Plan Ahead For Cheap Travel
The Herald Sun talked to Jessa Boanas-Dewes from Lonely Planet and gleaned this advice from her.
Everything boiled down to planning, but Jessa was able to say WHAT you needed to plan:
Find out how much it will cost to fly, get your passport, pay for accomodations and food. “Depending on where you are going, picking up on accommodation specials in advance can save a bundle,” she said.
Try to stay with friends to save as much money as possible. “Cutting down even a few days of accommodation costs – especially in expensive countries – can save a significant amount of money,” she said.
Set up a daily budget. “Then add at least 20 per cent. Allow for the occasional luxury, and have a little ’emergency fund’ somewhere in case of emergency.”
Locate the banks and find out how much they will charge for fees. “These days ATMs are mushrooming and the most cost-effective way to access your money we’ve heard of is putting your credit card in credit and withdrawing funds as you need,” Ms Boanas-Dewes said.
Tell your credit card company that you’re traveling. “Otherwise they might block your card if they see charges suddenly coming in from overseas to combat potential fraud.”
Take only small amounts of cash with you. “If they do take cash, we suggest only to take a relatively small amount in the local currency where they will be landing so they can cover off any initial purchases, whether it’s a cab from the airport or whether they just want a coffee when they land.”
Schedule your trip with lots of extra time just in case things run late. “If you schedule too tightly, when things don’t go to plan you usually end up spending money to fix the problem – for example, taking taxis, or having to settle for more expensive accommodation because you missed check-in,” she said.
Mike and I tend to follow all these rules. Just because you are ruthless with a budget with your money doesn’t mean you can’t have fun on a trip. Knowing that you have enough money for the entire trip makes it so much more relaxing and enjoyable.
Via: Traveling Forever