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 maximise this 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 atleast 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/

Greyhound is one of the most successful bus companies in the world

Greyhound is one of the most successful and recognized luxury bus service companies in the world. Greyhound South Africa offers routes that range between provinces, cities and even countries. The biggest international routes offered by Greyhound include South Africa to Zimbabwe, South Africa to Mozambique and South Africa to Namibia, as well as frequent trips between Johannesburg and various other cities in SA.

Going on a long journey is something most of us have experienced, and it is something that can be filled with stress even if you’re travelling in a car. Bus travel, however, is a whole different ball game. One of the most important differences between travelling in a car and travelling in a bus, especially during a long trip, is that you will be surrounded by strangers.

Being on a bus with strangers means that there are certain things that you would want to do, etiquette-wise so that the ride remains pleasant for everyone involved.

Firstly, know your boundaries. Being in a cramped space means that you will not have much freedom in terms of where you can store (or scatter, if you wish) your stuff. Keep to your own section as much as possible, and be accommodating if there are little things that need to be shared over between you and your neighbor.

Secondly, remember: you are going to be spending the next few hours sitting next to someone, so the least you can do is show some common courtesy. Be friendly and exchange a few words with the person sitting next to you. Make sure you both understand what you are going to be doing. For example, if they have a music player that is a little bit too loud, ask them nicely to turn it down. There is usually no need to cause a commotion, and most people are usually willing to share space quite easily if they are treated fairly.

Included in your personal space are your behavioral patterns. As you may know, certain habits don’t translate well in the public sphere, so just remember that you are in fact in public, so showing some common decency is recommended.

Then, to make things easier and more comfortable for yourself during the trip, here are a few simple tips, courtesy of Helium.com:

·         Firstly, if you are travel-sick or allergic to anything then make sure you have your medication, because you never know if there will be any delays making the journey longer and therefore you should be prepared for lasting the extra hour or so. Another reason, is if before you set off, you have completely forgotten to take them, you will have them with you.

·         Secondly, take entertainment. Portable games and mp3's can come in extremely useful, but most importantly make sure you have headphones as the person you are sat next to may be trying to read or just trying to enjoy the peace. Be careful when choosing which to take however, as some games grow tedious very quickly and so perhaps a book would be more useful to you. After all, you do not want to end up having to take an enormous bag full of useless things.

·         Next, make sure you have a drink or maybe even snacks. If the journey is very long, you are bound to get hungry or thirsty, although, water would be most useful as other drinks can leave you feeling more thirsty and sandwiches that have vegetables (like lettuce) so that you can stay healthy. Also, taking simpler foods means less rubbish/packaging to carry around afterwards.

·         Another idea would be to try and keep everything in one bag, that way you are less likely to forget things. It, also, makes it easier to carry around. Your bag should be readily packed night/day before your journey so that you can feel less rushed before you leave. Additionally, this can give you time to think about how you want to organize your bag making it easier to find things during your trip. 

·         For your clothing, make sure it is comfortable as you will be sat in the same outfit for a long time. Make it suitable for warm and cold temperatures, for example, if you wear a jumper and it gets warmer, you can take it off and be in your t-shirt but equally, if it gets colder, have a scarf/hat ready in your bag to put on. Your footwear also needs to be comfortable so that if there are any bus changes in your journey, walking from one to the other won't be as difficult. This means that new shoes are definitely a bad idea.

·         Finally, take anything that you have specifically decided you want to use, for example, if you plan on sleeping for most of the journey, then an eye-mask and earplugs may be extremely useful or if you want to read a book, obviously, don't forget your book, but taking a bookmark or travel light would also be handy. 

·         And remember, don't panic, you're going on a lovely trip, try and enjoy yourself! 

For more information on Greyhound South Africa and the routes available from your city, visit the Greyhound South Africa website and find your area.

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 – springbreak! Let’s see how you can maximize this 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?