Most people feel the urge to plan every detail of their journey in advance. Initially, I also belonged to this group of people. The first few weeks, I had planned in detail from home. When would I be where, when would I sleep where, and what would I do?
But let me tell you, this is completely unnecessary, because in the end everything turned out quite differently, and I followed my plan for exactly two days. But that is also what is so great about backpacking: That you are flexible and can decide every day what you want to do. So in the end, I wasted a lot of time planning everything upfront.
I had already booked a hostel for two days in the village Entebbe, which is located near Uganda's main airport. In addition, I had arranged a pick-up from the airport, as I would arrive in the middle of the night and had previously read that the public taxis were not all trustworthy.
When I arrived in Uganda, completely exhausted, I waited in vain for my pick-up service. The taxi drivers besieged me already. I tried to get rid of them and told them that I would be picked up at any moment. They said that I was definitely forgotten. After all, we would be in Africa. So that could not be true!
After an hour of unsuccessful waiting, I was taught a lesson. I probably had to ask one of the taxi drivers for his or her services. Fortunately, when he told me the price, I remembered that one should negotiate in Africa. Quite hesitantly, I tried to lower the price a bit. And, lo and behold, he went almost halfway down the price. What a feeling of a first achievement.
When I sat with him in his rickety vehicle, I suddenly got concerns. What if he wants to kidnap me? Why else would he have gone down so easily with the price? Luckily, those were just fantasies. He took me safely to my hostel.
It looked quite nice and was painted in bright colors. The man at the reception asked where I was coming from at the crack of dawn. When I replied, slightly annoyed, that I had been waiting for my pick-up at the airport for a while, he apologized many times. He would have completely forgotten that. Then, with a big smile on his face, he added, "T.I.A., my dear." Please what? Later I found out that "T.I.A." stands for "This is Africa", which was supposed to mean something like: Typically Africa.
I suspiciously examined my hostel room. It looked totally neglected. The room was actually completely empty, except for the dirt on the floor and a small wobbly bed. Above the bed hung a mosquito net with countless holes. Also on the window, which incidentally had no windowpane, a holey mosquito net had been mounted. From the ceiling hung a light bulb on a power cord. There was only a thin bed sheet on the bed. I threw my backpack in the corner and laid down for the first time. I wanted to sleep, but I was just too excited. Not to mention the sweaty heat of course.
Soon, I was able to meet very nice people from the hostel. On every occasion, I bombarded them with questions about traveling in Uganda and generally Africa.
After two days, according to my plan, it was actually time to move on. But at the time, I hardly dared to leave the hostel, let alone to go on the streets, stop a matatu (= minibus) and drive with it to the chaotic capital Kampala. I took another two days to recover from all the culture shock. Then I felt ready to take the next step. You see that everything is always different, anyway.
On the other hand, a plan also gives you a sense of security. And if you do not have as much time, as you need, then you should actually plan the roughest clues. The emphasis here, however, is on "the roughest".
So do not plan too detailed, but rather your most important waypoints. I would only book accommodations in advance for the first nights.
How do you choose your destinations?
I have to confess that I really only chose my first destination for the cheapest flight. In hindsight, I realized that I was really lucky with that, because Uganda is one of the most hospitable countries I have ever been to. In addition, an extraordinary number of people speak English there, as this is the official language in addition to more than 40 different local languages. Sometimes, even radio and television are broadcast in English. Thus, the language barrier was not a big problem, anymore.
Of course, I often came to small villages. There it did not look so rosy with the English language skills of the residents. But mostly, I managed to communicate with hands and feet.
If all else fails, a piece of paper and a pen can help you to write something. Often, a translation app on your phone can also be of great help. Unfortunately, these do not include all tribal languages from Africa.
In Tanzania, I tried to learn the most important phrases in Swahili. That was really helpful. Especially at the market, it is of great advantage if you know the words for numbers so that you can negotiate. In addition, you usually get a better price and a big smile when people see that you speak their language a bit.
Besides the national language, travel time also plays a role. Generally, there is a rainy season and a dry season. With my misfortune, I managed to arrive just about everywhere in the rainy season. That does not sound so great, but in the end it was half as bad. In the rainy season, most things, such as hostels, tours, etc., are much cheaper. Moreover, "rainy season" does not mean that it rains all day. It usually does so only a few hours a day. Often there are even a few dry days in a row. But if you want to play it safe, plan your trip so that you arrive in the dry season. However, this varies from country to country.
Another important point to keep in mind is the security situation in the respective countries. To do that, it is best to search the website of the Foreign Office. The security situation of a country can change very quickly.
If you want to travel on a budget, it is an advantage to choose cheaper destinations. In my opinion, this includes almost all the East and South African countries. Price differences were rather low. I felt that the country Malawi was the cheapest. The maximum amount that you could pick up at most ATMs was only 40 Euros. But that was already a decent stack of banknotes, with which one got along for a long time.
Your exact route will develop on the way. If you like it well in one place, you will certainly stay longer than planned. Also, the people you meet on the way are often crucial for the further route planning. Not only once have I partnered with other travelers for a few days or even weeks. It is important, in any case, that you do not worry too much, because it allows you to travel much more relaxed.