Travelling is therapeutic and there are no two thoughts about that. It relieves you from all the stress that you went through while running errands, managing household and dealing with work or college pressures. Unfortunately, all those benefits do not come cheap and people do feel reluctant to plan their trips for the expenses that are incurred. What many people are unaware of is that with a little smart planning, hacks, and use of technology, one can actually save a major chunk of the money on their trip and travel for much cheaper than they actually would have spent.
Here are some of the tips that will help you save. Before you proceed to learn these hacks, know that they are mostly driven by technology. Gone are the days when one had to rely on travel agents to plan their trips. Your budget trip is mostly going to be self-planned and self-executed, which means that you will be using a lot of smartphone applications and internet. Therefore, if you are not very tech savvy, make sure you get a knowhow of doing so before start your planning.
Invest in World Miles Cards and Loyalty Cards
One of the biggest predators of your travel budget will be the airfares. In fact, in many cases, airfares can eat more than half of your total travel budget. What do most people not know that can easily save on airfares? Many banks today offer credit card products such as World Mile cards. Using these cards for your day-to-day expenses earns you air miles for every transaction made. These earned miles help you get huge discounts on your airfares.
Likewise, almost all airlines have loyalty cards and alliances for frequent travellers. Star Alliance, One World, and Emirates Skywards are some of the great examples. Look for airlines that you might be using the most and sign up for the loyalty cards. These cards not only help you get discounted and even free tickets but you can even get upgrades to business and first classes if you travel more frequently.
Use Technology Smartly
While loyalty cards and frequent flyer cards are already there to help you cut down on airfare costs, you can actually get cheaper base rates too if you know how to use the technology the right way. Always make an online booking directly rather than using an agent. That way you will be able to have better rates and access to loyalty points.
Secondly, always clear your cache, cookies and preferably use private browsing sessions when searching for tickets. This is because the web portals track your online activity and the more you will be searching for a flight, the higher ticket price you will be quoted. Make extensive use of apps such as Expedia and Skyscanner to compare flight rates.
Save on Accommodation
A budget trip does not necessarily mean backpacking in a dorm. Of course, that would not be practical if you are on a honeymoon or travelling with kids. Fortunately, a bit of smart planning and use of online portals can help you grab great deals. Apps such as Agoda and Expedia offer some amazing deals from time to time on different hotels. If you are a large family and hotels go out of your budget, look for a decent apartment at Airbnb, which usually costs much cheaper than hotels.
Buy Tours Online
Most travel destinations have some touristy excursions and attractions to offer and local vendors provide varied rates. In many cases, there is a chance that a local vendor will scam you with a tourist trap and will end up charging you higher than it actually costs. A simple online search for your holiday destination such as Phuket tours, tours for Nusa, and Prague tours will land you on some of the much cheaper and interesting tour options to browse from.
