The rand may be stronger than it's been in years, but travelling overseas can still take a hefty chunk off your bank account if you're not careful. If you've saved your cents, renewed your passport and are looking for an overseas getaway that won't break the bank, try these rand-friendly overseas getaways:

India
From the snow-capped Himalayas in the north to the sun drenched coastal villages of the south, India unfolds like an ancient tapestry. At times threadbare and fading, the land stretches from desert dunes and scattered slums to the rich embroidery of ancient, jewelled palaces, and the majestic domes of forgotten empires.

Home to over one billion people, it's a feast for the senses where the air is heavy with the scent of jasmine and dancers trail frenetic melodies in colourful silk saris. Its cooks compose dishes from a palette of exotic spices that may leave a lingering taste of saffron or aniseed. In India's cities, the stench of slum living competes with the cacophony of seemingly endless traffic and a myriad of other textures, colours and movements all jostling for your attention.

Don't miss: The Taj Mahal in Agra, the Pink City of Jaipur, Lake Palaces in Udaipur, Kerala backwaters, tea estates in the Himalayan foothills.

Costs: Moderate restaurant meal (R16-R35), Mid-range hotel room (R150-R200)

Visit the India Travel Guide to find out more.

Vietnam
Often billed as the 'new Thailand', Vietnam is the new kid on the cblock of Asian tourism. Shaped like an elongated 'S', Vietnam stretches along the east coast of the Indochinese Peninsula and is likened by its people to a long bamboo pole hung with two baskets of rice, represented by the two fertile regions at either end of the country.

Between the lush Red River Delta and the highlands in the north, known for their magnificent scenery and colourful hill tribes, and the agricultural plains and floating markets of the Mekong Delta in the south, lie miles of white sandy beaches, towering mountains, rivers and dense forests, and the thousands of bizarre rock and cave formations on the islands of Halong Bay.

Ancient temples and colourful pagodas are scattered throughout the urban centres, while among them stand hotels of modern luxury, and the development of tourism infrastructure is a booming business. Vietnam is a perfect balance between ancient times and the here and now, a country that reveres its past heroes, a nation that has collectively put the woes of war behind it, and people who welcome visitors to their country with open arms and friendly smiles.

Don't miss: the limestone islands of Halong Bay, a boat-trip on the Mekong Delta, exploring the war-time history of Ho Chi Minh City, the beaches of Hue.

Costs: Moderate restaurant meal (R35-R70), Mid-range hotel room (R250)

Visit the Vietnam Travel Guide to find out more. You can also book a Vietnam holiday here.

Argentina
Argentina is a country of immense beauty and proportions, spanning breathtaking terrain from Antarctica, through the wild, glacier-filled mountains of Patagonia and massive open plains of La Pampas to the deserts and tropical jungles in the north.

The country can be enjoyed for its natural wonders alone, but no visit here would be complete without stepping into its soul, its capital city. The elegant Buenos Aires is home to 40 percent of the population, and is a buzzing metropolis with a rich, passionate and tortured history that is integral to its character. It is Europe and South America contained in one geographical location, with elements of the unknown around each corner. It is familiar and strange at the same time, but at its very core, wonderfully welcoming.

Along the elegant avenues of the fashionable districts, sophisticated diners observe passers-by while they sip strong coffee or enjoy smooth cervezas. There is a constant smell of meat grilling from every corner and sidewalk that reveals the Argentine passion for 'asado'. Neither glamour nor passion is in short supply in this cosmopolitan hub where Porteños are equally versed in football, politics and fashion.

Don't miss: the southernmost town in the world at Ushuaia, the magnificent Perito Moreno Glacier, glamorous Buenos Aires and the impressive Iguassu Falls in the north.

Costs: Moderate restaurant meal (R35-R70), Mid-range hotel room (R180). Prices are roughly double in Buenos Aires and Patagonia though.

Discover more in the Argentina Travel Guide, or find a package to Argentina here.

More nice, less price? Tell us your best budget overseas getaways by posting a comment below...

Window or aisle? The best airfares. Hotels. Car hire. Package deals. Book them all through iafrica.com.

Abu Dhabi to Zagreb Don't get lost these summer holidays. Get all the inside info with our travel guides...

Stadium-sized airfares? Travel Editor Richard Holmes looks at how airlines are cashing in on World Cup fever.