..and it is a bit of a game! But these things have all worked for me and are a go-to list I use on most trips to make life easier or save £££… or both!
Be Flexible with Dates and approach to booking - Travel during off-peak seasons or midweek to find cheaper flights and accommodations - general rule of supply and demand. Use fare comparison websites such as Skyscanner or set fare alerts to track the best deals. If your flights
Clear Browser Cookies: When searching for flights or accommodations, clear your browser cookies or use incognito mode. Travel, Hotel and Airline websites can increase prices based on your search history/cookies.
Pack Light: Traveling with only carry-on luggage can save you time and money on checked baggage fees. Plus, you'll have more mobility during your trip. Want to take toiletries - remember to pack small 100ml units for now although a few airports such as London's City now have advanced scanners which will eventually do away with this need! Want to take toiletries that are larger ? You can order from Boots at the UK Airports
Pack Clever: We have 2 favourites here to make the most of limited luggage space. Rolling your clothes instead of folding them saves space in your suitcase and helps prevent wrinkles.
And "Compression" Packing Cubes are fab and inexpensive - some have double zips so you seal one zip and then compress and seal the other one it will compact it even further. These are also great if you are staying in multiple places as you can pack for each hotel separately meaning you don't have to unpack everything! Compression Packing Cubes
Use a VPN: When booking flights or accommodations, use a virtual private network (VPN) to access different regional prices and avoid location-based price variations.
Earn Frequent Flyer Miles: Sign up for frequent flyer programs and accumulate miles for future flights or upgrades. Consider using credit cards that offer airline rewards - many of these also have tiers, so those who travel more can get additional benefits such as lounges and priority boarding.
Travel Rewards Credit Cards: Look for credit cards with travel rewards, such as airline miles or hotel points. Make sure to pay off your balance to avoid interest charges - and incentives they may offer for accumulating points - its often very easy to do for no cost.
Offline Maps: Download offline maps of your destination (also metro maps can be useful) to navigate without using mobile data.
Local Transportation: Public transport and buses/trams are often a great way to see the real city and get from A to B. Ride-sharing services also prove very effective, but check in your destination what operates - Uber and Bolt aren't everywhere, and in South-East Asia Grab is fantastic. Unsure? Download all 3 and google your destination + ride share.
Eat Like a Local: Avoid touristy restaurants and try local eateries for authentic cuisine at lower prices. Ask locals for recommendations.
Research Free Activities: Look for free attractions, museums with discounted or free entry days, or city walking tours to explore your destination without breaking the bank. City or multiple attraction passes are also worth considering if you are planning on doing a lot of activities too.
Travel Insurance: Invest in travel insurance to protect yourself from unexpected events such as trip cancellations, medical emergencies, or lost luggage. Travel a lot? Top-up cards from brands such as revolut, for a monthly fee include lots of perks including annual travel insurance on some! I’ve used Revolut the last few years -Revolut - also these pre-paid cards give you the best exchange rates and lesser if any atm fees than the traditional bank cards!!
Useful Travel Apps: Separate post coming next week on our favourite Apps to install before you travel!
Stay Connected: Purchase a local SIM card or use international roaming plans to avoid high roaming charges. Many countries now have public wi-fi, do be careful when connecting to these, or coffee shop wi-fi as they are not always very secure.
As an example, we bought a SIM in Vietnam - effectively was £10 for a month and let us keep in touch and gave a huge amount of internet usage per day!
"Pouch" type water bottle - these are light and can go flat when empty, definitely worth taking! We like this one from Decathlon -Pouch Water Bottle - can also be used for sports including running and cycling
Gorilla Pod - these really are a fab invention, compact, light, bendable tripods that you can wrap around a pole or post, or stand sturdy on the ground or most surfaces - even uneven ones! Practical for hand luggage or the hold bag, I wouldn’t be without one. There are ones for different weights of camera or just for phones, here’s the official Joby site - Joby Gorilla Pods
Camera Polarizing and UV filters - what a difference these can make for your camera - available in all sizes for the thread width of your lens (diameter) to both protect and strip out glare and enhance sky colour (for example)