TRAVEL HACK
Need to stretch your rand?
BY THE TIME YOU’ VE SCROLLED THROUGH ANOTHER CURRENCY CONVERTER AND SIGHED, IT’ S EASY TO THINK INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL IS OFF THE TABLE. BUT THE SECRET IS THIS: NOT ALL BORDERS ARE CREATED EQUAL.
South Africans can still roam beyond home soil without bleeding money – if they stay on the continent. Africa, with all its texture and warmth, still trades kindly with the rand.
Zambia is a land of waterfalls, not just the big one.”
MALAWI – THE LAKE OF LIGHT If your travel heart beats for water, head north to Malawi, where the inland sea of Lake Malawi glitters like a jewel. Meals, beds, and buses cost far less than in most of southern Africa. Guesthouses line the shore at Kande Beach, Nkhata Bay, and Cape Maclear; all places where you can eat grilled chambo fish with your toes in the sand and still have enough left for a cold Carlsberg.
NAMIBIA – THE LONG ROAD HOME Closer to home but far from ordinary, Namibia rewards anyone who loves vast open spaces. Self-driving through Etosha or along the Skeleton Coast is the purest way to travel here: just you, red dunes, and the smell of dust after rain. Fuel and camping are where you save. Nights under a desert sky count for more than stars in a hotel brochure.
BOTSWANA – WILD ON A BUDGET Botswana’ s name often sends budget travellers running, but it doesn’ t have to. Skip the luxury lodges and go for community campsites or guided overland safaris. In the Makgadikgadi Pans or Moremi, you’ ll still see elephants cross in the twilight and hippos grumble in the dark, just without the champagne tent. Costs climb quickly if you crave comfort, but for the patient and practical, Botswana can still be kind.
ZAMBIA – POWER AND PEACE Often overlooked, Zambia gives the rand surprising muscle. You can cross from Livingstone into Zimbabwe to see the Vic Falls, but the Zambian side feels calmer, less packaged. The kwacha remains one of the few currencies where South Africans can breathe easy. Hostels, shared taxis, and local meals keep the budget low. It’ s a land of waterfalls, not just the big one.
A FEW GROUND RULES Pack humility and curiosity; the continent rewards both. Travel off-season, eat local, and remember that luxury isn’ t always about plush interiors; sometimes it’ s about silence and space. Driving rather than flying saves thousands. So does staying in one place long enough to know its rhythm.
78 | SUMMER 2025 / 26 • rovesa. co. za