{"id":41327,"date":"2023-03-22T14:36:15","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T06:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/?p=41327"},"modified":"2023-03-22T15:42:17","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T07:42:17","slug":"money-hacks-travel-save-money","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imoney.my\/articles\/money-hacks-travel-save-money","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Travel Time! Here’s How To Save Money Planning Your Next Trip"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is everyone in your contact list going off to travel? Did you start to notice that your Instagram feed is full of perfectly captured candid pictures in front of monuments or natural wonders?<\/p>\n

It is easy to assume that all these people have loads of money and hence, they travel. But, we are happy to break it to you that it\u2019s not the case!<\/p>\n

Did you just conjure up an image of you with a heavy backpack, walking hundreds of miles, skipping meals and landing up in some dingy hostel to save money? Good news, you don\u2019t have to travel like that to save money!<\/p>\n

Small things that add up and bust your budget!<\/strong><\/div>
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You know the cost of the flight, and you can manage it. You know the cost of Grab from the airport to your hotel, and you have counted that in.<\/p>\n

Then, how did your budget bust?!<\/p>\n

The hidden costs that we all tend to overlook. Small, hidden costs that escapes your attention until the last minute!<\/p>\n

For instance, the extra kg that exceeds your luggage allowance, the winter wear you forgot to budget, and the currency exchange that you forgot to research first.<\/div><\/div>\n

Here’s how to stretch your travel budget by pinpointing the hidden travel costs you can avoid to save money.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Opt for group travel instead of going solo<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The keyword here is SHARE. When you share accommodation, transportation and meals with a group of like-minded travellers, your expenses reduce drastically.<\/p>\n

However, do take note of the advice to look for like-minded travellers: If you are willing to splurge on accommodation, it would not be very helpful to have a friend who is dead set against it.<\/p>\n

More often than you could imagine, your boyfriend, your best friend, your cousin, or your sibling might not have similar travel preferences like you.<\/p>\n

If that is the case, you should opt to look for travel partners beyond your circle of friend. In this age of Instagram and Facebook, travel groups are galore.<\/p>\n

If you want to save more money, a wise move would be to connect with people who are already travelling in the country you are planning to go.<\/p>\n

Often, there are calls for carpooling\/accommodation-sharing from travellers who are looking to stretch their budget effectively.<\/p>\n

Here are some travel groups that you can join to look for like-minded travellers:<\/p>\n

Backpackers Buddies\u00a0 Malaysia (BBM)<\/a><\/p>\n

Malaysian Travelers Forum<\/a><\/p>\n

Travel Budget & Backpacker Malaysian Buddies<\/a><\/p>\n

Travel Buddies Malaysia<\/a><\/p>\n

Planning a Lap of Australia – Hints and Tips<\/a><\/p>\n

Female Travellers Asia<\/a><\/p>\n

Backpacking Europe<\/a><\/p>\n

Backpacking Pakistan<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/span> Avoid tour groups that don’t fit your interests<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

We get it. Travel tours make it so easy for you. You just need to follow your pack and do as you\u2019re told. Everything else will be taken care for you.<\/p>\n

This might be the right choice if you are not looking to explore or to satiate your adventure-craving soul. Usually, the list of places included in the tour is standard and often include places you might not be interested to visit. Going in large groups also tend to be chaotic and would not give you the freedom or time you prefer to spend at each place.<\/p>\n

And worst of all, you will be rushed as there is a strict itinerary that needs to be followed. You might end up paying to visit a place that totally bores you and forced to spend less time at a place you would love to stay the whole morning.<\/p>\n

The solution is pretty simple: Tailor your own itinerary. Ditch the travel groups.<\/p>\n

Money-saving tips from a DIY itinerary:<\/strong><\/div>
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  1. Choose accommodation options in the city centre so that you can make use of public transportation. You\u2019ll also be near to more and possibly cheaper food options.<\/li>\n
  2. Plan trips with routes that don\u2019t overlap. Instead, try to make it a loop so that you can cover more places without taking up too much time.<\/li>\n
  3. Opt for overnight buses if you have to travel for more than 4 hours. This way you are combining your accommodation and travel, plus you are not wasting precious daytime you could spend exploring the city.<\/div><\/div><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    <\/span> Make credit cards your essential travel companion<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

    For those of you who have befriended credit cards for all the travel perks, we can see you nodding profusely.<\/p>\n

    Those of you who have avoided credit cards like they are plague, we see your confusion.<\/p>\n

    Credit cards have a negative connotation of being a debt-causing plastic, but if you use the credit cards to your benefits and manage them properly, you will save a significant amount of money.<\/p>\n

    What and how do you go about using travel credit cards<\/a>?<\/p>\n