Love them or hate them, end-of-year celebrations are a staple on the corporate calendar. They’ve become an important part of team building, a way to share company results and set out plans for the new year and, more recently, a chance to bring hybrid teams together for a day (or evening) of in-person bonding. But rule of thumb? If you haven’t secured your date, venue and suppliers by end-August or beginning of September, pickings will be slim.

“Year-end remains the event South African businesses take most seriously, so it’s best to plan – and commit – as early as possible. Especially if you’re looking for a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night in November or December,” says Lance Nkwe, Business Leader at FCM Meetings & Events South Africa. “We’re already taking briefs for everything from small team lunches to three-day events.”

Peak season for year-end functions ends around 15 December, with 16 December being the Day of Reconciliation, a public holiday in South Africa. This year it falls on a Wednesday, so most companies will want to wrap up festivities by Friday 11 December before staff head off on leave. And the time always goes quicker than you think.

What companies are booking

As Nkwe explains, larger organisations are leaning into multi-part celebrations that fold several moments into one programme: a team-building session, a conference covering results and the year ahead, then awards, a gala dinner and an after-party. Leaner teams are keeping it simpler, with a team build followed by a relaxed lunch and drinks.

Format choices are firming up too. Dinners are landing as either seated or canapé, while lunches split between buffet setups, harvest tables and restaurant bookings for smaller groups.

“Some clients want the full arc across a day or two, others just want a great team build with a good meal to close,” says Nkwe. “Both work; it’s about matching the format to the team and deciding on the mood you’re after.”

The trends shaping the festive season

Importantly, it doesn’t have to be boring. The clearest shift is away from the rigid sit-down dinner towards more “immersive” formats where entertainment is built into every aspect of the programme. Locally, the return of Madame Zingara (now The Royal Countess Zingara) has raised the bar, its theatrical “tent of dreams” pairing a four-course feast with cabaret, acrobats, comedians, singers and eccentric performances delivered around and above the dining tables. The countess aside, more and more thought is being given to MCs, music and moments of spectacle. Not to mention interesting venues. Think craft breweries or speakeasys, for example, Nine Lives, which is tucked between floors four and five of Hyde Johannesburg Rosebank and known for its 1970s glamour, Asian-inspired menu and the novel thrill of having to find it first…

Of course, broader trends are playing out too. Sober-inclusive menus are maturing, with creative zero-proof cocktail bars sitting alongside premium wines and spirits rather than added as an afterthought. Sustainability remains an important consideration, with procurement teams and planners looking for eco-certified venues, seasonal local menus and a lighter touch on single-use décor.

Corporates are playing with catering too. Think food trucks, grazing tables and ice-cream stations. Increasingly, the food flows with the event, from welcome drinks through to late-night bites, rather than one fixed sitting.

Team building: all fun, zero cringe

Team building has shaken off its reputation for forced participation and “trust falls”. The move is towards experiences people actually want to show up for, often getting teams out of the boardroom and into the city.

“Amazing Race, Survivor and digi-hunt formats still land well,” says Nkwe. “But clients are definitely getting more creative with their requests.”

In Johannesburg, a tuk-tuk tour through Soweto has become a firm favourite, winding past Vilakazi Street, Mandela House and the Hector Pieterson Museum with a kota or two along the way; Lebo’s Soweto Backpackers runs group tours from around R860 a head.

In Cape Town, consider a walking tour through the Bo-Kaap or along an Apartheid-to-Freedom route. In Joburg and Cape Town, City Sightseeing SA’s iconic open-top red bus, with its hop-on hop-off routes, is another easy way to get a team out and about.

And as everyone gets more active, padel has muscled its way onto the roster. In Durban it’s now one of the most popular corporate options going, with clubs like PadelNation and Africa Padel set up to host groups. The city’s Golden Mile also lends itself to a beach-Olympics-style afternoon of friendly competition before sunset drinks.

Whatever the format, the thinking has changed. The best days focus on genuine fun, often paired with a bigger purpose, whether that’s donating a team’s prize money to a charity of their choice, packing Santa Shoeboxes or hosting a Christmas party for a worthy school. Increasingly, team building has a purpose beyond team dynamics.

Budget: cost per head is king

After a tough year, Nkwe says that many companies are now focused on cost per head. 

“Rather than an overall budget, a client will tell us they’ve got 120 people, with a budget of R350 per head for dinner, drinks and a few special touches,” he says. “We always look for a way to make a modest budget feel generous with the right details. But you have to book early.”

For Nkwe, tighter budgets needn’t mean a flat event. Activity-led gatherings often land better than a formal seated dinner, weekday or off-peak dates unlock better rates, and drawing on your own team’s interests and passion projects often keeps the costs down while feeling personal.

But his advice remains: If year-end matters to your team, get it in the diary today. Then build an event that your whole team will love and wouldn’t miss for the world.

Here are the non-negotiables for 2026 holiday travel:

1. Buy comprehensive travel insurance. Then actually read the Ts&Cs. “Honestly, it’s the best booking decision you’ll make,” says Zay Ferguson-Nair, Customer Experience Leader at Flight Centre South Africa. “Unspecified event cover is often included if you purchase cover within 24-72 hours of your trip being booked. Talk to your travel advisor about the right cover for your trip at the point of booking, and don’t leave it for later. It shouldn’t be an afterthought.”
2. Lock in your fare now, even if you’re travelling next year. “Our advice at the moment is simple: Book early, pay now, stay flexible,” says Ferguson-Nair. “You can book today’s prices for travel up to 12 months out, which means you can snap up the deals Middle Eastern carriers are offering right now and worry about packing later.”
3. Ask about an airline’s date-change policy. Change fees and flexibility can shift, and in some cases paying a once-off change fee works out cheaper than booking a fully flexible fare from the start. Always ask – and compare – before you book.
4. Always compare the total ticket cost, not the headline price. Fuel surcharges, flexibility and ancillaries can quietly pile up, so always compare apples with apples, says Ferguson-Nair. “In the current climate, we recommend paying a little more for flexibility. It can save you money in the long run.”
5. Quote and ticket on the same day. Fares are moving really quickly right now, and a quote held overnight can vanish by breakfast, so if you’re happy with the price, secure it.
6. Check your passport before you do anything else. Most destinations require at least six months’ validity (from your return date) and two blank pages, so check your passport first, then book. Ditto for visa requirements.
7. Travel “carry-on only” wherever possible. With some airlines raising checked baggage fees to offset rising fuel costs, a cabin-ready wheelie bag at your side saves money, time at the carousel, and a great deal of stress if your flight is suddenly delayed or rerouted. And if you do find yourself sprinting to a service desk to sort out a grounded flight, at least your bag is coming with you.
8. Pack light. Really light. Sudoku, packing cubes, or military rolls – pick your weapon. We all know we’ll be wearing the same two outfits on rotation, so why are we pretending otherwise?
9. Wear your bulkiest items onto the plane. Boots, puffers, and your heaviest jersey all count as free luggage when they’re on your body, and the cabin gets cold enough that you’ll thank yourself later.
10. Remember an in-flight essentials kit. A spare pair of undies, a toothbrush, contact lens solution, phone charger, a change of top, and any prescription medication should always travel on your person, not in the hold.
11. Bring an empty, refillable water bottle. Fill it past security at any refill station and you’ll skip the airport mark-up entirely, plus you’ll stay properly hydrated on the flight.
12. Download the airline app before you leave home. If your flight is delayed or cancelled, the app will keep you up to speed and in the know.
13. Better still: save your Travel Expert’s 24-hour support number to your phone. If things go awry, you want a friendly, efficient human on the other end of the line. Same goes for your travel insurance and your hotel.
14. Know the new power bank rules before you fly. Since 27 March 2026, ICAO rules limit passengers to two power banks in the cabin and ban charging them during the flight, with some carriers (Emirates among them) capping it at one. Never put a power bank in checked luggage or the overhead bin. These devices belong under the seat in front of you, where cabin crew can reach them fast if needed.
15. Ignore “airport theory” no matter how convincing the TikTok. The trend that challenges travellers to get from the airport entrance to the departure gate in 15 minutes or less is a great way to miss your flight, especially with current security wait times.

A bit of homework at the booking stage, a sense of humour at the airport, and a wheelie bag you can actually lift, and festive season travel is yours for the taking!

Carmen Hidalgo, Customer Success Team Leader at Corporate Traveller South Africa, says the framing is where most people go wrong.

“The biggest misconception is that lounge access is a luxury perk,” she says. “For frequent business travellers, it’s a practical tool, one that cuts travel fatigue, improves comfort during delays and helps you make better, more productive use of time spent in airports.”

Once you see the lounge as a high-functioning co-working space, and a chance to rest and breathe, things start to look a little different.

When it makes financial sense

For business travellers, the most common options are lounge memberships such as Priority Pass, airline loyalty programmes, purchasing day passes as needed, or accessing lounges through corporate travel agreements and company credit cards. For occasional travellers, day passes are often the most cost-effective. For more frequent travellers, membership programmes generally provide better value over time.

Hidalgo believes that if a traveller is flying every month or making 10-15+ lounge visits a year, a membership or bundled access option starts making more financial sense than buying day passes ad hoc.

Of course, it also helps to know what the passes cost. Walk-in rates at the general-access lounges, Bidvest among them, run from about R300 to R700 a visit, while premium co-branded bank lounges (like SLOW) do not allow general walk-ins and instead require specific bank card tiers or partner programmes.

The door price is only part of the calculation, though. What you’re really paying for is the quiet productivity of a well-considered space.

“The biggest value is in reliable connectivity, comfortable seating, charging facilities, a quieter working environment and complimentary refreshments. These are the features that help business travellers stay productive,” says Hidalgo. “The high-end touches like spa treatments or shower facilities are nice to have, but they’re rarely the reason an SME traveller sees a return on investment.”

That return is easiest to see when things go wrong: your flight is pushed back, your phone needs a charge and the terminal is heaving. You can brave a noisy coffee shop, or move to the lounge, plug in and clear your inbox before you fly. Six or seven trips a year can easily add up to the better part of three working days in airports, and lounge access gives you some of that time back.

A lounge reality check, and how to maximise your time

While lounges were once a quiet refuge for the select few, premium credit cards have thrown open the doors. Now lounges across the world are coming under fire for snaking queues and crowded floors, especially over peak periods. To control numbers, operators have pushed back with restrictions: entry windows that open only a few hours before departure, higher walk-in rates, caps on guests per cardholder and, in some cases, a charge to pre-book a seat. All of it chips at the overall experience, and it’s fair to ask whether a busy lounge is now simply a glorified waiting room.

Hidalgo doesn’t dodge the point. “Overcrowding has reduced some of the productivity benefits travellers used to expect,” she says. “So, we tell clients to treat lounge access as one part of the trip, not the whole experience. And you do need to be intentional about it.”

As Hidalgo explains, customers commonly allow lounge access for frequent travellers, longer layovers, delays, or trips where employees are travelling directly into meetings. The objective should be helping travellers make the best use of their time while maintaining sensible cost control.

“A managed travel programme gives businesses greater visibility and control over traveller benefits, including lounge access,” she says. “Depending on the programme, access may be linked to negotiated supplier agreements, traveller status, or internal travel policy guidelines. The best travel policies treat lounge access as a structured and managed benefit rather than an ad hoc traveller expense.”

When it comes to maximising your lounge experience, a few simple steps make a big difference:

• Check in before you arrive. Use the airline app and travel with hand luggage where you can, so you clear the landside queues and head straight through security to the lounge.
• Mind the fine print. Some lounges, SLOW among them, only let you in 90 minutes before boarding a domestic flight, while international departure lounges have different windows (for example, three hours before boarding).
• Don’t overlook arrival lounges. At the bigger hubs you can shower and press a suit after a red-eye before walking into a client meeting.
• Use the Wi-Fi for the heavy lifting. The private network will carry a video call or a large upload that terminal signal tends to drop.
• Find the quiet corners. Phone booths and work suites, where they exist, are for the calls and pitch prep you’d rather not have overheard.
• Eat before you board. A proper meal in the lounge frees the flight itself for sleep or focused offline work.
• Claim a plug early. Grab a seat near a charging point and get everything topped up before you leave, so you land ready to go.
• Check what else is included. Many lounges offer showers, printing or a fast-track security lane, so it’s worth knowing what your access covers before you pay for it elsewhere.

So, is it worth it?

For all the grumbling about crowds and cost, most travellers still answer yes. Airport Dimensions’ Airport Experience 2025 study, which surveyed more than 10,000 regular flyers worldwide, found that 97% were unwilling to give up their lounge access, and 45% would switch banks to keep card-linked lounge privileges. With terminals busier than ever, 62% said they would pay for premium services to get some breathing room, treating the lounge as a travel essential.

The top end of the market is reading the same signal and spending accordingly. Etihad’s First Class Lounge and Spa in Abu Dhabi has a gym with cardio machines and weights; Finnair’s Platinum Wing in Helsinki runs a traditional Finnish sauna; and from September 2027, San Francisco International will offer private bedrooms, showers and a speakeasy for travellers waiting out a long layover.

For most business travellers, though, the appeal is more grounded. “They can be impressive,” says Hidalgo of the flashier offerings, “although most business travellers still place the highest value on quiet spaces, comfort and the ability to work efficiently.”

Search “hotel safety tips” and women across the web have plenty to share: packing a rubber doorstop to wedge under the door at night; choosing a room between the third and sixth floors; selecting hotels with lifts that need key card access to reach the guest floors; asking reception to hand over the key quietly, without calling out the room number for everyone to hear.

It’s an unfortunate reality. Either consciously or subconsciously, women move through life on high alert, aware of their surroundings and safety – especially when travelling on their own or in unfamiliar destinations.

As Judy Jacobs, Senior Account Manager at FCM South Africa, explains, safety on a business trip, especially for women, isn’t a nice-to-have that sits somewhere below room rate and location; it’s at the very top of the list, and an important part of any hotel programme.

“Both hotel location and room location come up often,” says Jacobs. “The preference is for a mid-level floor, near a lift but not right beside it, and avoiding a stairwell or the end of a long corridor. Once inside the room, the requests are practical: a safe large enough for a laptop, blackout curtains that close fully, and no interleading door, which many women find unsettling.”

What women want

According to the team at FCM, these hotel features are important:

• Reputable chains in safe locations
• Well-lit paths from the car park to the entrance, with no dark stretches within the property
• A genuine 24-hour staffed front desk rather than a night porter (where possible)
• Female staff on duty
• Key card room access
• A room between the 3^rd and 6^th floors (high enough to prevent break-ins from the ground – but within reach of a standard fire truck in case of emergency)
• A working peephole and a secondary lock, swing bar or security chain on the door
• An in-room safe big enough to hold a laptop
• Blackout curtains or blinds that close completely
• No interleading door, or one that locks securely from both sides

Building it into travel policy

Of course, a hotel should meet other standards too, including emergency procedures clearly displayed in rooms, working smoke detectors and fire safety equipment, CCTV in public areas and entrances, and security guards on the premises. The trick is building it into your travel policy.

“Many of our customers, for example, those in the mining sector, have stringent travel, safety, and duty-of-care standards. These non-negotiable requirements directly influence which hotel and accommodation suppliers are considered suitable for their travellers,” says Saskia Fourie, Account Manager at FCM South Africa. “Wherever possible, we also encourage the use of our preferred hotel partners. While these partnerships offer commercial benefits, the bigger advantage is that the properties have already undergone a degree of vetting and due diligence. We have established relationships with these suppliers, understand their standards, and have clear escalation channels should issues arise. This level of familiarity and accountability enables us to better support our customers, ensure compliance with their travel and safety policies, and provide travellers with a safe and consistent experience.”

Regional knowledge is also important. For example, key card-only lift and floor access is standard in large city hotels but not always feasible elsewhere. The same goes for monitored rather than merely recorded CCTV. A good travel management company will know which standards a hotel in a given location can realistically deliver – and how to spot the red flags.

For Jacobs, these might be dismissive responses to security questions, “that’s never happened here” deflection, inconsistent messaging from staff, or common areas that feel poorly lit, unmaintained or deserted at night.

“Thankfully, there are plenty of green flags too. For example, visible but not intrusive security; staff who share direct ‘in-case-of-emergency’ telephone numbers; staff who are quick to respond to a guest’s requests or concerns; and other business travellers staying in the hotel, which demonstrates corporate confidence,” says Jacobs.

Asking the right questions

When negotiating a hotel agreement, you need to ask the right questions: What is the hotel’s protocol if a guest reports feeling unsafe or harassed, and how quickly does it respond? How does the property keep the guest’s information secure (including floor and room number)? What background checks are run on staff, particularly night and maintenance teams who can access rooms? And can room assignments avoid predictable patterns, such as always placing solo travellers in the same wing?

The strongest programmes then go a step further and put agreements in writing. These might include the right to change rooms at no charge if a traveller feels unsafe, and a set window in which any incident is reported to the company or its TMC. As Jacobs puts it, “It’s easy to assume a hotel or chain’s standards cover this, but having it contractually documented gives us recourse and shows the hotel we’re serious.”

Finally, listen to your travellers.

As Nomapelo Kova, Senior Account Manager at FCM South Africa, points out, the people using your hotel programme are the ones best placed to tell you whether it is working. “The most valuable feedback often comes directly from travellers themselves,” she says. “They experience a hotel’s safety and security first-hand, so listening to them, and acting on what they say, is how a hotel programme stays up to date, reliable and safe.”

The newly created role reflects an evolution of Jo’s current remit as Global Head of Account Management and FCM Consulting, and FCM’s continued focus on ensuring customer needs and perspectives remain central to how the business grows. Reporting directly to Melissa Elf, Global Managing Director of FCM, Jo will shape and lead FCM’s global customer strategy, championing the customer perspective in strategic decision-making. 

“Our customers are evolving – they expect us to show up on a truly global level, bring the right product mix and sharper solutions to the table, and help them get real traction on the change they’re trying to drive in their businesses. This appointment builds on the strength we already have, while helping all of us solve harder problems and deliver value, together.” 

– Melissa Elf, Global Managing Director, FCM Travel

In the role, Jo will own the end-to-end customer lifecycle – spanning health, retention, growth and value realisation – and will continue to lead Account Management and FCM Consulting under one unified vision. She will take a broader programme management view of customer needs, helping them to get ahead of the technology, service and content complexities reshaping travel – from AI to increasingly intricate supplier and content ecosystems – and turning customer insight into proactive action. 

Jo brings extensive experience in customer management, consulting and strategic account leadership to the role. Having spent her entire career in corporate travel, she developed her expertise over more than 15 years within a travel management company environment, becoming an innovator in preferred supplier managed programmes, before taking on consulting roles. Jo joined FCM Travel in 2021 and has since helped build FCM Consulting into a market differentiator and shaped how the company delivers customer value. 

“Customers want more than a supplier – they want a partner who understands their business, wherever they operate. That’s exactly what this role is about – connecting the dots across FCM globally so our customers get consistency, ownership and real value. 

Corporate travel is changing fast, and many of our customers are facing genuinely difficult choices about how they move forward. I’m excited to build on the strong foundations we already have across FCM Consulting and Account Management, helping our customers navigate those decisions with confidence and embrace the future of corporate travel.”

– Jo Lloyd, Chief Customer Officer, FCM Travel 

“Congratulations to Jo on the new role. Her belief in keeping the customer at the centre of every decision resonates strongly with us in South Africa, where our clients are navigating the same shifts around AI, supplier complexity and duty of care. This role gives them the reassurance of a truly global standard, delivered with the local knowledge and personal service our teams are known for.”

–  Mummy Mafojane, General Manager, FCM Travel South Africa

It’s evidence of an invisible itinerary: the planning, coordination and caregiving responsibilities that happen behind the scenes, before a single flight is booked. Think school runs and lift clubs, dog walks and vet visits, stocked fridges and pre-cooked meals, medication schedules for elderly parents or kids, emergency contacts briefed well in advance, and detailed instructions so everything runs like a military operation.

Gen X and older Millennials, in particular, feel the strain. The modern “sandwich generation” find themselves juggling dual caregiving responsibilities that directly impact professional obligations, including work travel.

The encouraging part of the research is what follows – clear evidence that the right organisational support and policies ease the load and support traveller health and wellbeing.

“The first fix is making sure every trip has a clear purpose, for the business and for the traveller,” says Elize De Jager, Operations Team Leader at Corporate Traveller South Africa, a global travel management company (TMC) that specialises in providing tailored business travel services to small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs). 

“It’s a principle that matters for any company watching its travel spend, particularly SMEs, but it carries extra weight for the person weighing up whether a trip is worth the disruption at home. Few will say that part out loud, though. Admitting to the caregiving and coordination happening behind the scenes takes a genuinely safe workplace, and not everyone has one. In the wrong environment, the cost of staying quiet can be steep: with women turning down worthwhile trips – for their personal development, career and for the business itself – simply because of what’s happening at home. That’s not ideal.”

Better policies and systems

De Jager’s view is a practical one: the fix isn’t asking people to share more about what they’re carrying. Visibility only helps, she says, if a workplace receives it well – and in the wrong culture, disclosing too much too soon can do more harm than good. Instead, it’s about fixing outdated policies.

“Some workplaces can feel as if they’re structured around an imaginary worker who has no caregiving responsibilities and unlimited availability,” she says. “That person is increasingly rare – and was probably never the norm.”

Douglas’s research with the University of Pretoria touches on how important organisational support is when it comes to traveller wellness and wellbeing. Put simply, higher levels of organisational support lead to higher levels of employee engagement. This could mean offering employees an opportunity to recover after a trip; providing the necessary training and coaching ahead of key trips (including cultural awareness guidance, which can help travellers navigate unfamiliar environments with greater confidence and reduce unnecessary risk); allowing more comfortable travel (including premium economy or business class for long-haul flights); and ensuring that all the travel arrangements run smoothly. And of course, this shouldn’t just be understood – it should be written into policy.

De Jager says this might include:

• Giving travellers a say in flight timing, particularly for early departures or late arrivals.
• Giving travellers a choice in ground transport, i.e. a pre-booked shuttle or transfer instead of defaulting to the cheapest option, especially after dark.
• Choosing accommodation with safety in mind, including 24-hour reception, security and security cameras, key-card access to lifts, safe locations and positive reviews.
• Building in recovery time after long trips, rather than an immediate return to a full schedule.
• Canvassing cross-departmental input into policy design, so travel policy reflects real working lives.
• Flexibility to extend a trip so the family can join, where workable. Excursions, outings and leisure activities all play a role in employee morale and satisfaction.

For De Jager, none of these are radical. They’re achievable, and TMCs can help draft the policies, vet accommodation and transport suppliers, and negotiate corporate rates to help make it happen.

Closing the gaps

“A policy that books the cheapest available flight without factoring in who’s collecting children from school or covering an elderly parent’s evening care, isn’t neutral; it simply shifts a cost from the balance sheet onto the traveller’s household,” says Christelle Louw, Operations Team Leader at Corporate Traveller and mother of three.

“Companies must recognise that women bear a disproportionate share of caregiving,” says Louw. “But many men are caregivers too. If HR policies are routinely built around flexibility, and reflect the realities of the world today, it becomes a choice for everyone – not a special favour for a woman in a man’s world.”

This Women’s Day, the business case is simple: sustainable corporate travel is fair, flexible and designed for real life and real people.

Conversational booking is made possible by FCM’s existing intelligence layer, Sam. By synthesising intelligence at every traveller interaction, Sam builds a richer profile in real time. Every recommendation will come with its reasoning attached, showing why it fits policy, matches a traveller’s usual routing, reflects their loyalty programme, or follows how their team travels. That visibility will help travellers book with confidence, without second-guessing. 

“Conversational booking only works if travellers trust what they’re being shown, and that trust comes from context, not just convenience. That’s the experience we’re building toward – every recommendation explains itself, so travellers can act on it with confidence, and travel managers see adoption follow as a result.”

– Jessica Dunderdale, Global Head of Product, FCM Travel

That same booking experience also travels with the user. Available first in Microsoft Teams and Slack, Model Context Protocol (MCP) technology will extend booking capabilities to the AI tools travellers use every day, including ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, without opening a separate app. For travel buyers, that means higher in-programme booking rates and better data capture, without asking travellers to change behaviour. 

The intelligence that shapes conversational booking also feeds FCM’s reporting and proactive analytics, surfacing spend, compliance, and disruption risk as it emerges rather than after the fact. This sharpens the role of the travel manager – allowing them to translate what the technology surfaces into decisions that fit their business. 

Booking is one moment in a much longer trip. Thanks to embedded native intelligence, FCM’s technology and service teams stay connected with travellers from the first planning conversation through duty of care and in-trip support – not just the moment they hit confirm.

“We didn’t build FCM’s tech ecosystem to replace our consultants’ judgment. We built it to take the routine work off their plate, so they can focus on the moments that actually need a person. Travellers get speed from tech and expertise from our consultants – they shouldn’t have to choose between the two.”

– John Morhous, Chief Experience Officer, FCM Travel

Head to https://www.fcmtravel.com/en-za/f to learn more about FCM and Sam and watch the launch video here to see FCM’s conversational booking feature in action.

“FCM continues to set the pace globally, and it’s exciting to be part of that momentum. Conversational booking will change how our customers plan and book, and we’re looking forward to bringing it to South Africa in the coming months. The next year will be an exciting one.”

– Mummy Mafojane, General Manager, FCM Travel South Africa

In 2026, that feeling is increasingly hard to find. Bali is getting busier by the day, Santorini is feeling the pressure of the summer cruise ship calendar, and even Lisbon – once considered Portugal’s hidden gem – now has snaking queues for a decent pastéis de nata.

Look a little closer, though, and you’ll find alternative destinations that deliver everything that draws travellers to the Mediterranean and beyond: warm water, exceptional food, and real adventure – usually at a fraction of the cost and without the crowds. And increasingly, it’s becoming even easier to reach these destinations.

Take Airlink’s new Johannesburg–Nacala service (launched February 2026), which opens up northern Mozambique, for example. As well as LATAM’s new non-stop route between Cape Town and São Paulo (launching July 2026), suddenly putting South America firmly on the Saffa radar.

“We’re seeing a real shift in what our clients are asking for,” says Sue Garrett, GM Supply, Pricing & Marketing at Flight Centre South Africa. “They still want an unforgettable, bucket-list experience – but they want it without the crowds. They want to feel like they found something special. And right now, there’s genuine opportunity to do exactly that.”

Fancy an out-of-the-ordinary travel experience? Here are five destinations worth a serious look.

Kefalonia, Greece

On the Ionian side of Greece, Kefalonia offers everything the Cyclades promise without the crowds: turquoise coves like Myrtos and Antisamos, sleepy harbour towns, and vineyards producing crisp Robola whites found nowhere else. While Santorini and Mykonos strain under the weight of their own popularity, Kefalonia feels more relaxed even at the height of summer.

“Kefalonia does have a summer peak, but since it’s the largest of the Ionian Islands, its size and varied terrain help absorb the crowds, allowing visitors to find quieter spots, enchanting beaches, and friendly, local tavernas,” says Garrett. “It’s still part of the Schengen zone, but for South Africans already budgeting for that admin, it delivers a beautiful Greek island experience.”

Top tip: Kefalonia is a big island, so hire a car and spend a few days both on the north and south sides of the island. Staying in both regions drastically cuts down on long, winding drives and allows you to explore different sites and beaches in the most relaxed way possible. Pack water shoes for the pebbly beaches and ask locals where to find the best swimming spots – as some of the more famous beaches have strong currents and undertows.

Albania’s Riviera

A short, high-speed ferry trip from Corfu gets you to Sarandë, and from there, it’s just a twelve-kilometre drive south to Ksamil, where some of Albania’s most beautiful beaches rival anything in the region. Inland, the Roman ruins of Butrint and the impossibly blue spring known as the “Blue Eye” add a bit of interest and adventure to beach time.

Yes, Albania still feels basic – bus timetables are informal and cash is king, but that’s exactly what makes it feel genuinely undiscovered. Albania sits outside the Schengen zone (South Africans will need an e-Visa via the government portal) and is following almost exactly the same trajectory Croatia took a decade ago, then Montenegro more recently. In other words, it won’t stay this quiet for much longer.

Top tip: Bring Euros. While the local currency is the Albanian lek, most tourist businesses and accommodations readily accept Euros at a set rate. Keep a few handy as many of Ksamil’s beaches are private, so you’ll need to pay for access, a lounger, and beach umbrella.

Georgia’s wine country

Tucked between the Caucasus Mountains and the Black Sea, Georgia is the birthplace of wine, with an 8,000-year-old qvevri winemaking tradition in the Kakheti region. Tbilisi mixes cobbled old-town streets and sulphur bathhouses with a restaurant scene that has earned serious international attention, while the Alazani Valley delivers vineyards, medieval watchtowers, and near total quiet. The rand goes a long way here, covering excellent guesthouses and meals that would cost considerably more with a French label attached, and South Africans can enter visa-free for up to a year.

Top tip: Book lunch or dinner a couple of days in advance, especially at smaller, family-run estates, as independent winemakers often only prepare meals for those who book ahead. Oh, and pay a visit to Sighnaghi, Georgia’s own “City of Love”!

Uzbekistan’s Silk Road cities

Samarkand’s Registan Square, with its turquoise domes and towering gateways, is one of those sights that photographs simply cannot prepare you for, yet it remains filed under “someday” for most South African travellers. The Silk Road triangle of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva now forms a manageable, well-supported itinerary, with Bukhara’s old city still functioning as a living town of carpet workshops and spice bazaars, not a museum piece. Costs on the ground remain low, and the region’s high-speed bullet trains save you from long, bumpy car rides.

Top tip: Uzbekistan’s high-speed rail tickets go on sale exactly 45 days before departure and sell out within minutes, so create an account on the official Uzbekistan Railways website or app in advance and be ready to book the moment your travel dates open.

Argentina: Buenos Aires

Argentina slipped off the radar when SAA discontinued its direct flights to Buenos Aires back in 2014. But with the LATAM São Paulo–Cape Town route launching in September, the magic of Buenos Aires – tango, literature, grand European-style architecture, an outstanding café and steakhouse culture – is back within easy reach. Unfortunately, says Garrett, Argentina is not as affordable as it once was.

“South Africans feel right at home in Buenos Aires’ legendary parillas (steakhouses), especially with a glass of Malbec in hand! The architectural beauty of the city, complete with grand boulevards and bustling sidewalk cafés, really is something special,” says Garrett. “But if you’re looking for more value for money, consider Colombia – both Medellín and Cartagena offer extraordinary experiences, and both are also back in play thanks to LATAM’s new route.”

Top tip: Buenos Aires – a three-hour flight from São Paulo – is packed with personality. The best way to experience it? On a private city tour or local-led food tour. You’ll get a sense of the city’s best neighbourhoods and quickly fall in love with everything on offer.

“The travellers who come back from a holiday feeling the most energised are usually the ones who took a chance on somewhere they had to explain to their friends and family… and returned with stories they’ll be telling those same loved ones about for years,” Garrett concludes.  

In 2026, those places still exist. The question is simply whether you find them before everyone else does.

The timing is no accident. With global airfares up more than 20% over the past year, South Africans are relooking their holiday budgets, and micro-luxuries offer a happy solution: trim the base costs, then spend deliberately on a few premium touches that lift the whole experience.

“A handful of moments decide how you’ll remember a holiday,” says Zay Ferguson-Nair, Customer Experience Leader at Flight Centre South Africa. “Very few of us can afford 10 days of blanket luxury right now, so micro-luxuries make a real difference. Choose them deliberately, put your money there, and a modest trip starts to feel like something really special.”

So, where should your rands go?

A transfer waiting for you

Thailand remains one of Flight Centre’s top destinations. But it’s a long way away. By the time you land in Bangkok, you’ll have been travelling for around 22 hours. Working out taxis in an unfamiliar city – especially while you’re tired and desperate for a shower – is no way to start a holiday.

A pre-booked transfer, with a driver holding your name in arrivals and delivering you straight to your hotel, is a small splurge when you look at the big picture. The same logic applies in Istanbul, Athens, or Rome: the first few hours of a trip set the mood for everything that follows.

In fact, as Ferguson-Nair explains, many packages will include transfers as standard.

“Always ask your travel advisor about transfers – it’ll completely change the tone of day one,” she says.

A guide who really knows their stuff

A private or small-group guide for a single morning will teach you more than a week of aimless wandering. Visit Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque or join a local-led food walk in Athens (coffee, pastries, and a delicious selection of mezes and dips) before you catch a ferry out to the islands.

Three hours with the right person condenses 20 years of local knowledge into an unforgettable outing, and it changes how you see everything else on the trip.

One table worth booking

Self-catering helps keep holiday costs down, and there’s real pleasure in shopping in local grocery stores and farmers’ markets. Just build in one exception: a special meal, booked before you leave home. If you’re in London, consider lunch at the River Café in Hammersmith, afternoon tea at The Savoy, or dinner at The Ivy (the original, located right in the heart of the West End). Or keep it even simpler. In Mauritius, a sundowner at a beautiful west coast beach bar, cocktail in hand as the sky catches fire, can be the entire evening’s plan, and one of the best moments of the trip.

One experience to anchor it all

Every trip deserves a centrepiece: a traditional Creole cooking class in Seychelles where you shop Mahé’s markets in the morning and enjoy the spoils at lunch, a catamaran cruise off Mauritius’ north coast, or a boat across the Bosphorus Strait at golden hour with Europe on one bank and Asia on the other. Pre-book one anchor experience per destination. The good ones fill up fast, and they become the stories you tell when you get home.

The one extraordinary night

Then there’s the bigger version of the idea. Marriott Bonvoy coined the phrase “lux-scaping” in its 2026 EMEA Ticket to Travel Report: booking a single night of unapologetic luxury at the very start or very end of your trip, then spending modestly in between. Arrive and recover from a long flight in style – or end your holiday on an unforgettable high before boarding for home.

“The first and last nights are special,” says Ferguson-Nair. “Spend it somewhere extraordinary and the whole holiday borrows its glow. It’s one of the easiest upgrades in travel, and right now it’s also one of the most affordable.”

The maths of memory

The trips we describe for years afterwards tend to be the ones where the money landed in the right places.

“In 2026, spending less overall while spending better on a few chosen indulgences is a smart strategy. And it’s well within reach,” concludes Ferguson-Nair.

As Mummy Mafojane, GM of FCM South Africa explains, when it comes to domestic hotel rooms, South Africans are accustomed to a certain size and standard. In contrast, European city hotels are notoriously compact, often squeezed into historic buildings with decidedly small rooms and limited amenities. And in secondary, satellite cities in developing regions, water, power and connectivity can be hit and miss.

For the travel manager approving the trip, the rating suggests a known quantity: a decent bed, working Wi-Fi, breakfast and a front desk that answers. For the traveller who checks in, the reality behind those stars depends entirely on who awarded them, and in some markets the answer is nobody at all.

“Our latest FCM Insights Report shows that businesses are becoming more cost-conscious and more deliberate about where their accommodation spend goes, with more corporate volume moving into the 3- and 4-star tier,” says Mafojane. “Across Africa, corporate demand is holding firm, and our top African destinations are Mozambique, Zambia, Ghana, Botswana and Zimbabwe, all corridors where South African business is growing. The only catch is that a 4-star rating can mean something different in each of them, and that’s where a managed hotel programme earns its keep.”

Who stands behind the stars? Hotel classification in FCM’s top destinations

“When a company tells us a traveller had a bad stay somewhere on the continent, the booking almost always said four-star. Nobody lied about the rating. There was just no authority behind it,” says Mafojane.

How the international list stacks up

FCM’s top international destinations for South African corporates are Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and China (2026 FCM booking data), and even in these mature markets the stars don’t necessarily align, as the table shows.

Which brings us to what the rating actually buys. In South Africa, a 4-star property typically comes with extra space, room service, TV, secure parking and a proper breakfast. By 5-star, you’re looking at round-the-clock staffing, valet parking, 24-hour room service, luggage assistance, a business centre, and exceptional on-site facilities like fine dining and a spa.

A room in a 4-star hotel in central Paris or London is much smaller, and the traveller is paying considerably more for it. Corporate travellers paid an average of US$349 a night in London and US$531 in New York in the last quarter of 2025, against US$233 in Cape Town and US$196 in Johannesburg (FCM Consulting Insights Report 2026). A Johannesburg traveller landing in New York pays more than double the rate for a fraction of the space; the rating stays the same while the experience shifts.

What to look for beyond the star

In markets without enforced grading, the questions that actually predict a good stay have little to do with thread counts. Does the property have genuine backup power and water, meaning generator and borehole capacity that covers guest rooms rather than only the lobby? Are transfers and parking secure? Is the Wi-Fi reliable enough to run a video call, since connectivity in a business hotel is a working tool rather than an amenity? Will the card machine work, and can the rate be billed back rather than settled in cash? What are the real cancellation terms? And does the property appear in your travel management company’s duty of care picture at all?

“A star rating tells us what a hotel thinks about itself,” says Mafojane. “We look at backup infrastructure, secure transfers, payment, cancellation terms and whether we can reach a decision-maker at the property directly. Those are the things that decide whether a trip works.”

Hotel development in Africa has long followed colonial and linguistic lines, with French brands clustering in West Africa and Portuguese investment shaping Angola and Mozambique. Yet Mafojane says many of the most consistent properties on the continent are local chains.

“They build for the realities of their own markets, so a generator, a borehole and a driver who actually arrives are standard rather than selling points. In several of our top destinations they are simply the best-performing option, and traveller feedback confirms it trip after trip.”

The conclusion for travel managers is clear. Where the star rating cannot carry the weight placed on it, the managed programme does that work instead: verified properties, negotiated rates with consistent inclusions, traveller feedback that flags a slipping property early, and duty of care visibility across every booking. FCM now goes a step further, advising buyers to write travel policy around hotel brand types rather than star ratings, because brands describe the actual product more reliably (FCM Consulting Insights Report 2026).

“Companies that spend time interrogating and building their hotel programme will sleep better – and pay less – than those defaulting to star ratings in their travel policy,” says Mafojane.