Each person gets binoculars

It's a good idea to talk about differences before departure. It's essential, actually, if you're going to travel well together.

Everyone can contribute something to the trip. In South Africa, I practiced driving on the left in Ronda's village, Makotse, where the roads are sand and there's not much traffic (I passed one car in 15 minutes). That went well until I got stuck in the sand and had to be pushed out. I was also aware that driving in traffic, turning corners, etc., would be much different on paved roads, especially if I didn't have it all to myself. That made me nervous. Ronda did most of the driving, with Brian relieving her sometimes (you might remember the flooding dirt roads in the mountains), and I got my courage up again in the Drakensberg Mountains, our last day. Ronda enjoyed driving (the Peace Corps doesn't allow the volunteers to drive except when they're on vacation), and she was more comfortable with the English rules and laws than we were. She also planned 99% of the trip, but she lived in the country, after all, and knew what would be spectacular. We passed the camera and binoculars around (oh! why didn't we take our other two pairs of binoculars?), and I did some cooking and washing dishes (self-catering backpackers and apartments), as Ronda does all of that every day. Other tasks that can be distributed are map reading, grocery shopping, calling for reservations, checking in/out, asking for directions, laundry, carrying bags, and changing money.

It's great if everyone is happy with his/her tasks and everything gets done smoothly. Some conversations before departure will make this happen more easily.