54 Countries, One Passport- The African Union Passport

Africa is known to be among one of the most beautiful tourim destinations in the world preferred by many. Many investor also have an eye on this continent as it is viewed to have a lot of pontential now and in the future. Trade in and out of the continent is growing steadly with a few challenges here and there one of them being the visa requirements within african states that vary from one state to another. The decision of the African union to have an African Union E-passport is a great welcome to many more especially the African traders. The Lauch of the passport is expect in July during the next AU summit in Rwanda Kigali. What benefits are you likely to see from this launch?

Photo source. Freeimages.com/Yoshi Aka

Traders
The launch of the Afica Union Passport will facilitate free movement of goods, services and persons within the continent. This is expected to boost trade, interaction as well as social economical growth. If you are a trader you will have opportunities to venture into new markets either for raw materials or for your goods and services. The opportunities to grow your business within Africa will be boardeless and limited only to your aggressiveness and passion. Besides you will have saved more cash which you can inject to your business.

Tourists
 If this dream is realized, we are looking towards a borderless Africa and a great welcome not only to traders but tourists as well. The idea that you are goin to save a few dollars that could have been spent for a visa makes your trip cheaper, besides you will have some extra cash to explore more. You may have been deterred to visit a county due to the inaccessibility of a visa to that country, now you will not have to worry about that so long as you have the African union passport. If you had a dream of exploring your continent, you will have cheaper unlimited boardes before you.

The student
We would expect more student exchange programs as the cost is expected to go down. Hopefuly if you are a student and want to study away from home within the continet, you will have more options on the table to choose from and you will not have to worry about the cost of a visa or how to get one as it is currently.

The Locals and social Economic Development
We expect that the local will benefit more from the open boardes as they will have an opportunity to showcase their products to a larger audience. Further more the rate of money circulation will be expectd to rise, and so will be the need for infructructure, goods and services. We do expect  a lot of positives from the Lauch of this passport.

There are a lot of expection from the Launch of the AU Passport, I am one of the many who cannot wait to have this travel document. The quest for for exploration of my lovely continent will be made easier and cheaper. The lauch of free movemeny within the East African community was good news to many, this one is going to be great.

What To Consider When buying That Air Ticket

The first thing that comes to mind when you plan to pack your bags and travel the world is a plane ticket. Whether you are fying within Kenya, out of or into Kenya, air travelling is the most convenient mode of transport as it is quick and saves you a lot of time and the fatigue that comes with land or water travel. I guess you would love to go for the best deals in the market, I always do. So, what do you take into consideration when buying your ait ticket? I would love to take you through some steps that I find useful when I set out to buy my ticket to ensure i get the best deals out there.

Fare
This is the first thing to condider before you buy your air ticket. You have to ensure that the fare is affordable to enable you save enough to enjoy the rest of your trip. Research online and from various carries plying the route for the best offers in the market. Your travel agent can also advise you on the offers available in the market. Chances are you are likely to find affordadble offers to save that 50 dollar or more for an extra luxary or entertainment at your destination.

Routing
Depending on the nature of your travel, you will have to take into consideration your routing before you buy that air ticket. If you are going for a business trip, you will find direct flights more convenient though they are expensive as compared to connecting flights. You would want to be on time and refreshed before you meet your business assosciates, besides direct flights have less disruption risks as compared to connecting flights. On the other hand if you are on a tour spree you will not mind a connecting flight, it is not only cheaper but it will allow you to expolre more airports and countries if you have enough transit time and your travel documents allow it. Unless you are in a hurry to get to your destination more especially where you have to meet up with a group for your tour, I would recomend connecting flights. They are always the best for the adventurous traveller. Besides, if your flight gets disrupted for long hours during transit, you get to be put up in a good hotel at the airline's cost and you may get a chance to explore more of that country.

Luxary Verses Convenience
Some of us love travelling in luxary others for convenience, get there, do you business and get back home. Whichiever is your style, this will determine your class of travel as well as the carrier you choose. A low cost airline will not offer you the luxary of comfort and meals, but it will get you to your destination at a cheaper fare. However, you will need to consider your luggage expenses as luggage is paid separately from your ticket as well as meals and other extra services. For a more luxarious travel, you may have to part more cash for your comfort. The good thing is that your luggage allowance will be more, meals included and you have a chance to choose your special meals as well as prebook for your seat well in advance. More previleges will of course be added if you are a frequent traveller registred with the carrirer's loyalty program.

The Carrier
More and more Airlines have entered the Air Transport industry nowaday as compare to the past, and more airlines are venturing into deastinations which were never served before or had an airline monopoly. Good news for us travellers, we have many options to choose from unless our destination has only one airline in operatin in which case we have no alternative. Before buying your airticket, do your research on the services offered by each airline, their schedule intergrity and airsatey records in relation to the their airfare before getting hold of that ticket. You want to get the best deal for your money and have a memorable and delightdul experience during your trip as well.

Conditions of carriage
Most of us have this weakness when we buy good and services, we only remember the fine prints when something goes wrong. It is  higly recomendable to read that fine print about the conditios of carriage. It will guide you in regard to how much liability the airline will take in case of delays, cancellations and baggage irregurarities.Most airlines, if not all have this online for ease access, take your time and go through it. Having a clear picture of the conditions of carrige of a carrier will enable you to make an informed choice, besides  you will know your rights in case of any disruptions or irregurarities during your  trip.

Cheap is not always cheap
Cheap air tickets are only cheap if your trip goes as planned, however they attract the most expensive penalities if you have to change your date of travel. Always make a point of checking with the airline or your travel agent how flexible your ticket will be in case you decide to make some changes. The terms and conditions are also available in soft copy in case you are booking online, check on it before you click that "I agree to the terms and condition" button. This will safegurd you from a lot of inconveniences if you decide to make some changes to your travel plans later besides,you may incur extra money was not bugdeted for. On the extream side you may end up losing all your money as some tickets can not be changed nor refunded, if they are refundable you end up losing the larger percentage of your cash.

Travel documents verces Transit points
Some countries may not allow you to transit their territory depending on local gorvenment regulations, other may require you to have a transit visa for the same. These regulations may apply even when you are not entereing the country so long as you are within an airport of that country. It will be painful to buy a ticket, only to find out at the airport that you can not go via that route or  you have inadequate travel documents for your transit destination. Most of us have the habit of asking the carrier or our travel agent if we require such documentation. You will get your answers yes, however, I highly recomend that you get in touch with the relevnat immigartion authorities to ensure you have the most current information.

It is my hope that you are now more informed about your travel the next time you choose to buy that air ticket for your trip. As always, do not hesitate to get in touch in case you have a question or a contribution to make. Lets have fun and have a pleasant flight for your next adventure.

William Hills Hike

I arrived at the Bata shop near Hilton Hotel Nairobi CBD at 0706hrs, six minutes late at the meeting point where I met Jackson the organizer of the Hike by Kenya Outdoors. Jackson showed me to the van parked opposite the Bata shop where I met my hiking colleagues for the first time. We were not a big group, but from my understanding it is the smallest group the Agency has ever catered for, 14 in total. The number for me was not an issue, I was excited for the hike it has been two years since my last hike and I was looking forward to this one, besides it was my first time for the William Hills.
As promised we left Nairobi City a few minutes to 0800 am, we took the Waiyaki highway through Westlands via Limuru towards Narok. I always took this road on my way home to Kisii, seen the numerous Hills of the Mau Escarpment along the way but knew nothing much about them. Now I had an opportunity to attach every hill to a name and get to hike one of them.

The Arrival
We arrived at The Soldiers Catholic Church which is a long Narok Mai Mahiu Road where we were joined by John who was to be our guide for the day, a very Jovial and knowledgeable young man probably in his early thirties. He not only knew the names of the hills, but the history behind every hill. William Hill was named after an English explorer/elephant task businessman who was attacked long before independence by the locals. William was buried on that Hill and so the William Hill. I would have loved to see the sport where he was buried but never got to ask that question, I will make a point of asking the next time am there.

Journey begins
The arrival marked our end of vehicle travel and the beginning of foot travel. After a short introduction, we set out for the hike. We took a slopping flat road on our left about 10km to the base of the hill. I call it a sloping flat because when on it ,it is flat, from the hill summit you can see how it slops gently to the base of the hill.The weather was convenient, neither too cold nor hot and the sun was behind the clouds. It had not rained and we had no fear of wet surfaces, perfect day for hiking. We walked for about 02 hrs to the base of the hill, near a river and the first sign of settlement in the area most likely because of the source of water. The area is part of the great Rift Valley and is prone to dryness most of the year round. We were in luck to enjoy the green scenery during this wet season. The settlement has a few buildings not more that eight, one of then an Anglican Inland Church, and a village hotel (not the typical hotel you have in mind) it is more of a shade but the lady there served us with the nicest mandazi and tea with a smile. We waited here for other group members who had lagged behind before we started the ascent.

The Climb
The first few meters and was reminded that the last time I did a hike up a hill was two years ago. I was not unfit, but I was not as fit as I used to be back then, more so the sun had decided to come from behind the clouds and bit down on us. More water is what I could think of, I was however able to to keep up with the leading pack. One hour up the hill and we came across a flat of about 1km strech, we went slightly down to Osotua Capmsite. We had a break here before we started up the Hill once again.

Osotua Campsite

The hill was more steep here and the climb slow as expected. I was not as fast as I was before, a few steps and a rest, the best thing about the climb was the scenery behind us. The view of the rift valley was breath taking. This is one of the most exciting part of hiking, the scenery, it is one thing I can never exchange for anything. On our way up we met five teenage boys coming down the hill, I guess part of locals residing downhill , they were quite amazed as to where we were headed to up hill, a clear indication that not many hikers come over here.

The Summit
I finally made it up the hill to the Summit and the satisfaction of every hiker was written all over my face, and the view? I cannot put words to it, it was simply amazing. We took our snacks as we waited for the others. I came, I saw and conquered. That is how my passion for hiking was re-born after two years off the field.

The descent
The descent was faster and shorter on the opposite side of the hill. On this side there was more live, houses and farms. We made our way to the road through the farms to our waiting van by the road. We had one last stop in Limuru for a late snack before we were back to Nairobi. We arrived Nairobi at around 1900 hrs, tired but content. William Hill is one place that should be in your bucket list when visiting Kenya.