There is certainly no shortage of information available when planning a holiday to South Africa. In fact, I think the problem nowadays is exactly the opposite: there is so much information that it can become difficult to work out who you should actually listen to.
Having lived and worked in tourism in South Africa for more than 16 years, this is how I personally look at the different options.
Having lived and worked in tourism in South Africa for more than 16 years, this is how I personally look at the different options.
Is Google a good place to start?
Absolutely. But I wouldn't plan my entire holiday using Google.
You can find enormous amounts of information online, but very quickly you can't see the forest for the trees anymore. Information contradicts itself or is outdated, and much of what you read is produced by destinations, lodges and tourism businesses that naturally want to sell what they offer.
You can find enormous amounts of information online, but very quickly you can't see the forest for the trees anymore. Information contradicts itself or is outdated, and much of what you read is produced by destinations, lodges and tourism businesses that naturally want to sell what they offer.
Should I rely on reviews for my holiday planning?
The same principle applies to reviews. I find reviews quite useful for establishing whether a lodge or company is reputable. But they are pretty useless as a planning tool.
If someone stayed at a lodge and gave it five stars, all I really know is that they enjoyed it. They probably don't know whether the lodge next door is better, cheaper or much more suitable for you.
If someone stayed at a lodge and gave it five stars, all I really know is that they enjoyed it. They probably don't know whether the lodge next door is better, cheaper or much more suitable for you.
What about using AI such as ChatGPT?
Personally, I think AI is a big step up from doing all the online research yourself.
It can find and organise huge amounts of information in seconds, compare destinations and help you make sense of your options without opening 30 different websites.
But there is still a limitation: AI largely works with information that already exists. A lot of that information is commercially biased, even more is outdated, and some simply isn't particularly accurate.
Yes, AI can be an excellent planning assistant. But it hasn't actually driven the road, slept at the lodge or experienced the destination. And while it appears very good at planning, recommending things and putting them together for you in a suggested itinerary, that doesn't mean it is actually good advice or a suitable trip for you, as the source information the AI used might itself have been compromised.
It can find and organise huge amounts of information in seconds, compare destinations and help you make sense of your options without opening 30 different websites.
But there is still a limitation: AI largely works with information that already exists. A lot of that information is commercially biased, even more is outdated, and some simply isn't particularly accurate.
Yes, AI can be an excellent planning assistant. But it hasn't actually driven the road, slept at the lodge or experienced the destination. And while it appears very good at planning, recommending things and putting them together for you in a suggested itinerary, that doesn't mean it is actually good advice or a suitable trip for you, as the source information the AI used might itself have been compromised.
Should I ask friends who have been to South Africa?
Your friends you can trust, right? They have no other objective than providing you with honest advice, right?
Yes, you can probably trust them, but mainly, and only, about their own experience!
Ask whether they loved South Africa, whether they felt safe, whether they enjoyed self-driving and whether they would return. You want their advice to make you excited, nothing more, nothing less.
Where I would be more careful is asking them to actually plan your holiday.
Your friends may have had a fantastic three-week trip, but they have still only experienced one three-week trip. Loving a particular lodge doesn't mean they know whether somewhere else would have been even better. It certainly does NOT make them an expert!
Trust their experience, but don't mistake experience for expertise.
Yes, you can probably trust them, but mainly, and only, about their own experience!
Ask whether they loved South Africa, whether they felt safe, whether they enjoyed self-driving and whether they would return. You want their advice to make you excited, nothing more, nothing less.
Where I would be more careful is asking them to actually plan your holiday.
Your friends may have had a fantastic three-week trip, but they have still only experienced one three-week trip. Loving a particular lodge doesn't mean they know whether somewhere else would have been even better. It certainly does NOT make them an expert!
Trust their experience, but don't mistake experience for expertise.
What about Facebook groups, Reddit and travel forums?
I'm much more cautious here, and to be perfectly honest, I don't think social media groups and travel forums are suitable sources to help you plan your holiday at all!
The problem is that you often have absolutely no idea who is giving you advice. There are a lot of personalities and egos out there, and some even post content just for the sake of posting something. Someone sounding extremely confident may have travelled around South Africa for 20 years—or visited only once, or not at all!
When I look at these forums or groups, I am often astounded by the 'advice' that is given. Half of it is presented as 'expert advice' or as coming from someone with 'a lot of experience', but then the advice itself is completely wrong, simply not true or, sometimes, even unsafe.
I also like this analogy: if you have an illness, do you go to a doctor who spent 10 years of their life studying medicine and had to pass rigorous tests before they were even allowed to give you professional advice? Or do you go to an online forum where the local mailman can present himself as a health expert?
What I am trying to say is this: online forums and groups are completely unregulated, and in my experience, a lot of the information you get there is simply not true. Your holiday to South Africa is a big thing. It is going to cost a lot of money. It therefore deserves reliable information, so you can plan it properly and give yourself the best chance of everything going well.
There can also be hidden commercial interests, where someone gives you certain advice only to steer you in a particular direction so that you somehow end up booking with them.
And there is another trap I see quite often: people already have an itinerary in mind and use social media to find someone who confirms that it's a good idea. If enough people answer your question, eventually somebody will tell you what you wanted to hear.
So ask yourself: am I genuinely looking for advice, or am I actually looking for confirmation of my preconceived idea? If you fall into the first category, leave the groups and find your information elsewhere. If you fall into the latter category, by all means, stay in the groups and you'll find people who will validate you.
The problem is that you often have absolutely no idea who is giving you advice. There are a lot of personalities and egos out there, and some even post content just for the sake of posting something. Someone sounding extremely confident may have travelled around South Africa for 20 years—or visited only once, or not at all!
When I look at these forums or groups, I am often astounded by the 'advice' that is given. Half of it is presented as 'expert advice' or as coming from someone with 'a lot of experience', but then the advice itself is completely wrong, simply not true or, sometimes, even unsafe.
I also like this analogy: if you have an illness, do you go to a doctor who spent 10 years of their life studying medicine and had to pass rigorous tests before they were even allowed to give you professional advice? Or do you go to an online forum where the local mailman can present himself as a health expert?
What I am trying to say is this: online forums and groups are completely unregulated, and in my experience, a lot of the information you get there is simply not true. Your holiday to South Africa is a big thing. It is going to cost a lot of money. It therefore deserves reliable information, so you can plan it properly and give yourself the best chance of everything going well.
There can also be hidden commercial interests, where someone gives you certain advice only to steer you in a particular direction so that you somehow end up booking with them.
And there is another trap I see quite often: people already have an itinerary in mind and use social media to find someone who confirms that it's a good idea. If enough people answer your question, eventually somebody will tell you what you wanted to hear.
So ask yourself: am I genuinely looking for advice, or am I actually looking for confirmation of my preconceived idea? If you fall into the first category, leave the groups and find your information elsewhere. If you fall into the latter category, by all means, stay in the groups and you'll find people who will validate you.
Should I ask individual lodges and hotels?
For information about the lodge itself, absolutely.
For planning your whole holiday, no.
A lodge knows its own property and surroundings, but naturally wants you to stay there. It may also recommend other properties with which it has relationships. In both cases, there is a commercial bias, making them less inclined to give you completely independent advice about what is actually most suitable for you.
My simple rule would be: ask a lodge about the lodge, not necessarily how to design your holiday.
For planning your whole holiday, no.
A lodge knows its own property and surroundings, but naturally wants you to stay there. It may also recommend other properties with which it has relationships. In both cases, there is a commercial bias, making them less inclined to give you completely independent advice about what is actually most suitable for you.
My simple rule would be: ask a lodge about the lodge, not necessarily how to design your holiday.
Is a travel agent in my own country a better option?
For serious itinerary planning, I would rank a good travel professional very highly.
Unlike Google or AI, a good travel agent can listen, ask questions and help you work out what you actually want.
A client might tell me, “I want to visit Kruger.”
My question would be: “Why?”
If the answer is, “Because we want an amazing Big Five safari,” then Kruger isn't actually the requirement. A great safari is the requirement, and there may be another destination that suits that particular client much better.
That, to me, is where genuine expertise—whether from a travel agent in your home town or country, or an agency based in the country you want to visit—becomes valuable.
The limitation of travel agencies in your home town or country is often the depth of their destination knowledge. And this is where many 'big' travel agencies fall flat...
A travel agency selling holidays to Africa, Asia, America and Europe simply cannot be an expert on everything. There is no possible way: you either know a lot about a little, or a little about a lot...
Even travel agents in your home country who offer South Africa may only come here once every few years, often rushing between hotels on inspection trips rather than actually experiencing them.
If using a travel agent in your home country, look for one that specialises specifically in South Africa.
Unlike Google or AI, a good travel agent can listen, ask questions and help you work out what you actually want.
A client might tell me, “I want to visit Kruger.”
My question would be: “Why?”
If the answer is, “Because we want an amazing Big Five safari,” then Kruger isn't actually the requirement. A great safari is the requirement, and there may be another destination that suits that particular client much better.
That, to me, is where genuine expertise—whether from a travel agent in your home town or country, or an agency based in the country you want to visit—becomes valuable.
The limitation of travel agencies in your home town or country is often the depth of their destination knowledge. And this is where many 'big' travel agencies fall flat...
A travel agency selling holidays to Africa, Asia, America and Europe simply cannot be an expert on everything. There is no possible way: you either know a lot about a little, or a little about a lot...
Even travel agents in your home country who offer South Africa may only come here once every few years, often rushing between hotels on inspection trips rather than actually experiencing them.
If using a travel agent in your home country, look for one that specialises specifically in South Africa.
Is a local South African specialist the best option?
In my opinion, yes, provided you find a reputable one.
Check how long the company has existed, look for a substantial number of consistently good reviews over many years and pay attention to how professionally they communicate.
Once you've established that, I think the knowledge of a genuinely experienced local specialist is pretty much impossible to beat.
We live here. We drive these roads. We stay at the properties. We see destinations change over the years.
That last point is important. A surprising amount of information online is outdated. I'd say maybe half the information you or an AI tool finds online describes a situation as it was before COVID. Ever since, properties have changed owners or management, standards have changed, new places have opened and others have disappeared. The tourism industry changed enormously after COVID.
If you base your holiday planning on outdated information, you're going to be in for some surprises when you actually travel.
A local specialist should know the destination as it is today, and should be able to tell you details such as the quality of the beds, the friendliness of the staff and all those other little things you won't necessarily find online.
Check how long the company has existed, look for a substantial number of consistently good reviews over many years and pay attention to how professionally they communicate.
Once you've established that, I think the knowledge of a genuinely experienced local specialist is pretty much impossible to beat.
We live here. We drive these roads. We stay at the properties. We see destinations change over the years.
That last point is important. A surprising amount of information online is outdated. I'd say maybe half the information you or an AI tool finds online describes a situation as it was before COVID. Ever since, properties have changed owners or management, standards have changed, new places have opened and others have disappeared. The tourism industry changed enormously after COVID.
If you base your holiday planning on outdated information, you're going to be in for some surprises when you actually travel.
A local specialist should know the destination as it is today, and should be able to tell you details such as the quality of the beds, the friendliness of the staff and all those other little things you won't necessarily find online.
Doesn't a travel professional ultimately want me to book with them?
Of course. That's our business. And there is nothing wrong with that I think. You also wouldn't ask a Dr. "Why do I have to pay you for saving my life? Don't you like helping people?".
A good destination specialist has invested years, often decades, travelling, inspecting properties and accumulating knowledge. In some ways, it is similar to a doctor having to go through years of rigorous medical training before being able to offer professional advice. In return for using that expertise to plan your holiday, naturally we hope you will book it through us, so we can make a living and get our kids through school.
Admittedly, your trip might ultimately cost 10–15% more than booking every component yourself. But you're not simply paying someone 'to just make a few reservations'. You're paying to have access to invaluable information that puts you in a position to make better decisions about a holiday that may cost thousands and use two or three weeks of your precious annual leave.
And itinerary planning is only part of what a good travel company provides.
I'll cover the many other benefits—most of them revolving around safety, security, peace of mind and convenience—and whether using a travel agent or tour operator is actually worth the small additional cost in a separate article.
For now, my advice is simple:
Use Google and AI to research. Use friends and their experiences to get you excited. Use reviews to check reputations. But when it comes to actually designing your South African holiday, find an experienced destination specialist you trust.
A good destination specialist has invested years, often decades, travelling, inspecting properties and accumulating knowledge. In some ways, it is similar to a doctor having to go through years of rigorous medical training before being able to offer professional advice. In return for using that expertise to plan your holiday, naturally we hope you will book it through us, so we can make a living and get our kids through school.
Admittedly, your trip might ultimately cost 10–15% more than booking every component yourself. But you're not simply paying someone 'to just make a few reservations'. You're paying to have access to invaluable information that puts you in a position to make better decisions about a holiday that may cost thousands and use two or three weeks of your precious annual leave.
And itinerary planning is only part of what a good travel company provides.
I'll cover the many other benefits—most of them revolving around safety, security, peace of mind and convenience—and whether using a travel agent or tour operator is actually worth the small additional cost in a separate article.
For now, my advice is simple:
Use Google and AI to research. Use friends and their experiences to get you excited. Use reviews to check reputations. But when it comes to actually designing your South African holiday, find an experienced destination specialist you trust.
Written by Nick van de Wiel
Founder, Tailor Made Safaris
Nick has lived in South Africa for nearly two decades and has been designing tailor-made South African holidays since 2009. His advice is based on first-hand experience travelling throughout the country and looking after thousands of international visitors.
Founder, Tailor Made Safaris
Nick has lived in South Africa for nearly two decades and has been designing tailor-made South African holidays since 2009. His advice is based on first-hand experience travelling throughout the country and looking after thousands of international visitors.
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