The central and southern regions of Africa contain dense jungles and rainforests as well as steppe land and savanna plains and the climate ranges from tropical to sub-arctic. Despite the harsh land and climate, and the fact that Sub-Saharan Africa is the poorest region in the world, it is home to over 770 million people as well as some of the least developed countries in the world. Over the last 40 years there has been a significant growth in population - in some African nations, more than 50% of the population is under the age of 25. With a growth rate of 2.3%, the United Nations has predicted that the population will grow to 1.5 billion by the year 2050. However large the numbers may look on paper, Africa holds only 10% of the world's population, but includes 60% of all people living with HIV: 68% of adults and nearly 90% of children! According to the 2003 Human Development Report by the United Nations, the 25 nations ranked at the very bottom were all African nations - around 80% of Zimbabweans are unemployed. On the other hand, a few Sub-Saharan countries have done very well, primarily Botswana and South Africa. Botswana's capital, Gaborone, is one of the world's fastest growing cities and over 25% of the country's budget is used to continuously improve the city's infrastructure. Additionally, South Africa has the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (one of the major stock exchanges of the entire continent), and is the leading producer of gold and diamonds throughout the world.

Africa is the most multilingual continent in the world - most reports list at least 1,000 different languages throughout the enormous landmass. While most are of African origin, several European languages thrive as well. Of the four major language families found in Africa, the Niger-Congo language envelops most of the Sub-Saharan region and is most likely the largest language family in the world. The major subgroups of the Niger-Congo language are the Kordofanian, Mande, and Atlantic-Congo languages. Apparently, it is not uncommon for people to speak several African languages as well as one or even two European languages.

Political leaders and citizens generally have little or no experience in allotting resources, opportunities, and power fairly and efficiently, which has lead to widespread turbulence. Some 200,000 children and around 100,000 women are currently enslaved in the sex and labor markets, and these numbers do not include the children forced to work as soldiers. Agriculture is one of the major sources of livelihood within the continent, with nearly two-thirds of the population growing and producing their own food.

While suggestions from friends are always welcome, don't base you decisions upon what other people have done. They may have absolutely hated New Zealand - but it might have rained on their "highlight" days. Unlucky. If you go, you might just love it - millions have and continue to do so every year.

Visit several travel agents and obtain brochures on your destination. Each agent might have loyalty to one tour company and may not offer you information on a competitor that might just cater to older clientèle. Shop around.

Look at the websites of the companies you are considering. Look at the photos contained there - do they show teenagers riding camels, or seniors riding camels?

What is Your Budget?

While cost should not be the most important consideration for seniors, it will quickly cut a swathe through the list of products on offer. Many companies will offer the same itinerary - but the price is very different. Why? The answer is usually that the hotels used are of a lower standard and may be a little out of town. Big deal! The sheets and showers will be clean, and a walk into town should not be an issue unless you have mobility problems.

Another big price differentiator is "inclusions". Find out what meals, excursions and entry fees are included, and how many will see you putting your hand in your pocket. Quite often it is more economical to take the more expensive option and have all of these "extras" prepaid - at least you will have a better idea of your on-tour expenses this way.

How Active Are You - Be Honest!

When you look at an itinerary, take into consideration the number of times you will get on and off the coach every day. You will very likely be boarding early in the morning - off and on again for a coffee and bathroom stop - off and on again for a photo stop - off and on again for a lunch stop - off and on again for a visit to an attraction - off and on again for afternoon coffee - off late in the day for your overnight accommodation. And then you will do it all again the following day. Will your sore hip, knee, back etc cope with this? If the answer is "no", then you really need to consider your itinerary very carefully.

It is very disappointing to travel a long way to find that while your mind is willing, your body is letting you down. Perhaps a cruise will suit you better, on a tour where you spend more than one night at a location will afford you some "recovery" time.

Mobility Aids

If you have a walker, or collapsible wheelchair, will you be able to take these? Usually if you require such aids, you will need to be accompanied by a "carer", whether this is your spouse, family member or paid companion. If tour companies know in advance, it is possible to take these items. Do let them know - if they are aware of special requirements, they can make sure you do not have to negotiate obstacles like stairs at hotels and showers over baths.

Willing to Share?

Some tour companies offer the choice to single travelers of sharing a twin room with another single of the same sex. This works well very often, but before you decide to go this way, bear in mind the biggest problem that these people encounter…. Snoring! Do you snore? How would you feel if the person in the bed next to your snored all night? If you picture this as a tour-destroying problem, whether you are the snorer the one lying awake each night, the best advice here is to choose to pay for a single room, or simply take ear plugs.

Happy Touring!

Kerry Anne Finch is an accomplished marketer, with proven successes in corporate and NFP PR, event management and hugely successful product launch programs.

She has worked in the private sector for many years, in fields as varied as celebrity calender publication (notably Anne Geddes, Kylie Minogue and Elle Macpherson Calenders) to education and food ingredients. Her versatility as a writer has seen her in demand for the production of media releases, health reports, staff, consumer and B2B newsletters, and direct marketing material.

Currently Kerry divides her time between writing and gathering material through her role as a tour director, managing tour groups in West Australia and New Zealand. The life experiences related by her passengers has shown her that just about everyone has a story to tell.

With a love of research, Kerry's passion is to "look behind the news" to bring out the background to a story into the foreground. Her marketing, writing and research skills combine to present such information in a way to which audiences with a broad demographic profiles can relate. Visit her website at Kerryannefinch.com .