Vayama Travel Blog

Q: Did those extra seats to Johannesburg on South African Airways for the World Cup become available?

By Florin R. Ferrs (Frugal frequent flyer & international airfare expert)

I am glad to announce that yes; South African Airways is releasing more and more economy seats for travel in June. The discounted airfare from the USA to Johannesburg for the World Cup dates are also far lower than they were last year. Check out vayama’s airfare deals on South African Airways today.

I already saw a deal on Vayama from $1049 total from Washington to Johannesburg. More seats will become available through the winter and spring so keep checking vayama to find the best deals to South Africa for the World Cup. Goooooool!

Here is the original question and reply from last year.

Q: How do we get discounted airline tickets to Johannesburg for the South Africa Football World Cup next June?

Unfortunately, FIFA dictates who they can sell their tickets and there are only 3 large consolidators appointed in the USA by FIFA – who can sell the entire world cup package (Including hotels plus Air etc).

The discounted airline tickets to Johannesburg for next June are currently blocked by the airlines to fulfill the package deals given out through the FIFA appointed agents.

However vayama.com expects to get last minute deals when the appointed agents return some blocked seats, if they are unable to sell everything by the ticketing deadline – that will be sometime next year, aprox 3 to 4 months before the June kickoff . So keep checking this space and the vayama.com website for news of cheap Johannesburg Tickets closer to June.

By Florin R. Ferrs (Frugal frequent flyer & international airfare expert)

Stopovers are hot right now. Some airfare itineraries are just tailor-made for stopovers, because, let’s be frank, there are some cities in this world that are great and happening for short visits of 24 to 48 hours, but could be potential drags on longer stays.  I recommend adding a stopover when your airline ticket connects somewhere interesting, most discounted airfares allow at least one free stop over at the foreign connecting hub.   Here are some of my favorite stopover cities, and the airlines that offer stopovers there. A good short time is guaranteed for all.

Top five Stopover cities: Dubai, Seoul, London, Taipei, Mexico City.

Dubai: This is the city that practically invented the shop till you drop stopover with an amazing Duty free shopping mall right inside the airport. Take a courtesy shuttle into town and check out the tallest building in the world, Dubai’s old town island at the Burj or go skiing in Dubai’s indoor Skiing slope. You can’t go wrong with a stop in Dubai. Get off in Dubai the next time you fly to Hyderabad or other Indian sub continent destinations on Emirates.

Chill Out Skiing Indoors in Dubai

Seoul: Seoul has lots of soul, especially for 48 hours. The Korean tourist Board and Asiana are offering free shuttle busses from Incheon Airport into downtown Seoul and a Seoul City Tour Bus hop on & off bus, this is the best way to explore the wonders that Seoul has to offer, from restored medieval Korean temples nestled in city parks, to the excitement and wild nightlife of a 21rst century Asian megalopolis. Get off in Seoul the next time you fly to Asia on Asiana.

London: London was made for a perfect stopover. Jump on the hop on and off bus, this tour now includes fun activities off the bus, like walking tours and river boats. If you are on a budget, London offers a great subway card that covers the underground, buses and river boats. The British Museum and the National Art Gallery are free as well as catching the changing of the guards in front of Buckingham Palace. For a real treat, take a river boat to the nearby suburb of Greenwich and admire the Maritime Museum and the prime Meridian mark (zero degrees longitude). In the evenings, a green laser shoots out from the royal observatory and floats over the ‘City’ of London’s glass towers.  This is one of the best vistas in town.  Get off in London when you fly on Virgin Atlantic or British Airways.

Taipei: We could give you 101 reasons to stop over in Taipei, but one is good enough: Taipei 101, the second tallest skyscraper in the world.  And by the way, the food is amazing and the locals are super friendly. So, get off the plane the next time you fly to Asia on China Airlines, you will be glad you did.

Mexico City: Take advantage of Aeromexico’s stop in Mexico City on the way to the beaches of Cancun and Cabo San Lucas and get off in Mexico City for a cultural and gastronomical feast. Mexico City rivals Rome with its wealth of architectural treasures, both Aztec , Spanish and even Hapsburg and French. The Museums alone are worth the stopover,  but you will be glad you did mostly because the food in Mexico City is second to none, from regional Mexican delicacies to Japanese cuisine with a Latin twist. Get off in Mexico City the next time you fly on Aeromexico.

Don’t fly over, make a stopover and see the world for less.

Don't Fly over. Make a stopover!

By Florin R. Ferrs (Frugal frequent flyer & international airfare expert)

Start your South American adventure with vayama’s discounted airfares to all South American Countries. You can fly into one South American Country,  return home from  another, and use buses and inexpensive puddle jumper flights in between.

Los Nevados : A one street town high up in the Andes.

Los Nevados is a one street town located  high up in the Venezuelan Andes at 2700 meters above sea level. Los Nevados is the highest town in whole country, has only one street and relies on a single gas powered electricity generator that gets shut off at 10pm, right after the popular nightly soap operas end.

Los Nevados: One Street Town

The only way to reach Los Nevados is by Jeep on a dirt road carved with shovels and pick axes. An alternative exit route includes a full day hike up to the  closest mountain pass and then a hike down to the penultimate cable car station, located at 4045 meters above sea level. You can only travel uphill from Los Nevados by foot, assisted by cargo mules that carry your gear and allow you to hike light in the thin air.

Up in the Andes Mountains

Once you reach the cable car station the view is absolutely spectacular. This is the highest cable car in the world and the cable car station is within view of the glacier on the summit of Bolivar peak at 5000 meters above sea level. It’s another full day hike to get off the mountain so you have to spend the night at the cable car station and start trekking downhill early the next day.

The cable car station watchmen attach a rudimentary cable car called garrucha (a wheelbarrow with pulleys) to the existing cables and shoot it downhill to reach the state capital, Merida,  fast.  They also use the same garrucha  to bring goods back up to keep Los Nevado’s only food shop stocked.

There is only one hotel in Los Nevados, it has a wraparound balcony that offers spectacular views of  the surrounding  peaks and glaciers,  but no restaurant or bar, just a church across a tiny plaza. You can dine with a local family and then retire to your hotel, which is totally self service. You get a key to the front door and you can expect to be the only guests in the entire hotel as very few tourists ever get up there. The hotel has six rooms with beds and hammocks, but sleeping can be difficult  due to the altitude. Still, it’s a perfect place to relax and get away from the modern world. The hike up to the cable car station is fun, it skirts high Andean lakes and you will be able to admire exotic Andean flora, like the frailejon  ( a furry aloe vera plant).

Los Nevados is a truly off the beaten track, get there for less with vayama’s cheap tickets to South America.

How to Get There: Book a flight to Caracas and then take the 12 hour overnight bus to the city of Merida, then a Jeep up to Los Nevados.