Get all of your vaccinations at least a month before you plan on arriving in Africa. You may need to carry a certificate of your yellow fever vaccination before you are allowed entry into some African nations. In addition, you will need to ask your doctor for plenty of malaria tablets to last through your entire trip.
Obtain a passport before you plan a trip to Africa. Bring your original birth certificate, one other form of identification and two small passport-sized photographs of yourself to the post office. Give yourself 4 to 6 weeks for the passport to be mailed to your home, unless you opt for the rush service, which may double the price of your passport.
Arrange for proper financing before you plan a trip to Africa, since modern banking methods and access to cash may be limited. Up until recently, Western visitors had to enter Africa with large amounts of cash, which made tourists attractive targets for violent crime. In recent years, modern banking advances have made it easier to acquire cash in Africa, but you may still encounter obstacles in rural areas or the less developed countries.
Check the website for the U.S. State Department for travel advisories for African nations before you plan your travel itinerary (see Resources below). The website allows you to check on travel warnings and alerts throughout Africa, and tells how to contact the U.S. Embassy or consulate in each country. Additional information may be available concerning terrorist alerts, health risks and entry regulations.
Keep a return plane ticket with you whenever you enter an African country. In many places, such as Nigeria, you will be refused entry into the country without one. Anyone without a return ticket back home will be viewed with extreme suspicion, and you may wind up in jail until you can produce one.
