Cheap Travel Style

Going on a hiking trip or long backpacking walks, one should have the minimum snack plan to keep him/her refreshed and energized. You can follow these travel-friendly tips on what food to have or buy while you travel.

Animal crackers – Ok, it does not have to be specifically animal crackers but they sure could handle the abuse from having to be forced into your backpack.

Apples and Oranges – contain vitamin C that is good to avoid flu and can be very refreshing to eat.

Energy and Granola bars – stick to your trusted brand as you will depend on them when you are hungry and in the middle of nowhere.

Beef jerky – low salt-protein filled beef jerky could stand the heat of time in your backpack but be sure to drink plenty of water after eating it.

Block of cheese – one way to keep it fresh is to keep it chilled next to cold water and it goes well with almost anything. You can even eat it raw.

Packets of drink mixes – Instant drink mixes like lemonade, tea and fruit drinks are easy to carry and can give your throat some treat other than quenching the tasteless mineral water.

I know football fans are aplenty in this world and most of them are eager to go on a trip and set foot on the South African soil during next year’s summer. Here are some accommodation suggestions for budget travelers.

Penthouse on Long, Cape Town - lodging from dormitories family suites is fully equipped with kitchen, television and a roof bar.

Jikeleza Lodge International, Port Elezibeth - a walking distance to Donkin Heritage walking trail, it offers single, double and twin rooms and family rooms.

Mbizi Backpackers Lodge, Johannesburg - 15 minutes away from Tambo airport and has a self-catering kitchen, a pool table, and a barbecue pit.

Black Mamba Backpackers Lodge, Durban – to-die-for view of Bothas Hill, open-air showers, and garden hammocks.

Hodge Podge Backpackers, Rustenburg – recommended for large groups, overlooking Magliesberg mountain and offers home-cooked African food to its customers.

Old Vic Travellers Inn, Nelspruit – Next to Mpumalanga nature reserves and has double or twin unsuited rooms with fresh towels and linen included.

Jam Backpackers, Pretoria - Situated on a polo-horse training farm, it has a series of converted stables with spectacular views, and the chance to see exotic local wildlife.

Europe is the best winter holiday destination everyone should consider as there are many happenings all over the continent during this season. The lack of tourist around this time means that holiday makers are in for a relaxing trip blanketed with snow.

Since traditionally locals and tourists will head off to the European beaches such as in Spain and Greece for a little sunshine, backpackers on a budget will find travelling in Europe at this time is impassable as there is plenty of appeal left for you to enjoy.

Backpackers will be delighted to be in a Europe trip as this little continent serves up amazing attractions in its land. The European countries such as France, Switzerland and Nordic countries offer winter carnivals, tremendous skiing spots like the Alpines, and also museum hopping around Europe especially in Italy for art and history lovers.

Another way to spend your holiday is to drop by a coffee shop and chat the day and night away with the locals or shop owners and learn some of the place’s history. But if you want to go under the sun quick, just head to Southern Spain or Portugal where the weather are warmer.

Imagine yourself standing alone at the baggage claim check point and waiting for your bag to arrive even after a few hours you shave arrived at the airport. All of a sudden, a thought hit you when you realized that your luggage is lost. To avoid baggage to be lost in the transfers, follow these steps to avoid the avoidable:

Avoid Packing Full

Full and heavy backpacks will create hiatus in the conveyor belt if the zipper burst.

Nosy Scanning Officers

Scanning officers will open up your bag if they think that something is not right and will not bother to pack them back nicely.

Locks, Zippers and Straps are the Enemy in Disguise

The items mentioned above could get stuck in the conveyor belt that is the anchor of the backpack.

Be Punctual

You should at least check in the luggage one hour before the check in counter closed and will not be receiving anymore luggage check in afterwards.

Fragile Items with stickers

There are some luggage handlers who could care less about your baggage. The more fragile sticker you put on your baggage, the rougher they handle the baggage passed to them.

Do you think it is impossible to travel cheap during holiday season? Well, think again. Most westerners travel during Thanksgiving and Christmas even though the price can sky rocket during those particular periods. Planning for a cheaper trip on season can be done by putting some effort on it.

You have to be flexible with your schedule as most sought after travelling days are departing on Wednesdays and returning on Sundays, before or after a holiday. Going after the holiday or in the “dead week” period will increase your chances to get cheap travel deals as there are not many who travel around that time.

Look for an off peak destinations such as the Disneyland in December and January when the prices are at their low because of the unfriendly weather. And holiday means a drop in terms of visits of business travellers in the city and this will lead to hotel rates going down a notch from normal price. For travellers who are looking for cheap vacation, this is the time to book a hotel downtown in major cities around the world with the exception of New Year’s Eve and the New Year.

Most of the travelers would prefer to travel on long flights with seats that give comfort throughout their long trip. But if you are on a shoe string budget style and the fees for seat bookings are putting a strain on your wallet, here are the travel tips to get comfortable the cheap way.

Previously, the airlines made a system of first come first serve basis on pre-flight seat reservation before they travel but this has no longer been practiced since bookings can be made during ticket reservation. Get your preferred seats 15 minutes before departure by asking at the boarding desk as the seats for no-show passengers are available.

You can change your designated seat to choose your preferred vacant seats on board immediately before takeoff, or before the seat belt sign goes on. You are advised to change seats when the passengers are still boarding the plane to avoid seats confusion with the other flight passengers.

An advice for overweight passengers: made pre-reservation for isle or window seat that are already booked by a single passenger as the chances for you to get an empty seat in between you and the stranger will increase.

Are you thinking of getting your friends or loved ones a surprise Christmas gifts? Here are some guidelines to assist you in choosing the best presents for avid travelers that will never grow old in time.

Firstly, do a little bit of homework. If you want to give them a trip to Thailand, make sure that they have the time luxury and interest to travel. After you are sure that they can go for the trip, book a flexible traveling plan such as refundable airfares in case of last minute cancellations. Prepare the necessities like tour/traveling pass and meal or gift coupons if they are on tight budget. Thorough pre-planning can get you the best deal for quite a cheap price. You can deal with the hotel staff to work out a great deal for the gift recipient.

Lastly, make some effort to wrap it in a creative packaging. Literally think outside the box. Make a scrap book of tour itinerary complete with pictures of their destination, events and happenings during their stay, and the hotspots that they should visit when they are there. It will surely be the coolest and the most memorable Christmas gift ever to them!

There are many factors that could contribute to you saving money for your trip abroad. Whenever you are planning to go for cheap traveling, you should book well in advance at least as early as two months before your planned departure date as seats are still available for you to choose from. Remember that air tickets sell like hot cakes especially during peak times like long holidays or festive season.

Secondly, try adopting the Saturday Night Stay style as most of the round trip flight tickets are sold at the cheapest rates which are an advantage to the leisure  travelers like you! Besides that, you can get cheap tickets if you fly in via the smaller cities international airports nearest to your destination and get land transportation to take you to your holiday destination. Last but not least, when you want to travel cheap yet in style, opt for a round trip air tickets as it offers better airfares. Just to be on the safe side, check the rates for both round and one way trip as prices may vary depending on the currency differences and hot deals that are offered by the airlines of your choice.

Cheap does not mean less. So, here is some of the basic knowledge for you to get your air tickets with less money:

• Book online – In this Information Technology world, travelers’ life never could have been easier with e-ticketing so that you can book your air tickets online and save around USD20 for the printed ticket!

• Buy back to back tickets – Rather than spending the extra hundred bucks on unrestricted air tickets – loved by airline consumers around the world – when you follow only half of both the itinerary of your back to back flight schedule but avoid frequent-fliers miles.

• Go Leisure – Leisure air fares are considerably cheaper than business class and still arrived at your targeted destination on time with less money spent.

• Avoid Frequent-Flier Miles Entirely – Avoid being held ransom just to collect the miles points and getting yourself the ‘elite’ status on board. The points gained equals to the more money spent on an air ticket.

TIP: Most airlines might not agree with these kinds of traveling methods although it is legal. So, avoid from getting your travel agents involved in the bookings as their tracking number might trigger the authorities’ alarm bells!

No matter where you are heading to for your holiday, remember to prepare yourself some essential items that you can bring on your backpacking conquest barring that they are small and compact. The reason being is that you can avoid carrying extra weight yet still can enjoy the trip more with the essentials.

We have a few suggestions that backpackers would want to bring along with no hassle:

• Skype Headphones to keep you talking for free by using the VoIP at the comfort of your hotel room or outdoors at the internet WiFi hotsopts.
• Universal plug adapter will come in handy for backpackers and travelers alike to charge their laptops, digital cameras, mobile phones, shavers and so much more.
• A good digital camera to use as a replacement for a more professional but bulky digital SLR cameras.
• Noise-cancelling headphones for your portable music player (MP3 or iPods) to shut out the all the unwanted noises when flying.
• Waterproof housing paired with waterproof headset for your iPod is to protect your gadget from getting soaked in the rain.
• Bring a handy Swiss Army Knife because you just cannot tell what it may come in handy for.