This year is all about travel and accomplishing your financial goals and straight up winning at this life thing.
According to various studies, taking holidays and planning time out from work is great for your mental health, lowers stress levels, increases motivation and is just good for overall health.
A report by the World Health Organization noted that there was a 35% higher risk of stroke and a 17% higher risk of dying of heart disease if you work for 55 hours or more per week. The moral of this story is, you might need a break from work.
Of course, travel needs planning and a budget, and in life there’s nothing that’s impossible. Right?
If you are worried about the cost of a holiday, here are six travel hacks to help you afford the holiday that you dream of.
Stay outside the main hub
While the city centre may be where you want to be, it’s well known that these areas are often more expensive when it comes to accommodation. Instead, opt for suburbs that are close by and easily accessible using ride-sharing apps and reliable public transport systems.
In Cape Town, for example, you could opt to stay in an area such as Blouberg or Milnerton where you will find accommodation that offers stunning views of Table Mountain. Not only that, but getting into the city is easy thanks to services such as the MyCiTi bus.
Find events and menus that have a set budget
While it’s common to arrive at restaurants extremely hungry, a great trick to avoid overspending is to have a small meal at home before going out to eat. This way you are less likely to want to order everything on the menu, and stick to a budget.
Another suggestion is to look for an event that suits your budget. For example, set menu deals, buffets and brunches. Breaker’s Brunch at Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront, for example, includes both drinks, savoury meals and desserts.
This way you know that food, an abundance of drinks and entertainment is all at one set price and there’s little risk of overspending if you have allocated this cost ahead of time.
Don’t follow influencers, follow hashtags
Influencers, while we all have our favourites, are often paid to promote certain restaurants, bars, wines and more. Instead of listening to some of your top influencers and who they may or may not be paid to promote, follow popular hashtags for your area of choice instead.
For example, if you are travelling to New York, follow #iloveNYC for an array of different things to do in and around the Big Apple. Not only are many of these posts by NYC locals or residents, but they often offer a look into free and cheap things in the city.
Look up the “Free things to do” list
Speaking of free and cheap things to do, every destination has a “free things to do” list that either a tourism body, a local blogger or an international traveller has created.
Google these lists and find the activities that work for you and your holiday schedule. You will be surprised at the things you find on the list, from free walking tours of big cities to unique museum tours that you can do on even the smallest of budgets.
Join rewards programmes
For discounts and more, you should definitely consider joining a rewards programme of sorts.
Hotel groups often have rewards programmes that offer various benefits depending on your programme level.
Volunteer for free accommodation
Did you know that there are places in the world you can go to volunteer in order to get free accommodation? The work that you will need to do varies from working in animal sanctuaries to helping out at schools.
These opportunities also allow you to use your holiday time to give back to various communities and support various causes around the world.
These are just a few ideas that will help stretch your travel budget this year – leaving you more money to spoil yourself in other meaningful ways or giving you the ability to truly treat yourself when in another city.