Packing is an important part of your pre-trip planning. Leaving something behind may not be important if you’re heading off to a major destination where you can probably buy what you need. But travel well off the beaten-track (where the best adventures are usually found) and you could be in trouble.

Make sure you can easily identify you luggage. You can get something that has a unique colour or tie a coloured ribbon around the handle – anything that will make your stuff stand out from the crown. It will make it far easier to find in insode a mound of like coloured black backpacks or cases.

Low budget travels could be enjoyable provided you make a little bit compromise on your dreams. If you are filthy rich with thousands of extra bucks in your bank, do not read further. Most of us are full of dreams and always short of cash. Fortunately, there are means of enjoying a vacation that fit your tight bank balance. All you need is to go a step down in your dreams.

Travel tips for low budget travels

• Go to a cheap destination

Africa probably does not spring to mind as the first destination you would choose when planning a beach holiday, but there are many great reasons to give it a try. Cape Town in South Africa has up until recently always been “the” destination to go to if you wanted to go to Africa and enjoy the beach as well as all the other great things that only this great continent has to offer. Now there are new kids on the block and places like Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania, Mombasa in Kenya and The Gambia have really come in to their own each offering their own unique selling points and flavour of Africa but all great beach holiday destinations.

This may come as a surprise to those that still think of Sheffield as an industrial city but it’s officially the greenest city in Europe having won the Entente Florale competition, the international horticultural competition which has been running for more than 25 years. Sheffield is home to over two million trees – more trees per person than any other city in Europe – as well as over 170 woodlands, 78 public parks and 10 public gardens. In total, 61 per cent of Sheffield consists of green space.

An annual holiday is always something to look forward to, but it’s good to treat yourself in between those holiday periods as well. One way to do this is by booking a weekend break – and the possibilities for what you can do are endless.



First of all, think about whether you would like to relax and unwind: somewhere quiet and peaceful, or whether you would prefer to de-stress by taking part in an outdoor activity like boating or mountain biking, for example. Your answer to this question should give you some ideas on what kind of location would be best for you.



You don’t have to go that far a-field to get away from it all either. In fact, when you are spending a weekend away you don’t want to be travelling for hours to get to your destination. Pick somewhere that is ideally not much more than a couple of hours away from your home. That way you can get an early start on Saturday and still enjoy the whole day – and on Sunday you won’t have to worry about leaving early to get home in time for a good night’s sleep before work the next day.



Once you’ve got an idea of the kind of area you’d like to visit, you’ll need to pre-book your accommodation for the night. Treat yourself to a nice hotel room that you can relax and unwind in after a day’s sightseeing. Most hotels will also be able to advise you of any particularly good places to visit in the area – giving you some ideas for how to spend Sunday.



The great thing about a weekend break is that you don’t need to take too much with you. A small overnight bag should be enough to hold everything you need; if you are planning on taking part in any activities you can always hire any equipment that’s required.



You can also organise a surprise break for your partner if you wish. It’s a wonderful way to de-stress and spend some quality time together. Try and choose an area you would both enjoy, and that has a wide range of sights and activities to enjoy, depending on what mood you are both in.



To make the most of your weekend break, you can take the Friday off from work – or at least finish early – so you can get to your destination and spend two nights there instead of one. You can then spend the evening enjoying a nice meal or going to the cinema to see a film, safe in the knowledge you still have two whole days to enjoy.



In short, a weekend away can keep you going until your next big holiday comes around. It doesn’t need to cost much and the benefits you will gain from it can be better than you think.

Almost everyone who travels by air is affected by jet lag. Jet lag usually occurs when one crosses multiple time zones in a relatively short time. This disrupts your circadian rhythms, confusing your natural 24 hour “body clock”, which regulates your waking and sleeping hours. Symptoms of jet lag includes fatigue, insomnia, disorientation, headaches, giddiness, lost of appetite and digestive problems and many more. The condition seems acute if you fly from west to east because it is more difficult for your body to adjust to “losing time” when you journey east than to “gaining time” when you fly from east to west. The more time zones crossed during a flight, the higher the possibility and intensity of jet lag one will experience. Here are a few tips to help you avoid jet lag, and prevent it from ruining the first few days of your next vacation or business trip: