ACCORDING TO THE BOOKING EXPERTS AT SKYSCANNER, JANUARY WILL BE THE BEST MONTH FOR CASH-STRAPPED TRAVELERS TO SNAG AN AIRFARE BARGAIN. – DMARGE.COM

Like some of our articles on here, this post started off as pure bants on Instagram. In the middle of January, so many people on our radar were on holiday or planning holidays to different parts of the world. Our explore feed and Instagram stories looked like summer. For most people, like us, January is one of the longest and toughest months of the year. It’s so dreary we usually cannot wait for it to end. Thankfully it has finally come to and end!

Most people are skint in January. The festive season takes ALL your money. Money goes on shopping, buying presents for friends and family, organizing Christmas parties and Christmas vacations. Consumer spending is at a high in December. Retailers take advantage of the “spirit of Christmas” and inflate prices of everything but consumers don’t care, it’s Christmas and everyone is in high spirits. But right after Christmas comes the dreaded endless January!

Like Yoruba people say, January yi gbe (this means January is long and exhausting. There’s no money in circulation). But not for everyone…

We caught up with some of the travelers on our explore feed who were/are vacationing in various parts of the world.How were they able to explore in January in-spite the general depletion of funds? Their responses were all similar; PLAN AND SAVE! Tickets in January are usually cheaper because no one is traveling at that time. So if you are looking for good travel deals, you should consider traveling in January.

We asked them two questions:

Q1: YOUR DESTINATION OF CHOICE AND WHY?
 

Q2: FOR MOST PEOPLE, JANUARY IS A LONG AND BROKE MONTH. SHARE ONE TIP ON HOW YOU CAN STILL AFFORD TO TRAVEL IN JANUARY.

AND THEIR ANSWERS…

FROM @WALEOCHRONICLES

A1: Destination is determined by the region I am.

A2: Don’t spend all your money during festive period. December is a month like every other month. Eat free jollof rice and don’t do “lau lau” (smiles). “Dazall”. Hehe

FROM @KING_HARB

A1: I am visiting Zurich and Prague. Prague is cause of the James Hadley Chase novel. “Have this one on me” where the main character, Mark Girland had to go to Prague on a mission. I read in early secondary school and the city has just stuck on me.
 

A2: Yes, January is a chill month for most people, but this I believe is based on how they have planned it. Planning is key.
 

FROM @ZEEGOES:

A1: Not one country in particular. I found a cheapo ticket and will be hopping from Lagos to Spain for a day of food hunts, then off to the states to see family and retail therapy. Then Hong Kong, China, South Korea and a quick dip to the Philippines. Food is the biggest focus and some snowboarding fun in South Korea. The trip stretches into mid-February. Tickets are much cheaper this time of the year and traveling from the states to most other countries is more affordable than from Nigeria.

A2: Work is less of a hassle around this time and I live a very Ijebu (frugal) life. December or not, when in Nigeria. My biggest splurge in December was from food hunts at Eat and Drink Festival and even that cash was from money sprayed at my family’s Christmas party. House parties=free food. (smiles)

FROM @OMOLAYONKEM:

A1: My destination of choice was Cotonou, Benin (with a day trip to Ouidah) because it was an affordable get away from Lagos.

A2: My number 1 tip is just to have it in mind that you are going and just start saving towards it. Another tip would be to make your mind up early. Keep it low cost by thinking of it as a getaway instead of a full blown vacation.

FROM @PSUEDOGEEK

A1: I chose this location because I wanted a place that had amazing views and city scape, good food, outdoor adventures (and other touristy things), and shopping! It was for my birthday and those were things I wanted to do for the day/week. I also was looking out for a place with  a direct flight from my country of residence, since I had to be back at work on Monday ☺️

A2: Plan in advance. I had put a down payment for my flight and accommodation before the December holidays so by the time I had to travel, I didn’t think much about the cost.

FROM @FOLASWAKA

A1: Well my first destination isn’t really by choice (Fort Lauderdale, Florida). My husband was going in a training there so we decided to combine it with a vacation since we’ll getting free accommodation for five days. I picked Cancun, Mexico because of its proximity to the state of Florida and affordability. I got a return ticket for $203!!! (That’s cheaper than a flight ticket from Lagos to Accra).

A2: Travel in January is possible if you PLAN!!! I know we can get carried away with the festivities in December thanks to all the numerous end of year parties and endless Music shows and concerts but if you start planning at least 6 months ahead and put money aside for your trip, I think it is absolutely possible. In my case, I’m not really into December celebrations so getting away in January was a problem at all. January is off peak season for Travel in most destinations in the northern hemisphere so sticking to such destinations wouldn’t be a bad idea.

There you have it! Traveling in January pretty much requires planning and saving. And not getting caught up in the holiday buzz. It’s usually more affordable as January is off peak for a lot of destinations. We’ve never taken a vacation in January but these travelers are making us seriously consider it! January 2019 perhaps? Lets see! Traveled in January? Please share some planning tips with us!