Less money doesn’t have to mean less fun when traveling.
Everyone’s cutting back on expenses, including taking those precious holidays. But taking a break is not only important for your health, it also brings balance to your life, allowing you to spend time with friends and family away from your normal routine. So even though times are tough, you can’t afford not to plan a trip.
Back to basics
The secret to cheap travel is budgeting and forward planning. If it’s an international trip, the biggest expense is the flight, followed by accommodation.
- Thanks to the Internet, it’s now possible to compare prices. By booking early, you can make big savings, but there are great last-minute deals too, so even if you’ve shelved your holiday planning until now, don’t panic: you may have saved yourself some money anyway. Visit www.travelstart.co.za to compare hotel and flight costs.
- Travel agents offer good service, but like all middlemen who make your life easier, their service comes at a price. Do-it-yourself on the Net. Within Europe, save money by opting for a regional discount airline: visit www.easyjet.com, www.jet4you.com or www.myair.com, where one-way flights run as low as 20 euros.
- Beware of hidden costs, like visa fees. On a South African passport, some tourist visas cost a fair whack (around R940 for a UK visa), so pick a country where it’s either free or cheap.
- Choose a bargain destination, like Croatia or India. Check foreign exchange rates. Countries with faltering currencies are a steal at any time of the year. Pick an off-season location and research secondary destinations: circle a popular area or city on a map, then move your finger a bit. Nearby towns may offer the same experience for less.
- Most banks offer travel insurance when buying flights with a Visa or Master Card, so check out your bank’s cover policy.
Cheap sleeps
Try self-catering or B&Bs – they’re big on warmth and cultural intimacy, and often cost half the price of hotels. Enquirer about reduced rates for extended stays or mid-week breaks.
Google “short term rentals” and the city or town you’d like to visit and within five clicks you’ll be in the cosy local living room of someone’s home, where your stay could be just a fraction of the price of a hotel room.
Join a home-exchange site and swap houses. For a small annual fee, you can list your home and gain access to a database of other members’ homes worldwide to arrange a swap (remember The Holiday with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet?). Visit www.homeexchange.com or www.homelink.org for more information. Remember to talk extensively with your swapper and, if possible, ask for references. It’s also a good idea to invest in a safe and check your home insurance to see how guests are covered.
On foreign soil
Avoid the main tourist areas when eating out. A coffee and a sandwich in a tiny backstreet where the locals hang out costs half the price, and you’ll get a more authentic feel for the culture (stay away from restaurants with “We Speak English” signs and multi-lingual menus). In most European cities, drinks and coffee at the standing area of the bar are cheaper than at a table, where you’ll be charged for the waiter’s service.
Visit a local supermarket and pack a picnic dinner, or snack at a fresh food market. If a buffet breakfast is included in your accommodation deal, grab an apple and a muffin for your day pack.
Use public transport. Many cities sell a weekly underground ticket that includes free entry into museums or other sites. Walk as much as you can or hire a bicycle. If you need to take a taxi, ask a local what the fare should be before you drive off.
Use ATMs rather than travelers’ cheques. Cash is cheaper. Make fewer, larger withdrawals to minimise transaction fees. Buy a calling card for cheap long distance calls home, send emails rather than spending on postcards and stamps, and Google “50 free things to do in [the town you're visiting]“.
Good travel sites for cheap deals:
- www.travel.co.za
- www.thompsons.co.za
- www.travelstart.co.za
- www.clubtravel.co.za
- www.flightcentre.co.za
Tim Leffel’s The World’s Cheapest Destinations blog reviews 21 great travel bargains, with cost and information for lodging, meals, local transport and attractions, including “what you can get for a buck or less” in each country. From the Great Pyramids to the Taj Mahal to some of the best snorkeling and diving spots on earth.
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