<p class="ingestion featured-caption">My husband and I went on an African safari trip for the first time in June. Jackie Longo</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>My <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mistakes-avoid-south-african-safari-first-timers-2024-7">first African safari</a> trip would have been better if I had known five things before I traveled.</li><li>I wished I'd packed extra clothes in my carry-on bag and planned my layover better.</li></ul><p>My husband and I went on a 10-day <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/budget-vs-luxury-safari-africa-private-game-reserves-2024-3">luxury African safari</a> trip for our big summer vacation.</p><p>It felt like a cool change of scenery since last summer's big bucket-list trip was to the beachy <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/expensive-vs-budget-overwater-villa-in-maldives-comparison-save-money-2024-5">Maldives</a>. </p><p>For the first leg, we visited Arusha, the Serengeti, and Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. We then spent three days in Zanzibar for a luxury beach getaway on the Indian Ocean.</p><p>I can't put into words just how magical Africa was — but I can tell you that our trip would've been better if we'd known five key things before we left. </p><p>From packing to planning, here's what I'd do differently next time.</p>