When travelling locally becomes too mainstream for you, you may want to explore new areas outside the country. You could be like me, afraid of heights, and therefore are afraid of flights thus you opt for road trips. You could also be the adventurous type that loves the thrill of road trips. The longer the distance, the merrier the road trip. You are planning to travel to a foreign country by road and definitely, plans have to be put in place well in advance to eliminate all the hitches. Part of that planning involves finances as it would be almost impossible to travel anywhere without the backing of some level of money. You have to save to make it a success and below are tips you could use to save up for a road trip to a foreign country.
Conduct a prior search of your destination
First step is to identify the place you intend to visit. After that, get all the necessary information about the place. Take time to learn about the culture of the people around the place, the language they use and the food they eat. There is loads of information on the internet concerning different places and it is available for free as opposed to paying someone to provide you with the information once you get there. You could save up this money to have more fun by paying for an extra service rather than what you can get for free. You could also look out for locals online and create a good rapport with them. This will eliminate the need for a travel agent whose charges could be higher than the tips you get from the locals. While this may not be the safest means, it could save you more if you considered it. Make sure you double check the information you are given online.
Set realistic travel goals.
While South Africa may be one of the places you intend to visit, it would be prudent of you to shelve the idea when you do not have the actual amount required to take you to and from South Africa. In a nutshell, do not go beyond your means all in the name of having fun during your travels. It does not make financial sense to plan to travel to a country then use up all your money and return home dead broke. When you have a realistic goal, you will be able to put money aside specifically for the road trip.
Consider cost sharing
Instead of travelling solo, consider tagging along a group of your friends who have similar interests as you. Pool your funds together and plan for the road trip as a group. Cost sharing will make it possible to enjoy more for less as it is through bulk buying that you also get discounts. When you check in a hotel as a group, the management is likely to give a discount which would not be possible if you were alone.
Do it early
Instead of being the last minute kind of person, make plans to properly get ready in advance for the trip. This includes booking hotels while they have incentives for travellers such as discounts to woo people. Instead of visiting when every other person is visiting, plan on visiting during off peak season when costs are low.
Ensure your car is in good condition
You probably will be using your car for the travel. Ensure that the car is in its best condition so that it does not break down while on the road. You might be required to travel for long distances to look for a mechanic or somewhere to get fuel for your car. These two would involve high costs that would rather be put in some other meaningful use such as buying an item while on the trip. Again, ensure you use a car that is not a fuel guzzler. Cars that use large amounts of fuel are not economical for a road trip.
Have all the necessary documents
When travelling on road to a foreign country, you will cross borders and at those points, you will be required to produce your valid documents. There are countries with some strict rules that may demand you pay hefty fines in case of violation of any of the rules. This could be avoided by having all the necessary documents with you and planning for the money you could have wasted in case of a fine.
