'A' Level Low? Fill in that gap year & grab yourself some star quality appeal in Africa!

The ‘A’ level results are in, but you’ve missed out on a place at your chosen university.  According to thisismoney.co.uk, you won’t be alone, but using your time wisely could give you star quality appeal and leave other candidates out in the cold.

Of course, there are heaps of travel opportunities around to fill in that awesome gap year, so where do we come in? OK, we don’t cover gap experiences per se, however, we do offer a host of short stint voluntours and overland trips of up to 58 days that will get you under the skin of Africa, whether its conservation or community based tourism that floats your boat.

Why not start your gap year with an overland experience and hit the open road on our 46-day Ultimate African Adventure. The positives?...

1. You’ll meet a bunch of adventure-minded people, and who knows, maybe a few safari sidekicks you can hook up with after the tour is over.
2. If you haven’t been to Africa before you’ll have a better appreciation of the differing cultures by the end of the trip, and you’ll be brimming with confidence if you’re aiming to go it alone.
3. While our voluntours are based on shorter stints you’ll still be developing a new skill set to help you shine at that all important interview - whether you’re planning to study or put your first step on the career ladder on your return home.

Before we leave you to mull over the options in our current brochure  we’d like to give a shout out to the "Keep Flying" campaign team, as they are aiming to break a Guinness World Record tomorrow (at the Vodacom Tri-Nations Test Match to be held at FNB Stadium in Soweto), by attempting to have the most flags flown in one stadium at one time.  Good luck guys we’ll be flying one too!

And as it’s Friday we couldn’t resist leaving you with this mug shot courtesy of the Skinny Backpacker – Egypt’s answer to Mr. Ed! In fact, strangely enough we think we've found the long lost brother of said camel in our current photo-library!!!

Delicious Overland Discounts & Sensational South Africa...

The World Cup is over (bummer!!!), and if you're English, as per usual, the summer's looking decidedly temperamental. Weather pundits across the UK are using phrases such as, sunny spots, drizzle, turning progressively cloudier, heavy bursts of rain and further showers.  But, before the doom and gloom sets in, why not set your sights on an overland departure in warmer climes?  Of course, there’s no need to break the bank as we’ve extended our recent promotion allowing campers to save up to 40% on our overland tours departing before 01 January 2011. So even if the clouds dampen your sunny disposition you can still look forward to an amazing adventure in Africa. As we say here in the Rainbow Nation - Just Go!!!

If you travel in August you can save 40%, in September & October 30%, and even in November and December you can still save a rip-roaring 20%!  As always, we promise, no catch, but bookings should be made by 31 August.

Delicious discounts aside, back here in Cape Town we’re continuing to fly the flag for South Africa so we thought we should leave you with some old favourites from our very own "Wild Bunch" that will have you salivating over our list of guaranteed departures in seconds...

If a Ferrari is out of your price bracket don’t worry, as an ostrich ride could be your next best option for an adrenaline rush. Yes, that’s right the sports car of the elite is in fact upholstered with our feathered friends, and you can take one for an optional test drive out in Oudtshroon – maximum speed 45kms/ph!

So you’ve done the bungee in Livingstone...what’s next? The Bloukrans Bungee in South Africa is up there as a proud Guinness World Record Holder, its dizzy heights reaching 216 metres. The adrenaline fuelled excursion comes complete with countdown and of course full body harness before victims leap into the abyss.

There’s more to Cape Town than you think! : So grab yourself some diving gear and head off in a cage for a date with the Great White – shark-tastic!

Get even closer to the wildlife: Why not voluntour and get a hands on appreciation of the work being done by the “Race Against Extinction Project in South Africa. This is one of the oldest wildlife care and conservation projects for the cheetah in Africa - and the location, at the foot of the Magaliesberg mountain range, is just awesome!

Swimming with penguins – yes we know it’s a buzz! Who could resist a dip with this group of waddling waders. If it’s for you, Simons Town on the Western Cape is where you need to head next…

Suffering From Post Tournament Depression? Join Our Cape Town Office In The "Keep Flying" Campaign

Last Sunday’s final feels like a lifetime ago, but it seems that the post World Cup blues have well and truly set in.  Zavvi.com is even claiming that up to 40% of the UK’s football fanatics are at risk of developing PTD, more commonly known at Post Tournament Depression!

Recent research by the company showed that during the competition, the average British male thought about football 43 times a day, watched nearly 30 hours of the sport on TV and spent over £400 on World Cup merchandise and entertainment…and now it’s all over, the beautiful game blues are gripping the English nation.

So what are the options?

1.  Do nothing.  Replay that disallowed goal over and over in your head.  Die-hard England fans might want to make a dart board out of Assistant referee Mauricio Espinosa to reduce heightened levels of anxiety

2. Watch & learn - Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic certainly knows his stuff when it comes to PTD!

3. Join our Cape Town office in the “Keep Flying” campaign and celebrate everything that’s great about the Rainbow Nation.

Personally we like option 3, and while we admit that the “Keep Flying” campaign has a South African slant, why not just go with the flow, fly that flag on facebook and support the great nation that bought you Nelson Mandela, fantastic safari experiences and one of the best world cup’s we’ve seen in a while.

How to get involved? Keep flying the flag. It’s a symbol of the vibrant and welcoming nature of South Africa, and a reminder, that together we can achieve anything. (Feeling better already?!!!) Grab a background, an email signature, a profile pic (for Facebook, Twitter etc). Post it, badge it, print and share it.

If you're truly passionate about the Rainbow Nation, why not just go! Book yourself on one of our guaranteed overland departures before the 31st of July, enjoy the very best of South Africa and more besides, and save 40% on July departures and 30% on August departures.

More importantly, Stay positive. Stay upbeat. Travel with the locals. Celebrate local. Greet a stranger in South Africa – a local one. Say “howzit” or “heita”. Get involved. Locally. Wear a flag. Respect the flag. Just love it. All of it, and all of us. Remember all we’ve done. Remember the beautiful game. And never forget, it’s nothing as yet.

We’ll be keeping those flags flying until 10th of August – and whatever your nation, remember footy fans, there’s always another world cup around the corner! Of course, you can't beat the officlal "Wavin' flag" anthem, so get your ears round the uplifting beats of K'naan, click through to  our online brochure  and plan your next dream trip in the Rainbow Nation: the ultimate cure for PTD sufferers across the globe!