Africa here I come

I just put down a deposit for a trip to Senegal and The Gambia scheduled for late November after the rainy season ends.

I will depart JFK for a flight into Dakar and meet up with a tour group there. While I generally avoid tours because you spend more time with other tourists gawking at locals, than with the locals themselves and you can't be spontaneous with your itinerary, this is a first trip to Africa and think it's the way to go. I will get a feel for it and be more comfortable going it alone if I go back another time.

My next steps are to see a doctor, get a yellow fever shot and malaria tablets, but I have nearly 6 months to get it done.