Picture this: A new year starts with bucket lists and resolutions you hope to kick into high gear for the year, one of them being a girls’ trip.
You and your squad fire up the group chat in hopes of putting together a tranquil getaway to soak up some sun and get together as friends. Excitement brews as everyone throws around suggestions for ideal locations.
Yachting in Cape Town, aquarium visits in Durban, game drives in Bela Bela, snorkeling in Zanzibar, a Bali trip – the list keeps on growing. Then before you know it, the year has gone by, December is looming in, summer is in full swing and none of those plans have come to fruition.
Sound familiar?
There’s something about the WhatsApp group to reality pipeline that tends to fall apart when group activities are trying to be made, especially when it comes to vacations.
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It’s easy for life to get in the way of your plans. But worry not, we’ve got all the tips you need to make that trip a reality.
There’s nothing like reconnecting with your tribe and giving yourself something to look forward to. TRUELOVE spoke to travel specialist Deanne Grove who shares some valuable insight.
Deciding on the destination and budget
“First and foremost, we all need to decide on a destination and a budget. How many nights, do we need flights, accommodation or transfers and is everyone looking for a beach vibe, city exploring, bush break or wine tasting and picnics?”
These are important questions to ask yourselves so as to get a well-rounded overview of what you hope your holiday itinerary will look like.
Determining where exactly the group would like to visit is a top priority and, luckily, Mzansi’s sprawling terrain and endless activities countrywide give you almost limitless options.
“We are so blessed in South Africa with so much beauty that no one has to venture too far or stretch the budget too much to have a wonderful breakaway,” Deanne shares.
“If it's a local holiday, get one of the gals to reach out to a travel exec and give them a breakdown of what you are looking for. A great exec will give recommendations, places to go and more often than not, some wonderful hidden gems that make the holiday that much more memorable.
Giving advice on some popular local travel destinations, Deanne shares some insight into interesting activities and what times of the year is best to visit some of the country’s hotspots.
“Durban is great year-round and if you plan it over a great event weekend, everyone is in for a treat.”
“Cape Town is wonderful from January to April and there are so many choices from beaches, wine farms to hikes and being a tourist in your own country and jumping on a hop on hop off bus in any of our major cities and exploring things through the eyes of a tourist is a great way to see things and learn something you didn't know before.
- Start with the basics: What are you looking for in a holiday? What do you have to spend in terms of your budget on the holiday?
- Remember things like visas for international travel.
- Get a professional involved. It is always seamless when you have a great travel exec to help you.
“Even taking a self-drive holiday weekend with your girls from Jozi to the Vaal or out towards Waterberg region and you can experience the bush on your doorstep. We are truly spoilt for choice.”
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Next is to get your budgets in order
Considering venturing beyond borders? Deanne explains that making sure that your budgets for an international trip take into account visa and passport expenses and are done well in advance is imperative to smooth holiday planning.
“If [you’re] looking for an international getaway and wanting to get the most value for our ZAR, I always recommend contacting your travel specialist at least six to eight months in advance and pay for the flights upfront.
“Take the balance and break it down to pay it off so that no one is lumped with a fat travel bill in one month and it ends up being the same month your car needs a major service or your kids are due for new school clothes. The costs of visas for South Africans are always a costly surprise so take this into consideration when deciding between your girlfriends which destination you have chosen.”
While spontaneity is always fun, planning ahead especially for an international trip can make or break your travel plans.
Deanne advises that with a bit of forward planning, holidays overseas can be well priced and come at an excellent value.
“Get flight quotes from your travel exec and book the flights to secure them at excellent prices. Most travel execs have rates that are much better than you as a consumer can get online or directly. This goes for flights as well as accommodation, transfers and tours.
“Plus, should you need any assistance with visas, questions on your destination or even general information on daily spend, currency and daily costs of things in your ideal destination, your travel exec is on hand and there to assist with any needs or concerns you may have.”
