Need some time off? Take a dream vacation or explore your favorite destination.
Here are a few money-saving hacks that will enable you to travel as luxuriously as possible without spending a fortune.
Look for flights in Incognito mode.
One of the easiest and most-effective means of saving money on flight tickets is by searching for them in incognito mode. When you search in your regular browser, the websites store your cookies and your search history on your device. An Incognito mode is an extended version of your regular browser that wouldn’t save your search history or cookies. While it’s unclear whether airlines raise prices because of browser cookies, differences in pricing have been observed when browsed in Incognito mode.
Bonus Tip: Use this hack, and you’ll observe a similar change in pricing on e-commerce websites.
Change your country of Origin.
When booking a flight ticket, change your country of origin to a developing nation (a country with a weaker currency than yours) while viewing the prices in your currency of choice. According to Insider, this hack helps you save quite a bit on your flight ticket. Since the ticket pricing depends on the strength of your local currency, pretending to be in a country with a weaker currency enables you to book a ticket for much cheaper than in developed countries.
Last-minute cruise tickets are surprisingly cheaper.
Unlike air travel, where the best time to book your flights is between three weeks to four months before your trip, cruises are often cheapest when the tickets are purchased at the last minute. So it’s an excellent strategy for longer cruises.
The Art of Haggling
No price is ever final! When traveling, don’t be afraid to ask for a deal or discount on your hotel tariff or items in markets and shops. You’d be pleasantly surprised at the number of hotels willing to negotiate their rates just to keep their occupancy rates high. And if you’re ready to negotiate, street vendors will always try to arrive at a reasonable agreement with you!
If you’re planning on renting an Airbnb, you can negotiate a better rate by messaging your host before booking. And if you’re looking for a hotel and aren’t on a tight schedule, walk-ins are more likely to yield a better rate with a bit of negotiation than pre-booking.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do
Local dishes are always cheaper and much tastier than international cuisine. But, speaking of locals, it’s also a good idea to bypass the traditional travel industry with sharing economy platforms. This makes travel cheaper and gives you access to insider knowledge from locals. Locals know exactly where you can find the best deals, which supermarket is cheapest, which restaurants and bars serve the tastiest food at the lowest prices, etc.
Bonus Tip: Carry a reusable water bottle. This saves you around AED 8 for every bottle of water. It’s the little savings that add up.
Get the best deals with travel credit cards and offer aggregators.
Get a few special travel credit cards, and make the most of their benefits & rewards. Collect frequent flier miles, and fly for free. Many cards also offer sign-up bonuses.
Use an Offers Aggregator app such as Hundred to get deals & offers across various categories such as Restaurants, Bars, Hotels, Adventure activities, etc., in a single app. Maximize your savings with personalized offers from multiple merchants, and offers on your bank or community cards.
Use the Explore tab on the Hundred app to check the features, benefits, and eligibility criteria for any card and apply for the same directly from the app. You can also use the Explore tab to discover all the benefits of your cards.
Happy Savings!
