I’m always ready for my next adventure, and after this month’s trip, lots of you asked how I manage to travel so much without spending a fortune. So I wanted to share just a few of my travel tips on how I get to see the world on a budget.
From Prague and Vienna, to New York and Sydney, I love finding ways to see the world without breaking the bank. So here’s my 5 top travel tips to help you save money and holiday on a budget.
Get a bus from the airport
Hopping in a taxi if you’ve had a long flight and feeling jet lagged, or you arrive late at night, may seem the easy option, but can be an expensive one.
If you’ve time on your side, you can usually save money using public transport. Yes means a bit of research first, checking out whether the bus, train, subway or metro is your best bet, but I’ve often had heaps of invaluable advice on the best routes from locals on the TripAdvisor forums.
I’ve just got back from a trip to Puerto de Mogan on Gran Canaria. It’s around a 45 minute drive from the airport if you get a taxi. But that can easily set you back around 70 Euros. However hopping on the number 91 bus, which runs every 35 minutes past the hour,, will get you there in around an hour, and for under 7 Euros.
So that’s the price of your first night’s meal saved!
Snap up a travelcard
If you’re on a city break and want an easy way to see the sights, snapping up a travel card on day one, even at the airport, is your best bet.
You can often go for the unlimited travel option,(within certain areas), or load some cash and use it on a discounted ‘pay as you go’ basis.
Whether it’s Sydney’s Opal card, Octopus in Hong Kong, Muni in San Francisco, Navegante in Lisbon or Myki in Melbourne, you can save a lot of money this way. You may pay a small amount for the card itself, but it’s a great souvenir to bring home at the end of your trip.
Free luggage
With short haul trips, I tend to book flights with one of the budget airlines, usually easyJet, and always pack a cabin bag. And by that I mean the free cabin bag, that you stick under the seat. Yes this does mean careful planning, though clearly you may not get much in if you’re going somewhere cold and want to pack a pile of thick jumpers!
If you really can’t manage with the free bag option, paying for an extra cabin bag in the overhead locker buys you more room, and still saves compared with hold luggage, plus it guarantees a speedy exit on arrival as there’s no waiting around for bags!
Flying long haul can mean hold luggage is included in the ticket price, (luxury!), however with some cheaper fares, even to New York, hold luggage may be an ‘add on’.
Pay like the locals
My golden rule is to always pay in the local currency. Hotels, bars, restaurants and shops may offer the option to pay in Pounds with card payment, but it’s an easy way to drain your holiday cash.
This is because it’s the retailer who sets the exchange rate, not your card company and travellers lose a whopping £17 million a year paying this way. Doing this can typically bump up your bill by an extra 5%, however NatWest found you could pay up to 13% more by choosing to pay in Pounds. That’s an extra £13 on every £100.
Even if you opt to pay in the local currency, double check the card machine. I asked to pay in Euros in two supermarkets in Spain, but spotted the price was in Pounds, which they changed promptly!
Hire car hacks
Hire cars are one of the biggest holiday complaints I hear about. From sneaky fees at the rental desk, and being pushed into buying extra insurance you don’t need, to being overcharged for a full tank of fuel, or being billed for an old scratch when you return it.
With a few smart tricks and tips, you can save the drama. Here’s how to get stress free holiday driving, with my holiday hire car tips.