Letter from the editor: September 2016

Money is something I think a lot about as I get older. Not about how to get more of it, but about how little it has to do with being happy.

Photo by Justin Fox.

 
Some people figure this out soon in life. Take a friend of mine. He works five hours maximum a day, dedicatedly and with great focus. And then he goes and surfs. And after he surfs, he savours a good, hot coffee and reads. He doesn’t have a lot of money, but he has enough, and he uses it on things he enjoys. He’s younger than me, but he’s learnt to work smart. Through him, I’m learning to do the same: find the things I love, and spend some of what I have on that. This is why this month’s lead story is so useful.

Our readers – you – have told us that the golden number for a quick getaway is R400 per person per night – and that you don’t want to reach that number by booking a house and inviting along a truckload of friends and family to split the cost. What has amazed me about all the places across the country gathered for this story is that there is actually charming accommodation out there for even less than R420 per person per night. In fact, many of our chosen options sit in the R300 zone.

I find that incredible because the fact of the matter is it’s difficult for any accommodation to keep its fees so low – just like we all feel the pinch with inflation, so do they. The majority of our 24 options apply to two people sharing, and a few are for three or four sharing, for those who have kids or love company. So stash this story somewhere safe, and draw on it when you need a quick, rejuvenating break and because they cost less, perhaps you can get away more.

There are many more excellent suggestions for affordable travel in this issue. For instance, I’m surprised at how few people have heard about Vermaaklikheid. Tucked away on the Duiwenhoks River in the Western Cape, about halfway between Agulhas and Mossel Bay, it’s there, a little treasure of a place that many faithful Capetonians keep going back to year after year.

And if you look at the wonderful spots that Pippa de Bruyn has rooted out for us in On The Chart (page 42), you can understand why. I’m booking Deck Plek soon. But there’s also Tented River Camp, which is remote and on the river and so inviting…

Soweto is another affordable destination, interesting, vibrant and energetic. Author Niq Mhlongo grew up in the township, and gives us the inside track on what to do there.

The Sceptic’s Guide to Thailand, by Kati Auld.

Then there’s Thailand, where we sent our online editor Kati Auld. Her piece (The Sceptic’s Guide to Thailand, page 94) makes me want to pack my bags, forget about my responsibilities and go drink tea out of copper pots, eat hot Thai curries and walk up 500 steps of meditation. And I could, because it is still a cheap enough holiday for South Africans, plus Kati takes us off the main tourist beat. So use our suggestions. Pack your own bags. Go travel.

This month’s contributors

Niq Mhlongo
Niq is a Sowetan who believes he’s the reincarnation of the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, without the bushy beard and with a good sense of dress and humour. That’s why he likes travelling around the continent to explore and write stories. Join him as he goes back to visit Soweto on page 123.

Kati Auld
Kati is our online editor, which means that she spends a lot of time on Twitter. She has a healthy dislike of team sports and exclamation marks, and was sure that Thailand was not going to be her cup of tea. Read how utterly wrong she was on page 94.

David Rogers
Photographer and guide David Rogers cut his teeth at Getaway in 1995 and has not stopped travelling, photographing and documenting his experiences since. With hundreds of articles and dozens of books behind him, he shares a wealth of information on Photos and Africa. In this issue he rates top hides in Southern Africa on page 88.

This story first appeared in the September 2016 issue of Getaway magazine.

Get this issue →

Our September issue features affordable destinations around SA, great photographic hides, and a Thailand travel guide. On shelves from 22 August.

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