Not for the faint-hearted
Perhaps the best financial travel advice for 2022 is don’t! The current global situation has made travel expensive, uncertain and fraught with difficulty. However, for those who are both brave and just itching to get wheels up and exploring again, here is some financial advice to limit the costs.
For many South Africans our weak currency means a trip to Parys instead of Paris. While it is true that a cappuccino on St Marks Square in Venice will cost you more than R100, this is not true of everywhere. Combine carefully selected destinations with several smart traveller tips and you may enjoy an adventure that far exceeds your expectations at considerably less than you expect.
“Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.” – Ray Bradbury. Travel is without doubt one of the great adventures that life has to offer. Exotic locations, fascinating cultures, smells, food and music all add up to an experience that would be sadly missed just because it may cost too much. But it doesn’t have to. Follow these tips and you could possibly have a richer experience than you ever expected!
Destination (un)known
Choosing your destination(s) will take a bit more creativity and forethought than it may have when our Rand counted for more. Of course London, Paris and Rome are at the top of the list when it comes to destinations. However, they will be pro-
“Stuff your eyes with wonder, live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.” – Ray Bradbury. Travel is without doubt one of the great adventures that life has to offer. Exotic locations, fascinating cultures, smells, food and music all add up to an experience that would be sadly missed just because it may cost too much. But it doesn’t have to. Follow these tips and you could possibly have a richer experience than you ever expected!
Destination (un)known
Choosing your destination(s) will take a bit more creativity and forethought than it may have when our Rand counted for more. Of course London, Paris and Rome are at the top of the list when it comes to destinations. However, they will be pro-
hibitively expensive to visit right now. If these have already been ticked off your bucket list then you are lucky. However, the world is a big place and there is a lot to see. So where can we go with the Rand?
Possibly at the top of the list for affordable destinations are Croatia and Thailand. Croatia is exquisitely beautiful, friendly, as organised as Germany and still affordable on the Rand. The Price of Travel’s Index (priceoftravel.com), ranking 31 Asian cities by price, confirms what many travellers have known for a while – Thailand’s cities are tops for budget options. Both Bangkok and Chiang Mai are in that most magical of price brackets for the budget traveller: R1195 (US$80) per day or less for food, lodging and sights.
The list does not end there. For the adventurous there are places like Montenegro, Vietnam, Estonia, Bosnia/Hercegovina and Costa Rica all of which are culturally interesting, beautiful, safe (other than maybe Bosnia/Hercegovina which may require a bit more of an ad-venturous spirit) and affordable.
Taking flight
Modern travel is like playing the stock market…things change on a day-to-day (sometimes hourly) basis. The internet
Possibly at the top of the list for affordable destinations are Croatia and Thailand. Croatia is exquisitely beautiful, friendly, as organised as Germany and still affordable on the Rand. The Price of Travel’s Index (priceoftravel.com), ranking 31 Asian cities by price, confirms what many travellers have known for a while – Thailand’s cities are tops for budget options. Both Bangkok and Chiang Mai are in that most magical of price brackets for the budget traveller: R1195 (US$80) per day or less for food, lodging and sights.
The list does not end there. For the adventurous there are places like Montenegro, Vietnam, Estonia, Bosnia/Hercegovina and Costa Rica all of which are culturally interesting, beautiful, safe (other than maybe Bosnia/Hercegovina which may require a bit more of an ad-venturous spirit) and affordable.
Taking flight
Modern travel is like playing the stock market…things change on a day-to-day (sometimes hourly) basis. The internet
has also played a role in revolutionising tourism and a net savvy traveler can save a fortune just by working smartly with the internet. Thus, conventional travel wisdom is all but out the window.
Our parents used to book flights well in advance (sometimes by a year) in order to get the best prices. That is no longer wise advice. In fact, so buoyant is the flight market that current advice says you should check up to 4 times a day! However, as a general rule of thumb it is now better to wait until (according to Conde Naste magazine) approximately 57 days before you want to depart and then start searching in earnest for the best flight deal. In May 2021, using this method, could get you a flight from Cape Town to Venice, departing in June/July, for R8500 return. Using travel booking sites or going directly to the website of a favoured air-line is the easiest and most convenient way of booking your flights.
Getting around
There are so many ways…planes, trains and cars. It all boils down to how much freedom of movement you wish to have. It also varies dramatically in terms of cost. Probably the most independent means has to be renting a car. A few years ago this was not an expensive option in quite a few European countries. However, Covid has changed this and car rental has become rather expensive (even in Italy, where it was quite inexpensive) due to the pandemic. If you want the independence then the best advice is to use everything you have now learnt about booking a flight and apply it to
Our parents used to book flights well in advance (sometimes by a year) in order to get the best prices. That is no longer wise advice. In fact, so buoyant is the flight market that current advice says you should check up to 4 times a day! However, as a general rule of thumb it is now better to wait until (according to Conde Naste magazine) approximately 57 days before you want to depart and then start searching in earnest for the best flight deal. In May 2021, using this method, could get you a flight from Cape Town to Venice, departing in June/July, for R8500 return. Using travel booking sites or going directly to the website of a favoured air-line is the easiest and most convenient way of booking your flights.
Getting around
There are so many ways…planes, trains and cars. It all boils down to how much freedom of movement you wish to have. It also varies dramatically in terms of cost. Probably the most independent means has to be renting a car. A few years ago this was not an expensive option in quite a few European countries. However, Covid has changed this and car rental has become rather expensive (even in Italy, where it was quite inexpensive) due to the pandemic. If you want the independence then the best advice is to use everything you have now learnt about booking a flight and apply it to
renting a car! There are websites like rentalcars.com that you can surf your way to and start exploring your options. There are a number of tricks (or hacks as they have become known) that you can use to get the best deal. For instance, it is sometimes much cheaper to rent from a downtown office or nearby town than from the international airport that you land at. Invariably there will be bus services to these depots from the airport and if you are renting for a lengthy period it may well be worth taking the trouble to get there. Doing a little bit of homework can save you thousands. A South African can travel around Europe for ages in a rented station wagon, a double bed mattress, a comfy duvet and pillows, staying at excellent and spotlessly clean campsites. The adventure of a lifetime for less than you imagine!
There are many ways to get around cheaply while travelling. Just a bit of fore-thought and the use of budget airlines and fantastic travel bargains like the Eurail pass (www.eurail.com) are ways of getting around without breaking the bank.
Pillow talk
Accommodation is an interesting topic because this is where South Africa is on a par if not more expensive, even with our terrible exchange rate. Obviously a hotel
There are many ways to get around cheaply while travelling. Just a bit of fore-thought and the use of budget airlines and fantastic travel bargains like the Eurail pass (www.eurail.com) are ways of getting around without breaking the bank.
Pillow talk
Accommodation is an interesting topic because this is where South Africa is on a par if not more expensive, even with our terrible exchange rate. Obviously a hotel
in the middle of Paris or one of Europe’s major cities is going to be prohibitively expensive but, then again, try and find a hotel room in Cape Town during high season and you will be lucky to find something for a penny less than R1500 a night. However, unlike car rental, Covid has had the opposite effect on hotel rates (but beware that this only applies out of season). Believe it or not, if you are handy with technology, the use of hotel booking sites like booking.com or airbnb.com can yield surprising results! Booking.com, for instance, has “Secret Deals” that will often result in you spending a night or two in a luxury boutique hotel for as little as R500 per person sharing.
Cruises are another way to have an adventure for relatively little. Gone are the days when cruises were the domain of the newly wed and nearly dead. In fact, many young families have realized the saving potential of a cruise. Anyone with a teenager(s) will know how much they can eat. This is where things become expensive on a family holiday on the Euro. Eating out is prohibitively expensive and add a teenager or two to that mix and you will have a serious case of credit card wobble on your hands! Cruises solve this problem with all-inclusive rates that include 24 hour restaurants with an all you can eat buffet. A cruise will also eliminate the costs of petrol, toll gates and hotel rooms. When you add it all up, the fact that you can get 12 day Mediterranean cruises for as little as $899 per person. That’s R 1120 (as at Sept. 2021) per
Cruises are another way to have an adventure for relatively little. Gone are the days when cruises were the domain of the newly wed and nearly dead. In fact, many young families have realized the saving potential of a cruise. Anyone with a teenager(s) will know how much they can eat. This is where things become expensive on a family holiday on the Euro. Eating out is prohibitively expensive and add a teenager or two to that mix and you will have a serious case of credit card wobble on your hands! Cruises solve this problem with all-inclusive rates that include 24 hour restaurants with an all you can eat buffet. A cruise will also eliminate the costs of petrol, toll gates and hotel rooms. When you add it all up, the fact that you can get 12 day Mediterranean cruises for as little as $899 per person. That’s R 1120 (as at Sept. 2021) per
day for all accommodation, entertainment, food and travel to exotic places everyday. The cruise industry is planning a comeback in 2022. If you are brave and optimistic, now is the time to find bargains for 2022.
Culinary delights
Eating out in Europe, but not in Asia, is generally very expensive. However, there are places like Croatia and Montenegro where a beer and a meal will cost you no more than the same in Cape Town. The opposite is true of Asian countries like Vietnam and Thailand where eating out can be downright cheap.
Many South Africans travelling Europe have taken to buying snacks from local supermarkets and scoffing down their grub alongside the homeless on park benches! Whilst this is undoubtedly a cheaper alternative the same may be achieved with one of those picnic rucksacks. It costs the same but the experience of having a picnic on the lawn with a view of the Eiffel Tower is so much more palatable than the bench alternative.
The bottom line
Our world has changed. We all know that and travel is no different. For some, this change represents far too much risk and uncertainty. And perhaps they are the wise ones. Travel, at the moment, is fraught with difficulty and ambiguity making it only for the brave and adventurous. However, for the courageous, there are probably opportunities for adventure but do so with your eyes open and realise that it will be filled with challenges. Happy travels to the bold!
Culinary delights
Eating out in Europe, but not in Asia, is generally very expensive. However, there are places like Croatia and Montenegro where a beer and a meal will cost you no more than the same in Cape Town. The opposite is true of Asian countries like Vietnam and Thailand where eating out can be downright cheap.
Many South Africans travelling Europe have taken to buying snacks from local supermarkets and scoffing down their grub alongside the homeless on park benches! Whilst this is undoubtedly a cheaper alternative the same may be achieved with one of those picnic rucksacks. It costs the same but the experience of having a picnic on the lawn with a view of the Eiffel Tower is so much more palatable than the bench alternative.
The bottom line
Our world has changed. We all know that and travel is no different. For some, this change represents far too much risk and uncertainty. And perhaps they are the wise ones. Travel, at the moment, is fraught with difficulty and ambiguity making it only for the brave and adventurous. However, for the courageous, there are probably opportunities for adventure but do so with your eyes open and realise that it will be filled with challenges. Happy travels to the bold!