South Africa? - What do you think folks??

Greetings from dull, wet and windy Devon. Just need your thoughts / advice please. My brother and his wife are going to South Africa for 6 weeks over the Christmas / new year period and … they’ve said I could go out and join them for a couple of weeks if I’d like to! WOWWWWWWW ! Sounds amazing and since his 'phone call I’ve spent the last couple of hours shaking like a leaf and feeling a mixture of scared/excited. But I’m now wondering - could I cope with it? I’ve never flown anywhere before, so getting to the airport and all the going through customs etc would be completely new to me and I’d be doing it on my own because brother and wife are going before Christmas and I’d be going mid-late January. What about immunization? How does MS cope with that? And the heat in SA - would I be flaked out or revitalised by it - not to mention what effects the flight might have? My walking is fairly rubbish - and I use a stick these days - would I be holding them up / limiting what they want to do? I’ve also reduced my hours at work a few months ago - so would I have the energy for lots of holiday activity, sight-seeing, safari maybe??

HELP! Any thoughts / advice / personal travel experience with MS would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Hazel

Go 4 it dude!! you will kick yourself if ya dont!. airports no prob! js let them know when you go in that you may/will need a little help due to whatever you feel they need 2 know,after all they are there 4 you!! they will essort you all the way door 2 door if need be but you must tell them!! keep a close eye on yore body temp / clothing and wear a hat when you in sunlight, make the most of any shade and sit when possible, apart from that have star time and let us knoow how you whent on

i travle quite alot, js don’t be daunted! grab it do it and smile take care Julien xx

go go go go go go go go GO!!!

If your brother didn’t want you there he would not have asked and I’m sure he is aware of your limitations. Speak to your doctor about any shots. Speak to the airline and tell them you will need assistance. How you deal with heat is something only you will know - some like it some dont. Plan in advance what you think you can do each day so you don’t end up with too much on one day and even of you feel rubbish on a particular day then make sure you have a good book or kindle and sit beside the pool or just relax.

If you don’t go you will probably regret it. In fact take me with you!!!

So after all that my advice is that you should … do I really need to say it?

I hope you have a great time

JBK (slightly jealous) x

Go 4 it dude!! you’ll kick yaself if you dont airports no prob, as soon as you get in the airport find somone official who can help you tell them why you need help and what you require! after all they are there 4 you! always keep an eye on yore temp try not too overheat, use a hat whenever poss and sit when you can, js dont over do it,

i travel alot js do it grab it and smile tell us when ya get back Julien ,

HI Julian and JBK - thanks so much for your enthusiastic and encouraging responses but it would seem I got the wrong end of the stick! They rang to say they were going and I said “wow, that’s great, wouldn’t mind coming too - hehe”. The response from both was “you’d be welcome to come for a couple of weeks if you’d like to”. I sent a text saying “that would be great if it’s really ok with you two, I’ve asked work and they agreed I could have a fortnight’s hol in Jan”. Spent time this afternoon googling S Africa and getting all excited - then a text came through saying “it would only work if you met us in J’burgh for 7 days - we could then drive the 350 miles to Kruger and you could do that with us” !!! But I feel I would need a fortnight to allow some rest time - so I’ve replied and said THAT would be too much to cope with, enjoy without me and take lots of pics . The reply? “OK will do.” Maybe it’s just me being over-sensitive but it would have been nice if they’d said sorry it hadn’t worked out. Families huh!

H x

Go go go!! However, I have flown special assistance the last couple of times and the help is incredible. I did take my disability scooter right up to the plane having notified the airline at booking. The level of help I had was incredible, and we jumped every queue…sounds awful but it does really counterbalance the tiring aspect of the journey. By the way, I was not patronised in any way…we had a scream of a time me and all the OAP’s. Keep us posted.

I agree with the others go for it - also recommend airport assistance work arranged it for me while I was taken ill on business before my dx. They help you so much. I would use it again now I am dx as sure will help with the fatigue an airport can cause. You will have a great time plan in a couple of rest days. Enjoy yourself I have been to South Africa and had a wonderful time. Barney

Thank you all for your enthusiasm and encouragement - but it would seem like I got the wrong end of the stick! Brother rang to say they were going and I said “wouldn’t mind coming too - hehe”, then both of them were saying to me ‘why not come out and join us for a couple of weeks?’ Discussed with hubbie who said ‘go for it’, checked with work that I could have 2 weeks hol in Jan, then sent them a text. Spent the afternoon googling S Africa and getting excited/scared. Eventually got a reply from brother saying it would only work if I met them in J’burgh and we could then drive the 350 miles to Kruger Park and spend a week there. I said I would need a couple of weeks and some ‘rest time’ planned in, so if that wasn’t possible probably best if they went off and enjoyed their time and took lots of pics to show me later. Brothers reply? - “OK will do.” Fair enough - but I wish they’d just said ‘sorry, not really possible’ - families huh!

Sooooo what to do with 2 weeks hol to be used before 1st April???

H x

Oh hun I was getting excited for you. Maybe youcould pplan something with your hubby. Keep your chinup BBarney

Thanks Barney :slight_smile: It was quite an exciting afternoon and filled with anticipation, but all good things must come to an end! lol

Hazel x

Hazel, I just read your first post and was all excited for you until I got to your last one. I feel so deflated for you so Gawd knows how you must feel. But now you know that you are up for an adventure, can you not plan an adventure with your husband? Does not have to involve many hours in the air and 350 miles driving once you get there. A week in the winter sun would be fab, as would a long weekend at a country house hotel with spa treatments. Hope you decide to do something now and don’t let this put you off. Linda x

Thanks Linda. I feel a bit cheesed off with my brother, but can understand that I would hold them back. I just wish they’d said it wouldn’t work, rather than raise my hopes - but such is life. Yes hubbie and I might do something, we’ll have to see.

hope you’re taking care of you, as well as Rachael.

Hazel x

Oh whoops! My post didn’t appear earlier when I first did it, so tried again, and again… So sorry for all the duplication.

H x

Hazel, everything seemed exciting for a while. I went to South Africa a few years ago. It’s a beautiful place (I went to J’berg, Cape Town and Wellington) As much as it is a beautiful country I think it is a hard country to live in, health and safety is not rampant in my experience. A couple of years ago I was active and able. Currently I am using a stick and if I thought of Africa now and how I am now, i think I would not go again. It would be too challenging for me. Africa is massive and to get to a to b meant long car journeys. If the car did not have air con it was unbearable. (I went for two weeks at the beginning of January). I do recall coming back and feeling it was not a real holiday as despite the experience I was not rested. I am going to repeat what the other have said now and book something with husband/friends. Yvette

Hi Hazel,

I’ve just PM’ed you with a link that Mrs H sent to me for some lodges in Scotland. She said they were lovely and I think they look good too.

Spend those two weeks pampering yourself.

JBK x

so sorry to hear of your let down!! but like Linda says a nice country week end or longer, or may be now your reved 4 the flight, a trip somewhere a little further?!?! (yeh i got duplication isuse too) lol julien x

Yvette, Kelly, Julien - thank you so much for your messages. For 4 hours yesterday S Africa was a lovely ‘maybe’ but the reality is, I know, that MS pushes it into the ‘too difficult’ category. Soooo, time to explore what I CAN do - watch this space! :slight_smile:

Hazel x