1. Travelling is something everyone should
do.Weallneedtowinddown,seedifferent
placesandperhapslearnaforeignlanguage
whilewe’reatit.Goingawaycanbeexpensive,
especially if you want to go overseas, but
withsomesmartplanning,travellingona
budgetispossible.
Financialadviserandheadofcustomer
relationship management at Liberty,
Boitumelo Mothoagae, says it’s okay to
use your savings to travel, as long as you
takecareofyourfinancialneedsfirst.The
bottomlineisthatyouhavetoputmoney
awayduringtheyearforyourholiday.
Mothoagae also advises travelling off
season. “Winter and autumn are usually
cheaper because the demand for travel is
lower.Schoolholidaysandpublicholidays
aremoreexpensive,”shesays.
Beforeyoumakeanyrusheddecisions,
decidewhereyouwanttogo,workouthow
muchitwillcost thensaveupforit.
“Bemindfulofhiddencosts.Ifyouare
flying,therewillbeairporttaxesandlevies.
Include petrol costs if you are travelling
bycar.Travelinsuranceisalsoimportant
to consider when planning your trip,”
Mothoagaeadds.
WhenKeabetsweandherpartnerwanted
tovisitItaly,thisisexactlywhattheydid.“We
didalotofplanning,”shesays.“Wethought
aboutflightsandaccommodation,aswell
asfoodandtourguidefees.Therewaseven
somemoneysetasideforanemergency.”
Even with her careful planning, there
weresomethingsthattookKeabetsweby
surprise.“Ididn’tknowthatfoodwouldbe
soexpensive.Evenfast-foodoptionscost
more than they do here. We did splurge a
littlewhenitcametoeatingout,”shesays.
Mothoagae adds that other areas
that people don’t always consider are
entertainment, like going to clubs, and
buyingsouvenirs.
GETTINGTHERE
Domestictravel
Ifyouareconsideringlocaltravel,thedrop
inthepetrolpriceisgreatnews.Pentravel
travelagentZiavanderMerwewarnsthat
before you start yelling “road trip!” there
arefewthingsyouneedtoconsider.“Keep
inmindparkingcosts,aswellastheprice
ofB&Bsifyouaretravellinglong-distance
andneedtostopforthenight.Youshould
alsoserviceyourcarbeforeyousetoff,”she
says.It’simportanttocalculateallthesecosts
carefully,asVanderMerwesaysthatwhen
TRAVEL
ON A
BUDGETYou don’t have to BREAKTHE BANK,
sell your television or take a loan to GO ON
HOLIDAY. Follow our expert advice for
SKIPPINGTOWN ON A BUDGET.
114| NOVEMBER 2015 | WWW.TRUELOVE.CO.ZA |
By Percy Matshoba