Budget friendly adventure – a sea change for travellers

December’s typically fast approach is always punctuated by an interest in “who’s going where for the holidays”. Yet even with the dark days of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions well behind us, many cash-strapped South Africans still consider travel a luxury.

“This year, I have personally had hardly any bookings for overseas destinations,” says independent travel agent Sharlene Lifschitz, who has been booking holidays for the past 45 years. Although Thailand remains popular because of its cost-effective exchange rate, Mauritius and Zanzibar are also of interest for their all-inclusive hotel packages. “The very few international exceptions are bookings for people travelling to Israel or Australia to visit family,” she says.

With a peak in interest in bookings for Mozambique, Lifschitz says she anticipates cancelled bookings because of the recent rise in civil unrest following the election in that country.

From August, she reports hotels have been mostly full in Cape Town, Durban, Umhlanga, or Plettenberg Bay, but believes this is because there have been so many international visitors. “Locals who can afford it are choosing to travel off-peak, with many taking advantage of timeshare.”

Tracy Jay (54) is a so-called “Joburg Jewish Mommy” and avid traveller, who says the bug bit 21 years ago with adventure travel that extended across Europe, the United States, and South Africa. Her wealth of experience spans across countries before, during, and after having her two daughters, now aged 18 and 21, respectively.

“My travel inspired a strong desire to offer cost-effective destination advice and accommodation options to anyone interested,” she says. In fact, she’s ready to sell her business to pursue her passion for personalised travel.

“Travel is the one thing that offers an invaluable return on investment, she says, with unforgettable experiences, great memories, and an unmatched education for any child.”

Her best kept travel secret is to do a road trip away from city centres and destination hotspots. “There’s so much to do and see that one shouldn’t limit one’s scope to places considered ‘popular’,” Jay says.

“It’s all in the research and planning,” she says, using one or two “very reliable” online booking platforms that offer the benefit of discount vouchers, loyalty rewards, and free cancellation policies for local and international travel.

Jay emphasises the importance of reading traveller reviews and ratings before booking. She says social media platforms are a great resource “enabling one to lock into first-hand perspectives from fellow travellers for any given destination around the globe”.

Through the years, her family has kept refreshing its travel plans to make the most of their time and budget and to suit the changing needs of their growing children.

“Eventually, we took a more blended approach to our holidays when we had to accommodate the social lives of two teenagers. Splitting our time between the big cities and smaller beach towns close by was a good compromise and saved us on costs.”

Many local holidaymakers are choosing to split accommodation costs by sharing with other families, which affords them the luxury of staying in the beautiful big beach house in Hermanus over the cramped apartment in Camps Bay.

Locally, there’s a big trend toward adventure destinations over stereotypical holiday hotspots of the past. Places like Addo Elephant National Park and Storms River Mouth offer cheaper and more diverse accommodation in an area that offers more things to do like hiking, tubing, and bungee jumping. Others like the Tsitsikamma National Park and Keurboomstrand also offer more for less, with the advantage of being just 40 minutes outside of Plettenberg Bay.

Hotspots like Umhlanga and Ballito can either be visited briefly or sidestepped altogether, with stopovers at more affordable country hotels through the Midlands, where farm life can offer more of a quality experience for kids. The campsites and caravan parks of Scottburgh and Amanzimtoti, all the way up that coast to Pongola, may offer more excitement than the Kids Club at The Sands Hotel in Umhlanga can.

“The rule is that you’ll always find better value further out. The smaller towns have friendlier people who are more eager to help and accommodate. Plus, it’s more personal and interesting,” Jay says.

She believes the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal is completely underrated, with St Lucia and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park, a World Heritage Site, rated as a firm family favourite.

“Exploring the salt pans and estuary is an experience full of abundant birdlife and animals of all kinds. You’ll also find the most magnificent beach there, with a unique range of lodges, small boutique hotels, guest houses, and cabins,” Jay says.

According to local travel and lifestyle magazine publisher, Justyn Spinner (40), “The South African tourism market is back in full swing, and hotels are at full occupancy for the festive season.

“Although many locals are still choosing Cape Town and other popular coastal destinations, they’re also focused on getting maximum value for their spend, with many opting for ‘apart-hotels’, Airbnbs, and rental apartments over hotel accommodation.”

The exchange rate has made international travel unaffordable, Spinner says, “DINKS [Dual Income No Kids] are just about the only ones still able to afford overseas travel. And the trend among local families is to cut back their two-to-three-week holidays of the past to a week or 10 days at most.

“More people are looking to add value to their holiday experience by doing research and making a greater effort to explore more of nature’s free offerings. It’s become more appealing than blowing the budget on entrance fees to overcrowded tourist hotspots,” says Spinner.