Next week will be my 7 year anniversary for living in South Africa. I moved here in 2012 when I met the man I later married, and I plan to be here for the long haul. With that said, here is a bit of honesty feedback for those who are interested in traveling or even moving here.
- Safety
Safety is a valid concern, but it doesn’t mean it’s a deal breaker. You have to be aware of your surroundings from the moment you step out of the airport terminal, avoid traveling alone at night and make sure to research the areas you plan to visit and stay. Certain areas are just best avoided, but that hardly limits what the country offers. Just be smart, don’t flash money around, and keep family and friends updated on your itinerary just in case. You can also report your travel plans to your relevant embassy. Pickpocketing does happen, so keep your belongings on you in a way that can’t easily be manipulated. Always make sure to be mindful of being followed, especially from the airport or after doing any shopping.
- Visa woes
Listen carefully here… Don’t position yourself to have to handle visa matters within South Africa. Handle them within your home country if you want them handled efficiently and ethically. Plus. There is a lot of confusion around a plethora of changes to immigration laws since 2012 and even some of the agencies I dealt with weren’t on the same page. Longer term visits are best prepared well in advance.
- Conviences
You can find most things you need here as far as shopping, places to eat, Uber, food delivery services, entertainment, etc. However… A lot of these places close super early. Make sure you find an area that has the conveniences you need and check the hours that the businesses tend to run. Otherwise, you might end up stuck in an area that shuts down after 8 pm.
- Internet
South Africa has made some major improvements with internet in the past few years, with Fibre being more accessible and common as its being installed in many areas. If you’re a remote professional like me, that’s music to your ears.
If your trip requires decent internet, ask whichever accommodation you’re considering what their actual speeds are and if they’re uncapped. Not all Fibre is the same, and some places will advertise that they have it, but fail to mention that they got the cheapest plan. LTE is also a popular and fast offering, and mobile coverage is affordable and fabulous in most areas.
- Streaming?
Streaming services are becoming popular here, but you may notice that your Netflix account is missing a lot, if not most, of your favorites. There are still a lot of offerings, but with Showmax being discontinued there aren’t too many alternatives. Hulu doesn’t work and they’re cracking down on VPN usage across the board. Thank goodness for YouTube.
I might expand on this at another time, but let me know what you want to know about being an expat in SA!