Visiting friends and relatives (VFR) travel and second home tourism as topics of investigation have
seen an upsurge in international research over the past 20 years. However, rarely has the conceptual
link between the two issues been explored at any great length. The purpose of this article is to explore
the nexus between VFR travel and second home tourism with particular reference to the Global
South. The case of South Africa provides the empirical context. It is revealed that VFR travel and
second homes in South Africa must be understood in terms of two circuits. The first circuit, mainly
of affluent whites, mirrors the experiences of the Global North with VFR travel linked to recreational
second homes. The second circuit shows the experiences of the Global South where working class
residents migrate between first and second homes through circular migration as a consequence of
labor migration.