Gadling

Africa's new middle class benefits travel

Sean McLachlan — Thu, 12 May 2011 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business, Photos, Africa, Botswana, Ethiopia, Gabon, Liberia, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tunisia

Africa's middle class is growing.

The African Development Bank says one in three Africans are now middle class. While the bank's definition isn't comparable to the Western definition--the African middle class makes $2-$20 a day--the lifestyle is similar. Middle-class Africans tend to be professionals or small business owners and instead of worrying about basics such as food and shelter, their main concerns are getting better health care and getting their kids into university.

The bank says the countries with the biggest middle class are Botswana, Gabon, and Tunisia, while Liberia, Mozambique, and Rwanda have the smallest. The BBC has an interesting photo gallery profiling members of this rapidly growing class.

So how does this affect travel? With an growing middle class you get more domestic tourism, good news for non-Africans traveling in Africa. More regional airlines are cropping up, and comfortable buses provide an appealing alternative to the bone-shaking rattletraps familiar to travelers in Africa.

It also makes consumer goods easier to find. This generally means cheap Chinese exports of even worse quality than what we're accustomed to in the West, but in bigger cities quality goods are readily available. There's also an increasing number of nice restaurants and cafes geared towards locals. Internet access is also improving.

During my Ethiopian road trip and my two months living in Harar I benefited from Ethiopia's middle class. Mobile phone coverage is available everywhere except remote villages and the wilderness, and although the Internet is slow, there are Internet cafes in every town. Improved education meant there many people who could speak English and who could help me learn some Amharic and Harari. Often I could take a more comfortable "luxury" bus rather than be stuffed in a local bus with an entire village of passengers. Self-styled budget travelers may turn their nose up at spending an extra two dollars to be comfortable, but the middle class buses are quicker and you're more likely to meet someone you can talk to.

In fact, I made some good friends on the luxury bus to Harar. A group of Ethiopian pharmacy students showed me the town and gave me insights into their lives. University education is free in Ethiopia if you pass a rigorous entrance exam. The government even pays for your room and board, and you pay them back by working a government job for some time after you get out. The students I met will be setting off to villages to provide basic health care.

Nearly all these students, and in fact nearly all middle-class Africans I've met, yearn to go to the West. One even called her country "a prison". While heading to the West may be a good career move, it hurts the continent. As one African pointed out in the BBC photo gallery, the money it takes to get to Europe can start up a nice business in Africa.

Africa's new middle class benefits travel originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 12 May 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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More Independence Days to Celebrate

Jamie Rhein — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:05:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Festivals and Events, Benin, Burkina, Central African Republic, Gabon, Niger, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, France, Moldova, Ukraine, Peru, Uruguay

August is another Independence Day bonanza. The shifts of power didn't happen all at once, but 1960 was a big year. If you're in any of these countries expect a holiday. Maybe there will be fireworks or a parade or a speech or two.

August 1 - Benin gained independence from France
August 3-- Niger gained its independence from France
August 5 --Burkina Faso also gained independence from France.
August 11--Guess which country Chad gained independence from? That's right, France.
August 13--Central African Republic also gained independence from--you guessed it--France.
August 14- Pakistan from the U.K. in 1947.
August 15- India from the U.K. in 1947.
August 17- Gabon. Can you guess the country and year? If you said France and 1960, ***ding ding ding ! [Did you hear the you win bells?]
August 19- Afganistan from the U.K. in 1919. Wow, that's early.
August 24- Ukraine in 1991.
August 25- Uruguay from Brazil in 1825.
August 27- Moldova from U.S.S.R. in 1991
August 31- Kyrgystan from the U.S.S.R in 1991 and Trinidad and Tobago from the U.K. in 1962.

*The information is from the International Calendar published by the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of Madison, Wisconsin. They put this calendar together every year and other Peace Corps groups sell it as a fundraiser.

More Independence Days to Celebrate originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 01 Aug 2007 14:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mega, as in the Biggest Ever, African Adventure Trip

Jamie Rhein — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 00:30:00 EST

Filed under: Climbing, Arts and Culture, Hiking, Africa, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia

Suppose you have time-lots of it. Let's say you have 44 weeks. Perhaps you'd like to go overland from Morocco to South Africa by way of Egypt. Here's a travel adventure that will take you through 10 game parks, various cultural and historical landmarks, and enough thrills like rafting and tandem sky diving that you'll have stories to tell for years. Countries not typical as tourist hot spots are included in the mix. Angola, for example, has only allowed tourists in since 2004.

In Angola you'll see Portuguese influenced architecture and gorgeous beaches besides the 3rd largest statue of Jesus in the world. The other countries in this multi-stop, pack-in-variety approach are: Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, DRCongo Zaire, Angola, Namibia, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Egypt.

The highlights of this tour calledTrans Africa. Europe--CapeTown-Nairobi-Istanbul read like a cross between an outdoor wilderness experience, a cultural bonanza and a journey through an African history book. Read the itinerary and you might find yourself chomping to take this trip on. I sure am. R&R opportunities and the chance to luxuriate are built in. Africa Travel Center also offers shorter version African adventures where only parts of this trip are included.

* photo taken in Benguela, Angola by zokete.

Mega, as in the Biggest Ever, African Adventure Trip originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 28 Feb 2007 00:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lonely Planet's Blue List

Erik Olsen — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 16:01:00 EST

Filed under: Activism, Arts and Culture, History, Learning, Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America, Antarctica, Gabon, Tunisia, Indonesia, Camping, Books

Here at gadling, we're all about finding new travel ideas. And equally, we're about pointing you to places where those ideas are most abundant. Well, where abundance is concerned, I have just closed the covers on a cornucopia of ideas that, frankly, has me feeling a little exhausted right now.

Lonely Planet's new edition of its Blue List series is a compelling page turner that, if you're like me, will cause an immediate shortage of yellow post-its. Those post-its now cling to the inside pages of my Blue List guide, making it look a bit like a paper peacock flattened by a semi.

The Blue List guide, subtitled "The Best in Travel 2007" provides page after page of sumptuous photos and informative text about interesting places and things to do in them all over the globe. The ideas start off with a calendar section that groups together events by month. For example, December has the Festival of the Oases in Tunisia and the Hornbill Festival in India. Chances are, you'll have to Google these for more info, but they're a fine start.

Other recommendations in the book are broken out by activity, so if you are, for example, a fan of scuba diving, you can get a good idea of the top trips for bubble blowers. The books lists the Cocos Islands in Costa Rica and Chuuk lagoon in Micronesia among their top spots. Or let's say you have long believed in UFOs and want to design a trip for you and your ET-loving friends? Well, you can do that, too, with their paranormal trips section.

Then savor my favorite section, called the Go List, which breaks out LP's top picks for places to visit in the coming year. We're NOT talking Florida and Vegas here. We're talking about exotic, less-explored locales like Maluku, Indonesia and Gabon. Then there's a section on gadgets and the best places to wed and dark travel and, well, more and more.

If I have any complaints, it that while the book really whets your appetite, you don't leave feeling completly satisfied. In fact, you leave a bit hungrier than before. But as I say, maybe that's what Google, or LP's country-specific guides are there for. Either way, keeping to their fine tradition of helping you REALLY get out there, the good folks at Lonely Planet have done a fine job with this new book.

Lonely Planet's Blue List originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 15 Dec 2006 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Goin' Tribal

Erik Olsen — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 06:53:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Learning, Africa, Ethiopia, Gabon, Mongolia, Video

Just in case you missed it, the show Going Tribal runs on Discovery and is worth checking out. It was originally produced by the BBC and thus has numerous British characters, but that shouldn't keep you from watching it (jk!). The show follows former British Royal Marine Bruce Parry as he takes a month to immerse himself in the culture, language and rituals of a native community. There was a fair amount of hullaballo about how insensitive the idea is, but I have to say it all seems pretty much on the up and up. Various episodes have had Parry horseback with the Darhads in Mongolia, visit cannibals in West Paupa, practice donga with the Suri in Ethiopia, eat "rat cake" in the Himalayas and hunt in the rainforests of Gabon.

Goin' Tribal originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 15 Aug 2006 06:53:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Forget Oceans 12, See Oceans 8

Erik Olsen — Fri, 26 Nov 2004 15:57:00 EST

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Paddling, Festivals and Events, Gear, Gabon

Jow Bowermaster is a hero of mine. For years I've read his articles written for the world's best adventure mags and dreamt of taking trips like his. His current project is called Oceans 8 and seeks to explore the world's oceans from the seat of a sea kayak.

I mean, how simple an idea, and yet, how cool? Last spring, he did an expedition to western equitorial Africa. Accompanied by photographer Peter McBride and two Gabonese eco-guides, they circumnavigated Gabon Loango national park. They kayaked and portaged more than 200 miles around the park's perimeter, and saw river-swimming elephants, manatees, tarpon, surfing hippos, gorillas and more. Check out details of Bowermaster's amazing trip here.

Forget Oceans 12, See Oceans 8 originally appeared on Gadling on Fri, 26 Nov 2004 15:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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