Here are some cost-saving tips for travellers.
- Choose your destination after finding a great flight deal
- Whenever you travel, keep your fees as low as possible
- You should go to a place where the prices are historically attractive
- Be careful when playing the hotel and rental apartment
- Make sure you shop around for transportation
- Take advantage of the low season when travelling
Choose your destination after finding a great flight deal
When vacationers choose their destination without much research, they usually try to fit the prices they find into their existing budgets. A much better strategy is to find cheap flight deals 1and then choose one of those options as the vacation destination. There are plenty of companies that specialize in finding deals, such as Scott’s Cheap Flights and Secret Flying. They require that you pounce on temporary opportunities.
You can play around with the dates or choose a flexible option to find the best time to fly anywhere on the planet. A map of the world will provide you with the starting flight price for anywhere in the world. In a month’s time, I found a deal for Denver to Miami for $314, London to Marrakesh for $81 and Mumbai to Bangkok for $263 for a week in the future.
Whenever you travel, keep your fees as low as possible
You need to be aware of the “death by 1,000 cuts” that financial institutions can inflict when using a credit or debit card away from home. You should make sure you use a credit card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees and a debit card that doesn’t charge ATM withdrawal fees. In some cases, debit cards from Schwab, Fidelity, and Capital One will even reimburse local charges. Others, such as certain ones from Scotiabank, HSBC and Citi, are part of international networks.
In most cases, you’ll get the best rate by using a credit or debit card in the local currency (decline offers to convert charges to your home currency). There is, however, a street “blue rate” for crisp dollars and euros in Argentina that is much more advantageous than the official rate.
You should go to a place where the prices are historically attractive
Various destinations around the world have become more affordable due to currency devaluations and other financial problems. In Turkey, you can visit Istanbul and Cappadocia, in Argentina, Patagonia and Buenos Aires, and in Egypt, you can sail the Nile past ancient ruins. Although the savings will be greater for Americans in a broader list of countries, Europeans, whose currencies have declined themselves, will still find lower rates than a year ago in those countries above plus Hungary
Be careful when playing the hotel and rental apartment
There are times when hotels offer the best deals; there are times when vacation rentals do. So shop around. The advantage varies depending on where you are and whether you require a kitchen. There are some cities where rental fees are high, and in some countries (such as Thailand and Vietnam), it is cheaper to eat out than cook. Regardless of which route you choose, pay very close attention to what past guests have to say, especially with services like Airbnb and Booking.com.
Make sure you shop around for transportation
The proliferation of budget airlines around the world has made it much cheaper to fly within a region, such as Southeast Asia and Europe, or within a country with a lot of domestic air competition, such as the United States and Mexico. You may want to find a reasonable long-haul flight to one place and then take a budget airline (or train in Europe) to the next country that you want to visit. Look around instead of accepting the obvious route as your only option
During mealtimes, stay away from tourist zones
If you want to eat what the locals eat and pay what they’re paying, get out of the tourist area and start exploring. Just walking for 15 minutes in any direction or taking a metro for a few stops can make a huge difference in any city full of foreign visitors, from Prague to Venice to Puerto Vallarta. Besides saving money, you’ll also get to enjoy authentic meals and experiences. Install a mobile app like Google Translate and you’ll be able to read menus in another language.
Take advantage of the low season when travelling
The summer isn’t always high season everywhere at the same time, so avoiding high season can be easier said than done for families with school schedules. Firstly, the Southern Hemisphere has a different vacation time than the northern one, plus some tropical destinations are slower in the summer due to excessive rain.
Mexico, Belize, and South Africa are less busy between June and September than they are in the first quarter. When the weather is still pleasant but the hordes are not in town, such as in May in the Caribbean or October in Europe, the “shoulder season” is the best time to visit many of the most popular spots.
Get free flights and hotel rooms by playing the travel hacking game
With a Master card, Visa, or American Express loyalty card, most airlines and hotel chains offer a bonus sign-up offer that allows you to get a free flight or multiple hotels stays just by signing up. As you use the card, the points keep accruing. By running regular bills and expenses through the card (and paying them off), these perks can drastically reduce the cost of the vacation.
While Americans have the most options for “travel hacking,” Canadians can benefit from Amex, CIBC, or Scotiabank’s airline and hotel programs. In addition to Iberia, Aer Lingus, Lufthansa, and Air France bank cards available to Europeans, Australians have access to credit cards earning points for Cathay Pacific, Qantas, and others. These travel savings strategies will help you get away when inflation, fuel prices, and currency exchange rates are in flux.
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