Africa

Hitching for rides is common practice in Africa, though you may be expected to pay the driver.

Road safety in Africa leaves a lot to be desired, and seatbelts are not always fitted. Being stranded in remote areas could be a problem. Speaking English and French is an advantage as well as Portuguese in some countries. However, learning the basic of African languages will make your trip much more pleasant. Some languages are understood in very large parts, such as Wolof, Fulfulde and Bambara in West Africa or Swahili and Arabic in Eastern Africa.

For Europeans and Americans visas in Africa are relatively hard compared to other continents. For most countries it's a good idea to plan ahead.

Health
Malaria is common in most parts of Africa. Inform yourself and take precautions. Some forms of malaria are particularly deadly. The fact that local populations don't take any malaria prophelactics should definitely not stop you from taking any: locals are much more resistant to malaria.

The United Nations Statistics Division defines Africa as following:

Northern Africa

 * Flag of Algeria.svg Algeria
 * Flag of Egypt.svg Egypt
 * Flag of Libya.svg Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
 * Flag of Morocco.svg Morocco
 * Flag of South Sudan.png South Sudan
 * Flag of Sudan.svg Sudan
 * Flag of Tunisia.svg Tunisia
 * Flag_Western_Sahara.png Western Sahara

Eastern Africa

 * Flag of Burundi.svg Burundi
 * Flag of the Comoros.svg Comoros
 * Flag of Djibouti.svg Djibouti
 * Flag of Eritrea.svg Eritrea
 * Flag of Ethiopia.svg Ethiopia
 * Flag of Kenya.svg Kenya
 * Flag of Madagascar.svg Madagascar
 * Flag of Malawi.svg Malawi
 * Flag of Mauritius.svg Mauritius
 * Flag of Mozambique.svg Mozambique
 * Flag of Rwanda.svg Rwanda
 * Flag of the Seychelles.svg Seychelles
 * Flag of Somalia.svg Somalia
 * Flag of Uganda.svg Uganda
 * Flag of Tanzania.svg United Republic of Tanzania
 * Flag of Zambia.svg Zambia
 * Flag of Zimbabwe.svg Zimbabwe

Central Africa

 * Flag of Angola.svg Angola
 * Flag of Cameroon.svg Cameroon
 * Flag of the Central African Republic.svg Central African Republic
 * Flag of Chad.svg Chad
 * Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg Republic of the Congo
 * Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg Democratic Republic of the Congo
 * Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg Equatorial Guinea
 * Flag of Gabon.svg Gabon
 * Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg Sao Tome and Principe

Southern Africa

 * Flag of Botswana.svg Botswana
 * Flag of Lesotho.svg Lesotho
 * Flag of Namibia.svg Namibia
 * Flag of South Africa.svg South Africa
 * Flag of Swaziland.svg Swaziland

Western Africa

 * Flag of Benin.svg Benin
 * Flag of Burkina Faso.svg Burkina Faso
 * Flag of Cape Verde.svg Cape Verde
 * Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg Cote d'Ivoire
 * Flag of The Gambia.svg Gambia
 * Flag of Ghana.svg Ghana
 * Flag of Guinea.svg Guinea
 * Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg Guinea-Bissau
 * Flag of Liberia.svg Liberia
 * Flag of Mali.svg Mali
 * Flag of Mauritania.svg Mauritania
 * Flag of Niger.svg Niger
 * Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria
 * Flag of Senegal.svg Senegal
 * Flag of Sierra Leone.svg Sierra Leone
 * Flag of Togo.svg Togo

Autonomic Islands or Regions

 * Flag of the Canary Islands.svg Canary Islands
 * Flag Ceuta.svg Ceuta
 * Flag of Madeira.svg Madeira Islands
 * Flag of Mayotte (local).svg Mayotte
 * Flag of Melilla.svg Melilla
 * Flag of Somalia.svg Puntland
 * Flag of Reunion.png Réunion
 * Flag of Saint Helena.svg Saint Helena
 * Flag of Somaliland.svg Somaliland