i plan on taking a 2-3 week vacaition this summer and have been toying with going to africa. i've been looking around online and have received a bunch of scattered information. so my initial general questions are:
- where is it safe to travel alone?
- where would the weather be best during our summer?
- does south africa seem too european? i'm a surfer and so am partial to that end of the continent.

pretty vague, but am looking for any kind of advice.

second, i wanted to plug my friend's new tool. you just send a text msg to 44636 and enter your airline and flight number (i.e. "united 101") and you get the flight status and info. pretty cool if you fly a lot. more at 4info.net

lastly, i was wondering which site people generally use for flight searches. ive always used expedia or travelocity, but ive seen new ones like kayak and sidestep. flights to any part of africa are super expensive and most of the search sites don't have them listed, but advice on any flight search sites, international travel especially, would be appreciated.

thanks in advance!

but i checked it out and 4INFO is a cool tool!

My advice to you is make sure you go to the doctor and get your shots up to date. Make sure you are covered for TB, tetnus and hepatitis. I would also take some maleria pills with me ( as well as the usually gravol pills for nausea, immodium ( for the trots!) . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .
Check out the travel advisory sies for recent outbreaks. about 5 years ago the DR had a polio0 outbreak - which is rare - but I got a booster shot!