How do you get from one country to the next?
This is quite simple, as in most cases there is public transport to the borders. At the border you get out, do the border formalities, and you get back on a bus on the other side of the border.
Occasionally, there are even long-distance buses that will drop you off on one side of the border and then wait for you on the other side after completing all border formalities. This has the advantage that you do not have to carry your big backpack across the border. I only once had the pleasure of traveling with a long-distance bus when I went from Namibia to South Africa.
The exact procedure at the borders looks more or less like this:
For the first one or two times, such border crossings are still quite complicated and frightening. But you will get routine in it. It is actually quite simple. Nevertheless, it can sometimes be quite time consuming. Again and again, it happened to me that I first of all had to find a border official and then even had to wake them up.
I found it especially funny on the border from Tanzania to Malawi – I was traveling with two traveling acquaintances at the time. The border guards were enjoying their afternoon nap with loose-fluffy Robbie Williams music.
They were not particularly disturbed by our arrival. We had to wait two hours for our visa, even though we were the only people who wanted to cross the border.
What if a proof of continuation of your journey is required at the border?
This question has long occupied me before my journey. On the information pages of the German Federal Foreign Office, it is noted in almost all countries that entry is only permitted if there is a proof of continuation of your journey. But how should you do that if you do not know when or where to leave?
Before I traveled to Uganda, I bought a cheap bus ticket from Uganda to Kenya online to show it on demand. Since then, however, no one asked for it when entering anyway, so I stopped buying tickets in advance when entering the next countries.
From my own experience and the conversations with other backpackers, I can tell you that when crossing a border over the country road, usually no one asks for it. The only ones who usually want to see proof of onward travel are airlines on international flights, since they are not allowed to board people without it.
If you want to play it safe, you can buy a cheap bus ticket online and let it expire. As airlines often do not accept a bus ticket, you can alternatively book a cancelable flight.