Abang Africa Travel (Share Africa Travel)

Placement organization

Name of organization: Abang Africa Travel (Share Africa Travel)
Town/city: Cape Town
Country: Zuid-Afrika
Website: http://www.abangafrica.com / www.shareafricatravel.com

Student

Name of student: Ariam Mengistu

Specialist area: ITMC
Placement period: 2012-2013

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Tour operator
Organization’s activities: Combining tour and travel components to create holiday. Selling holidays.
Target group of the organization: European traveller
Company culture: The work atmosphere was very familiar and relaxed. Everybody is very friendly and straightforward to each other. I have experienced a very positive climate at work.
Number of employees: 4
Dress code: casual
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working? Marketing & promotions
Brief description of your daily activities: – General Administration; answering telephone calls, e-mails
– Dealings with quote requests, bookings
– Assisting in Business development (Online marketing, Product-) www.shareafricatravel.com
– Assisting with marketing & promotional activities Share Africa Travel
– Assisting with itinerary development
– Research responsible tourism industry

Brief description of your company assignment: B2B Marketing: How to market Abang Africa Travel product in Germany?
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: Abang Africa Travel is a small tour operator was interns have lots of responsibility and are able to develop their skills. The supervisors and colleagues have great knowledge and are always willing to help/support.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Independent, flexible, representable, multitasking, confident, responsible, team player
Additional company requirements for this placement? MS Office, basic knowledge of Word press, SEO, Google Analytics, Photoshop or InDesign, HTML
English: Advanced
Spanish:
French:
German:Utile
Italian:
Other languages: Dutch can be utile

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane (Emirates)

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? www.gumtree.co.za (Marktplaats for housing)
How did you go to work every day? By Minibus (12 ZAR = 0,45€ one way)

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? No, after the first month I extended my Visa at Home Affairs. But best is it to arrange everything before departure.
Do you need a work permit? No, but if you arrange it before departure you do and costs will increase.
How did you arrange the necessary documents: It takes about 2 months when extending visa in the country, following documents are needed:

• 2x copy of passport
• 2x copy of letter of application (why do you want to stay longer, written)
• 2x copy of visa stamp IN your passport
• 2x copy of return ticket
• 2x copy of bank account that states your available funds
• 2x copy the fill in form that requests an extension

How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? Arrangements from home take at least 4 months.
Did you need certain vaccinations? Yes

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? No
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? n/a

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 800,00
Accommodation (monthly): € 335,00
Local transport (monthly): € 30,00
General costs of living (monthly): € 300,00
How long in advance did you apply for visa 2 months
Costs of visa: € 36,00
Costs of work permit: €
What did the company pay for/to you? Lunches on working days

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
–
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? In Africa you need a lot of patience, especially when you come from the Netherlands were everything happens fast and right now. Take your time to understand people around you without judging!

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: ariammengistu@outlook.com

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Don’t assume that every person is a thief but be aware.

Do not walk alone at night and only sit inside a cab after having agreed on a price before hand!
Watch you valuables! When leaving the house put your valuables in a safe, if possible.

Tipp: Working at Abang Africa Travel includes benefits such as 50% discount on all Nomad Tours (Overland tours through South Africa) and many more.

Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Try lunch at Haas & Lola’s;
Hike up Lion’s Head during Full Moon;
Braai (grill) at Mzoli’s Sunday in the township;
Do Shark Cage Diving (discount with Abang);
Jump From Highest Bridge (Bloukrans);
Fly above Cape Town, Skydiving/Paragliding;
Watch Whale (Season: May to November);
Travel to Namibia or Garden Route.

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link