Illustration by Gary Clement for The National
Illustration by Gary Clement for The National

Nima Abu Wardeh’s pitch: camp out on a family holiday



Imagine a holiday costing Dh50 per person per day – all in, plane tickets on top – and having the time of your life. This is what friends of mine did with their three young children, and it is something that I will be trying out soon. Granted, you would need to like camping for a start, have a great sense of adventure, and be happy to make do with whatever is available. Obviously that's not taking into account the cost of kitting yourself out for the trip in the way of a tent, stove and other camping gear. But if you're into this sort of thing you would have this stuff anyway.
My friends did this for two weeks. They booked tickets to South Africa, hired a car and drove off. They knew the route they were taking, but they'd forgotten to sort out where they were going to spend the first night. That's the beauty of carrying your own accommodation and being relaxed about things. They camped every night bar one – and that was only because it was getting dark and they didn't like the idea of setting up camp late at night. Instead, they stumbled upon very affordable board; they spent the night in an indigenous community that had built teepee-type tents for hire. The rest of the time they stayed in their tent on reserves, including the more than 2 million hectares of Kruger National Park. What an amazing experience .
That was many months ago. Right now they are staying at a wonderful exclusive resort – the type that has kids' clubs, sports, boat trips, parties, you name it. This place costs a minimum of €100 (Dh501) per person per night and is as far removed from a camp-drive getaway as you can get. Their children are having a fabulous time and there isn't a dull moment. But they still actively ask when their next camping holiday will be.
This family can afford to pay for idyllic holidays with any price tag, but they deliberately set out a budget for their Africa adventure with the idea of seeing how much they can have – in the way of experiences and a quality holiday – for "less".
It was such a success on every level that they'll be doing a lot more.
How many of you budget for a family vacation, let alone stick to it?
It's a real must, folks.
We all experience holiday hell at some point. One example is badly planned escapes that leave us so out of cash that we just bury our heads in the sand rather than face up to the big black hole we burnt in our bank balance – hopefully the good news is that these are holidays we can afford. But more often than not, people get into debt to get away, or while they're away – preferring to book a holiday on a credit card or via other payments than stay put and face up to the consequences of their lifestyles and accrued debt.
The way out of this horror is to budget. This does not mean be frugal – although what's wrong with that? – it means allocating a specific amount of money for a holiday.
And then you need to stick to that figure come what may.
I love the idea of a holiday costing Dh50 per person per day and am setting that as my yardstick soon – I'll share where we go and what we do when we do it. But what about you? There's a big world out there, nature is wonderful, and in many places you can get to experience it for free. You just need to be organised and get on with doing things differently.
Throwing money at a holiday is the easy way out. Thinking, planning and being creative takes effort. But it is unmatched in the way of reward and memories.
Go on. Step out of your comfort zone. And do it on a shoestring, why not? Holiday heaven awaits.
Nima Abu Wardeh is the founder of the personal finance website www.cashy.me. You can contact her at nima@cashy.me
Follow us on Twitter @TheNationalPF

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

Sarfira

Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal 

Rating: 2/5

Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

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Abu Dhabi GP weekend schedule

Friday

First practice, 1pm 
Second practice, 5pm

Saturday

Final practice, 2pm
Qualifying, 5pm

Sunday

Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps), 5.10pm

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Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

RESULTS

Bantamweight:
Zia Mashwani (PAK) bt Chris Corton (PHI)

Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)

Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)

Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)

Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)

Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)

Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)

Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)

Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)

Welterweight:
Jarrah Al Selawi (JOR) bt Abdoul Abdouraguimov (FRA)

MATCH INFO

First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs

Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets

Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13

 

England Test squad

Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.

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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion

The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.

Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".

The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.

He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.

"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.

As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.

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