Love the holiday, avoid the homecoming blues

Love the holiday, avoid the homecoming blues
Holidays are supposed to be carefree and relaxing, but happy memories can quickly turn to homecoming blues if you arrive back and realise you’ve spent too much on enjoying yourself.
The rand exchange rate and price of airfares mean overseas holidays are expensive. That’s why it’s a good idea to plan carefully before you prepare to jet off for the trip of a lifetime.
Financial services provider, DirectAxis, spoke to some travel industry insiders and compiled these tips to ensure you get the most from your holiday budget and come home to happy memories rather than financial nightmares.
No pain, no gain: Few of us like to budget, but the pain of doing it is temporary and you’ll enjoy sipping your drink and dipping your toes in a warm ocean much more if you’re not stressing about how you’re going to pay for it all.
There aren’t any hard-and-fast rules about how to do this. The main thing is to think through all the costs and know how much you can afford to spend before you commit to booking tickets or paying a deposit for accommodation. A good place to start is to list the costs you can cover before you leave. These include things such as: accommodation, flights and travel insurance.

Avoid unexpected costs: Few things can be more frustrating, or expensive, than arriving at the airport to find that your bag is overweight or that your carry-on bag is too large to be allowed on board. Excess baggage charges are excessive, so weigh and measure your bags to avoid any nasty surprises. If there’s no way to reduce the weight of your bag, check to see if the airline will offer a discount if you pre-pay the excess baggage. Also remember that baggage allowances can vary, so if you’re travelling on more than one carrier, you need to check the rules for each.
Avoid airport express services. Non-stop transport links that whip you from the airport to the city centre may seem convenient, but they are usually considerably more expensive. A one-way Heathrow Express ticket, for example, will cost you nearly R500 compared to the Tube which is about R200.
If you intend using public transport to get around, a one-day transport pass is usually better value than buying a single fare every time you want to go somewhere.
Be careful about car rental pricing. Many car-hire companies advertise low rates and then unexpectedly add extras. Check what the rate includes and try to compare bottom line rather than headline prices.
Tempting as it may be, avoid the minibar. The costs can be prohibitive. Rather get a drink at the bar and buy your own cooldrinks and snacks.
For more information about travelling on a budget, visit: https://www.directaxis.co.za/make-a-plan/how-to-enjoy-a-champagne-holiday-on-a-coca-cola-budget