A few more travel assistance tips to investigate during the holidays

This was the view from our hotel room in Sydney where we got a room upgrade due to our loyalty membership

Paying with your credit card for air tickets usually means that you do not need to buy additional insurance from the airline. Contact your credit card provider or bank to find out what type of insurance they offer before you make the booking at the airline because different cards and different levels (for example gold or platinum) have different benefits.  Some countries also ask for proof of medical insurance when you apply for a visa. Your medical scheme also provides some medical cover depending on the option you have chosen, so also contact the medical aid to enquire about your options.

Be flexible if you can when investigating hotel costs and remember to check for extended stay discounts. Hotels often offer cheaper deals when you book for a longer period, sometimes more than three days or more than five days or seven days. This means that you can plan for an extra day or two to do sightseeing and visit local tourist attractions without paying much more.  Also, check if it is really cheaper to book Bed and Breakfast because the breakfast is often very expensive and if you do not need to be at the hotel early morning, you can get breakfast at a fraction of the price elsewhere. I already spoke a few weeks ago about the benefits of a loyalty membership at hotel groups and I really think this is a good way of saving money and getting nice upgrades to what we can afford.

And check the rand value before you book air tickets, hotels, excursions, or make any other travel related payments. This is not an easy thing to do because we never know what the rand will do next, but I always try to do bookings when the rand is on an upward curve (and not when there is sensational breaking news that upsets the financial applecart).