Debit or Credit? Five Options for Cheaper, Equally Happy Vacation
According to Credit.com, a trusted source of financial information for consumers since 1994, “men are more likely to say ‘charge it’ than women”. The firm’s survey, carried towards the end of year 2013 shows that while a larger percentage of men (62.37%) use credit cards to pay for their holiday purchases, only 54.09% of women shoppers planned to swipe their credit cards for new purchases. The report went on to indicate that while 43% of men-respondents would use credit cards for more than half their holiday expenditure, only 33.19% of the ladies would do the same. Women are more likely to use hard cash or swipe debit cards!
Closer home, the figures do not change much; thus while you are more likely to spot a man reach down to his wallet for a card, most women will carry around a stack of new bank notes on a trip to the mall, “it’s not unusual to see us scamper to the next ATM just before making entry into the mall” says Lillian Gaitho of Jovago.com, a leading hotel booking platform.
Whether hooked on the plastic, or a fan of new, glittering bank notes; any man will rejoice from in the leaps of a satisfied woman. Here are a number of solutions to help you live the fantasy and have no regrets come January! No need to rack hotel rates that leave you feeling more regret than refreshment.
Camping Sites
Glamping maybe in vogue, but sure enough the comfort comes with a cost. Apart from offering one an escape from the routine, the limitless supply of fresh air and the exercising opportunities are a great reward to your health. Family camping is a great way to build a closer relationship between parents and kids.
While choosing a camping site, consider the activities you’d want to engage in e.g. Rapids Camp in Kenya is an incredible choice for lovers of water sports; chose a camping site on a hospitable beach or along river banks offer similar activities.
Hostels
Best for single individuals as they grant enough deal of independence, hostels are also fertile grounds for those looking to meet and mingle! If planning for a Gorilla-Tracking Trip in Rwanda for instance, couples without children will find quite affordable accommodation in listings such as Discover Rwanda Youth Hostel.
The furnishings mainly range from single beds in shared dormitories to private rooms within the hostel premises. This option is best suited for pilgrims and backpackers with stop-overs on their holiday route. Remember too, privacy is not the best feature of this kind of accommodation as ablution facilities are most likely to be shared. You may also need to be comfortable with just basic suppliers; no room telephone, ACs or room service!
Holiday Hosting and Home-Stays
Just like the hotel booking process, you need to be very diligent when looking for a home stay option for your holiday. These will include private rooms in the guest’s main house, separate guest wing or specially designed structures within the host’s home such as Tree houses, pent houses etc. Unless you personally know the host, it’s important to book through a trusted mutual accomplice for obvious security reasons. Holiday Home-stays offer travelers a real-experience of their surroundings as they are open to integrate the host’s daily activities into their holiday itinerary.
Cottages
A great choice for families-on-vacation. While some come with an in-house chef, others like Diani Beach Villa Cottages feature a well equipped kitchen, leaving you to enjoy your own culinary! There are a countless advantages to self-catering cottages as opposed to in-house-chefs; you are not tied to the latter’s skills, you can bring in an extra visitor without much effect on the budget and roam away to try out local cuisine. To reduce costs, consider pooling with a second family. This will of course depend on the size of the cottage. One of the amiable effects of holiday-pooling include having someone to watch over the children for some me- time!
Motels
While Hotels are furnished with little niceties of luxury and comfort such as Jacuzzis, swimming pools, childcare and many more; motels are simple and built to host guests breaking distance to a destination. This however does not limit their ability to cater; although devoid of ‘luxury’ motels will make a great option for budget travelers, the duration too is not limited and you can book a full vacation. One more thing worth of note is that unlike hotels, motels are not star-rated and you may have to rely on word of mouth as well as online reviews from previous guests.
Again, just like when making a hotel booking, read through any cancellation policy and understand the terms before signing on the dotted line!
For more information visit jovago.com
