Virgin Atlantic are running a flight special from London to South Africa, which ends on Tuesday, 20th March 2012.

Virgin London to South Africa

The flight special includes:

• London to Johannnesburg from £619

• London to Cape Town from £599

Prices subject to change (perhaps even by the time you read this!)

Prices to other parts of the world are:

New York from £399
Boston  from £399
Washington from £399
Chicago from £399
Miami from £429
Los Angeles from £449
San Francisco from £469
Shanghai from £499
Delhi from £499
Tokyo from £549
Hong Kong from £539
Nairobi from £429
Accra from £519
Dubai from £399
Vancouver from £599
Antigua from £499
Barbados from £499
St. Lucia from £499
Grenada from £499
Tobago from £499
Orlando from £459
Las Vegas from £599

1. The fares and book by date shown above are correct as of 16 March 2012, but are subject to change or extension depending on take up and market conditions. Due to the nature of the market, it is possible that flight fares may be available at a cheaper price at a later date. 
   

2. Additional departure taxes may be payable locally.

3. The fares detailed above are strictly subject to availability and are offered on a first come, first served basis. The number of seats available on each flight at the fare detailed above is restricted and it is possible that the seats allocated on a particular flight may be fully booked, even though seats are still available in other booking classes. Some flights may have no availability on certain dates and popular dates (i.e. weekends, school and public holidays) will fill quickly.
   

4. The fares detailed above are for outbound travel on selected dates: a. Round trips are permitted. b. Round trips where the destination of the outward sector and the departure point of the return sector differ are permitted. c. One way trips are not permitted. d. Trips including sectors on airlines other than Virgin Atlantic including codeshares are not permitted.
   

5. Minimum stay is one Saturday night from date. Maximum stay is 12 months for Economy.
   

6. Stopovers and open-date returns are not permitted.
   

7. Children (under 12) and infants (under 2) who require a seat pay 75% of the full adult fare. Alternatively infants (under 2) who do not require a seat pay 10% of the full adult fare (exclusive of passenger taxes, fees and surcharges).
   

8. Once a booking has been confirmed a. Date changes are permitted for a charge of £120 per ticket in Economy. b. Cancellations are not permitted. c. No compensation and/or refund will be made available. d. Route or name changes are not permitted.
   

9. Flying Club miles, bonus miles and tier points are available on selected flights. Please check at time of booking.
   

10. Virgin Atlantic's published Conditions of Carriage apply (subject to change from time to time) and are available from Virgin Atlantic.
    

11. Once tickets have been issued Virgin Atlantic shall not be liable for any failure to comply with its obligations caused by (but not limited to) weather conditions, fire, flood, strike, hurricane, industrial dispute, war, terrorist activity, hostilities, political unrest, riots, civil commotion, or any other circumstances beyond the control of Virgin Atlantic.
    

12. These Terms and Conditions are subject to English Law and the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

Strand Tower Hotel in Cape Town from R683 per couple per night

On the weekend I read a blog entry from somebody who does a daily commute on the Gautrain, from Centurion to Sandton. He mentions how the train has grown in popularity & got so full recently that "passengers cramp in the entry- and walkways" (sounds much like London's tubes in the morning), but that the air conditioning cant keep up.

Last Friday a Kenya Airways flight from Johannsburg to Nairobi was aborted after an hour due to a cabin pressure malfunction, and returned safely to O.R. Tambo International Airport.

I enjoyed reading this thread on what travel is like for a shy introvert - here's an extract:

"I consider myself shy and introverted (more on that later). I spent about 10 years waiting to meet someone who I could travel with. In the end I gave up waiting and did it by myself.

I've travelled in Hong Kong, China, Egypt, USA, UK and Paris.

In China and Egypt I did group tours with Intrepid. Their tours are usually small groups of people (around 12) who aren't looking for a tour of the local bars. Usually a bit more mature and usually full of Kiwis and Aussies. My first day away from home sucked balls. I emailed a friend that "I really want to get on the next flight home". She replied "If you do, I'll kick your ass and put you on the next flight back to Hong Kong". Best email ever.

As soon as the group met up and went out to dinner I was fine. I met two American girls on the trip who I hung out with most of the time and even went to the USA and stayed with one of them the following Christmas. Travelling by myself I got a room to myself, although usually you share with someone (of the same gender) if you are travelling alone.

Egypt was a little different. Didn't really make any 'special' friends, and most of the rest of the group were in couples. I had a room mate but he was pretty sick most of the trip, and had other friends on the tour. Towards the end he figured out I wasn't such a nerd after all, and we got on okay.

I travelled to London, Paris, LA and New York alone. For me the key was having a plan. I'm into theatre and I'd usually start the day by buying tickets to a show that evening. That meant I had a plan for the day and a place to be in the evening. By the time I'd spent all day exploring, having dinner and then watching a show, I was too exhausted to worry about being lonely.

If there is one thing I wish I'd done differently its scheduling some 'alone' time. Maybe a rest day, or a night in a hotel room rather than a hostel. Especially after a long period of 'group' travelling.

The best definition I've learnt for Introverts and Extroverts is that Extroverts are energised by other people, whereas Introverts are energised by time alone. Learning this was a lightbulb moment for me. I am so much happier when I know I just need to schedule some alone time, and that its okay (for me) to not want to go out to a party on Friday night because I need to take time out to recharge."