Use price comparison sites for travel related service. Save time and money with accommodation bookings by using a price comparison website like www.hotelscombined.com. These sites searches through multiple websites to find the cheapest prices, hence saving you the trouble of having to crawl through multiple discount accommodation booking sites. It also compares the cost for a particular hotel by different websites, including different booking fees.
Free credit card travel insurance. Many Gold and Platinum credit cards provide free travel insurance when more than half the trip’s cost is paid for with that card. You can earn more cards rewards points as well as save on travel insurance. While, some travel agencies may charge a little extra for paying with credit instead of cash, it is still cheaper than taking out a separate travel policy. Do read the fine print though, as complimentary insurance may include unwanted limitations.
Buy travel insurance online. Do not buy travel insurance through travel agencies as they earn a significant premium on these. Instead use one of the numerous online avenues which enable quick comparing, quoting and sign-up of policies among different insurers.
Utilise discounts and offers from Card Issuers. Several card issuers offer benefit programs for its card holders. These include free discounts for dining, shopping, car rental, accommodation, tours and other attractions all around the world. There tends to be a lot more discounts offered overseas than locally, as both card companies are not Australian-based. Some cards require you to use the card to be eligible for the discount, while others just require you to show your card or print out a voucher from their site. Examples of such programs include, Citibank World Privileges www.citiworldprivileges.com which provides discounts, benefits and preferential treatment for various services all around the world as well as locally. Citibank card holders are also eligible for benefits under The Presidential Card, Australia's Largest Lifestyle Benefits Program; see their website for more detail. Similar benefits are offered through AMEX’s American Express Selects.
Use discounts and offers from memberships and associated companies. Many health and automotive insurance companies, employers, university student clubs, Road side assistance membership, sporting clubs, and The Entertainment Book also present lifestyle benefits and discount vouchers and offers both locally and overseas to their members. Certain corporations allow their staff and family access to special corporate rates and deals for accommodation, for their private family travels. It is worth checking what companies and memberships you are affiliated with, to see what they have to offer.
Use American Express and MasterCard “owned” credit cards, when overseas to minimise fees. These cards do not charge a foreign conversion fee, however offers a slightly less competitive exchange rate, and therefore are most economical for frequent card users of low value transactions. Australian major banks issued cards charge a foreign currency conversion fee of around 2.5% - 3% of the transaction amount depending on the bank, each time you use your card overseas. If you take out a cash advance from an ATM or overseas bank branch, you add a cash advance fee of around $4 or 2%, depending on the bank. These card fees add up if you use your card frequently overseas, especially for purchasing small value items, as the fees could add up to be more than your item. If you choose to take both an American Express owned card, and bank issued card overseas, use the Australian bank card only for large value transactions where the more favourable exchange rate will absorb the additional foreign conversion fee. Please check with your own bank for the latest fees and rates.
Use low fee “travel friendly” cards when overseas. GE Money’s Wizard Clear Advantage MasterCard is ideal for overseas travel as it helps minimise fees being a credit card that doesn’t charge foreign currency conversion fees, nor annual card fees, and the exchange rate is quite competitive. It can also be used like a key card if you prepay your own funds into the card account so that your balance is in debit, and therefore you will not be charged a Foreign ATM, Eftpos, or cash advance fee, nor foreign currency conversion fees, when you withdraw foreign money. Another great card for overseas use is NAB’s Gold Banking debit card, which operates like a credit card, but uses your own accounts funds, and does not charge any ATM, currency conversion fees, nor or cash advance fees. Many other “travel” cards and debit cards issued by banks actually incorporate a lot of fees and are not much better than standard credit cards.
Exchange rates are usually better at country of destination than in Australia. This of course also depends on whether the world market exchange rates have changed over time and where you exchange your money, hotel concierge desk vs. a bank branch. But assuming you need to exchange US dollars, for a given point in time, you will get a better rate by exchanging it at an US bank in the US than an Australian bank in Australia.
Take advantage of market movements. Timing your currency exchange is prudent. If your travel is booked months in advance, take advantage of a strong $AUD market environment by exchanging earlier. Another option to lock-in a favourable exchange rate is to use a pre-paid reloadable travel card, like the one offered by ANZ bank. It can be purchased over the counter for $11 [2009 fee] and loaded with a currency of your choice for their selection of currencies, with the exchange rate at time of loading. It works similar to a debit card as it is a Visa card which draws from your own preloaded funds. However there are a few fees to be wary of, including a 1.1% charge for reloading your travel card funds and a monthly fee for inactivity after 12 months of not using the card.
“Where” you exchange currency is important. Exchange rates are usually better at a bank branch or ATM rather than a foreign exchange desk at the airport, tourist place, or concierge desk at a hotel. These venues always charge higher margins for the convenience, embedded in their commission fee and/or exchange rates. This applies whether you exchange your money in Australia prior to departure, or at place of destination.
Be flexible with travel times and dates. Being flexible with times and dates enable you to obtain the cheapest fares and prices available. Generally avoid peak seasons and periods like Easter, school holidays and Christmas, and travelling on Fridays is usually a lot more expensive than Tuesdays, as are during busy business travel times. For accommodation, Friday and Saturday nights are usually the most expensive. Book well in advance to take advantage of early bird fares or alternatively look out for last minute deals. Consider travelling off-season or shoulder-peak as it is always cheaper and less crowds around popular tourist places. Search for fares during each company’s discount times, for example for Virgin Blue tickets during their “Happy hour” each day from 12 midday to 1pm for selective destination and date discounts and for Jetstar during weekly Friday Frenzy from 4pm to 8pm.
Sign-up for airline and travel e-newsletters on their sites. Be one of the first to be notified about travel deals and offers and thereby increase your chances of getting in first to grab travel dates and times of your choice. Sometimes airlines offer special limited deals like $2 airfares + taxes, for a birthday special. These heavily discounted fares are limited to only a few thousand seats and are sold out very quickly. By signing up to their e-newsletter, you find out before people who discover the deal through seeing the advertisement.
Join frequent flyer programs. Some frequent travel programs like Virgin Blue’s Velocity and Cathay Pacific’s Asia Miles cost nothing to join and you can accrue points whenever you travel with them or through their affiliated airline partners. It is a great way to mindlessly obtain a free flight, free accommodation, or gift reward in the future. If you take up a credit card that is affiliated with these programs, you can earn points even quicker.
Use online travel guide resources. Instead of buying travel guide books which quickly become outdated, go to their websites and download the relevant areas for free. Websites like www.frommers.com/destinations,www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations, and www.travelguidesfree.com offer free up-to-date information with content equivalent to their published book version. These companies offer free information on their website as they earn advertising revenue from your site visit, as an alternative to revenue from their book version.
Use travel information sites. There are numerous informative and instructive websites for free travel information. These sites also include advice, suggestions and customer reviews on accommodation, tours, cities and other travel related services. They are wonderful sites to see what real travellers experience and to pick up handy hints. Examples include www.tripadvisor.com,www.virtualtourist.com,andwww.travbuddy.com.
Use same tour company to book multiple tours. When booking 2 or more tours use the same tour company as discounts are usually offered for additional tours. Some tour companies offer discounts for additional tours booked within a certain period (eg. 2 years), not just on the same trip.
Be flexible with accommodation styles and consider creative options. Accommodations such as Bed and Breakfasts, or serviced apartments are usually more economical if you are travelling in a larger group or for an extended period of stay. Consider hotels a bit further out from the CBD. These are usually less expensive, even when taking into account the additional transport distance costs. Vacation clubs such as Accor often offer free no obligation trials of their accommodation, or last minute cheap accommodation at one of their less busy hotels or resorts. Youth hostels are not only for youths, and most offer an extensive choice of low cost accommodations, ranging from multi-share dormitories with shared bathroom facilities, to private hotel-style rooms with ensuite.
Stay at colleges during term breaks. Many universities, particularly in UK, rent out their student accommodation for very reasonable prices during vacation periods, often with breakfast included. Not only is it cost effective, it also offers a unique memorable travel experience. Imagine telling friends back home that you stayed at Kings College in Cambridge, or Trinity College at Oxford. There are many websites which search for college accommodation, eg http://www.oxfordrooms.co.uk.
Try house swapping with someone local, interstate or overseas. House swapping or exchange is a great way to live like a local and experience a free accommodation holiday. It can be fun and rewarding, see Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore in the movie, The Holiday, but there are risks involved too as you are inviting strangers to your home in your absence. House exchanges have been around for a while and are pretty popular in Europe. There are many websites, both international and Australian-based, which enable you to find like-minded individuals and to view their properties. Some sites charge a small registration fee, while others are free to register and contact others. They all allow viewing of house listings on their database for free. Search around to find a site with a property that appeals to you.
Save money with house-sitting. Home owners will have someone to look after their home and pets while they are away. House sitters can save on rent, or use the house sitting home as long term travel accommodation. www.happyhousesitters.com.au is a great site offering an easy and economical way for house-sitters and home owners to meet.
Plan ahead to avoid preventable overnight hotel stays. Plan to arrive at your destination early in morning and depart late in evening. When travel is required from one city to another, plan overnight train and bus trips rather than flying, even though it is quicker. You end up saving on one nights extra accommodation, as well as the transport cost, as flying usually is more expensive.
Check transport options and rail pass restrictions, before you leave home. Some countries offer rail and transport passes that offer unlimited use of their rail network services for a specific period of time, some based on consecutive days. These passes offer tourists an economical way to travel around, compared to buying single tickets. Depending on the country and type of pass most are cheaper purchased before you enter that country, or only eligible for purchase by non-residents eg Eurail Passes, or cannot be purchased at all within that country eg. Japan Rail passes cannot be purchased within Japan, and do offer significant discounts compared to buying the tickets where you are in Japan, so you need to plan ahead.
Enter and depart from same location. Some airfares and most car rentals are cheaper if you arrive and depart, pick-up and drop-off at the same location, so organise your trip accordingly.
Always be vigilant when picking up rental cars. Check for scratches and dents immediately and ask the rental cars person to note it down on both your and their documentation. This is one of the most common pitfalls unwary travellers get caught on. Rental car companies will hold you responsible for these problems when you return your car, and as most insurance come with high excesses, you will still be out-of-pocket. The extra vigilance at the start would save you a lot of hassle later on. Moreover, with the current high petrol prices, be strategic and fill up just enough fuel to get by, to avoid paying for any excess petrol.
When travelling alone, use public transport. If you are travelling alone, or in small numbers, avoid taxis as it is cheaper to get around by train, subway, airport shuttle bus transfers, and local bus and trams. Taxis are probably cheaper when travelling in a group, as you are paying for the trip, not per head.
Don’t forget your tax refund. Most countries that charge goods and services tax or GST, offer tax refunds for non-residents on departure at their airports. Don’t forget to keep your receipts so that you can claim this back when you leave.
Search for discount vouchers for duty free. First Duty Free at Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, and Cairns frequently offers coupon discounts on the web and with affiliates. Skybus in Melbourne offers 20% discount coupons [in 2009], on the already reduced duty free price at Melbourne airport’s duty free. This coupon is obtainable at Skybus booths. The duty free shops at your point of destination may also have discount vouchers on the web downloadable for free, it is worth having a search before you travel.
Pick up free tourist brochures. Airports and tourist information centres usually provide free discount coupons, maps and ideas on things to see and do. Many cities in Europe charge for tourist maps at their information centres. Print maps off the internet before you travel to Europe, if you are travelling independently.
Make use of senior and student discounts. Many attractions like parks, museums, live theatres, and other tourist attractions offer discounts to holders of senior cards, international student cards, children and students, even if these are cards are issued by overseas governments. Don’t forget to inquire whether you are eligible.
Free English student Guides. Some non- English speaking countries like Japan, offer free tourist guides in some of their cities. These are students studying English who welcome the chance to practice their English with tourists by being a free guide. Inquire at their local tourism office in every city and town.
Check for free attractions. Most cities have numerous things that you can do for free, like visiting local Botanic gardens. Some cities have free entry to museums and art galleries on particular days of the week, or first day of each month, and in some cities like London most galleries and museums are free all the time.
Look for half price ticket booths. Many major cities around the world have half price last minute ticket stalls for live shows. This is especially prevalent in cities like Las Vegas, West End in London and Broadway in New York. In Melbourne the Halftix booth is located at Melbourne Town Hall while in Sydney, 91 York Street – both offer half price day tours for next day travel too, great for interstate travellers.
Find yourself a pen pal. If you don’t have any family and friends at your planned travel destination to take you around, look for a pen pal for free in that country on sites like www.penpalnet.com. Not only may you get a free guide when you are there, you might learn more about that place and its culture before you go.
Carry and reuse a water bottle. Buying bottled water easily adds up, especially when you purchase from tourist areas. By refilling it each morning before you leave your hotel, and also during breakfast, lunch and dinner, stops for free by asking the eatery you are dining at, you can save quite a lot. Imagine, a bottle of water costs approximately $3 AUD when bought at a food vendor, so you end up saving $12 per day and $168 for a 2 week holiday per person for water alone.
Buy from grocery stores. When you are away from home, buy your water and snacks from grocery stores rather than from vendors in tourist areas. Purchase your breakfast from a grocery store, or take breakfast bars and skip the over-priced hotel breakfast and buffets. For the daily morning caffeine fix bring your own cafe selection packs for an instant latte or cappuccino, or use the instant coffee satchels in your hotel room. Coffee from cafes are very expensive especially in non-Western countries, and generally taste terrible compared to Australia coffee houses where we are spoilt for choice.
Eat what the locals eat while overseas, and have seasonal food too. They are a lot cheaper, tastier and simpler to find - imagine wanting to eat Mexican in Japan, it will probably cost you an arm and a leg, and taste unauthentic. Street food carts and vendors often offer genuine economical local cuisine.
Take-out or eat at the bar rather than in the restaurant. Some restaurants offer take-out or a lower cost eat at the bar option. You also save time which you can devote to sightseeing.
Eat during off-peak times. Some restaurants offer specials during off-peak hours such as late morning, late lunch or early-bird dinner menus. Since you are busy sightseeing most of the day anyway, you will not notice having meals slightly earlier or later than usual.
Stay away from International roaming. International roaming is when you take your mobile overseas and it uses an overseas carrier’s network for phone services. The charges are significant. To receive an incoming call on your cell phone, you will be charged by the overseas carrier network that you are roaming on, as well as for the call to be re-directed from Australia to overseas. The most cost efficient way to call home is to purchase a calling card and dial from a payphone. If you prefer the convenience of a mobile phone, buy a prepaid sim card, and insert it into your mobile, but this only works if your mobile is unlocked.
Tax deduct your travel expenses. Search for a work related conference at your travel destination during the period when you plan to visit, and attend that conference. You could be eligible for tax deductions on the portion of your trip that is related to that conference, like airfares, transport, and accommodation, incidentals and food for the tenure of the conference. But please check with the ATO or your tax accountant for details.
Make money from your travels. Travel blogs are becoming increasingly popular. Why not fund your travelling by writing a travel blog and include photos from your digital camera. Advertisers will pay you when someone clicks on their ad or views your site, depending on what your advertising agreement is.
Travel in a large group. Many tour companies offer group discounts. If you don’t meet the minimum group discount numbers, make them up by finding travel companions on websites that help people to find travel buddies. With a large group you may even organise a customised tour where you get to decide the itinerary, the budget, and basically get the tour company to work around your groups’ travel requirements – your negotiating power increases enormously with a large group booking.
Apply for a student or youth travel card. Applying for an internationally recognised student card such as STA Student Card provides alot of discount benefits.
Try backpacking. Buying a bus or train pass and backpacking is a very flexible and cost effective method to travel around, and to meet new friends all over the world or locally in Australia. Backpacking is not just for youths.
