Skip to main content

Travelling to SA for business or holiday? Try these apps …

So, you’re heading to South Africa for a meeting or a conference, perhaps on short notice, and are unsure about what to expect when you get here, or how to get around? Well, luckily, there’s a piece of technology you probably have already that can help you – your smartphone.
Armed with a set of handy apps and other useful resources, you'll find your stay in South Africa to be nothing short of lekker (Afrikaans for nice/great).
Below is a list of useful technologies to take advantage of on your next business trip or holiday to South Africa:
Getting here
Seat Guru is a website that'll help you find out what seats are available for your flight, and help you choose the best one. It works for a number of international airlines, including South African Airways.
If you have a domestic flight lined up on one of South Africa's low-cost airlines, make life easier and check in on your phone. Mango has a dedicated app, while Kulula has a mobisite.
Getting around
You've landed! If you find yourself in Joburg, take the Gautrain: it's the fastest and most efficient way to get to Joburg's main centres, and to Pretoria.
Need a driver? No sweat. Uber, the app-based driver service is up and running in Joburg, Cape Town and Durban. Sign up, add your payment details, request a car and let the Uber app do the rest for you.
Waze, on the other hand, is essential if you are driving yourself around any big city. Its real-time traffic information is updated by a dedicated community, and it'll help you avoid road blocks, traffic jams and being late for your meeting.
Got some time to see the sights, but still need to be reachable via email or phone? Escape to the Cape has got you covered. Their tours of the Mother City and surrounds are done from a luxury air-conditioned vehicle equipped with satellite tracking, an on-board fridge, multiple cellphone and laptop charging facilities, 3G internet access and a laptop at your disposal.
Speak the language
English is the most widely spoken language in South Africa, but is usually the second or third language spoken by its inhabitants. To get to grips with some basic Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho or other indigenous languages, check out the uTalk series of apps, or these phrasebook apps from the University of Cape Town's Information Systems Department.
With TripLingo, another translation app, you can get live, human-powered translations to help facilitate your meetings and conversations with potential business partners. The app offers this service for Afrikaans, the mother tongue of some seven million South Africans.
Meeting time
Sometimes, you just need a place that has good coffee and decent Wi-Fi, and you have the perfect meeting venue. Luckily enough, this map of free Wi-Fi around South Africa should help.
While these are not South Africa-specific, two other handy apps for meetings are the Refresh app, which provides useful tidbits of info about the people you are about to sit down with, and Evernote, which scans business cards and automatically saves them as contacts in your phone. No need to carry a whole wad of loose cards home with you!
Rest your head
TripAdvisor is a global review platform for hotels, attractions and restaurants, and a huge number of South African businesses can be found here. Check it out before choosing your hotel, leisure activity or evening meal!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What led to VP near helicopter crash – AIB

The Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) on Tuesday clarified that the Calverton Helicopter crash that happened at Kabba Stadium, Kogi State on February, second 2019 with Vice president Yemi Osinbajo and 11 others on board to brown out or in-flight perceivability limitation because of residue or sand noticeable all around.  The AIB Commissioner Akin Olateru told columnists on Tuesday in Abuja that the event was likewise disclosed to the causal factor to incorporate Inappropriate landing method, non-adherence to organization methodology for known or foreseen brownout condition during landing and absence of hazard evaluation, restricted landing site arrangement and arranging before initiation of the flight.  The report uncovered that about 13:46hrs on February 2, 2019 the helicopter withdrew Abuja runway 22 for Kabba. On board were 12 people including the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, his escort and three team individuals (Pilot, Co-pilot and an Engineer)....
Post a Comment
Read more

Air Seychelles to launch Lagos-Dar es Salaam flights

Air Seychelles, the national airline of the Republic of Seychelles, has announced the inauguration of twice-weekly flights from Lagos to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The statement by the company said the service, commencing on December 2, 2014, would mark the next stage of growth in the airline’s regional strategy. The statement said that the Tanzanian capital would become the third destination in Air Seychelles’ Indian Ocean and African network, after Mauritius and Johannesburg. It added that the route would be operated using a two-class Airbus A320 aircraft with 16 Business Class and 120 Economy Class seats. The Chief Executive Officer, Air Seychelles, Mr. Manoj Papa, said, “We continue to build strength and depth in our global network, and the addition of Dar es Salaam, one of Africa’s fastest-growing business and tourism destinations, will enhance traffic flow to the Seychelles and beyond, fulfilling our mandate to be a key economic enabler for the Seychelles, supporting tourism a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Delta CEO Ed Bastian noted for ‘optimism, hope and confidence’

 Throughout the past year, leaders and companies across the globe have had to step up and adjust to unprecedented challenges that have affected both employees and customers, from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic to the global reckoning over historic racial inequality and injustice.   While the pandemic’s impact on the airline industry has been staggering, Delta responded with swift, decisive action under CEO Ed Bastian's leadership to put people over profits. The airline prioritized customers' and employees’ health and safety above all else and ultimately saved jobs, preserved liquidity and cash balance, and positioned Delta for the future.   In an MIT Sloan Management Review piece about leading purposefully, his leadership was summarized with a quote, “It’s people over profits. We strongly believe that if we take good care of our people, including our customers, they will take care of the bottom line for us. We needed to lean on people’s loyalty. They will put us ...
Post a Comment
Read more