Best travel deals, hacks to fly for free
Chris Chamberlin and his wife Victoria Bradbury took their one-star flights budget and turned it up to five stars. Find out how they did it and you can too.
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Purse strings might be tight this year but that doesn’t mean Australian families have to give up on their holiday dreams.
Avid traveller Tyson Mayr said planning ahead, booking early and thinking outside the box can help Aussies to escape the rat race on a budget.
“The first thing that comes to mind is to try travelling during your desired destination’s off-season – less pressure on your destination of choice, and it takes the pressure off you too,” the co-host of escape.com.au’s new eight-part-travel show Escape To said.
“Because it’s all about supply and demand – the more people demanding, the more costs will go up”.
He said taking advantage of loyalty programs also helps to keep costs down, and while on holidays consider adding in a supermarket meal every second day to save on dollars.
“While I leave most of my travel to the last minute, often the most affordable holidays are ones that you plan in advance and enjoy at ground-level,” Mayr said.
“Calling up accommodation directly can help you get a better deal, but also bear in mind the place you stay really doesn’t need to break the bank to be decent.
“Where possible, also look to book in the low and off-seasons and keep an open mind for those cheaper hotels outside of the city centre and the main attractions – as long as it’s walkable or affordable via public transport, it’s worth it.,” Mayr said.
His comments come after the majority of Aussies (52 per cent) reported being concerned the cost-of-living crisis would affect their plans this year, a survey by The Travel Corporation found.
Here are other ways Aussies can stretch their holiday dollars.
FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAMS
Being members of loyalty programs such as Everyday Rewards, Flybuys, Qantas or American Express can help unlock special deals or bonus points on certain purchases, which holiday-makers can build on to get free flights or accommodation.
Steve Hui, chief executive of iFLYflat and self appointed “points whisperer”, said it was possible for Australian families to get two if not three return flights a year by tapping into frequent flyer rewards programs, depending on the destination.
He said unlike flights paid for in cash, which fluctuate based on demand and availability, frequent flyer reward seat prices remain the same, unless there is a specific sale on those fares.
For example, a Sydney to Brisbane economy rewards seat is 8000 points on Qantas or 6400 with Jetstar.
While that price is fairly stable, there are limited rewards seats available, and people need to be flexible with their travel plans to capitalise on those deals, Mr Hui said.
“The points price is based on the distance of the flight. Points are really good value now because the cash price has gone up but points haven’t. You get more value now than before when cash ticket prices were low,” he said.
Mr Hui encouraged Aussies to find out how many points their chosen route cost and then take steps to generate that amount of points within a households’ regular budget, such as paying for weekly groceries with a credit card that generates frequent flyer points and scanning the supermarkets’ affiliated rewards cards, such as FlyBuys.
In addition, he suggested people consider shopping for items they need through online frequent flyer-affiliated stores, such as through Qantas Online Mall, which regularly offers bonus points. For example, on January 23 BCF was offering four points for every $1 spent; Cotton On was offering five points for every $1, and KitchenAid offered four points for every $1 spent.
EARLY BIRD DEALS
Many airlines release flights close to a year out from departure date. Typically as the date nears so too does demand and therefore the price goes up, particularly on legs/times that are more popular.
Expedia Brands Managing Director Daniel Finch said people booking international flights six months in advance could save 25 per cent compared to those who waited until three months out from their trip or less.
But people can book a bit closer to the date for domestic travel.
“The sweet spot for snagging the best price on domestic flights falls between 70 to 100 days. Travellers that booked during that period saved 30 per cent on average, compared to those who waited until the last minute, zero to 30 days out,” Mr Finch said.
Skyscanner’s Laura Lindsay urged people to set up price alerts for the route they wanted as early as 12 months out and watch to see how the rates move – and which carriers offer better rates.
CHEAPER FLIGHTS
In many cases, flying midweek, say Tuesday or Wednesday, instead of on the weekend can result in a dip in prices.
Mr Finch said Expedia’s 2023 Air Travel Hacks Report found booking flights on a Sunday night instead of a Friday could save holiday-makers about 20 per cent on both domestic and international flights.
Also avoiding peak times, such as school holidays can result in paying less, as can avoiding peak hours, such as during the middle of the day.
Airlines do run sales throughout the year but they tend to be release in the run up to key holiday periods such as Christmas or Easter, according to Skyscanner.
HOLIDAY PACKAGES
Bundling hotel and flights can in some cases work out more affordable. They often come with added benefits, such as free breakfast or hotel transfers. Some even offer free drinks or massages at the hotel.
Greg Parker, Flight Centre Travel Group’s global managing director of supplier relations, said sometimes airlines offered wholesale or special fares that can only be sold in conjunction with hotel bookings.
“These fares are cheaper than lead-in economy fares, which gives travellers access to discounted packages. Packages sometimes also include special additional bonuses that won’t be available to customers who are booking the components separately,” he said.
HOUSE SWAP OR HOUSE SITTING
There are several platforms both domestically and internationally for people looking to swap houses or house sit.
Aussie House Swap, as with other platforms, has a membership program which starts from about $5 a month and provides access to other like-minded households seeking a cheaper alternative to traditional holiday accommodation, which depending on when and where you travel could save you thousands of dollars.
SISTER LOCATIONS
Aussies can save hundreds of dollars by considering sister locations, which are destinations that offer a similar holiday to the popular location but for a fraction of the cost.
Skyscanner has identified Bali, London, Singapore, Bangkok and Los Angeles as some of the top destinations for Aussie travellers this year.
But for those chasing a cheaper alternative to a tropical getaway, swapping Bali, Indonesia, for Nadi, Fiji, people could save about eight per cent when travelling in August. But if you’re looking for a big city experience, swapping London, UK, for Seoul, South Korea, could shave about $500 off the flights when travelling in April.
BIGGER TRIPS
If you’re looking to get away for a multi-destination trip, sometimes around the world tickets can provide better value than buying individual routes.
Flight Centre recently advertised a round the world ticket from Sydney to Singapore, London, New York, LA and Hawaii from $3279. By comparison, the cheapest deal from Sydney to New York alone was $2533.
“So you can pack a lot more value into a round-the-world fare,” Mr Parker said.
Opting for lengthy stopovers may be a good way to cut down on flight prices – but you need to consider the overall leave prospects and what other costs may be incurred as a result. It could be timed well and let you see some sights, if you have enough hours to leave the airport.
VILLA VS HOTEL
When travelling with kids or other relatives, multiple hotel rooms can get expensive. In some cases, it might be worthwhile considering renting a self-contained unit or villa.
Depending on where you are travelling, some villas still provide housekeeping and breakfast but at a fraction of the cost of hotels.
STAYING CONNECTED
While travelling overseas, mobile roaming services can get pricey, with Telstra advising people on a plan will get hit with a charge of $3 for every 1MB of data, which equates to less than one minute on social media.
To save on these expenses, Telstra encourages travellers to use Wi-Fi where they can or consider paying for an international roaming ‘Day Pass’ through the MyTelstra app, which offers unlimited calls/SMS and 1GB of data for $10 a day. There are similar options for prepaid customers.
CAMPING OR CARAVANNING
Road trips can be an excellent way to see places and if you’re prepared to give up some of the luxuries of hotels, camping or caravanning can be a cheap holiday.
Hiring gear, be it a rooftop tent and car or caravan to tow can be cheaper than hotels. But if you want to do a few trips, second-hand buys can present good value. As with flights and four-wheel drives, camping gear is coming down in price and you might find you can take a few holidays in 2023 for a similar price to staying in cabins in a caravan park or hiring for just one, depending on your plans.
“Everything you need for an unbeatable camping holiday is available at BCF and will cost you less than an economy airfare to Bali,” a BCF spokesperson said.
For less than $1000 a family can get all their camping needs, from a 10-person tent for $150 to camp chairs for $20, BCF said.
FIVE-STAR FLIGHTS ON ONE-STAR BUDGET
Chris Chamberlin knows how to book five-star flights on a one-star budget.
Mr Chamberlin and his wife Victoria Bradbury recently returned to their Brisbane home after two weeks in the US and Canada, enjoying visiting Chicago, Toronto, and New York City.
The couple enjoyed a lot of perks along the way, including Qantas business-class seats on the 16-hour flight to Dallas and first-class tickets with Delta on the way to the Big Apple.
“We got to have a white Christmas in Chicago, where we were able to explore the amazing lights at the Lincoln Park Zoo and catch the musical Dear Evan Hansen on its national tour with the Broadway cast,” Mr Chamberlin said.
“Then we were in Toronto for a few days … I did the EdgeWalk at CN Tower, which has the Guinness World Record for ‘World’s Highest External Walk on a Building’. It’s 116 storeys or 356 metres above the ground with no railing.”
The secret is optimising your frequent flyer points.
Mr Chamberlin is an expert at Point Hacks and specialises in finding new ways to rack up points, such as supermarket rewards and fuel loyalty programs and even wine purchases.
“Take every single opportunity to earn points, no matter how small,” he said.
“Everybody knows you can earn points from flying, but many people earn more points from things like credit card spending and online shopping.
“Over time, those points all add up, and the most you have, the further you can fly, or the more comfort you can have.”
Mr Chamberlin estimates the trip would have cost at least $12,000 each at retail prices.
However, savvy use of points meant the couple only paid $1200 each for taxes and fees.
“We saved over $20,000 on flights using points this trip,” he said.
MANY FAMILY TRIPS FOR COST OF ONE
A family trip to Japan was halted when Covid hit but with prices sky high the Collyer family opted to hit the road in Australia instead.
Claire Collyer, husband Nathan and their three children, Heath 15, William, 10, and Eloise, 6, have been touring northern NSW and lower Queensland since purchasing a second-hand camper trailer.
She said while the $17,000 it set them back was a big investment, “it’s a drop in the bucket” compared to what they would have paid for their Japan holiday – and get to enjoy it many times over.
Compared to staying in cabins at caravan parks, at $2000-$3000 a week, after a few trips their camper trailer has almost paid for itself.
The family from Wattle Ponds, about 150km north of Sydney, save on accommodation costs by seeking out free camping spots or farm stays.
“We’ve only stayed in one caravan park since owning the trailer – to break up the trip and do some laundry. But we like to do farm stays. The service you receive is fantastic and you have so much space to yourself, the kids can run around and you’re not worried about them annoying anyone.
“It’s very affordable and a great experience. It gets you off the beaten track and you get to meet some amazing people.
“We really want to see as much as we can without spending much.”
Ms Collyer said she also plans her meals before they set off, to help keep costs down.
“I generally do a cook up a couple of days before with a big batch of taco mince, Mongolian lamb or chicken pesto pasta and vacuum seal it. I also whip up a big batch of crepe mix,” she said.
She also encouraged those on a road trip to plan where they will fuel up and search out the best prices on fuel watch apps.
“Fuel is definitely the most expensive part of camping. When we went to Fraser Island, we planned where we were going to fill up because fuel on Fraser Island is quite expensive,” Ms Collyer said.
She said after Covid lockdowns and the kids retreating to their bedrooms, the camping trips offered a chance for her family to connect and make memories. They’re planning a trip up to Cape York, QLD, later this year.
The cost of living is rising. Find out how to snap up a bargain and save thousands on your mortgage on Monday, why having a baby doesn’t have to break the bank on Tuesday, and how to claim your lost cash on Wednesday.
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