Around the world on a shoe-string budget

Font Size

Print

Feedback

Email

Discuss

: trips concentrating on one region. Instead of the 14-day Highlights of East Africa trip, which costs $6,375, for example, customers can choose the Highlights of Kenya or Highlights of Tanzania trip, which last 10 days and are about $4,500 each.

Single travellers, normally hit with single supplement fees to make up for the difference in price charged to two travellers sharing a room, can expect a more welcome reception by groups next year. To encourage bookings, travel companies like African Travel Inc and Overseas Adventure Travel are waiving the fees for 2009 across a wide variety of trips from African safaris to Amazon River cruises. The savings can be significant, with single supplements normally priced anywhere from $250 to $2,000, depending on the trip. Book by February 16 for the Overseas Adventure Travel offer.

Meanwhile, as travellers search for more affordable vacation options, budget-oriented tour operators like the Australian-based Intrepid Travel, which keeps tour costs down by using public transportation, staying in guesthouses run by locals and camping, have been seeing a surge in business.