Travelling to Cameroon with elderly parents and young children

Airline assistance and wheelchairs

1. 1
   Ask when you book, at the latest 48 hours beforeTell the airline or travel agent which help is needed: a wheelchair to the gate, help on the stairs, or a person who cannot walk long distances. Under EU rules, for example, assistance is free and must be requested at least 48 hours before departure; other countries have similar rules.
2. 2
   Mention connectionsMany trips to Douala or Yaoundé change planes in Europe or in Africa. Ask for the assistance to cover every flight and the connection, and allow a long enough connection time.
3. 3
   Confirm on the dayAt check-in, say again that assistance was booked. On arrival, assistance staff usually meet the passenger at the aircraft door or at the gate.
4. 4
   Tell us tooWhen you book the pickup, tell us who needs help and whether a wheelchair or walking frame travels with you, so that we plan a vehicle with enough room.

Documents for children travelling to Cameroon

Children need their own passport and, unless they are Cameroonian or CEMAC citizens, their own visa (the e-visa at evisacam.cm). Cameroon's embassies list extra documents for minors' visa applications, for example:

• a copy of the child's birth certificate;
• a parental authorisation signed by both parents (some embassies require it to be notarised, even when the child travels with a parent);
• copies of both parents' passports or ID cards, and guardianship papers if a guardian is not a parent.

Requirements differ between embassies: check the page of the Cameroon embassy or consulate for your country before applying. Your own country may also have rules for children leaving it: France requires an autorisation de sortie du territoire when a minor travels without a parent, and Canada recommends a consent letter when a child travels without one or both parents.

Yellow fever for children and elderly travellers

Cameroon requires proof of yellow fever vaccination on arrival. Official health sources state the minimum age differently: from 9 months for the US CDC, from 1 year for the UK's TravelHealthPro. For a baby or a toddler, ask a travel clinic well before booking. If a person cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, only a doctor can decide and issue a signed exemption certificate; embassies accept it for the visa file. For older travellers, the clinic will also look at age and health before vaccinating, so go early.

Health preparation: see a travel clinic early

• Go 6 to 8 weeks before the trip, with the list of each person's usual medicines and conditions. The clinic advises on vaccines and on malaria prevention suited to each age; Cameroon is a high-risk malaria country.
• Bring enough medicine for the whole stay plus a few days, in the cabin bag, with the prescriptions.
• Ask about long flights for anyone with heart, circulation or breathing problems.
• Travel insurance that covers health care and medical repatriation is worth checking for every traveller, especially older ones.

Heat, sun and mosquitoes

• Douala is hot and humid all year; Yaoundé is a little milder. Plan outings for the morning and late afternoon, and rest in the hottest hours.
• Water: drink bottled water often, and watch small children and older people, who feel thirst less.
• Mosquitoes: long, light clothes in the evening, repellent suited to the person's age (ask the pharmacist or clinic for small children), and sleep under a net or in an air-conditioned room with closed windows.
• Sun: hats and sun cream; the sun is strong even when the sky is grey.

Comfortable transport

After a long flight, a pickup waiting at arrivals avoids negotiating taxis with tired children or parents. For the days after, a car or van with driver lets you travel at your own pace, with stops when needed. Child car seats are not always available in Cameroon: if you want one, bring your own (check with your airline how it travels) and tell us when you book. For the road to a village, leave early, plan breaks and avoid driving at night.

An apartment that is easy to live in

• Ask about stairs: tell us if someone cannot climb, and we will tell you which apartments suit, with the floor and the access.
• A kitchen makes it easy to prepare simple meals for children and special diets.
• Power: some apartments have backup power, shown on each apartment page; it matters if someone relies on air conditioning, a fan or a fridge for medicines.
• Several bedrooms let grandparents and children sleep at their own times.

Checklist for the family

• Passports, visas and yellow fever certificates for every traveller, including babies.
• Children's documents: birth certificate, parental authorisation, parents' ID copies.
• Airline assistance confirmed for every flight.
• Medicines, prescriptions and a small first-aid kit in the cabin bag.
• Mosquito repellent, hats, sun cream, a refillable bottle.
• Pickup booked, with the number of passengers, bags, and any wheelchair or pushchair.