WELCOME

Welcome to the Boland Travel Blog.

Here you will find all the "behind - the - scene" moments, our projects, our passions, travel experiences...and much more!
We trust that you will enjoy it and that you will come back for more! Please feel free to leave your comments. We would love to hear from you!!
The Boland Travel Team

ROSA - Registration of South Africans Abroad

What is ROSA?
It is a software programme developed by the Department of International Relations and cooperation allowing travellers to register on-line.
The information travelers register on ROSA allows the Department to assist South African citizens in event of an emergency. The registration is a free, voluntary service provided by Government (through the Department of International Relations and Cooperation). ROSA is only available to South African citizens who are travelling, living or working abroad.

ROSA is an initiative that is endorsed and supported by ASATA.

Why should I register?
Vast numbers of people who travel abroad every day do not encounter any difficulties. However, there is a growing number of South Africans who have become victims of crime, accidents, illness, death, natural/man-made disasters, civil unrest, or whose family and/or next-of-kin needed to contact them in an emergency.
By registering your trip on-line with ROSA you assist the Department to locate you during an emergency, verifying your status and liaising with your next-of-kin. Information on ROSA is not continuously monitored and will only be accessed during a declared consular emergency.

The address is http://www.dirco.gov.za/consular/index.html

ADVICE FOR SOUTH AFRICAN CITIZENS TRAVELLING ABROAD

Preparation and knowledge is the key to a successful trip!

BE PREPARED
Take time to learn about the financial, customs, political, cultural and economic environment of the destination. Learn at least a few key phrases in the target country's language. Even a modest command of the local language will go a long way. When travelling abroad the laws of the foreign country apply to everybody. South Africans are not exempt from local foreign legislation and will not receive special treatment.

PASSPORT
A combination of your South African passport and identity document are the best proof of your South African citizenship. If your passport is due to expire within the next six months or has less than two blank pages, please check with the embassy or consulate of the country of your destination for rules and restrictions regarding passport validity and expiry. Keep certified copies of your passport (including the visa pages) with you for identification purposes. Do not keep the passport and the copies in the same place. An additional precaution is to leave a copy with a relative or friend at home.

VISAS / PERMITS
A visa or permit is your permission to travel to, enter, transit or remain in a foreign country.
Always check with the travel agent and/or the Foreign Representative in SA whether a visa is required or not. Since requirements can change from time to time it is best to double check the requirements before each trip.

TRAVEL INSURANCE
It is strongly recommended that you take out travel insurance before travelling abroad. It should cover hospitalisation and related medical costs as well as a possible emergency evacuation. Depending on your age, physical condition and destination you should consider provision in the event of death. We will be able to advise you.

DRIVING ABROAD
Prospective travellers who intend driving abroad must apply for an international driving permit (IDP) These are issued by the Automobile Association of South Africa. Always ensure that you have both your original driver's licence as well as your IDP with you and keep copies (preferably certified copies) separate from the originals. South African drivers' licences are recognised in SADC countries (Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe).

You are welcome to contact any of our consultants should you require any further information on the above,

WINELANDS CLASSIC: Members day 13/10/10

This year we were again part of the annual Winelands Classic held at the Paarl Golf Club.
During the week we had a traveldesk where we could handle any enquiries on site. On
13 October we had our own Boland Travel Classic. It took a lot of hard work and planning, but it was well worth it.

In order to get everything done our day started very early. Relais Hotels and us had a wethole where we served A-M-A-Z-I-N-G cocktails. We also ran a putting competition with great prizes. All in all it was a beautiful day and the 'Seychelles' theme worked out perfectly!!
Anneke Kriek, Marianne Strydom, Yolanda Barkhuizen




Zonnette van Rooi at the Wet hole



Anneke Stroebel at the putting competition


We invited 3, 4 balls for the day and everyone seem to have enjoyed:



James Elkington, Avril Stassen, Izak Strauss, Hendrik Coetzee



Johan Snyman, Hennie le Roux, Johan Wessels, Pieter Stofberg



Tony Stern(2nd from left) and his team


The team decided that the evening function should be something spectacular and a lot of fun! We all got dressed up as air hostesses for the evening on flight BT1984. We demonstrated the inflight safety procedures.... with our own special flair and fun! We and our guests had a great time!

Air hostesses....pretty in PINK!



The safety procedures as explained here by Anneke Kriek. Your lifevest , and of course oxygen in liquid form....!!


We decided that we instead of spending money on little gifts for all our guests attending the evening function that we would rather give something back to the community. A donation was made to the Sunflower fund, a non-governmental, non-profit organisation helping all South Africans diagnosed with leukaemia and other life-threatening blood disorders. Each guest received a bandana which served as their head belt (safety belt). National bandana day was on Tuesday 12 October but we decided that there is no reason why we could not have National Bandana Evening on 13 October - all our guests joined in.

Guests supporting "Bandana Evening"

We met a lot of wonderful and interesting people this week, made lots of new friends and we look forward to again host this event in 2011. We thank everybody for their contribution in making this event a great success!

ABOUT BOLAND TRAVEL...

Boland Travel, situated in Paarl in the heart of the Winelands, was established in 1984 and has been in ownership of Mr & Mrs Ferucci since February 1989.

The Company is managed by Marianne Strydom, Managing Director. We are situated in the Ou Tuin Centre, on the corner of Breda & Van Der Lingen streets in Paarl. The Company has a staff compliment of 10. The Travel Manager is assisted by 4 consultants. We have 3 Accounts/Admin personnel and a Sales & Marketing Executive.

Boland Travel specializes in corporate travel management and our dominant position locally reflects our strength and service. Our staff members are well educated, knowledgeable and experienced and together we believe in providing premium levels of service excellence. The best reference is a satisfied customer.