There are certainly pet friendly hotels in Mombasa, but just because you can bring your beloved pet with you, that doesn’t mean you should. A lot of people have difficulty leaving behind their beloved pet, whether it is a cat or dog, or have concerns about leaving it at a shelter or ‘pet hotel.’

Here are three really good reasons why you shouldn’t even consider bringing your pet to Mombasa.

Reason #1: It is hot here.

Even if you travel during the off-season, you’re going to find that life near the equator is consistently hot throughout the year. Your pet may not be used to that kind of heat, and even if you plan on leaving the cat in the hotel, that wouldn’t be too fair to the animal, would it?

Taking a small dog for a walk can put it in potential danger because it can get overheated easily and you might not even realize it.

Reason #2: Leaving it all alone in a strange room for a long period of time can lead to potential accidents.

Your beloved dog may very well be house trained, but that doesn’t mean it can’t have accidents. Dogs can get nervous, especially in a foreign environment. If you take your dog to a pet friendly hotel, keep in mind that the room you are assigned would likely have been used by other pet owners and they could’ve ‘marked their territory’ in the past. Your dog may pick up on that sent, causing it to be nervous or wanting to mark its own territory.

Reason #3: You’re going to be so busy as it is, your pet may be better off staying at home.

You want to spend a lot of time at the white, sandy beaches here in Mombasa, visiting Fort Jesus, going to Old Town, and seeing the wildlife sanctuaries. You won’t be back at the hotel very often. As a result, you’d be best served to leave your pet at home.

Planning a trip to Mombasa, Kenya can be exciting. It’s a good idea, though, no matter where you are traveling to in the world, to pay attention to what’s going on.

While Mombasa is a tropical paradise that doesn’t see many world worthy news events, there may be certain events, functions, or specials that are happening for the time you will be there. The best way to pay attention to the latest news about Mombasa is to go online and research topics about this incredible city and check out the local news sites.

How to find out more about Mombasa and the news?

Go to your favorite search engine, preferably Google as it has developed an easy way to find out news related topics, and search Mombasa and hit enter. You’ll get a long list of topics, but just above all of the search results you will see a number of text tabs. It could start with ‘Web’ on the left side and then move to images, news, and other items.

Select the ‘News’ item and you will see a variety of news topics that are directly related to Mombasa, Kenya. Some of these can be quite old, but Google tries to organize them by most relevant, which usually means most recent.

You can begin clicking on these various news items and reading about what is going on throughout the city. You might find topics about crimes that are committed in the city, but keep in mind that Mombasa is just like any other city in the world. It deals with its own crime, but most of that occurs away from the main tourist areas and hotels.

You can also find some information about tall, wooden ships that may be coming to port, other events, and interesting things that you didn’t know about before. Staying abreast of news events is a great way to maximize your enjoyment of your upcoming trip to Mombasa, Kenya.

Traveling with children can be a joy, but it can also be a nightmare. Depending on how many children you have and their age, your trip to Mombasa, Kenya for vacation could be one you will remember and cherish for the rest of your life, or one in which you will need another vacation once you get home just to unwind and relax.

Here are three tips that should help you get the most out of this trip to Mombasa when you are traveling with children.

Tip #1: Establish rules and expectations ahead of time.

If you have trouble disciplining your children, you’re going to have trouble with them on your vacation. It’s tempting for parents to threaten their children with not being able to do certain things when they are at their vacation destination, but this is rarely ever practical. That’s because if the child is denied the ability to do something, at least one of the parents will also miss out.

Instead, establish your rules and expectations before you even leave on this vacation. Older children will understand consequences, such as losing video games, television, or even spending time with friends once they return home if they are behaving poorly.

Tip #2: Plan extra times of rest during the day.

Because Mombasa sits right along the equator, the sun is incredibly hot here. As a result, you or your children could get worn out much more quickly than they do back home. It’s best to book a Mombasa Hotel that is right along the beach so that you can go back to the room, cool off, and rest during the middle of the afternoon.

Tip #3: Bring along plenty of sunscreen.

Again, because Mombasa sits right on the equator, the sun can burn you very quickly. Pack plenty of sunscreen and reapply it every hour, on the hour. This will help protect you and your children from getting severe sunburn on this trip.

Severe sunburn can make any vacation miserable for children as well as their parents.

You have probably heard about bedbugs, and maybe it’s something you’re concerned about when you go on vacation. If you’re traveling to Mombasa, Kenya in the near future, here are some things to consider with regard to bedbugs, common myths, and how to stay safe and comfortable on your entire vacation.

Bedbugs don’t often affect higher quality resorts.

The higher end hotels and resorts don’t often have to deal with bedbugs because they regularly clean their rooms. Even if somebody brings bedbugs with them, unknowingly of course, these hotels will usually address the situation quickly because the last thing they want is for these little critters to expand and spread out to other rooms.

Some hotels may try to save money.

One way for hotel to save money is by not changing sheets that don’t appear dirty, but what you’ll find in the higher quality Mombasa hotels in this great Kenyan city is that the sheets and other linens are regularly changed, even if they don’t appear to even have been slept in. For example, if you have two twin or full mattresses in the room, and if the previous people who stayed there only slept in one of the beds and the other one was never even touched. The cleaning crews will often change both full sheets and blankets properly.

You can always get extra towels.

One thing a lot of people complain about when they stay in a hotel is there aren’t enough towels available. Hotels have limited resources and aren’t going to place four or six towels in a room, even if that’s how many people will be staying there.

All you need to do is call down to the front desk and have extra towels sent up. It really is that easy.

So when you’re planning to stay in a Mombasa Hotel, focus on the higher quality ones, especially those close to the ocean. If you try to save money on a discount hotel, you could be dealing with bedbugs, dirty sheets, and other problems just like anywhere else in the world where these lower end resorts, motels, or cheap hotels are trying to save as much money as possible.

You’ve planned this vacation to Mombasa, Kenya for a long time and you can’t wait for the departure date to arrive. One thing you’ve grown accustomed to through the years, especially with your travels, is the frustration you can deal with at the airport. Having to check your bag, wait for it once you arrive, and even dealing with lost luggage can be incredibly problematic for any vacation.

While you don’t necessarily need a lot on your trip to Mombasa, you want to make sure you pack light for this trip.

Here are some tips that should help you achieve that goal, get through the airport faster, and be able to leave once you depart the plane.

Tip #1: Make sure your suitcase or bag will fit in the overhead compartment.

Some airlines have limited space in their overhead compartments and will only allow passengers to bring one carry-on bag. This could be a backpack, a small suitcase, or something else. If you’re a woman with a pocketbook, especially an oversized bag, that could very well be considered your carry-on luggage.

Make sure you condense everything down so that it will fit into one bag that will in fact fit in an overhead compartments.

Tip #2: Check with the hotel about laundry services.

If you’re staying for a week or two in Mombasa, many of the hotels there have laundry facilities and other services so you can wash some clothing after a couple of days. This will limit the amount of clothing you have to take with you, including underwear, swimsuits, and more.

Tip #3: Avoid bringing along a lot of books.

You might enjoy reading while you relax on the beach, and if you do you can certainly pick up some great books once you are in Mombasa. Taking three, four, or even five hardcover books along with you will take up space and add weight to your luggage.

Tip #4: Limit the number of shoes you take.

You will need at least one pair of comfortable walking shoes, sandals, and possibly flip-flops or water shoes for those days on the beach. Remember that Mombasa is right along the equator and the sand will get incredibly hot during the day. Make sure you have something comfortable for the beach, but don’t get carried away and take every pair of shoes you have in your closet.

If you’ve never been to a tropical destination your life, there are some sun safety tips you should take the heart. Keep in mind that Mombasa is right along the equator and, as a result, the sun is much more intense there than where you may live, especially if you live in a northern climate.

Sun Safety Tip #1: Wear plenty of sunscreen.

Rely on sunscreen that is SPF 30 or higher, at a minimum. Always apply sunscreen before you even go outside for a few minutes. Just a few minutes in the sun along the equator can cause a fair skinned individual to burn. You might not notice the burn until later in the evening, but it can significantly impact your entire visit.

Sun Safety Tip #2: Keep reapplying sunscreen.

The stronger the sunscreen, the less frequently you have to reapply it, but you should get into the habit of applying sunscreen fresh every hour. Any time you go into the water and come back out and dry off you should also reapply the sunscreen.

Sun Safety Tip #3: Wear a shirt while snorkeling.

There are water shirts that are specifically designed to help protect people when they’re snorkeling. Wear one of these. You might want to be working on your tan, but when you’re snorkeling the sun is reflecting off the surface of the water and magnifying its intensity.

Sun Safety Tip #4: Always wear sunshades.

Sunglasses, or sunshades, are important as a way to protect your eyes. Because of the intensity of the sun near the equator, it can be more difficult to see, especially when you’re spending all day down by the beach with the sun reflecting off the water. Having sunglasses that are dark enough can help you be more comfortable and keep your eyes safe.