We started because
the trips were too expensive.
Thrifty Adventures has taken more than 2,500 travellers abroad since 2019 — most of them travelling alone, most of them paying it off in instalments.
It began as road trips
The idea for Thrifty Road Trips was born in 2019, and the company was registered in June of that year.
The first tour was planned for December 2019. It originally included Victoria Falls, Chobe, Livingstone and a small island just off Chobe on the Namibian side — but the boats to that island were so often unavailable that we trimmed it to a three-country tour and focused on the road package alone.
The goal was to make travel affordable. That inaugural road package was priced at R5,600. We ran the first tour in December, a second in January, and then COVID-19 stopped everything.
Clients kept booking through the pandemic. When we resumed, we resumed with the same three-country tour — and it is still the trip we run most often, and still the one people book first.
Seven years, and the numbers that matter
The team
Thrifty Adventures is led by two directors.
Precious Chagwinya is the founder and a travel planner, and handles sales, travel planning and our relationships with service providers.
Charlton Thembanani Maseko is the operations director and financial manager, and oversees operations, marketing, social media and finances.
Both studied at the University of Pretoria — Precious also holds a Master of Laws from the same university — and both later earned postgraduate diplomas in business management at business school.
In the early days the founder led the tours while the second director handled the website, flyers and back-office work. The team now includes two office staff and three experienced tour hosts, with the office staff also hosting on some departures.
How we work
The deposit is the whole idea
R3,000 secures your spot on any tour — R2,000 on our road trips. You settle the balance in instalments before you travel, on whatever schedule works for you.
No interest. No credit check. No finance provider taking a cut. It is just us invoicing you and you paying it off.
That is not a payment feature we bolted on. It is the reason the company exists.
Book now, meet people, stop waiting
Some travellers are hesitant to go alone. Others simply have nobody to go with — they have been let down by friends, or they are still waiting for someone to be ready.
Group travel solves both. You book immediately, you travel safely, and you meet people on the way. Around 80% of our travellers arrive on their own, and a good number leave having made friends they book with again.
It also suits families who want to travel without depending on anyone else to organise it.
Our clients decide where we go next
After the three-country tour came Kenya, then Zanzibar, then Dubai — each added because clients asked for it.
Our travellers come back repeatedly, and their feedback drives what we add. We aim to introduce one or two new destinations a year so returning travellers always have somewhere fresh to go.
Long term, we would like to travel to almost every country in the world.
Why we are still Thrifty
In 2024 we rebranded from Thrifty Road Trips to Thrifty Adventures, to reflect a business that had long since outgrown the road.
We considered dropping “Thrifty” altogether. We kept it because it is central to what we are: travel that people can actually afford.
The adventures are real, though. Skydiving, bungee jumping, Devil's Pool, crocodile cage diving, walking with lions. Our slogan is “Fear is temporary, content is forever” — which is our way of encouraging people to step out of their comfort zone and do the thing they will regret not doing.
What we are, and what we are not
We run group tours. You travel with a group on a set itinerary. If you want a private trip with your own driver and a schedule you control, we are not the right fit — though we do arrange private and custom group tours on request.
Accommodation is shared as standard. Single occupancy is available at an extra cost on most tours.
Many activities are booked and paid for locally rather than bundled into the price. That keeps the tour affordable and means you only pay for what you actually want to do — but it does mean you should budget beyond the tour price, and we tell you roughly how much on every product page.
Our tour hosts do not carry luggage. Pack what you can handle yourself.
The best travelling agency. I have used their service twice, 3 countries (Bot, Zim and Zambia) and Namibia. I made friends during those times. The tour guides are always nice and communicate well. My experience has been exceptional. I will definitely use them every time i need to do solo travelling.
Tebogo MoilaZimbabwe, Botswana & Zambia and Namibiavia Google
I’ve traveled to Dubai, Mozambique and Namibia with Thrifty Travel. Every moment of each trip was enjoyed to the fullest. The entire team from tour guides to transport team to the suppliers used are always professional. Can’t wait for my next trip...
Best of the best, Thrifty adventures is the best. A big thank you to our tour guide Mnr Jeff. Victoria falls, Zambia, Botswana.
Sandwich harbour on the Namibia tour was my highlight. I loved this more as the sights on the drive in the desert/on the dunes was breathtaking, and the picnic was a nice treat. The tour leaders; Sam and Jeff were awesome with...
A real person replies
We work out of Pretoria and Olifantsfontein, Midrand, and we have been running group tours since 2019.
WhatsApp is the fastest way to reach us and the way most of our travellers prefer. Ask anything — what a tour actually costs once you are there, whether a departure suits a first-time traveller, or whether we can move your payment deadline.
WhatsApp or call: (+27) 84 331 1059 or (+27) 65 102 6163
Email: info@thriftyadventures.co.za