Make travel happen for YOU in 2015

 

Don’t you hate it when your timeline is consumed by pictures of your friends posting pictures of their feet up with the tranquil ocean in the background? As they wax lyrical about how fabulous the cocktails are in Brazil,  ending it off with that far from humble Hashtag … #Blessed.  You cringe as you feel that pang of jealousy race through your body, thinking how amazing that sounds but one day Yes one day you too will enjoy cocktails on some exotic location.  Lucky for you, you no longer have to be green with envy; in fact if you make the following changes to your life you can create your own magical experiences depending on the size of your pocket. 

I started travelling as an adult with 2 of my friends; we took a pact to travel every year, with wine to toast the pact we saluted to a new page in our lives.    That was the first positive step we took to making travelling our lifestyle, thereafter the important stuff like opening an account to place our travel funds into, deciding on the finer details of where and when. Finally, allowing ourselves the opportunity to take a real break from our everyday lives.

Here are 7 short tips on how you can make travel happen in 2015:
 

 

 

1.       Open up a Holiday Savings Account:  There is no 2 ways about this, if you don’t open an account life happens and before you know it you will no longer be fulfilling that dream.  I particularly prefer a 5-32 day notice account.  You can save with the bank or prudential, look for the one that offer you the best benefits.   It’s important to request that they place a stop-order on your account, so that the amount is out of your account before you know it because if you have to rely on yourself to remember …Well.

 

2.       Get a Voyager or Avios card:  If you are lucky enough to be travelling for work, put this travel to good use.  If you travel SAA or British Airways domestically and internationally there is no way you shouldn’t have one of their loyalty cards.  Besides the great benefits of having access to business lounges (great networking spots) you can also use your miles to see other places in the world. I recently saw a post by AKA on Instagram that for all his gigs he only travels Business Class on SAA nothing else. That’s brilliant and I’m really hoping he is maximizing this by having a voyager card.  The amount of points he is earning could in no time have already earned him a flight to anywhere in the world.  

 

3.       Rewards Linked Credit Cards:  If you are going to get a credit card, then get one that rewards you for your shopping through travel miles I know Voyager has one…Just make sure you don’t miss any payments.  

 

Let your money work for you.

 

4.       Let your Fuel and Shopping pay for your holiday:  I love getting my monies worth, no jokes.  If I am putting in fuel into my car,  I want some sort of kickback and its impressive how some of the banks/companies have been great with this.  It was a tough choice deciding which airline related card works best for these benefits.  Both Voyager and Avios cards allow you to fuel up for points, all you have to do is fill up at Total garage if you are Voyager and BP if you are Avios.   Though I have to say that so far Avios is leading the race, allowing you to convert your Pick ‘n Pay smart shopper points to Avios points therefore allowing you to further your travel plans, this is certainly a PLUS!  Visit the websites and compare what will work best for you but do not let money and travel opportunities slip through your hands.

 

 

5.       Decide where you want to go & Make No excuses:  Working towards a time and place is always awesome.  It gives you something to look forward to and if you like smashing goals then you will love seeing your money work for you.  Leave days should be used wisely. One of my favourite memories was a family road trip we took in 1996 to Zambia.  That was life changing for me, it was my first into Africa trip and I fell in love.   When I got back to school I knew that travel was for me.  I particularly love travelling within the continent because it offers so much variety, beauty and you get more Bang for your buck. So before you wax lyrical about going to the Eiffel Tower explore your continent, with Music Festivals, Glorious waterfalls, adventure activities and amazing wildlife there is no better place in world to start exploring.  Into Africa we go!

 

6.       Use your talents:  Most of us have been blessed with more than 1 talent, so for heaven’s sake put it to good use and get some money for it, any extra money earned can be used for your trips.

7.       Save don’t buy Crap:  Now that you have made that extra money, save it.  Don’t buy crap or spend it socializing like a rockstar, unless you are a Superstar's agent there is no need to be popping bottles from Monday to Sunday week on week.  More Money = More Trips.

This could be you in December 2015

















Some of the pictures are courtesy of the Web.

 

 

 

7 Rules for Communal Bathrooms

Don’t you hate it when you are travelling and you are dying to have a shower only to arrive and find that the space is a mess and instead of feeling clean you are left feeling as if you should bathe in Dettol disinfectant solution.  Here are a few tips to keep in mind the next time you are sharing such spaces with other travellers.

1.       Be clean and tidy, do not leave you hair all over the sink, wash your shoes in the basin and leave all the soil lingering around the basin.

2.       Can we be extra careful when we share space with others? Use your slops just for showering, don’t use the same slops you walk the streets with in the showers.

3.       Can some Americans please refrain from brushing their teeth in the Kitchen sink!  We use that sink to wash the dishes.  I have only ever encountered Americans doing this, I don’t know if it’s the norm back home but in South Africa it considered onbeskof (loosely translated in means highly unbecoming/crude)


Trash is not cool, the bins in the bathroom should only be used for tissues and other bathroom related trash.



4.       If you tinkle on the seat kindly wipe it off. Nothing worse than running to the toilet and as you are about to place your bottom on the seat you notice urine. At that point your bladder is on fire and you cursing the stars for people who do not check after they are done on the pot.

5.       If it’s yellow let it mellow but if it’s bordering on looking like an African sunset set please just flush it away.

6.       Make sure that you flush properly; I don’t want to know what you had for supper yesterday.

7.       Leave it tidy and clean or at least as you found it.

Do you have any communal disaster stories to share or really helpful tips, do share them with us.