Tashia Kalondo
Someone asked me the other day why I like travelling and I’m not sure if she really wanted to know, or if it was just a “why” question she knew how to ask. Either way, I was rather stumped.
When I’m talking to people about my travels they usually ask me where I’ve been, where I’m going or where I like the most, but being asked WHY I travel, isn’t so common. I stumbled through an answer about meeting new people and seeing new places, but even to me that didn’t seem like enough of an answer.
In all honesty, travelling just satisfies a big part of me that’s Iam always looking for something new, some adventure, something more. Then I realised, I can’t explain why I travel, because when I started travelling, it wasn’t up to me. As a child, my parents took me to places like Beauvallon in the Northern Cape of South Africa to visit on weekends, and many holidays away.
Some of my earliest clear memories are of travel, in the back of my dad’s bakkie stuffed with mattresses, pillows, luggage and my family members. I started travelling because my parents gave me the opportunity to do so. We weren’t rich or even well-off by most standards, but my parents made travel possible through small and big adventures.
They sacrificed and made choices to make travel and adventure happen for us as a family, which we lived for. We don’t come from a lot of money, they haven’t won the lottery or come across a scheme to get rich, instead they have worked hard throughout their lives and made the things they want for themselves and for us as their children, a priority. My parents sparked a sense of adventure in me and so I’ve come to realise that my parents are my travel inspiration.
They’ve been travelling before travelling was cool, and they’re still challenging the stereotypes of travel now. At the age of 85, my father was living his best life on the island of Mauritius, swimming in the warm Indian Ocean water and convinced my 77 year old mother to join him for a dip.
My parents taught me to seek out adventure in my everyday life, and to work for the big adventures I want to have. They gave me a huge curiosity for the world, for people and other cultures. They taught me to try new things, and that if I want something, I should unapologetically go for it.
My parents and siblings have unfailingly supported me throughout my travels, through the good times and the bad (coronavirus!). As a child, they are the ones who guided me into this world of travel and adventure that I’m living, and I don’t think they even realise it. At a time when most people look to social media and blogs for their travel inspiration, I honestly don’t need to look any further than my parents.
MAGICAL MAURITIUS
After my parents trip, I spent some time exploring the Indian Ocean paradise of Mauritius with its sleepy beaches and adrenaline fueled activities. Although a multi cultural island, Mauritius is French af. With its beautiful beaches, backed by lush forests and dramatic volcanic peaks - Mauritius is made for romance. Perhaps best of all, romance there is affordable! One thing I was pleased by is the affordability of Mauritius. I do very little research on the destinations I travel to,because I am your typical “wing it” type of girl.
So I was pretty much over the moon to find that resorts in Mauritius – many of which are in the mid-range category – offer excellent value for money. One can enjoy an affordable trip with all-inclusive packages that cover lodging, meals and activities, while an affordable alternative to a resort stay is renting a self-catering house or an apartment near the beach.
We stayed in an incredible Air BnB near the beach for eight days and that cost us N$5000. Mauritius is all about activities, and the costs of these can easily add up, especially if you’re travelling as a family. However, there are many things to do that don’t cost very much, such as hiking in Black River Gorges National Park and to the top of Le Morne Brabant, buying your own snorkelling gear and exploring the beautiful underwater world of Mauritius’ coral
reefs.
Renting a car or scooter in Mauritius is not expensive and it’s the best way of getting around the island and offers better value than taking private taxis. We rented a scooter for N$450 for 5 days and we explored the island in all its glory on the back of that 50 cc machine.
Pro Tip: To get great discounts on hotel rates and flights, travel during the low season of May to September, which has slightly cooler temperatures than in summer but more sunshine.
The travel agencies and travel consultants I make use of are: Sylvia Nashima (0812335456) at Seasons Travel & Tours Namibia, Elizabeth Martin (0813001577) at Trip Travel and Renette Scholtz (061-253528)at XL The Travel Professionals