Oh Ghana, sweet sweet Ghana. You finally made it back to the motherland – akwaaba.
Or maybe this is your first time traveling to Ghana – you are still most welcome. Now before you go and roam around here are 5 tips to help you have a pleasant stay.
1. Be prepared for traffic when traveling to Ghana
Accra is probably one of the most choked and busiest places you will come across. Depending on where you take off from you can be stuck in traffic for several hours if you’re unlucky. It is always advisable to plan how your daily schedule could look like. I suggest you try not to join the main traffic streams during rush hour.
There is usually rush hour between the times of 5 pm and 7 pm where you do not want to get caught up in.
Google Maps has been a great helper and friend in need to estimate your time of arrival. Picking alternative routes to your destination will also be shown – a big recommendation!
2. It can get noisy & people are very loud
If you are not aware of the noise that will come your way you will be surprised. Accra tends to be very loud on many different occasions. When maneuvering through traffic you hear all different kinds of noises.
Almost every restaurant plays loud music and not to mention Ghanaians themselves. You will often come across conversations being held at a very loud volume. Ghanaians are definitely very expressive and loud people.
Note that the loud and animated talking does not mean the person is angry. Depending on which dialect the person is speaking it can even sound like they are fighting or rightly upset about something when that’s definitely not the case!
When talking about learning new ways in cross-cultural experiences is mostly doesn’t mean the different food or environmental changes. It’s small things like how people talk and interact with you that cause you to have a strong reaction to it. I can only encourage you to be open-minded and embrace the different approaches.
3. It is important to stay connected in Ghana
It is very important to be in touch with the right people. You will get most of the insider information from people who stay around or know how to get things. Life can become way harder than necessary without getting in touch with the right people.
It is advisable to follow some informative pages on Instagram like @iloveghana and connect with people via social media. This will always help you stay up to date with social events and the coolest hotspots to be at.
Depending on what kind of people you’re looking forward to connecting to there are also some great spots to hang around when you’re traveling to Ghana.
4. Your days tend to go a bit slower
I had to learn this lesson the hard way. I’m not sure if anyone can relate to me but when I started planning my day-to-day activities in the beginning I would load my whole day which long to-do lists. Planning to work on it, one by one.
I would come home in the evening and get so frustrated about achieving only 3 of my 10 points on my to-do list. It is highly advisable (!!) to not load your days with loads of activities. You will come home at the end of the day feeling unfulfilled and frustrated. So take it easy and take it one day at a time.
5. Let's talk about customer service...
I mean what should I say.. You’re lucky I’m telling you about it now before traveling to Ghana.
When coming from Western Cultures you are probably used to a very high standard of customer service. Your food comes quickly, the waiter responds quickly and customers always feel like a top priority.
It’s not the same in Ghana. You need to have a lot of patience and be persistent. Do not get frustrated and stay friendly. Always keep in the back of your mind that you’re just used to a different level of standard and that the idea of customer service varies from every country you visit.
May I simply say what a relief to find someone that actually
understands what they are discussing over the internet.
You actually know how to bring a problem to light and make it important.
More people need to look at this and understand this side
of the story. I was surprised you’re not more popular because you most certainly have the gift.
An intriguing discussion is definitely worth comment.
I do think that you should publish more about this issue, it might not be a taboo matter but usually people do
not speak about such topics. To the next! Cheers!!