In the era of budget airlines and package tourism, getting a holiday through a high street provider like Thomas Cook is cheaper than ever – even with the current financial crisis. However, it’s the additional bits and pieces that you pay when you’re out there which can turn even cheap holidays to Tenerife into an extremely expensive spell of lying on a beach.

The biggest cost is usually money exchange. A lot of people decide to get cash – but this isn’t the safest, or the cheapest way of ensuring that you have spending money abroad. Some people decide to fall back on their debit cards which is an absolutely terrible choice and can cost £100s is repeatedly used.

The best option is to get a specialist card, these are often UK based credit cards that are great when used abroad offering really good exchange rates (important) and no withdrawal fees from ATMs. However, most people don’t want to get a credit card just to use it abroad, so a good alternative is to get a pre-paid travel card, these often charge per transaction, so it’s best to go an ATM once a day (at most) and get your money out for the day, however, they are safe, easy to top up, and have great exchange rates.

Transport is often also another expense and not just when you get to your destination. Simply getting to the airport can cost you a packet, so a good idea is to use a specialist service (if you’re driving to the airport) or look for other deals. Most airports have nearby pubs which rent out their car parks and save you up to 50% of the car parking cost.

When you get to your destination, in Europe public transport is usually the best and cheapest option, but there are cheap car hires if you’re going somewhere like Tenerife where you might want to explore by yourself, here a comparison website is the best option. Bear in mind, if you’re going island hopping renting a car is an expensive way to get around.

Another must is travel insurance, and you can end up paying over the odds for it. If you’re going for a long period, it’s better to get annual trip as this will save you more (in fact, if you’re likely to go on holiday more than once during the year, annual trip is a good idea). Or, if you’re going in a family, getting a group insurance deal can also be a good way of cutting back costs. The most important thing with travel insurance is the value of the deal, if you’re going backpacking and don’t know what activities you’re going to get up to, make sure that your insurance covers everything, that way you’ll never find yourself in too much trouble (at least not with the insurance company).

Travel companies generally cover most eventualities, and most of the major costs, but you can still find yourself spending more money than you had planned if you don’t do a little bit of quick preparation beforehand.

Travel Photo of the Week: Table Mountain, South Africa

Cape Town is a beautifully unique city of South Africa, best-known for the striking natural environment and the harbour. Table Mountain has recently been voted one of the new 7 Wonders of Nature, which is no surprise as experiencing a day on Table Mountain is nothing short of breath-taking. Table Mountain consists of a 3 kilometre long plateau, and features an exclusive abundance of flora and fauna, some of which are not found anywhere else in the world.

To get to the top of the mountain you can either take a long hike up through the natural landscape or catch a lift in the Cable Cars; which is a fun and exciting experience in itself. On the way up, you get to see an amazing and vast view of the coastline and Cape Town from above. From up there, you can also see the famous Robben Island served as a place of banishment, isolation and imprisonment and where Nelson Mandela alongside many other political prisoners were imprisoned for decades. The picturesque views and the uniqueness of Table Mountain make it a must-see in Cape Town.This photograph is a view of Table Mountain from Bloubergstrand, which was also a nice destination to visit for a walk along the beach and a meal or coffee.

Photo courtesy of Gita Zimmermann

The purpose of our visit to this beautiful part of the world was to visit Mama Lumka, the Charity of choice of my mother’s business Tell IT Media which offers Branding, Design and Website Solutions. For more about Mama Lumka and the kids visit www.mamalumka.org.au or the blog of our visit to Mama Lumka.

Where is Jamieson?

Jamieson is a small country town in rural Victoria with a population not more than 250 making it a perfect destination for our summer vacation and digital-detox! Located in the High Country, it’s beautifully situated on the Jamieson River where it meets the Goulburn River which flows into Lake Eildon.

There are plenty of remnants of it’s past dotted around the town and I took great pleasure in leaving my camp site to take early morning walks by the river and around the town.

Juddy's Hut, an early miner's cottage by the Jamieson River

The view from behind Juddy's Hut

Jamieson Post Office Circa 1872

St Peter's Anglican Church Circa 1865

St John's Catholic Church Circa 1863

...and the not so historical but still delightful 'Perkins & Grey' Cafe

Map

TravelTipsPlus Google Map of Jamieson

One Great Reason to Visit Jamieson

One great reason to visit this travel destination is to enjoy the peace and quiet by the Jamieson River and if you score some warm weather, grab a tube and float downstream from Brewery Bridge to Finns Bridge.

For More Information

• Wikipedia
• Jamieson Historical Society

Learning a Country’s Language

On a standard ten-day holiday, you will be able to see a destination’s major tourist attractions, but you won’t have time to immerse yourself in the culture and vibrancy of the people. To experience the full potential of visiting a place, you need to find an activity that will keep you there for longer. Learning the country’s language is a great way to extend your visit and meet more people

Visa and accommodation

If you want to extend your stay beyond a standard holiday, you are going to need a visa and a place to stay. Work visas, which often have elaborate requirements, are more difficult to attain than student visas. An accredited language institute will help you with all the visa and accommodation admin. This perk makes it much easier to settle and to start exploring your surroundings.

Double benefit

Language learning programmes are popular because they offer the two-fold advantage of exploring a destination while learning a new skill. Living in a foreign country as a student allows you to explore further than the touristic safe-zones – meaning that you can scratch deeper than the surface of a country’s culture.

See more, do more

Most students begin their study abroad experience by visiting the standard tourist attractions, but this rarely takes more than a few days. As the language course progresses, you will have several months to explore the city’s unknown museums, bars, music venues and natural sites.

Find local spots

When you are on a short holiday, it’s easy to get caught up in the tourist traps, which locals avoid. Enrolling for a language course gives you the time to work out where the locals prefer to hang out. As your language proficiency improves, you will be able to make new friends and experience life from the perspective of a city’s local.

Many Options

Some people want to visit a certain country, but they want to learn a different language than that which is spoken there. In the past if you wanted to learn German, you had to go to Germany. Fortunately, due to globalisation, this has changed – today, if you’re looking for German lessons London, Zurich and Paris all have great schools with native language teachers.

Teachers as reference guides

At a language school, you will have reference guides at your disposal every day. The teachers, who live and work in the city, will give you honest advice – as opposed to the tourist agencies that only want to make a sale.

Language and culture

Language and culture are interwoven and they develop together over time. When you are studying a new language, you learn about the culture and it allows you to gain a better understanding of the people and the place. For students enrolled in French courses London with St Georges is a stepping-stone to understanding the food, art and culture of France. Many students who complete these programmes are often inspired to see more and explore further once they leave the school.

Keeping the culture in you

When you combine tourism and language learning, you will carry a piece of the destination with you forever. Learning a country’s language is a skill that no one can take away from you. When you hear the language spoken on television or in your hometown, the warm memories of your time in the country will always return.