If you’re a South African, I’m sure you’re familiar with the Local is Lekker phrase. It celebrates and promotes everything South African. This phrase was the inspiration for a new series on my blog – Local Travel is Lekker. I’m an avid supporter of local South African travel and feel extremely blessed to live in this beautiful country. Therefore I’ve decided to feature like-minded bloggers and travellers who share my Local Travel is Lekker sentiment and hopefully this series will inspire our South African citizens to get out there and explore this exquisite country.
This week’s featured blogger is Lauren from Wanderlust Movement.
1) What do you love most about South Africa?
The vast and varied landscapes! I love that you can get lost in the Drakensberg mountains, explore the rugged coastlines of the Eastern Cape, go on an adventure in the Kalahari desert, hike through the Amatola forests or relax on the pristine beaches of Clifton. Each time I come back from a trip, I’m reminded how lucky I am to come from a country that offers so much diversity.
2) What is your first local travel memory?
I think my first travel memory would have to be taking the train to go to the coast with my mom or the Kruger Park with my dad. Not sure which came first.
3) What’s your favourite place to visit in your hometown?
Although I was born in Johannesburg, I consider Cape Town to be my hometown now. So I would have to say my favourite place would be any of the hiking routes. There are so many to choose from, each offering something special and the best part is that they are usually easy to get to and usually there are no fees involved.
4) What’s on your South African travel bucket list?
The panorama route!
5) What are your top tips for planning a local getaway?
- Research local bus routes! You’ll be surprised how safe and easy it is to get around to the most popular destinations without a car. It’s also a lot more affordable, as the BazBus targets foreign travellers making it expensive for local travellers. I highly recommend Intercape, their buses have always been on time for me and the safe beyond helpful.
- Try not to over plan. I used to be really into planning my trip from start to finish until I started embracing the backpacker way of organising things as they come along. I find I’m a lot less stressed and have more room to try a recommendation in my schedule.
- Read online reviews. This is something I am trying to do more. I recently booked a weekend away but had to cancel due to a family emergency. Since then, I have been unsuccessful in contacting the owners to see if I can move my deposit to another date. If I had taken the time to research this place, I probably wouldn’t have booked with them as they don’t have a good track record when it comes to customer service.
6) Where can we follow your blog?
Website: www.wanderlustmovement.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wanderlustmovement/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thewanderlustmovement/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/wanderlustmvmnt
Pinterest: https://za.pinterest.com/wanderlustmvmnt/boards/
How Do I Jump on the Local Travel is Lekker taxi?
That concludes this week’s Local Travel is Lekker blogger feature. Be sure to stop by every week to be inspired by another local traveller and awaken your own wanderlust for local South African travel. Join the conversation on social media with the Local Travel is Lekker hashtag. And if you’re interested in participating, get in touch with me!
All images: Lauren
