Safety Precautions

For those of you concerned about our safety while we're in Africa, Chris and I want to assure you that we have researched this trip for more than two years and have taken every precaution to ensure that we're safe.

First, we planned our trip through a travel agent. Usually we plan our own trips, because we love the thrill of exploring new places, but this time we left it to the professionals.

They carefully planned our trip not only to ensure our safety but they've also made sure we go to the best places to view wildlife. We will be staying in very nice lodges and luxury tented camps. We'll be traveling with groups and will have professional guides the entire trip. Fortunately, we will never be in a group with more than 12 people. Who knows, with the economy and the recent swine flu outbreak, maybe we'll have our own personal safari!

Second, our friend Veronique just completed her foreign service training and will be stationed in Niger as a foreign diplomat at the end of the summer. She gave us some excellent advice and is giving us contact information of an American stationed in the Embassy in Kigali, Rwanda. We also registered our trip with the U.S. State Department. If anything happens in one of the countries we visit, the Embassy will know we are there, which makes us feel good. On a side note, it's pretty cool to know a foreign diplomat. Way to go, Vern!

Finally, we continually check the state statement department web site to ensure there are no restrictions on areas we'll visit. We also stay up to date on current affairs in Tanzania and Rwanda.

We are very excited about our trip, and we assure you we will take every measure to make sure we are safe!