Best Tips for saving money overseas (and win a prize worth $300)

[admin]

​

Yesterday, Australia Post contacted me with a great offer to our community. They will be donating a Travel Pack to an AFF member who posts the best tip on saving money during overseas travel.


BACKGROUND


This is the results of a study commissioned by Australia Post

Overseas travellers burdened by hidden costs, new study finds

Currency exchange rates and commission are the biggest hidden costs for overseas holidaymakers, with one in four young travellers returning to Australia with an unexpected credit card debt.

This was the key finding of a new survey, conducted this month for Australia Post, which also found foreign banking transaction costs and credit card fees were also placing a burden on overseas travellers.

Australia Post commissioned Quality Online Research (QOR) to undertake the research prior to launching new services, which allow travellers to prepare for overseas travel and avoid hidden expenses.

This week at 3200 stores across the country, Australia Post will have a multi-currency Load&Go Travel card and cost-effective travel insurance for $5 a day or $10 a day available over the counter.

Key features of the new Load&Go Travel card include the fact that up to five currencies can be held on the card at the one time, activation is instant and currency exchange rates are very competitive. The new Load&Go Travel card has no commission or reload fees.

Australia Post Executive General Manager Retail Services Christine Corbett said in-store travel insurance allows overseas travellers to arrange their insurance instantly in a simple transaction. “It gives travellers peace of mind, which is important given holidays are mostly more expensive than we think,” she said.

The new services come 10 months after Australia Post opened its first superstore as a one-stop destination for travellers. Across the country, Australia Post now has 3200 outlets which offer foreign currency exchange, TravelSIM for mobile phones, travel insurance and a range of travel money cards. In 1700 of these postal outlets, passport processing is also available.

HOW TO ENTER


In this thread, simply post your best tip for saving money during overseas travel.


COMPETITION RULES


1. The competition is open to ALL AFF members.
2. The winning post will be selected on Wednesday 10 October by myself (admin) and our 5 Moderators
3. Our decision is final
4. The winner will need to provide their name & address to allow for fulfilment of Load&Go Travel card and Travel insurance vouchers in the winner's name. The winner will receive the pack by 31 October 2012.


COMPETITION PRIZE


The prize pack contains:


1 x Australia Post Load&Go Travel card, with $100 voucher for loading

1 x $80 voucher, which can be redeemed for in-store Australia Post Travel Insurance (As an example, this $80 voucher could cover a family of four for 8 days travel to Europe, Asia, Indonesia, NZ or the South Pacific)

1 x TravelSIM (RRP $49.95)

1 x Worldwide travel adapter (RRP $39.99)

1 x Snooze travel pillow (RRP $12.99)

1 x red travel storage bag (RRP $16.99)

TOTAL RRP – $299.89

(Please be aware that the in-store travel insurance product has some exclusions ie; it is not available to people aged 70 years or over, those with pre-existing medical conditions and does not cover for some activities. In the instance where a winner does not qualify for cover, the winner will be able to cash their voucher in-store. For the Load&Go Travel card, the winner will need to provide customer identification along with their $100 voucher in order to activate their card in-store.)

Winner has been announced.
See http://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/open-discussion/best-tips-saving-money-overseas-43554-5.html#post693516​

 

[Austff]

sign up for a 28 degrees mastercard , no international transaction fees make a big difference .

 

[kazhere]

Hi my tip is for travelling to the States. When booking accommodation I recommend bidding on priceline.com. You nominate a price you want to pay, in an area you want to travel in then wait to see if your bid is accepted. I have stayed in some fantastic rooms for a bargain price and been offered upgrades at check in for a small fee. Highlight of my stay in Seattle was the Edgewater hotel with a water view and balcony plus a fireplace!

 

[drewbles]

Without a doubt the best tips are:

- Obtain a global roaming SIM Card. A Great spot to start is here of course, but websites such as PrePaidGSM.net are also invaluable tools. Most of these SIM cards have very very different features, so it pays to look into whats going to suit you best. Some offer cheap calling outbound, but pay to receive in bound. Others do the reverse. Some will give you good priced roaming data or even data bundles to use. AFF and prepaidgsm.net are great places to see what other people think of all the offerings, and allow you to find a product that's going to allow you to keep in touch and do what you need when you're on the road.

- Obtain a 28 degrees MasterCard. Originally known as the Wizard Clear Advantage Mastercard, this card was re-branded when GE Money bought out the Wizard Credit Card business. Designed by a frequent traveller who hated forex fees, it has the benefit of no forex fees, and an excellent exchange rate (in my experience, often very close to mid-market rates on xe.com). Whilst not officially supported, you should have no problems loading this card up with cash and withdrawing it fee free* from most overseas ATM's (* some ATM's, like in Australia, will charge you a fee to withdraw cash or check your balance; this is per machine not a fee imposed by GE).

- If you're not able to obtain a 28 Degrees MC (or you don't want yet another card), there are other options.
- ING Orange Everyday Debit Visa. This offers a reasonable fee of $2.50 for an ATM withdrawl, so if you take a chunk of cash out, $2.50 isn't so bad. Avoid for using overseas when purchasing as it is still 2.5% forex fee (forex rates are quite reasonable in my experience too). This card has the benefit of being fee-free from monthly keeping fees, and no need to deposit minimum amounts into your account to keep it this way (unlike NAB and others which may offer cheap overseas banking, but requires you deposit your salary or other large amount into your account each month).

- If there are several people travelling together, don't automatically assume airport shuttle services are cheap. It's often cheaper to use a taxi (or sometimes even a limousine) service to get to your hotel. Many locations mandate a fixed price from airport to 'downtown' hotels. It pays to do your research and can save you substantial amounts.

- Read travel related forums other than Trip Advisor and the like before heading overseas. Sites like AFF, FT and MP are great resources for both inexperienced and travel veterans alike. Discounts for things like Travel Insurance, transport, accommodation and even tips on saving cash on things like shows (big in vegas; never pay full price when you have things like tix4tonight.com).

- As a rule, never use airport foreign currency exchanges; most have very poor exchange rates and charge high fees. Load up your 28º MasterCard or ING Visa Debit prior to leaving, and withdraw cash at an ATM in the airport. If the ATM only dispenses large notes, buy a pack of gum or similar at an airport store and ask for some change (or just ask for the change, but I prefer to purchase a small token item). Remember, $2.50 ATM fee is going to be a lot less generally than what you'd lose changing your cash prior to departure or on arrival!


*edit*
I did several as there's no one 'killer' money saving tip IMHO, it's all about combining a heap of things to save you the most cash

 

[harvyk]

- Get travel insurance, can’t stress this one enough. A visit to the hospital in places like the US can easily cost as much as every last cent you’ve ever spent on travel insurance, plus some.

- Learn about any additional taxes or non-optional extra’s which may not be included in base prices in countries you are visiting, not all countries require local companies to be up front with additional mandatory costs. Also some less than honest companies may also try and invent taxes which do not exist. This one nearly happened to my uncle, at a resturant in MIA, the resturant heard his aussie accent and tried to include a “Miami Beach tax” to the bill. They got a rude shock when my uncle pointed out to them that he lives in MIA, and there was no such thing. Needless to say, this “Tax” got dropped from the bill very quick.

- Learn about the tipping customs in the place you plan to visit. Not knowing the tipping customs could easily mean that you tip way too much for service, or each of your drinks is spat in prior to been delivered to your table.

- Use a travel money card loaded up with the local currency. It also means that if the card numbers go on a holiday of their own, you are not potentially looking at a big credit card bill when you get back home.

- Keep track of how much you have actually spent. It’s very easy to spend $5 here and $10 there without realising you’ve now spent hundreds of dollars which have not been budgeted for.

- Stay in places which offer free Wi-Fi, eat in places which offer free Wi-Fi,

- Sign up to skype, use it to make free calls back to family and friends back home.

- Learn the layout of the place you plan to visit and determine the best transport options. Depending on the city, the cheapest option may actually be a combination of all the public transport options. It also means that you spend the least amount of time travelling to the places you want to visit.

- Shuttle services are not always the cheapest option. In fact they can be some of the most expensive transport and slowest options around, especially when travelling in a group.

- Finally and most importantly - Be aware of any scams which operate in area’s you plan to visit. Nothing is more expensive financially than having your wallet and passport stolen by a “helpful local”, or by been forced into paying extremely large bills for repairs for damage you did not make or goods which you did not ask for.

 

[moa999]

- 28 Degrees Mastercard. Use it for both purchases and cash withdrawals - just BPay the cash withdrawal amount a few days later - this gets paid off first
- Priceline.com alongside biddingfortravel.com, particularly for the US - is really good for hotels.
- Paying for Hotel WiFi is an absolute waste. If its not free there will undoubtedly be a cafe, restaurant or fastfood chain close by that has it

 

[casanovawa]

I usually like to stay in hostels as they often offer free wifi, a free breakfast of some description or maybe other meals, discounted tours or travel options, plus a good way to meet people if just travelling on your own..

I've also used sites like couchsurfing to stay with people offering to host travellers (and provided accommodation myself, system has to work both ways)... And travelled around Europe for 6 weeks and not paid more than $500 in accommodation and had a great time, better than sitting in over priced hotel rooms on my own...

Another thing i have used in quite a few cities are free, or close to free, city tours... There are several companies that offer these including www.neweuropetours.eu, but since they have started up offering tours for just tips or some are 10 euro or so, I've notice other companies start up such services in cities that Sandeman don't operate in... So if your going to 4 or 5 of the cities its a lot cheaper using such tour operators than paying $40-60 for tours and the people are usually pretty friendly and knowledgable...

Obviously if booking cheap LCC travel, the further out you plan and book the cheaper the fares usually are, the closer you leave it to your date of travel the more expensive they get... Doing yoru own planning can often work out cheaper than booking multi day tours with companies and you get to see more of the things you want rather than going to places that will pay kick backs to the tour operator...

 

[kpc]

The best tip I can give is to research your trip and destination before you go overseas. This will help you decide when is the best (and cheapest) time to go, best fares available, whether you can use points to redeem flights, best travel insurance for your needs, best places to stay, how to obtain foreign currency without exhorbitant Fx fees etc A single tip here and there is not going to save you a heap of money but if you plan and research all the above, it will! My personal favourites are the 28 degreess Mastercard and Citibank Plus account which are Fx fees free, buying a local Sim card to avoid expensive roaming fees, staying in places where WiFi is free (or very cheap) so you can search for local restaurants, activities, call home for free on Skype etc. I also ask questions on various forums eg those below if I have specific Qs eg best options to / from the airport at my destination.

Apart from AFF (reading this site regularly would be my BEST suggestion), other useful websites to plan your trip include Flyertalk, Milepoint, Tripadvisor, Priceline, lastminute.com, the list is endless....

 

[Blackswan]

Hotels charge an exorbitant amount for laundry services - so try the following;

* Choose a Hotel/Apartment which has self laundry facilities on-site
* If there are no laundry facilities, hand wash items and dry in the hotel room bathroom/next to the windows
* Find a local laundromat
* If in the USA - use the Wash'n'fold services. They're very reasonably priced - clothes are washed, dried and folded. Drop them off in the morning as you head off, collect in the evening. (Dry cleaning is also cheap in the states)

 

[eric2011]

My best tip for saving money whilst overseas is:

To not spend anything overseas.

By this I mean try and pay for everthing, in advance before you go, ie Accommodation, tours, transport, flights and prepaid travel cards.

No surprises when you get home and get your credit card account

 

[oz_mark]

Can't decide on one, so here is a list:

1) Have travel insurance. Things could get very expensive if you don't.

2) Be flexible in organising your time overseas. Moving arrangement a day or two can result in some quite significant savings.

3) The internet is your friend. Research. Spend time understanding where you are going. It can help avoiding expensive mistakes. Look for online deals.

4) Find out the best transport options. That may be public transport, it may be shuttle buses, it may be taxis. The size of the group may affect which option is best in any given situation.

5) Consider your food options. Sometimes an all inclusive hotel package including buffet breakfast will help you fill up in the morning and get through the day without needing to hunt down somewhere for lunch. Pack your lunch if needed. Eat like the locals for dinner, get out of the hotel.

6) Get one of the forex fee free cards to get money overseas (I use a Citibank Plus account, but 28 degrees seems to have a loyal and of followers)

7) If hiring a car overseas, consider different pickup options. It may be cheaper to pick up a car from a downtown location, rather than from the airport.

8) Don't roam with your normal Australian mobile provider. Get a local SIM or a travel SIM, it can save a lot.

 

[deejo77]

In the USA we rent house/units when we travel as a family group. They all have washing machine and kitchens. The best tip I have is to learn the local shopping centres - for example Safeway (woolworths) have a members only price - you need to have a membership card - I filled mine in at the desk and put the rental address in Hawaii in 2007. In August we went to the states and I would estimate the two weeks there we saved $200 at the grocery shop.

 

[brett-au]

Budget, but don't miss out on experiences. It will cost a lot more to go back and do the things you regret not doing, while you were there.

Or

Don't borrow money for holidays. When the money runs out, come home.

 

[JessicaTam]

Learn to use the local public transport and check if they have a re-loadable travel card which will usually be a lot cheaper than buying individual tickets. And a lot more convenient.

Take out travel insurance as soon as your flight or accommodation is booked. That way you are covered from that time incase of an accident that prevents you traveling.


Sent from my iThing.
Why, because iCan.

 

[mella2007]

Here's mine

1. Travel Insurance: If you can't afford insurance, you can't afford to travel. Full stop. Period. Book it the day you book your flights. Even better a yearly policy if you travel overseas 2 or more times a year.

2. Pre pay for activities.

Want to go up the Eiffel Tower? See the Vatican? See a show on Broadway?
Considerable discounts (and often skip the line) are available online if you book in advance. There are some fabulous deals to be had on multiple activities or even dinner/show. Highly recommended. Every $20-30 saving adds up over time, and then there are no worries when you arrive about finding extra money for these things.

3. Make a photocopy and print out all your documents and keep in a folder in your carry on. In the event your mobile/laptop is stolen or no wifi available, you still have a copy of all your travel documents and reservations with quick and easy access.

4. Organise any medication or scripts and ensure you take with you (country permitting...ie not UAE in most cases). Medication can be confusing and expensive in many countries.

5. Pre pay for private drivers (should you use them) The rate is much cheaper via online booking sites than paying in their currency upon arrival. Often 30% cheaper.

6. If you are a student or unable to get a credit card. The CommBank Travel Money card offers first deposit free (load it up!) and the lowest withdrawal rates from ATM's for these types of cards. You can also put money into different currencies, so you know exactly how much you're paying every single time.

7. Don't use the "hotel or town car" that the hotel offers to put you in instead of a taxi. You may think it's either free or a lower rate (and in most cases it isn't and they charge you more of a private driver fee)

8. If going to the Theme Parks in the USA, do look at websites like Mousesavers for coupons for everything from discounted food, tickets, hotels and vacation specials.

9. Don't feel obliged to tip every single person for the sake of it. Good service yes. Bad service or a very small task no. And for tipping, do keep (especially in the USA) one dollar bills with you at all times. Feeling obliged to give $5 when you don't have a dollar on you is quite common. It all adds up!

10. Ensure when using a LCC overseas you're at an airport that isn't in the middle of nowhere (like a lot of Ryanair flights depart from). It will cost you more money to get to/from, then that little extra to leave from one of the main hubs.

 

[RB]

Don't accept the offer to use dynamic currency conversion-you will not win

 

[cmon0005]

Here are my tips:

1. Book Hotels in advance online, do thorough research on the area you're travelling to (read reviews on hotels, choose hotel close to where a majority of your activities will be).
Try the Hotels direct booking site, sometimes good packages are available only through the Hotel if prepaid in advance, eg. Free Airport pickup/dropoff, Free Buffet Breakfast, Free Wifi, $xx room or restaurant credit, % off services like laundry, all depends on the Hotel and what is on offer, but it can add up to a large amount of savings.

2. Visit TripAdvisor Reviews of Hotels, Flights and Vacation Rentals - TripAdvisor search up all your activities, hotels, sights etc. on here read the reviews and suggestions, this could save you money based on not going to an attraction based on a large amount of negative reviews that you would have otherwise, and it can provide tips on how to save money, like "Don't take Taxi to attraction X, hire private car as you'll save $Y".
I have personally used Trip Advisor to make decisions on things during my trip many times, and has saved me wasting money on a lot of things.

3. Book major attractions in advance before you leave, an example is in Dubai the Burj Khalifa (World's tallest building), if you book in advance online it costs around $25AU per person to goto the observation deck, if you just turn up on the day and try to buy a ticket not only will you be waiting a long time it'll cost you around $100AU per person ($75AU saving per person, as well as not having to wait in line).

4. Try to use local currency (cash) where possible as if you're using Credit Card to pay for everything you can quickly loose track of how much you have spent.

 

[docjames]

1. Have travel insurance. "if you can't afford travel insurance, you can't afford to travel" as the saying goes. Shop around for the cheapest quote but pay close attention to the pds.

2. Whilst within reason you want to save money, don't waste your holiday worrying about the price of everything - if you can lock in prices you think are reasonable, pay before you go, so you can enjoy your holiday. The cost is forgotten whilst the holiday is remembered.

3. Take multiple payment options with you (I prefer three credit or debit cards, plus enough cash to last 24hrs as you don't want to get stuck). In the end you are unlikely to need them all, but if you only take one credit card, it can be a major pain if it gets lost / cancelled.

 

[kezsco]

My number 1 tip learnt as a poor backpacker:
1. Pack light and don't try to cover for every contingency. I met a Japanese man who was travelling the world with a bumbag. This is too light. I personally travelled with what looked like a small black gym bag (not backpack). This resulted in:
a. no costs associated with excess baggage (or minimal cost in some countries where there was a baggage fee for taxis),
b. being mistaken for a local and not hassled, ripped off, pick pocketed etc...
c. Always having my 'home' with me and being able to make decisions on the run. (I didn't usually plan). So, I arrived in Odessa (Ukraine - perhaps 13 years ago) on an overnight train and tried to find a place to stay. It was a very expensive place to stay overnight. In the evening I went back to the train station after having seen the city and took another (much cheaper than hotel) overnight train back to Kiev.
d. restricts buying stuff. Didn't mean I didn't buy stuff, just meant I was far more selective - I bought 2 leather beanies and a lead crystal vase at a market in L'viv (for about $5USD) which I still have today.

Other less important tips - but still on the poor person's theme:
- overnight transport is a good way of exhausting yourself, but also saving on accommodation expense.
- you can wash yourself in public baths (like szechenyi baths in Budapest - an attraction in its own right) or pools (which generally have shower facilities).
- Good leather jacket. Keeps you warm and can be slept in if you are stuck in a town with no accommodation and the next train leaves at 6am. If this happens - find a park, lie down and pile yourself with leaves. It's surprisingly warm, even if it is Timisoara in winter. I also packed a sleeping bag silk liner to sleep in on trains or more civilised places (like hostels with no sheets - or on an island off Turku, Finland in summer when they were fully booked).
- don't have a phone or ipad. take a kindle preloaded with lonely planet guides. Noone wants to rob your kindle. battery is great - don't take a charger (this forces you to use it less and enjoy the surrounds more). You will be surprised at how much you can pack in a small gym bag without any electronics (excepting a small camera) and no chargers. e.g. plenty of clothes, a bottle of vodka, a book or two, minimal toiletries.
- Buy things to keep at markets when you need them. Sometimes it is cheaper to buy new clothes and toss the old ones instead of washing them. Or, do the 'stomp wash'. This is when you stomp your clothes clean when you shower. The problem here is that it takes time to dry.
- Eat at local small establishments. If you are really hard up- buy dry biscuits at the store (generally 1 Euro). This can pass off as a breakfast or a lunch.
- Drink the cheapest bottled water you can find. This will save plenty in lost time and medical expenses.

-disclaimer -
I don't travel like this anymore. This is what I put myself through to 'see the world' (except the kindle thing - I took actual LP guides. But if I did it today, it would be with a kindle). Now, my wife and I travel in J. We stay in nice hotels and eat/drink what we want.

Thank you Australia Post for the support to the AFF community - I don't want the prize, please don't select me. I just wanted to contribute.

 

[drewbles]

Keep in mind folks the contest is for 'Best Tips for Saving Money Overseas'