The bargain hunter’s guide to holidays: 18 thrifty hacks to know

Everyone – even the pros – love to save on travel. We ask them how they do it.

Everyone – even the pros – love to save on travel. We ask them how they do it.

A holiday is a break from the daily grind, an opportunity to indulge in life’s little pleasures. And for me, that equates to a good spa treatment… or seven.

But there’s such a premium attached to holiday spa treatments that the joy of being pampered is sometimes eclipsed by the cost.

That’s why my favourite holiday hack is getting a massage from local women along the ocean front at Nusa Dua in Bali. 

This location is like a Monopoly board of exclusive resorts, which come with equally exclusive spa treatment prices. But for the equivalent of $10-$15, you can get a one-hour, full body massage overlooking the ocean outside the resort walls.

Whenever I go to Nusa Dua, I check in with these women daily. 

Even with a 50 per cent tip, a week’s worth of massages equates to about the same as one massage in the resort.

Let’s face it, holidays may be a little harder to factor into the household budget these days, so finding ways to get a great bargain on a holiday has never been more important.

But neither has the actual holiday, says Luke McLeod, a mindfulness expert and founder of meditation app Soul Alive.

“I think travel has a highly underrated positive influence on our overall mental health and wellbeing,” he says. “While it’s important to make sure planning a trip doesn’t add to financial stress, it shouldn’t deter you from travelling either. We’re often happiest when we’re working towards something meaningful.”

So, we asked the travel experts to put their money where their mouth is and found 18 of the best money-saving travel hacks around.

FLYING

Get to the gate last and your seat might be upgraded.

1. There are so many hacks for getting a flight upgrade for free and saving thousands, but Elena Fini from TripADeal found one that worked – quite by accident. “Get to the gate last and your seat might be upgraded,” she says. “I was about to miss my Dubai to Brisbane flight and, instead, I enjoyed a business class flight.”

2. The crack-of-dawn plane flights are often the cheapest, but that’s not a problem for Escape’s assistant digital editor Simone Mitchell. “If I need to scrimp I often book one of these cheap flights with terrible timing and book a night at the airport hotel before or after I fly,” she says. “Airport hotels are often way less expensive than city hotels and you also save money by getting public transport to the airport.”

3. Daniel Sciberras of the frequent flyer guide, Point Hacks, also looks for the first flight, but for different reasons. “It is usually priced much cheaper than later flights,” he says. “It’s less likely to be delayed due to the incoming aircraft but also, if you’re looking to indulge in luxury travel on the cheap, you have a greater chance of snaring an upgrade using your frequent flyer points as demand for these seats is lower at that time of day.” 

4. Escape’s commercial managing editor Kelli Armstrong has learned the need to cancel or change flights over the past few years, so she always books flights as one-way. “If I want to change my return flight I can do it online and don’t have the headache, and extra fee, of having to call the airline to change the return because I’ve already commenced the booking.”

ACCOMMODATION

Boydell's African Safari Tent in the picturesque Hunter Valley.

5. Ryan Thomas, CEO of MyHolidays.com, says it is possible to travel with kids and stay on budget – if you know where to stay. “When my family travels to Fiji, we take advantage of resorts that allow kids to stay, play and eat for free when sharing a room with parents and using existing bedding,” he says. 

6. You often pay a premium to stay in the city centre of any country. But not Flight Centre general manager Brent Novak. “In most parts of the world, like Paris or Rome, public transport to city centres is cheap and dependable – especially trains,” he says. “Going suburban and ‘commuting’ is the perfect way to see more of a city for less.”

7. Travel expert Dana Brown, from Wild Hearted World, found you can save hundreds on rental accommodation by booking direct with a property management company over a rental platform. “I was booking two nights in the Hunter Valley for my group of friends and I found one property for $3100 on Airbnb, but I checked directly with the property management company and managed to save $1000,” she says. “That’s a lot of wine in the Hunter Valley.”

8. Aliisa Frassetto of Expedia finds good value lies in local knowledge. “Nothing beats a local recommendation and that’s why I always speak to the concierge,” she says. “They can also help you find the best value places to eat, cheap days at museums, free walking tours and more.”

TRANSPORT

If you’ve ever been to Bangkok you know you don’t want to be stuck in traffic at peak hour or when it’s raining.

9. Usually the word “pass” comes with some bonuses and this is exactly what Finder’s travel expert Angus Kidman found when he booked the NSW Discovery Pass, which helped him visit regional centres such as Wagga Wagga, Canberra, Port Macquarie and Tamworth. “A six-month first class pass costs $550, but I’ve regularly got more than $1200 worth of travel from it over that period.” 

10. Public transport in some cities can be daunting, especially fresh off the plane from the airport, but it is always cheaper than a taxi or Uber, says SkyScanner’s Laura Lindsay. “In Lisbon I hopped on the local metro and the direct Aeroporto-Saldanha line takes you to downtown Lisbon in about 20 minutes, with a ticket only costing €1.50 compared to a €30 taxi.”

11. Daniel Finch of Wotif always checks if it’s cheaper to hire a car at the airport or city before booking. “Sometimes a quick taxi to the city before picking up the car might save you money, and other times the airport is the best option,” he says. “The Wotif team looked into it and… data indicates renting your car from the airport was more cost-effective, approximately 15 per cent cheaper.”

12. It can be easy to overpay at the car hire counter, but Peter Hosper of travel management company ATPI has one sure way to save every time. “You usually have a substantial excess in case of damage to the car but instead of paying up to $40 per day to waive it, simply take out travel insurance,” he says. “Or check with your credit card provider if you have travel insurance attached to your card.” 

MONEY 

 

13. Using your debit or credit card overseas can add hundreds to your holiday, but not for Janeece Keller of FamilyTravel.com.au. “Use a global money account,” she says. “You can access your spending money in the local currency (or USD if the local currency isn’t supported) and save on the exchange rate and international transaction fees. On a 10-day international trip it can save you well over $100.”

BOOKING

It pays to book early.

14. We’ve all heard that it can pay to book early and Anna Shannon of Travel Agent Finder wouldn’t travel any other way. “By booking a river cruise holiday with an air promo deal one year in advance, I was able to secure business class flights on a top airline return to Europe for $2999 per person,” she says. “People booking their flights a month out from departure were paying this price for economy because the planes were full.”

15. We all know that we can save money by travelling outside the busy Christmas period but Luxury Escapes co-founder Adam Schwab takes that rule one step further. “Most destinations are highly seasonal so you can pick up incredible deals to Thailand in July, Vietnam in late January or Fiji in November,” he says. “You can save a huge amount if you travel during off seasons.” 

16. Brendon Cooper, head of travel at Inspiring Vacations, can’t go past a coach tour for savings. “They really are excellent value when you consider it covers all transport, accommodation and sightseeing,” he says. “Comfortable three-star coach touring can be as little as $140 per person, per day in Europe and Japan, which has saved me hundreds of dollars per day.”

DINING

Dining at Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River.

17. For Escape’s editorial director, Kerrie McCallum, often the best and most affordable food is found outside the restaurants. “I always research the best produce markets nearby and take a stash of snacks and lunch goods back to my room, in particular in Italy where you can find fabulous deli cuts, meats, cheese, great bread, cheap fruit and veg.”

18. Escape’s lists editor David Smiedt says it pays to be the early bird in some cities. “If you’re happy to sup before the sun goes down and be surrounded by people called Ernie, wearing denim shorts, there are massive savings to be had, especially in places like Miami, USA.”

See also:

Items travel experts never travel without

Thing that makes my blood boil when travelling

5 underrated travel hacks I swear by

7 cool new things to do at Jewel Changi Airport

Originally published as The bargain hunter’s guide to holidays: 18 thrifty hacks to know