of Marrakesh.

Photo by -AX-

In southern Namibia corn, fish and chicken are staples, along with rice, beans, tomatoes and couscous. Fruits, like oranges, bananas, pineapples, kiwi, and  avocado, are also available. As for Namibian meats, beef, ostrich and game meats are commonly served, along with fresh fish along the coast. Of course, what you’ll eat depends on where you go; the food in small towns, along the coast and at high end resorts will differ greatly from what you will find in the bush. Here food will be much more simple while in some towns, you’ll find a surprising amount of German influence, evidence of the fact that Namibia was once a Germany colony.

But Namibian food also has a stranger side. Actually the country serves up one of the most dangerous foods around the world.  The toxic giant bullfrog is a delicacy in its native Namibia. It is consumed whole, except for the organs. If eaten at the right time of year and only once mature,  it is benign (though maybe a little unappetizing). But if not, it can be poisonous and cause kidney failure or a burning and inflamed urethra. Of course, you can always just stick to the schnitzel if you’re not up for sampling potentially poisonous frogs.

Photo by *hiro008

If those two parameters – lots of red tape and a lengthy process – around enough to scare you off, don’t worry. There are hundreds of other great places to have wedding ceremonies around the world, and many don’t require nearly as much hoop-jumping or advance preparation.

If you’re set on Morocco though, you could try a few tactics. The first is to find a local fixer – a destination wedding specialist or a lawyer – who can help you sort through the bureaucracy.  If you book a luxury hotel, the onsite event coordinator can also help you navigate the red tape, but bear in mind this may cost more. The other option is to go through the paperwork in your home country and then have a non-legal ceremony performed in Morocco. Though the formality will be over, you can still have the wedding photos you’ve dreamed of, and then you won’t have to wait to start your honeymoon.

Photo by alexbip

Still, there are ways to plan a dream vacation in Africa. First of all, choose a less popular wild life park. Masai Mara Game Reserve (Kenya) , Selous Game Reserve (Tanzania), Okavango Delta (Botswana), Okonjima Main Camp (Namibia), Hlane Royal National Park (Swaziland), South Luangwa National Park (Zambia) or Sabi Sand Game Reserve (South Africa) are good choices, each offering unique opportunities to see wildlife. Also, try to plan the vacation during the off-season. And although it’s surely worth it to spend several week on a safari, staying for several days will allow you to combine more African experiences.

You can plan a day tour to see the wild dogs in Botswana and then go on a three-days tour of South Luangwa National Park. Because of its remote location, fewer tourists come there. The good part is that the park retains its original, unspoiled landscape.

And if you can get a chance to visit South Africa, make sure to go on a safari tour in Kruger National Park. Yes, it’s expensive but planning to go during the low-season can save a lot of money. Also, if you choose to stay in a tent or hut won’t feel like you burn holes in your pockets.

Going on an African safari is something any traveler should do at least one in their lifetime. So, why not book a flight to Africa for your next vacation?

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In addition to doing a driving safari in Kruger, you can also spend a morning or afternoon on a walking safari. Staying in a campsite in Kruger or in a hotel just outside the gates and then hiring a guide for a walking safari can be quite cheap when compared to the all-inclusive, luxury camp option. But price isn’t the only benefit. While on walking safari, you’ll move at a slower pace, see some of the area’s smaller residents, and learn about the flora and fauna of South Africa from your guide. And, you’ll get to see the animals from a new perspective – ground level.

Like all safaris, there is an element of danger on a walking safari, so good travel health insurance is even more important than usual. This is no trip to the zoo, but guides know how to read the animals for signs of aggression and when to stay away. Just imagine the adrenaline pumping through your veins when you find yourself standing face to face with a zebra..or even a lion. You’re certainly not going to get that experience in a Jeep!

Ready to get up close on your own walking safari in Kruger National Park? Check out cheap flights to South Africa.

Photo by Poo-tee-weet?

Have you ever considered visiting the Old Continent and then taking a plunge into the beautiful and exotic Black Continent?

Europe has always ranked high in the hearts of travelers. Whether you want to see beautiful landscapes, drive on fantastic roads which resemble Formula 1 circuits, visit museums or immerse in the interesting castles’ atmosphere, Europe does have it all.

This summer you can fly into London, visit the amazing city for several days and then hop on a flight to Spain. Indulge in Mediterranean cuisine and soak up the sun before you travel from Spain to Morocco .

Now that you’ve reached this interesting African country, why not choose one of the Morocco adventure tours to explore the country. The Magical Morocco tour lasts for 9 days and explores places such as Casablanca, Fes and Marrakech. It is the perfect itinerary for the firs time traveler to this area. You get to soak up the atmosphere and enjoy everything that’s special about Morocco.

But Morocco is also an excellent destination for the active travelers. An active 9-day tour can take you to the High Atlas Mountains where you can enjoy trekking and climbing. Marrakech is not overlooked either. The souks are excellent places to pick up a souvenir or try the bizarre cuisine offered here.

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For most people going to see the World Cup, they’ve been planning their trip for months. Getting tickets to the games involved a lottery about a year ago – and because airfare to South Africa from anywhere in the northern hemisphere doesn’t tend to be cheap, many people had their eye on flight deals a good year before the tournament is set to start just so they’d know when the prices moved.

But if you’re not one of those plan-ahead people, that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. You might not get the absolute cheapest prices on airfare and accommodation, but after a few days in South Africa – cheering on your country (or whatever country you’re supporting) and enjoying the general fan fest atmosphere – you’ll probably forget about the cost difference. And besides, we’re here to help make sure you don’t get completely taken advantage of, too.

We published a series of articles about 2010 World Cup travel deals, including information about finding the cheapest airfare and even what airports are in the World Cup cities in South Africa to help you get around the country. And we’ve got listings for all kinds of accommodation options for you all over South Africa, too, including cheap hotels in Cape Town and Johannesburg hostels. And of course, in addition to this Africa travel guide, there’s the one dedicated just to the host country itself – the South Africa travel guide.

We hope you have a great trip to the World Cup, and we hope the best team wins!

photo by Frames-of-Mind

Your Resident Expert

Sam D’Cruz was born and lived in England for most of his life. Picking up a keen interest in photography in his teenage years and then being inspired by renowned Australia Landscape photographer Peter Lik, Sam progressed to becoming a professional photographer specializing in travel, wildlife and commercial photography. Sam is self taught and had some help initially from National Geographic wildlife photographer John Arifin.

Sam’s journeys, largely for the purpose of travel photography contracts, have covered over 20 countries and spanned over 5 years. This has included extensively exploring South East Asia, India, Nepal, China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, Alaska, parts of USA and East Africa. His work often required travelling completely alone and having to learn local languages to get by in remote areas where foreigners are seldom seen.

Travelling the world on photography contracts has entailed climbing several challenging mountain peaks; Stok Kangri – 6,150m (Himalayas), Mt Kilimanjaro – 5,850m (Africa), Mt Kinabalu – 4,100m (Borneo), Mt Fansipan – 3,143m (Vietnam), Throng La Pass – 5,400m (Nepal), Black Tusk – 2,319m (Canada). Sam firmly believes that travelling the world has proved invaluable in gaining an insight into different places and cultures, giving a broad perspective on many different levels.

Some of Sam’s assignments included some amazing moments, such as being a passenger in a tiny aircraft flying in and out of the mountains and glaciers on the West Coast of New Zealand, hiking 10kms along an original piece of the Great Wall of China, viewing the Taj Mahal at sunrise, trekking in the middle of the night to find pythons in Northern Australia, diving the Great Barrier Reef, marveling at the Ancient ruins at Angkor Wat, Cambodia, getting up close with big game wildlife across Africa, climbing a Himalayan Peak in Northern India, seeing Monks chant an ancient Buddhist recital in the oldest temple in Tokyo, Japan just a 10 minute walk from the neon lights and sky scrapers in Tokyo and many more.

Sam has exhibited and sold work online, in Bangkok, Thailand, at several venues and in Vancouver, Canada, where he now resides. His work has been used in a multitude of mediums including; press, aid organizations, marketing material, websites, auctions, stock agencies etc. There is a long list of satisfied clients on an international platform.

Sam is working on publishing several books and looking towards the future he will continue to work on photography contracts worldwide, as well as trying to help others gain an insight into this fascinating art and produce stunning results for themselves.

Sam’s inspiration remains the same as when he first picked up a camera; the fascination of interesting subjects and the challenge of capturing a result pleasing to the eye – often by pushing the camera and lenses to their very limits.

Photographs: Sam D’Cruz

The Photography of Sam D’Cruz

The Photography of Sam D’Cruz