1. Turn a short holiday into a long vacation.
You probably already get Thanksgiving day off, and you might also get the next day off, too. The kids will be out of school. Why not extend your fall break into a full-fledged vacation?
2. No cooking. No cleaning. (No turkey basting.)
We put ourselves through such rigmarole around the holidays. Why? On safari someone else does the cooking, cleaning, heck someone else does the driving! If you always feel like you need a vacation after Thanksgiving is over then skip the prep work and go directly to family bonding. Coincidentally, game viewing and sharing in the awe inspiring sites and culture of Africa ups the ante with family bonding and stories you and your family will relive for years to come.
3. Easily start new family traditions. (No giblets.)
I remember the first Thanksgiving our family passed on passing around giblets and headed straight for the coast instead. That Thanksgiving we had giant turkey legs on a stick while sitting on the beach and skipped the formalities for a much more memorable moment that as grown-ups , my sister and I still look back on with childhood fondness. These are the unique memories we hope to pass on to our own kids. There is no better way to do this than opening doors to the new horizons that travel provides. Coincidentally nothing brings out the amazement in the whole family like special wildlife sightings!
4. No house-guests. (Avoid your more annoying relatives.)
You know what’s great about a family safari? It doesn’t have to include your entire family! Aunt Mauve is surely going to survive without you this Thanksgiving and you can happily do without her off color comments. If she really gets offended you can always offer to show her your slideshow of how much fun you had without her! Plus when you get home, you won’t have the tornado of destruction that runs through your home when family takes up residence for the long weekend!
5. Avoid early season snowstorms to enjoy springtime conditions in Africa.
If you live in sunny California or balmy Florida, skip to #6. But for those of you who always get pounded by a nor’easter, the polar vortex or lake effect snow, remember that you can’t avoid the entire winter unless you move. However, packing up and heading out for a two-week safari while the rest of the city is still remembering how to drive in snow is a great idea! Do you really want to stay home and wager El Nino isn’t going to pan out?
6. Try a bird of a different feather – ostrich for Thanksgiving.
We’ve just hit the second half of the list and here is where I know you are going to protest, how can we give up such an important meal? We love turkey and dressing and mash potatoes and casserole and yams and pecan pie, how will the year be complete without this American tradition!? As you’ve already guessed, ostrich is the answer. This huge bird is succulent beyond what any turkey can imagine. Celebrate with a three or four course meal prepared by top chefs and complete with a desert that will give you amnesia for all other sweets. Bonus tip for wine drinkers, Ostrich and red wine are a magical combination that no turkey can compare too. Try a nice South African pinotage to complete the experience.
Flights to Africa right now are ridiculously low. Airlines are offering all sorts of great rates on their flights to Africa. We’ve had travelers tell us they booked their flights to Johannesburg for less than $765 round trip, and we are seeing equally low fares for travel in October, November and early December. You just can’t beat these rates!
8. African lions are more fascinating to watch than the Detroit Lions.
We aren’t here to debate the sanctity of the NFL or tell you that it isn’t an amazing American past time to sit around and watch football. We love football. However, on November 27th, if you the option to wake up and go on a game drive where you witness a pride of actual lions chasing a wildebeest across the Serengeti even the biggest fan’s nostalgia for Thanksgiving football will be swept away. Let’s face it even the meanest linebackers around just can’t get your heart racing the same way.
Fall, especially November and early December, is a less busy travel time in Africa. So those who choose to visit then will share their experiences with fewer visitors and probably will pay a bit less also!
10. Meals and movies on long flights to Africa make it seem shorter than driving with kids across Nebraska.
Believe it or not, sitting on an international flight across the Atlantic Ocean (with beverage service and on-demand entertainment) could be more relaxing then a driving across Nebraska to visit Grandma!