Is there anything more infuriating or heart breaking than hearing that loadshedding is about to rear its unwelcome head and cause chaos while you are planning a holiday? While the blackouts are more frequent and have become a reality of life in South Africa, many are still not sure what steps to take to ensure that they are not left in the dark.
Planning and preparing is the best way to stay ahead of being left in the dark and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg, or even too many grey hairs, to set up a system that will keep you going while you are away from your creature comforts at home. Whenever you are going away for a while, it will help to have some tips at hand that you can use for preparing for a holiday that is going to include some loadshedding, and to help you get started, this is what you need to know.
Planning for a Blackout during a Holiday
- Get ahead of things with a schedule. When you are going someplace new, having a loadshedding schedule is a must if you want to make sure that you know precisely when the power is going to cut. If you are travelling to Mbombela, you can phone your Mbombela lodge and ask them for a schedule or to at least find out what area the lodge falls under (and then add the area to your loadshedding app if you are using one).
- Charge your devices. Laptops and cellphones have become a way of life for most of us, and luckily they are all battery powered so you can make sure that they are all charged and ready to be used when the power cuts.
- Fill up on petrol. When the power cuts, the petrol pumps stop working and so getting fuel can become a nightmare. Although you will probably have a full tank when you travelling it will help to make sure that the tank is constantly topped up because these days the loadshedding schedule changes so fast that sometimes you are without power for much longer than you initially thought.
- Bring along some entertainment. When it is earlier in the day and the power cuts, you can always entertain yourself and your family by visiting nearby attractions or hitting the shopping centres or restaurants. But during those hours when most shops and attractions are closed, it’ll help to have some entertainment, like board games.
- Bring some lighting. Most lodges and guesthouses don’t have a full backup system, or it might not be strong enough to power all the lights. In this case, it can help to have your own lights whether they are solar lights or battery operated lights. It is also just nice to have extra lighting when away from home.
- Finally, plan your journey carefully. Have satellite navigation or a handy map close by to make sure that you are sticking to the right route. When the night is dark it can be full of terrors in our beloved nation, so planning your route is of utmost importance.
