How to go on holiday without breaking the bank

 

Step 1: The destination

Make sure you choose your destination according to your budget. There is no need to always go to a pricey location and this will influence your budget hugely as expensive accommodation always mean expensive food. There are lots of lesser known spots with beautiful settings and activities. For example, maybe you shouldn’t go to Malibu or Miami to see a beautiful beach. Do yourself a favour and go to Mozambique first – the setting is just as beautiful, but at half the price!

 

Step 2: Accommodation

This is one of the biggest expenses when going on holiday. Please don’t try to book a five star hotel on a camping budget. There are many hotels that are affordable and still clean with proper and healthy food that don’t cost you an arm or a leg. There are also many services available online that allows you to compare various hotels with each other in order to easily find the best one with the best price. This could be the difference between a 3 day trip and a 2 week trip!

 

Step 3: Food

It is a known fact that you eat more when you are on vacation. To the dismay of many women worldwide, this cannot be avoided. So what you should avoid when on vacation is restaurants. Try to not eat out every day when you’re on vacation, but rather choose a hotel which has breakfast and dinner included in their daily rates or book at a self-catering lodge and bring some food from home (if you’re not travelling very far obviously). You also don’t need to have a big lunch every day – simple sandwich or two could also do the trick and this can save you between R200 and R300 per day if you’re four people traveling together.

 

What other tips have you come across that has helped you save money for traveling? Share with us in the comments section below!

Planning for Spring Break

Well,, the sun rises earlier, the birds are singing those beautiful songs of theirs and low and behold – you’ve packed your winter jackets and long johns away. Yes, it’s that time of the year – spring! For most students this means that the summer vacation is not too far away anymore. In the meantime though there’s another much-needed break – spring break! Let’s see how you can mmaximizethis week with a short vacation before the last shift of 2014 starts!





The first thing is to plan ahead. Most vacation spots are fully booked months before the actual holiday, so make sure that you have your plans ready at least 5 months before the holiday starts. This way you can even plan how to pay for accommodation so that you have one less thing to save for. When you've chosen a spot, remember to also plan how you will get there. If you don’t have a car, you could take the train or bus or even fly to your destination. Make sure your tickets are booked and paid for to avoid a last minute disappointment!





If you’re going somewhere that you haven’t been before, make sure to do some research on your location. Find out what the area has to offer in terms of entertainment and make sure to include this in your budget too. If you’re travelling to a different country, make sure your passport is valid and that all your documentation is up to date.





The budget is a really big part of planning for your holiday. Don’t forget that unfortunately having fun mostly costs money, so try to put a little money away every month so that you are prepared. Try to be very accurate in terms of what you will spend your money on, such as souvenirs or tattoos. Remember that you want to relax and have a good time! Remember that if you’re travelling to a different country that this might have a cost impact on your phone bill. Make sure you talk to your service provider about roaming fees for calls and data so that you don’t get a nasty surprise when you get back.





During the month of your visit, make sure you slowly but surely start getting everything together. Confirm accommodation and transportation bookings a week prior to leaving to check that all is still in order, pack your bags and then go and enjoy that holiday!


What other things do you take into account when planning a holiday?http://greyhoundsa.wordpress.com/Planning for Spring Break