So you're whizzing your way down to South Africa's only ski resort this winter. Everything is ready and you can't wait to get your sweaty little paws on the steering wheel of the trusted sedan and charge your way down to the North-Eastern Cape.
But hold it, the new fashion in travelling nowadays is not to make a mad dash for your destination - stop and smell the roses along the way.
Lady Grey, Barkly East, Wartrail/New England, Sterkspruit and Rhodes are all within a short drive of Tiffendel ski resort. Why not spend some time in the area, visit the quaint towns, experience the solitude of Wartrail/New England or find your inner voice again.
Anne's Café and Ye Olde Praktijkt in Lady Grey serve delicious home-made goodies. At Ye Olde Praktijkt, you can also watch resident artist Lika van der Walt produce the most colourful paintings.
Anne's Café is popular for their man-sized steaks at reasonable prices and, if you're lucky, you might be there when they have their legendary steak evenings. You are welcome to try the 1kg steak, but beware: even the hardest of local boereseuns have been seen hoisting the white flag to a nice, juicy steak of over-sized proportions.
Lady Grey is only a two-hour drive from Tiffendel, so it provides the ideal overnight to and from the resort.
A wide variety of accommodation options are available - from the 4-star Comfrey Cottage, 3-star Sterley House to the local hotel and At Home Bed & Breakfast.
Tucked away in the valleys of the Southern Drakensberg lies the Wartrail/New England area. Typical English farm names dot the countryside, with mostly English-speaking farmers, descendant from the British Settlers, still farming here.
It reminded me of Scotland - the rolling hills, mist in the morning and the ever-present mountains.
Farm-stays are the thing to go for here, with a wide variety of choice - names like Millard Mountain Lodge, Reedsdell, Pitlochrie and Hawkshead roll off your tongue, enticing the visitor to kick off their shoes, plonk themselves down on the grass and just relax. The mountains will ensconce you while you spend a romantic evening in luxury next to a roaring log fire.
Barkly East is the closest big town, after the hamlet of Rhodes, to Tiffendel. Here you can stock up on necessary supplies or just relax in FK's Bar before hitting the dirt road to the ski resort.
The variety of accommodation is endless, but you can't go wrong with the Jack Sprat Guesthouse or FK's Guesthouse. Both the owners are actively involved in the local tourism organisation.
Rhodes is a well-known destination and its plethora of accommodation establishments are a good testament to this. Choose between the local hotel, Walkerbouts, Rubicon or the quaint self-catering houses available.
It's 60km of winding dirt road from Barkly to Rhodes, and sometimes there's no fuel available in the hamlet. So make sure to fill up in Barkly before you wander into the belly of the Drakensberg.
An alternative route to Johannesburg is via Lundeansnek and Sterkspruit to Zastron and Wepener. The road includes the Lundeansnek Pass, and the scenery is magnificent.
Sterkspruit offers local arts and crafts, and the pottery made by Ma Thabo is legendary in the area. Other attractions include the multitude of passes in the area, which is fast becoming a major tourist attraction in its own right.
As appetisers, you get Naudésnek Pass - at 2 500m above sea level the highest pass in South Africa - while Joubert's Pass, the third highest pass in South Africa, is just outside Lady Grey.
So go ahead, experience the roads less travelled - you will be as pleasantly surprised as I was.