Most travellers aren’t lucky to have travelled extensively and owning a passport filled with stamps from different parts of the world. But if plan properly, anyone can travel with less worry on what’s left in the bank account after the holiday.
A well-planned travels can turn into a fantastic time and a debt free holiday with some tips and tricks that is easily adoptable, and here are some smart travel hacks from BBazaar Malaysia that will allow you to fuel your wanderlust.
Discovering new places, eating authentic local cuisine, living like a local… these are just some of the things you can experience and afford if you incorporate these tried-and-tested travel hacks in your planning for the next holiday.
BE FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR TRAVEL DATES
Unless you’re planning to check ‘Sakura in Japan’ or ‘Spend New Year’s in Taipei’ off your bucket list, not limiting your travel schedule might just do your wallet some good.
Got a country in mind? OK. But allowing the airfare dictate your departure and arrival dates instead might just earn you cheaper-than-usual flight tickets and let you stay an extra day.
Comparison shopping comes in handy when searching for the best flight deals too.
Knowing how to cleverly use flight comparison websites such as Cheapflights, Traveloka and Skyscanner can save you a couple of ringgits or a couple hundred of ringgits. The trick is to monitor fares using an incognito browser, since most sites use cookies to track the destination and date that travellers are eyeing on.
This information then allows them to raise their prices when there’s an increase in search (hence high demand) for a specific flight, prompting customers to urgently buy now rather than later.
It might feel strange to plan in reverse if you’re a serial planner but try it! You will never know that you may break the habit if it means landing yourself the lowest flight prices across the board.
CRAFT YOUR ITINERARY WITH SOCIAL MEDIA HELP
Tourist sights – albeit awe-inspiring – are notorious for their exorbitant price tags and while there will be some that you just can’t miss, there’s certainly no need to revolve your itinerary around tourist traps.
If you peg yourself as an adventurous traveller, why not trawl social media for travel-related blogs, Facebook pages or Instagram handles to help you curate a list of unique, lesser-known attractions to visit?
On top of that, you might also find detailed, helpful travel information that only travel aficionados can provide.
We Are Travel Girls Blog is a perfect example and not just because for the beautiful pictures but also for the travel tips that accompany each photo.
If you have time to spare, it doesn’t hurt to drop by local tourism offices to get additional information for your trip (you might just end up leaving with freebies too after you’re done).
CREDIT CARDS, YOUR ALLY
It may sound counter-intuitive but when used responsibly, credit cards can help your travel budget go the distance without hurting your credit score (as long as you pay your bill in full every month).
Some credit cards don’t only award you with air miles, which can be converted to a flight ticket, but also offers special bonuses like lifetime annual fee waiver and hotel booking discounts.
Speaking of air miles, it’s also worthwhile to check online platforms that offer miles in exchange for booking hotels in which the longer you stay, the more points you can amass.
Imagine your next vacation is already been paid with your existing one… fantastic, isn’t it?
POCKET WIFI, YOUR TRAVEL COMPANION
It can sometimes be depressing to realise that we simply can’t live without our smartphones and fast internet connection in this digital age but having Wi-Fi with you while you travel can be seriously beneficial. How? It helps you figure your way around a foreign city if you’re lost and maps an ideal route to wherever you want to go, provided if you’re armed with the usual Google Maps and Waze plus smart navigation apps like Citymapper and Rome2Rio.
Of course, you might argue that getting lost is part of the adventure. Sure, I somewhat agree with you on this sentiment but the subtle adrenaline-fueled excitement of not being able to find your way in a foreign city can take a turn for the worse if language barrier is added into the equation.
Having a pocket Wi-Fi handy means that you can save yourself from a sticky and unfortunate situation.
The increasing demand for pocket Wi-Fi means that you can rent one for a good deal with the competitive pricing amongst Wi-Fi rental services.
Wiyo charges as low as RM14 per day and Travel Recommends offers rentals from RM15 per day while Visondata’s price starts from RM19 a day, all depending on location of course.
If you still like the excitement of travelling offline, use Google Trips to help you organise and map out halfor full-day itineraries, and save them for offline access later.