The noise sounds like it is coming from the wheel area, and it happens consistently when going over speed bumps and raised driveways.
Anything is fine. People in South Africa dont judge others on clothing at all. Ive noticed the girls wear very skimpy clothing. I'm more old fashioned and love to wear jeans and a t-shirt. Skirts are nice too. But you will come in June and that's winter time. So keep a jacket in mind and a jersey as well as some boots. Happy happy!
I would take a bus. Driving in snow is not easy, especially to an area like Buffalo NY. They have some of the worst snow falls there are. You would need to put snow tires on your car, forget all season tires, would not handle the bad roads. You might even need studded tires to be safe. Then when you go home , you would need to remove them from you car. Not worth the effort.
don't use chains unless you have to. Chains are very bad for your tires and you can't go very fast in them. They are only meant to be used in an emergency, for example, if you have to drive 5 miles in deep snow and have no choice. I would never drive to Buffalo in January. It's one of the most snowy places in the U.S. and can get snow storms that dump 50 inches of snow in one night. It's because of lake Erie, ya know? But, having said that, flying is dangerous too, when you're talking about blizzards. And you might even get stranded in an airport for days on end. But flying is safer than driving, that's for sure. If i were you, i wouldn't go PERIOD.
