Eminently Eve1. “Social media is real life” mindset
So many people have been disappointed after being easily influenced to spend money on activities that a content creator or celebrity would have perfectly curated, edited & shared. Please do your due diligence after seeing a destination/activity you’re interested in. Try to go the extra mile of doing some further research before committing to anything. I do detailed destination reviews & YouTube vlogs to hopefully help you avoid making travel decisions based on a still picture or 20 seconds reel/ tiktok.
Not all activities shared by content creators/ celebrities are fun or enjoyable even to them but engaging in all of them is part of the job sometimes. When they are at a destination, they have to showcase ALL the activities offered there for awareness purposes. However, not every activity will necessarily be for you.
Before booking for any activity, ask yourself if you would still do it if it hadn’t been posted in such a fancy fun way or if there were no cameras to capture you. Try to focus on destinations & activities that bring you true internal joy.
2. “Travelling means you’ve made it in life & you should only visit fancy places” mindset
This mindset has led people to a state of being permanently broke because of wanting to keep up with this belief.
Coming from someone who travels more than the average person in Zimbabwe and has not yet made it in this life, I promise you that travelling DOES NOT AT ALL mean you have made it in life! I have met so many people from different walks of life, especially from other races. People travel and stay in tents, dorms, low budget lodges, camps, among others. There are way more emotionally, mentally, physically fulfilling reasons that people travel for and not because they have excess money.
Do not go broke trying to prove to people who do not even care about you that you have made it in life. I receive enquiries about camping (not even glamping) from some of the really rich people in this country who own big household name companies. Dig deep for your reason of wanting to travel and if it’s to show the world that you have money then you might want to dig deeper.
3. “Dependency” mindset.
This one is actually the most costly I’ve seen among most local travellers. I think it is quite prominent among us because we were brought up in a society that highly values & encourages oneness & togetherness (which is a great thing). However, most of us never got to exercise individuality which has resulted in us being heavily dependent on a group decision. People even call someone who chooses to not partake in an activity that others in the group have chosen to partake in a “party pooper”.
Sometimes it’s a matter of you just don’t want to do the activity because it is not fun for you and other times it’s simply that you can not afford it. Most people in such a situation end up borrowing or loaning money just so they are not left out or they just find themselves doing it because of dependency. Please be careful to not waste your money in such situations. It happens so often.
4. “Financial classes do not (or should not) exist in the tourism industry” mindset.
This is when you understand that there are Ferraris & Lamborghinis that you can not afford and so are not meant for you BUT choose to not understand that there are also going to be several high earned activities & accommodation options like Matetsi which charges US$1500 per person per night that maybe also not meant for you.
We are so entitled and self-centred that we do not realise that we need such places as Matetsi so that we have good enough accommodation options and services for the rich people of the world to also visit Zimbabwe. Why should they all just go to our neighbouring countries?
Zimbabwe has so many travel destinations with so many budget options as well as a wide range of activities that vary in prices. Why are you insisting on staying at Matetsi when you’re in Vic Falls? Meanwhile there are lodges, BnBs, Dorms, campsites etc that are in your income bracket. Why are you insisting on a helicopter ride that you can not afford but you can walk in to see the falls like many other realistic people do? Let’s learn to be content with what we have and where we are at in life and travelling will not be as costly as it is now.
5. “It’s normal to go on unplanned impromptu trips” mindset
Unplanned trips are those you take when you have not financially planned for them at all. It is of course normal to know that you want to travel in the new year but not know where exactly you want to go. However, you should always have a budget and save for your trips even before knowing the destination. Only then will you know if a destination or activity is within your budget or not.
Many people unfortunately do not plan their trips this way. Travelling is always handled like a matter of emergency. Your friends suggest for you to go out one weekend and you just use your last dollar to tag along because during the beginning of the year you did not plan or create your travel budget for the year at all. This way of travelling is definitely financially damaging, not sustainable at all and ultimately causes unnecessary stress. Try by all means to plan, budget and save up for trips well in advance to avoid wasting money.
6. “The shortcuts” mindset
One most common example where the shortcut mindset is displayed is with vehicle servicing. There is never anything good that comes out of going on a trip with an unserviced vehicle. The damages that end up being caused are quite costly. Many people of course resort to blaming only our road conditions (which some are most certainly bad). However, if the story only ends at pointing fingers at the poor road conditions and not take steps to properly prepare our vehicles as best as we can before a trip, then the trip is only going to end up costing us way more money.
Another example is choosing to take breaks at unmanned places along the highway when driving to a destination that is significantly far in order to save money. While it is crucial to take breaks, try to always do it safely at recognised establishments in the small towns you’re passing through. There have been a number of cases of robbery that have been reported along the Kariba/Chirundu road particularly to people who would have stopped at the Great Dyke and the famous baobab tree closer to Makuti. Always be situationally aware so as not to be an easy target for criminals.
I hope these tips help to make your future trips more financially comfortable.
Remember to have a little intimacy in your life and as always I’m talking about Intimacy With Nature.
