Over the last few months, flight prices have soared leaving many questioning the possibility of a summer holiday. All is not lost, although sky travel might take a chunk out of your budget there are many other options to get around to having your best summer holiday yet. Here’s how families can save money when going on holiday this summer.
Day hotelling and rewards
You don’t have to stay at a hotel to enjoy hotel amenities. Enjoying a little bit of time away from home and its responsibilities during the holiday season could also mean enjoying a meal at a hotel close to home. “When choosing a hotel for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner these holidays, look for establishments that offer specials for non-guests bookings” advises Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront Head Concierge, Yusuf Jinoo.
Many hotels across the country also include access to their grounds for day guests. This could include access to swimming pools and gardens too. Phone ahead to find out which hotel close to you offers this and once you’ve enjoyed your meal, don your swimsuit, grab a book and sun tan and enjoy the day.
For those opting to stay overnight, hotel reward programmes can offer some of the best deals for budget-conscious travellers. A bigger hotel group such as Radisson, for example, with hotels across the world are great options to consider. This would mean that one wouldn’t have to join multiple rewards programmes for local and international travel.
Just recently, the hotel group announced its new loyalty program, Radisson Rewards, which opens doors for guests to enjoy valuable and exclusive benefits faster – join now and claim now. Benefits include in-stay privileges such as member-only rates, complimentary upgrades, food & beverage discounts, free nights, additional experiences, and post-stay benefits such as the option to make a stay carbon neutral. In light of inflated flight prices, rewards programmes help to keep costs down.
Into nature
Fetch your outdoor shoes and sun hats. South Africa has 19 national parks scattered across the country. Across seasons each park is filled with beautiful indigenous vegetation, views for days and in some parks indigenous wildlife and an array of birdlife. Forms of indigenous fauna and flora are preserved and cared for in these conservation sites. For those keen to brave the outdoors and head into nature, SANParks offers greatly discounted rates for South African and African citizens and even greater discounts for kids.
Micro-saving for future holidays
What if combining the approach of saving with innovation and tech could help you plan for future holidays? This could mean that you would not have to compromise on your future vacation dreams by saving towards a future holiday. You could, for example, put at least some of your holiday savings into Bitcoin. “While it’s important to acknowledge that cryptocurrency hasn’t had the best year, it was previously the best-performing asset of the decade,” says Ricki Allardice, Head of Product at micro-saving and investing app upnup
Buying Bitcoin is also increasingly simple, meaning you don’t need large amounts of money to use it as a savings and investment mechanism. “In fact, with an app like upnup you can buy Bitcoin simply by ‘rounding up’ your spending on necessities like groceries and fuel or by setting a specific amount each month.” continues Asher.
Plan your travel budget ahead of time and use a Google spreadsheet to factor in every detail. Taxis, meals, drinks, outings, flights and evening souvenirs and holiday clothes or gift shopping should all be included in your budget planning. Discipline and budget management are crucial for executing a perfectly budgeted holiday.
Outings
There are close to 100 museums around the country, of which Gauteng has the majority. Not only are they fascinating places to learn about many different topics but they’re affordable too; entrance for adults is normally below R50 and below R20 for kids. Transport, art, national history, and indigenous culture are just some of the themes our museums represent. Iziko Museums in Cape Town often conducts holiday programmes for the little ones. Also, look at what your local library is offering. Many of South Africa’s libraries have free holiday programmes that include art days, movie afternoons, and more.
Planning ahead for affordable flights
While flight prices have increased across the board, especially with South Africa moving into the peak Summer travel season, if you plan your travels at the right time you could save on flight prices. According to data from travel search engine Cheapflights.co.za you’ll get the best prices to fly domestically in the last week of November.
“From 21 to 30 November travellers can catch a return domestic flight for R2,155 – the lowest price from now until the end of November,” says Laure Bornet, GM, Kayak, EMEA, which manages Cheapflights.co.za. Another trick is knowing when to fly. “Booking your flight on a Monday will cost you less than any other day of the week in this period,” says Bornet.