Travelling on a budget has become an art form for most South Africans. Corné Alberts, National Marketing Manager at ANEW Hotels & Resorts, spends a significant part of her working life on the road and knows exactly how to make every kilometre and rand count.
Here are her five tips for getting the most bang for your petrol buck when travelling.
- Business hotel? Book for the weekend. Leisure property? Go mid-week.
Most travellers book when it suits their schedule without checking if it suits their budget. A business hotel that fills Monday to Thursday is often significantly quieter and better priced over a weekend, whereas a leisure property near a popular attraction works the opposite way, with mid-week stays offering far better value than peak weekend rates. Knowing which type of accommodation you are booking, and timing it accordingly, can save you considerably, and these savings can go towards your petrol budget.
- Book directly
Before you confirm on a third-party platform, check the property’s own direct website. Many properties run mid-week specials, seasonal offers or direct booking perks that never appear on booking platforms. The saving on accommodation directly offsets what you spend on getting there.
- Going local can stretch your budget
Most South Africans drive past extraordinary places every single week without ever taking the time to stop. A charming dorpie, a bustling weekend market, a museum worth an afternoon or a street of beautifully preserved historic houses could all be within an hour of your front door. The petrol price is a perfectly good reason to finally explore what is right on your doorstep.
- Leave a day before everyone else does
School holiday and long weekend traffic does not just cost you time. Stop-start congestion burns significantly more fuel than open road driving. Leaving a day ahead of the rush and returning a day after can positively affect your fuel savings alone.
- Check what you have already earned before you spend a cent
Many South Africans are sitting on travel value they have never used. Hotel loyalty points, credit card travel rewards, and fuel programme benefits accumulate and sometimes forget to be redeemed. Before you calculate the trip cost, find out what you have already earned. A free night, a room upgrade or a tank of fuel covered by rewards changes the maths considerably.
