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Tip Store: Travel: Journey
Water Bottles on Flights
I always take an empty drink bottle through security and as soon as I’m on the plane I ask the cabin crew to fill it for me! I haven’t been refused yet and so I have water way before the first drink is offered!
Contributed by Karin Allan
Contributed by Karin Allan
Travel Tips For Melbourne And Sydney
I have recently bought two books from Fishpond, one for Melbourne and one for Sydney. The books are called Frommer's Melbourne Free and Dirt Cheap. The Sydney book has a similar title. In each book there are 337 ideas for free events, classes and attractions. I am really looking forward to saving a lot of money when we travel this year. You can also gain Free information on Frommers.com Contributed by Helen Wickes, 27th February 2013
No Fussing Earns Holiday Spending Money
Since we're coming up to school holidays soon I thought this tip might be appropriate. When I was young and we were going away on holidays it used to take 6 hours in the car each way. Being 3 kids between 5 and 10, in the backseat of the car, we used to argue ("Don't touch me" is hard to do when your three abreast in the backseat) and drive Mum and Dad nuts. As it was holidays, we used to get spending money, not much, $10 each or so. To stop the fussing in the car, Mum decided that every time we argued she'd dock us 50c or so, and after a period of being good, we'd get it back. Strangely enough once the holiday funds started getting down past the $7 mark, we were fantastic kids the rest of the trip, and we managed to behave enough to get the full amount back just about the time the trip finished and we were there. We ended up having more fun on the trip because we were concentrated on amusing ourselves together rather than arguing, and Mum tells me it was the best idea she'd ever had for her and Dad's peace on the trip.
Contributed by Deanna Storey, 16th September 2010
Contributed by Deanna Storey, 16th September 2010
Thinking Ahead
Approximate $ Savings: $400
We love to travel but it gets expensive. My husband had a week off so we decided to take a quick trip to Bali. Our tip is to search the Internet extensively to save money. We used last minute websites and saved a lot of money on our hotel room. We also decided to take a few hours out of our holiday to recoup some saving so we took a trip to a local supermarket and stocked up on soaps, deodorants and other cosmetics we regularly use at a fraction of the price we pay for them here at home. It was actually fun to do the comparisons and currency exchange. We were also able to purchase some food to make ourselves to keep our dining costs down.
Contributed by JM Roberts, 18th July 2010
We love to travel but it gets expensive. My husband had a week off so we decided to take a quick trip to Bali. Our tip is to search the Internet extensively to save money. We used last minute websites and saved a lot of money on our hotel room. We also decided to take a few hours out of our holiday to recoup some saving so we took a trip to a local supermarket and stocked up on soaps, deodorants and other cosmetics we regularly use at a fraction of the price we pay for them here at home. It was actually fun to do the comparisons and currency exchange. We were also able to purchase some food to make ourselves to keep our dining costs down.
Contributed by JM Roberts, 18th July 2010
Budget Holiday Spending by the Day
When planning a holiday away work out your budget before leaving and then calculate how many days you are away. Divide your budget by the number days and this will tell you how much, on average, you can spend each day before getting into trouble. We spent seven weeks travelling overseas and we came home under budget, with everything paid for in cash.
Contributed by K Johnston, 8th July 2010
Contributed by K Johnston, 8th July 2010
Holiday Planner Makes Vacations Fun
When planning holidays to different areas, we contact the local tourist bureau in that area and ask if they would send us an information package. Sometimes we have received samples of local produce, and discount vouchers for local attractions. What we found best was we could plan our trip better and decide what we wanted to see without upsets or indecision and not say sorry that doesn't fit the budget.
Contributed by Lorraine, Australind, 8th October 2009
Contributed by Lorraine, Australind, 8th October 2009
Pack a Chairbag for the Car
We do a lot of travelling with our two children, ages 3 and 18 months and they get bored quite quickly strapped into their seats for hours on end. To keep them amused I made chairbags for the car. Chairbags are those fabric bags that slip over the back of a chair to hold books etc, littlies use them in kindergarten instead of desks. It ties around the headrest supports in the front seat, anchoring it firmly in place. I put in different sized pockets to make it easy to slip in pencils, books, CDs, drink bottles, wipes etc We change the contents every day when we are travelling, alternating between colouring books, little dolls, cars, Duplo, puzzles etc and it keeps them happy and amused until the next pit stop. We try to stop every two hours or so to give them a break and a run around, have a drink etc. After 20 minutes they are happy to get going again. It might add a couple of hours to our journey but it makes it much more pleasant and we get a break from driving too, making for a safer trip.
Contributed by Julie, Vancouver, 15th February 2009
Contributed by Julie, Vancouver, 15th February 2009
Exploring the Planet
Before we go on any holiday I always check out the Lonely Planet website (www.lonelyplanet.com). They have a list of loads of places that are cheap or free for any area in the world as they mainly deal with back packers.
Contributed by Robyne, Goolwa, 14th August 2008
Contributed by Robyne, Goolwa, 14th August 2008
Passport Photos
I went to the local mall to get a few instant photos done. The chemist charged $10 for 4 photos and the picture looked shadowy. When they showed me the digital photo, I said I would rather have a look at what else is out there. A specialty photo shop said they would produce 6 for $8 but their machine was broken and I had to get the photo the next day. I finally decided to check if K-Mart did passport photos. They said they did - $6.50 for 8 photos!!!!! Compare that to $10 for 4! Not only that, they were willing to have it redone if I was not happy with it or if the photo turned out invalid. This was something the chemist was not willing to do. I felt so happy!!
Contributed by Adrian, Bateman
Contributed by Adrian, Bateman
Budget Travel to USA or Anywhere
Approximate $ Savings: $3,000+++
I thought I would post about my upcoming trip to the USA for 2 weeks. I have been doing A LOT of research on prices for airfares, accommodation, car rental, etc. I set myself a $3,000 challenge. That is for EVERYTHING! It has been quite fun to see if I can do it. And I can!! Here are my results and LOADS of money saving tips. :-) This trip is from Sydney to Atlanta, Georgia from May 21-June 5 with a 2 night stay in Waikiki, Hawaii coming back. (YEA!!) All prices are in Australian dollars.
AIRFARE = $2175.00 (Includes all taxes) Fly Jetstar from Sydney to Honolulu, Hawaii Fly Delta from Honolulu, Hawaii to Atlanta, Georgia Websites of interest. http://www.jetstar.com - Great prices if flying to the USA. Try to find alternative airports besides Los Angeles and San Fransisco when flying to the US. www.kayak.com - Searches all airlines for best prices for flying.
CAR RENTAL = $260.50 with National. (My challenge here was to find a 2 week rental with pick up and drop off at the airport for under $300.) Trick here is to search for coupon codes. I found a MAGIC one just today! (Contract ID # 8572957) It includes unlimited mileage, all insurances, no fees for airport taxes, etc. It's a travel agent code and I did check, I can use it. If I get any grief at the counter then my best friend has written me a letter stating that she booked it for me, along with her travel agent id #. She's a travel agent.
Websites of interest:
www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=392 - This is where I found the "Magic Code". www.retailmenot.com - Type in the company you want to search for. Ex: For National either type in national.com or National Car Rental. Make sure you read the comments as users will state whether or not the code worked and will most often give additional codes to use along with the first one. This website you can search for any company coupon codes. www.fatwallet.com/t/63/788985/ - An easy to look for list of codes.
ACCOMMODATION = FREE! - I will be staying with Global Free Loaders & Couch Surfers for part of my stay. A few days in Atlanta, a week in Alabama. In Hawaii, the accommodation is booked already. I am staying at a nice hotel with a kitchenette and used my Trendwest points. (NOTE: If I was not a member of Trendwest, then I would have used global free loaders couch surfers for my stay in Hawaii.)It includes food vouchers!! $15 per night. So $30 free food vouchers!
I found a great website called Global Free Loaders and another one called Couch Surfers. Basically, it's people willing to let you stay in a room in their house, maybe a couch or even just as basic as floor room - all for free. You have to provide your own food but you will have use of their kitchen and bathroom. Some allow kids and some don't. I looked for someone or a couple that were older as I don't want to stay with younger party types. Some allow smoking and others don't. You just have to read each description and go with what feels right to you. You then send them an email with your dates and do make sure you give enough details about yourself so that they also feel comfortable in having you stay in their house. Another option for free accommodation is to WWOOF it. (Willing Workers on Organic Farms.) You will get a free room and meals included. You will just have to work a few hours in exchange.
Websites of interests:
www.wwoof.org - Usually a small fee to get the list of hosts. www.globalfreeloaders.com - Free. But will need to sign up to see details of hosts and to email them. www.couchsurfing.com - Free but will need to sign up. This site is great! You can see what the host looks like and there is a lot of details about themselves. www.hospitalityclub.org - Free but will need to sign up. www.priceline.com - Bid for travel, car rentals and accommodations. I only tried it with the car rental but couldn't get a good deal. May be worth trying for airfare or accommodations. There is a way to be able to bid even if you live outside of the USA or Canada. The website for that is http://tinyurl.com/6adqoy (That site is a gold mine. Has heaps of tips on how to bid on Priceline. Also, gives you a list of alternative airports to fly into.) You will have to put in your c/c details on Priceline if you want to bid. Priceline does charge a $5.95 USD charge if your bid is accepted. You will not be charge if you bid is not accepted. TRAVEL INSURANCE = $65 - I went with www.1cover.com.au and paid $65 for medical, plan C. I wasn't going to do this as my c/c has great medical and travel insurance. NOTE: Check with your c/c and see what travel and medical they offer when you buy the airfare on the c/c. I was amazed at what all my covered! It does have a rental excess of $2750. but I was wanting personal and liability coverage. The rental car companies charge an arm and a leg for it! So, for $65 I am covered for that for 5 million dollars! YEA! Plus, a bonus of unlimited medical. I can now de-stress a bit about driving in the states. I haven't driven over there for 8 years and am a bit nervous of how I will cope driving on the other side of the road. LOL!
So far my total is $2500.50 AUD!!!! I have $499.50 left for food and petrol. Food will be no problem whatsoever! As I will always have access to a kitchen. I can put my frugal food saving skills in use. I am budgeted for $100 for food. I spend $50 per week on groceries now. I don't see how I will need to spend more than $50 per week on food. In fact, my challenge is to stay well under that. Petrol - well, I have no idea really as I will travel from Atlanta over to Alabama, back to Atlanta. But, seeing how with food my spending will be $2600.50, I will have $399.50 left over for petrol. I am pretty sure I can do it for well under that. Any money I have left over is going towards a VERY nice reward for myself in Hawaii. I am looking at doing an all day tour which is a bike, hike, sail and snorkel tour for $149 USD . :-) Contributed by Paula, Kiama, 14th May 2008
I thought I would post about my upcoming trip to the USA for 2 weeks. I have been doing A LOT of research on prices for airfares, accommodation, car rental, etc. I set myself a $3,000 challenge. That is for EVERYTHING! It has been quite fun to see if I can do it. And I can!! Here are my results and LOADS of money saving tips. :-) This trip is from Sydney to Atlanta, Georgia from May 21-June 5 with a 2 night stay in Waikiki, Hawaii coming back. (YEA!!) All prices are in Australian dollars.
AIRFARE = $2175.00 (Includes all taxes) Fly Jetstar from Sydney to Honolulu, Hawaii Fly Delta from Honolulu, Hawaii to Atlanta, Georgia Websites of interest. http://www.jetstar.com - Great prices if flying to the USA. Try to find alternative airports besides Los Angeles and San Fransisco when flying to the US. www.kayak.com - Searches all airlines for best prices for flying.
CAR RENTAL = $260.50 with National. (My challenge here was to find a 2 week rental with pick up and drop off at the airport for under $300.) Trick here is to search for coupon codes. I found a MAGIC one just today! (Contract ID # 8572957) It includes unlimited mileage, all insurances, no fees for airport taxes, etc. It's a travel agent code and I did check, I can use it. If I get any grief at the counter then my best friend has written me a letter stating that she booked it for me, along with her travel agent id #. She's a travel agent.
Websites of interest:
www.flyertalk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=392 - This is where I found the "Magic Code". www.retailmenot.com - Type in the company you want to search for. Ex: For National either type in national.com or National Car Rental. Make sure you read the comments as users will state whether or not the code worked and will most often give additional codes to use along with the first one. This website you can search for any company coupon codes. www.fatwallet.com/t/63/788985/ - An easy to look for list of codes.
ACCOMMODATION = FREE! - I will be staying with Global Free Loaders & Couch Surfers for part of my stay. A few days in Atlanta, a week in Alabama. In Hawaii, the accommodation is booked already. I am staying at a nice hotel with a kitchenette and used my Trendwest points. (NOTE: If I was not a member of Trendwest, then I would have used global free loaders couch surfers for my stay in Hawaii.)It includes food vouchers!! $15 per night. So $30 free food vouchers!
I found a great website called Global Free Loaders and another one called Couch Surfers. Basically, it's people willing to let you stay in a room in their house, maybe a couch or even just as basic as floor room - all for free. You have to provide your own food but you will have use of their kitchen and bathroom. Some allow kids and some don't. I looked for someone or a couple that were older as I don't want to stay with younger party types. Some allow smoking and others don't. You just have to read each description and go with what feels right to you. You then send them an email with your dates and do make sure you give enough details about yourself so that they also feel comfortable in having you stay in their house. Another option for free accommodation is to WWOOF it. (Willing Workers on Organic Farms.) You will get a free room and meals included. You will just have to work a few hours in exchange.
Websites of interests:
www.wwoof.org - Usually a small fee to get the list of hosts. www.globalfreeloaders.com - Free. But will need to sign up to see details of hosts and to email them. www.couchsurfing.com - Free but will need to sign up. This site is great! You can see what the host looks like and there is a lot of details about themselves. www.hospitalityclub.org - Free but will need to sign up. www.priceline.com - Bid for travel, car rentals and accommodations. I only tried it with the car rental but couldn't get a good deal. May be worth trying for airfare or accommodations. There is a way to be able to bid even if you live outside of the USA or Canada. The website for that is http://tinyurl.com/6adqoy (That site is a gold mine. Has heaps of tips on how to bid on Priceline. Also, gives you a list of alternative airports to fly into.) You will have to put in your c/c details on Priceline if you want to bid. Priceline does charge a $5.95 USD charge if your bid is accepted. You will not be charge if you bid is not accepted. TRAVEL INSURANCE = $65 - I went with www.1cover.com.au and paid $65 for medical, plan C. I wasn't going to do this as my c/c has great medical and travel insurance. NOTE: Check with your c/c and see what travel and medical they offer when you buy the airfare on the c/c. I was amazed at what all my covered! It does have a rental excess of $2750. but I was wanting personal and liability coverage. The rental car companies charge an arm and a leg for it! So, for $65 I am covered for that for 5 million dollars! YEA! Plus, a bonus of unlimited medical. I can now de-stress a bit about driving in the states. I haven't driven over there for 8 years and am a bit nervous of how I will cope driving on the other side of the road. LOL!
So far my total is $2500.50 AUD!!!! I have $499.50 left for food and petrol. Food will be no problem whatsoever! As I will always have access to a kitchen. I can put my frugal food saving skills in use. I am budgeted for $100 for food. I spend $50 per week on groceries now. I don't see how I will need to spend more than $50 per week on food. In fact, my challenge is to stay well under that. Petrol - well, I have no idea really as I will travel from Atlanta over to Alabama, back to Atlanta. But, seeing how with food my spending will be $2600.50, I will have $399.50 left over for petrol. I am pretty sure I can do it for well under that. Any money I have left over is going towards a VERY nice reward for myself in Hawaii. I am looking at doing an all day tour which is a bike, hike, sail and snorkel tour for $149 USD . :-) Contributed by Paula, Kiama, 14th May 2008
Buy Souvenirs Before You Leave
Planning a trip overseas, perhaps to Disneyland - of course you will want to get souvenirs for all your friends, family etc. As well as added expense for trip, takes up valuable room in luggage - buy before you go - on Internet and save squillions on prices and room to buy more personal things in luggage !! Contributed by Margaret, Airport West, 3rd April 2008
Discounted Sightseeing in the UK
Approximate $ Savings: Up to $2600
For Australians wanting to see the UK, it is a treasure trove of spectacular heritage buildings/sites/gardens/palaces etc. Due to exchange rates, this treasure trove costs us a small fortune, between $30 and $50 each visit for a family. Factor in two visits a day for say, a 28 day trip and sightseeing can cost up to $2800. Ouch! Want to save money? Grab a Great British Heritage Pass - costs $385 for a family for a month with free access to over 500 properties, saving up to $2400. Want to save MORE money? Join the National Trust in Australia which gives you access to all of the 400 properties belonging to National Trust in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Cost $113 per family and includes a great descriptive guide. Saving up to $2680. Going for longer, want to see everything and still save money? There are two groups of heritage agencies in the UK - one is the National Trust and the other is a union of three groups - English Heritage (over 400 properties), Historic Scotland (300 properties) and CADW (Welsh Heritage - 29 properties.). If you join just ONE of these (CADW is cheapest, about $160pa), you will get free entry into that agency's properties, plus half price entry into the other two. So for $160 you get free entry into CADW properties and half price entry into the 700 properties belonging to English Heritage and Historic Scotland. Savings immense! Going for longer, want to see everything and save even MORE money? Join any of the three agencies above (English Heritage, Historic Scotland or CADW) for two years in a row and receive free entry into ALL properties. So for $320 you can see over 730 properties. Great for those enjoying an extended holiday - half your luck!
Contributed by Cindy, Burpengary, 28th August, 2007
For Australians wanting to see the UK, it is a treasure trove of spectacular heritage buildings/sites/gardens/palaces etc. Due to exchange rates, this treasure trove costs us a small fortune, between $30 and $50 each visit for a family. Factor in two visits a day for say, a 28 day trip and sightseeing can cost up to $2800. Ouch! Want to save money? Grab a Great British Heritage Pass - costs $385 for a family for a month with free access to over 500 properties, saving up to $2400. Want to save MORE money? Join the National Trust in Australia which gives you access to all of the 400 properties belonging to National Trust in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Cost $113 per family and includes a great descriptive guide. Saving up to $2680. Going for longer, want to see everything and still save money? There are two groups of heritage agencies in the UK - one is the National Trust and the other is a union of three groups - English Heritage (over 400 properties), Historic Scotland (300 properties) and CADW (Welsh Heritage - 29 properties.). If you join just ONE of these (CADW is cheapest, about $160pa), you will get free entry into that agency's properties, plus half price entry into the other two. So for $160 you get free entry into CADW properties and half price entry into the 700 properties belonging to English Heritage and Historic Scotland. Savings immense! Going for longer, want to see everything and save even MORE money? Join any of the three agencies above (English Heritage, Historic Scotland or CADW) for two years in a row and receive free entry into ALL properties. So for $320 you can see over 730 properties. Great for those enjoying an extended holiday - half your luck!
Contributed by Cindy, Burpengary, 28th August, 2007
Free Travel Insurance
Approximate $ Savings: up to $700
When travelling, instead of paying for costly travel insurance, apply for a credit card that offers complimentary travel insurance with their card. It usually covers you and the family you travel with. There are some cards that offer this and also offer to waive the yearly fee for the first year so you can just cancel the card when you are done travelling. No cost to you at all and no running around trying to get the best insurance deal!!
Contributed by Bronwyn, Berwick, 11th July 2007
When travelling, instead of paying for costly travel insurance, apply for a credit card that offers complimentary travel insurance with their card. It usually covers you and the family you travel with. There are some cards that offer this and also offer to waive the yearly fee for the first year so you can just cancel the card when you are done travelling. No cost to you at all and no running around trying to get the best insurance deal!!
Contributed by Bronwyn, Berwick, 11th July 2007
Car Sick Kids
This may not be the nicest subject to talk about but kids being sick in the car is a terrible thing for everyone. One of the things I've found useful is a snap-lock bag. When kids are old enough to use one - around 2 1/2 - 3, I've taught them to be sick into the bag. The opening is wide enough and they can hold on to the bag easily. Sometimes, I put it into a small ice-cream container so they don't have to hold the bottom when it's getting full. When they've finished being sick, and I've finished with any wipes or tissues, I pop them all into the bag and can then dispose into an appropriate bin. Leaves no smell, no mess. Kids don't get too upset as they haven't left a mess on themselves or in the car. Another great hint would be the sick bags that ambulances use. If you know anyone in the services, ask if you can try one. They are great too.
Contributed by Debi, Warrandyte, March 17, 2005
Contributed by Debi, Warrandyte, March 17, 2005
Travel Sickness Cure
This may seem bizzare but it really works! When feeling sick whilst travelling fold up a newspaper and place it on your chest /stomach under your clothes. You will be feeling better in no time. I have no idea why this works. Mind over matter, maybe?
Contributed by Tanya, Mayfield, April 6th 2005
Contributed by Tanya, Mayfield, April 6th 2005