Nima Abu Wardeh’s pitch: camp out on a family holiday

Nima Abu Wardeh challenges readers to go on holiday and only spend Dh50 a day to ensure they budget and plan for their getaways.

Illustration by Gary Clement for The National

Imagine a holiday costing Dh50 per person per day – all in, plane tickets on top – and having the time of your life. This is what friends of mine did with their three young children, and it is something that I will be trying out soon. Granted, you would need to like camping for a start, have a great sense of adventure, and be happy to make do with whatever is available. Obviously that's not taking into account the cost of kitting yourself out for the trip in the way of a tent, stove and other camping gear. But if you're into this sort of thing you would have this stuff anyway.
My friends did this for two weeks. They booked tickets to South Africa, hired a car and drove off. They knew the route they were taking, but they'd forgotten to sort out where they were going to spend the first night. That's the beauty of carrying your own accommodation and being relaxed about things. They camped every night bar one – and that was only because it was getting dark and they didn't like the idea of setting up camp late at night. Instead, they stumbled upon very affordable board; they spent the night in an indigenous community that had built teepee-type tents for hire. The rest of the time they stayed in their tent on reserves, including the more than 2 million hectares of Kruger National Park. What an amazing experience .
That was many months ago. Right now they are staying at a wonderful exclusive resort – the type that has kids' clubs, sports, boat trips, parties, you name it. This place costs a minimum of €100 (Dh501) per person per night and is as far removed from a camp-drive getaway as you can get. Their children are having a fabulous time and there isn't a dull moment. But they still actively ask when their next camping holiday will be.
This family can afford to pay for idyllic holidays with any price tag, but they deliberately set out a budget for their Africa adventure with the idea of seeing how much they can have – in the way of experiences and a quality holiday – for "less".
It was such a success on every level that they'll be doing a lot more.
How many of you budget for a family vacation, let alone stick to it?
It's a real must, folks.
We all experience holiday hell at some point. One example is badly planned escapes that leave us so out of cash that we just bury our heads in the sand rather than face up to the big black hole we burnt in our bank balance – hopefully the good news is that these are holidays we can afford. But more often than not, people get into debt to get away, or while they're away – preferring to book a holiday on a credit card or via other payments than stay put and face up to the consequences of their lifestyles and accrued debt.
The way out of this horror is to budget. This does not mean be frugal – although what's wrong with that? – it means allocating a specific amount of money for a holiday.
And then you need to stick to that figure come what may.
I love the idea of a holiday costing Dh50 per person per day and am setting that as my yardstick soon – I'll share where we go and what we do when we do it. But what about you? There's a big world out there, nature is wonderful, and in many places you can get to experience it for free. You just need to be organised and get on with doing things differently.
Throwing money at a holiday is the easy way out. Thinking, planning and being creative takes effort. But it is unmatched in the way of reward and memories.
Go on. Step out of your comfort zone. And do it on a shoestring, why not? Holiday heaven awaits.
Nima Abu Wardeh is the founder of the personal finance website www.cashy.me. You can contact her at [e-mail]
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