We all have that one friend who seems to be travelling far too often. And I’m that friend to my friends.
My friends often assume a few things:
a) I earn a lot
b) I’m going on business trips
c) I don’t have savings
d) I scrimp and save when I’m overseas
But the truth is: I earn average, my job doesn’t require me to travel at all, I do have a 5-digit savings (priorities are still on my future home) and I’m at the age that I don’t want to compromise on accommodation when I finally have the time to go on a holiday.
Here are my tips if you want to go on many holidays but on a limited budget:
#1. SUBSCRIBE TO E-NEWSLETTERS
I know this is old-school but hey, it works! You’ll be flooded with plenty of promotions but there will be a gem in one of those wordy e-newsletters. For example, I got a pair of return air tickets to Tokyo on Thai Airways via Zuji at just $380. It’s such a steal!
Don’t know which site to subscribe to? My recommendation is to subscribe to at least 2 online travel agents, 2 airlines and 1 hotel site. Here are the ones I subscribe to:
– Expedia
– Zuji
– Singapore Airlines
– Cathay Pacific
#2. DON’T UNDERESTIMATE CREDIT CARDS
Many people I speak to don’t know how much they can save with their credit cards. Always check their site for travel promotions because that’s where they list out their travel partners and their promotions!
For instance, Agoda always tie up with banks to give 5% – 8% hotel coupon codes and Zuji always tie up with banks to give rebates on their flights. Many may frown at the mention of a single-digit discount but hey, if you are booking a long-haul flight or for your entire family, 5% of $1000 (ballpark) is $50! This can easily offset your airport transfer or a meal.
For the month of December, spend with your Standard Chartered card and get 10% rebate for your online spend! Although it has a minimum spend of $5,000 and is capped at $150, do note that this is on top of your card’s perks and whatever the partner site (e.g. Agoda, Expedia, etc) offers!
#3. SHOPBACK FOR EXTRA CASHBACK
If you haven’t heard, Shopback is a cashback site which gives you additional cashback (on top of those bank promotions I listed in #2). Here are the cashback I can receive with the booking sites I usually use 🙂
– Expedia: Up to 6% cashback (1% for flights)
– Zuji : Up to 8% cashback (1% for flights)
– Agoda: Up to 6% cashback
– Booking.com: Up to 6% cashback
So, if I spend $1,000 on Agoda, I’ll receive a $60 rebate. Are you making a mental calculation of how much discount I have accumulated yet?
In case you don’t have an account yet, sign up using the link below and get a $10 bonus!
https://www.shopback.sg/?raf=MGid8F
#4. PLAN EARLY
Book and plan early, especially if you are planning a trip to Europe/USA/North Asia. For such big trips, you usually have to book transfers from one city to another and these are hidden cost. For example, an inter-city train ride in Europe can cost double/triple when you book it last minute. The same applies for domestic flights. I’ve scored a return ticket from Seoul – Jeju at just SGD 90 because I booked it far in advance.
The additional money you pay (which can range in the hundreds) is really unnecessary.
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See, it’s really not rocket science to save lots of money on your holiday. If you follow my simple steps above, I’m sure you’ll be able to squeeze out an additional holiday out of the money saved! 🙂
