Saving money and travelling is a continuous process.
You can’t save money before you travel and splurge like there’s no tomorrow when you are on holiday
This will result in severe post-holiday reality check when you take stock of your accumulated debt. You might need to have a tight financial plan for some time. Do not be surprised if you are forced to live under a shoestring budget for a year after splurging on the trip.
And, neither can you spend lavishly for pre-travel preparations hoping that you could cut down some bucks while travelling.
You will be stressed and too focused on trimming the expenses. Highly likely, you will miss out on experiences and compromise on fun. Really, what’s the point in going travelling then?
Effective, simple and practical money-saving hacks
Earlier, we came out with five money hacks that will help you save money when you are planning your trip. Read all about it here!
Now, we are going to list down more hacks that you can use once you embark on your journey.
For instance, it’s safe to drink tap water in most European countries. Hence, you can save money by refilling your water bottle instead of buying bottled water.
On the other hand, if you are visiting countries such as China, Mexico, and Brazil, it’s not advisable to drink from the tap. Bottled water would be the safest option.
Food
Food make the core of your travel experience. The buttery croissant you had in Paris, the masala of paneer tikka masala you tasted in Jaipur, and the sting of the spicy sambal from Indonesia will stay with you longer than you could imagine.
So, by all means, avoid bringing ready-made food from home when you travel. Yes, while it is the easiest way you can save money, it is simply not the best since you will be missing out on local cuisine and culinary experiences.
Instead,
Often, they are affordable and gives you an insight to how the locals live in that part of the world.
All you need to do is Google “Cheap places to eat in Australia” and you will have a long list of suggestions from bloggers, travellers and tourism sites.
Sight-seeing
It would be easy to hire a car and whizz off to tourist spots. It would be easier to pay a tourist guide and follow him. But, these will add up to your costs and frankly speaking, they are boring!
Instead,
Alternatively, you can take your map out and explore the city all on your own. To add more fun to your exploration, hire bikes (some hostels give it for free!) and go cycling around the city.
For instance, Visitor Oyster Card in London, New York Pass, Eurail Pass, and Singapore Tourist Pass. A word of caution: Make sure you opt for these passes only if you are staying long enough to fully utilise them.
Adventures and experiences
While you may have booked for your day trips during the planning stage, leave some slots free to fit in some ad-hoc activities while you are there.
Take advantage of your credit cards
There have always been two types of opinions when it comes to using travel credit cards while travelling. Use it to have maximum fun! OR Don’t use it, you‘ll end up spending more than your budget!
However, credit cards can be a great plus if you plan and use it wisely.
There are travel credit cards that give you reward points when you use it abroad. Collecting these reward points will be of use later on when you can exchange those accumulated points with items from the rewards catalogue.
For instance,
You will also get to enjoy 2x complimentary plaza premium lounge worldwide access.
The card also provides up to 8x reward points for every RM1 spent overseas and 6x complimentary plaza premium lounge access.
You also stand to gain up to 2x points for every RM 1 spent on for health, insurance & shopping. While overseas, you can get up to 4 Reward Points for every RM1 spent.
Use your connections
Know your friend’s cousin’s fiancé who is living in Turkey? Or your best friend doing postgrad studies in Europe? Or your uncle’s friend who has settled in the US?
At the most, you would be saving up on accommodation cost. At the least, you will get a glimpse of their home away from home.
