4 Travel Tips and Hacks For Passionate Travelers

Die hard travelers are a different breed. They are the ones who can ignore all the hardships, lost luggage, missed flights, administrative mix ups and somehow still maintain their passion for every new land and culture they encounter.

One thing the experienced traveller realises is that travel costs money. To continue to log those miles, the most passionate travelers are always looking for tips and hacks to save money and get better deals. Here are some that we thought might be beneficial.

1.Take advantage of frequent flyer benefits

The real travelholics never leave a benefit on the table. If you are a regular traveler, you’ve definitely taken advantage of frequent flyer miles. You can log these miles with your airline, your credit card or other independently run issuers.

American Express has a popular and one of the older frequent flyer miles programmes. You can find out more about it at moneymash.com/amex-travel and their travel portal, where you can actually use a combination of cash and Amex miles to book flights.

You can pile on the miles by being careful about the credit card you select. Make sure to get one that’s specifically tailored to reward you with travel miles. Try as far as possible to accumulate your miles on one airline as well. This way you don’t lose if you have to convert the mileage value between multiple airlines.

2.Save money on accommodation

A veteran traveler has pretty much gotten over the need to stay in fancy (and expensive) hotels. Most are ready to dive and immerse themselves in the local culture. It’s harder to do that at a larger hotel. Most are part of international chains that have arrangements with packaged tour dealers. So when you stay at a large hotel, you often don’t really get to know a travel destination.

You also spend a whole lot more money. They have to pay for all those extra perks they offer you somehow. Over time, experienced travelers realise it’s better to book at guest houses, smaller hotels or use airbnb. This way, you’re not isolated from the culture and people of the country you’re visiting. You live, everyday, hearing the local language and traversing the local markets and stores.  

It also helps if you get your accommodation on booking websites. This way you can shop around for the lowest prices. Beyond these websites, there are also several travel blogs where you can not only be amazed, amused and entertained by the anecdotes of fellow travelers, but get their own hacks on how to spend less money on accommodation.

3.Don’t spend a ton on food

Just as you should avoid large, franchise hotels when you travel abroad, you should avoid franchise restaurants. Seriously, why would you leave your home to go to an entirely different country, only to eat the same food you left there? Where’s your sense of adventure?

Passionate travelers always indulge in the local cuisine. Not only because it’s a way of honouring the local culture, it’s significantly cheaper than franchise restaurants. Avoid more formal restaurant settings as well. Hit the streets for food. Not only will you delight your palate, you’ll keep more money in your pocket to enjoy more local fare.

Don’t eat or drink anything out of a hotel minibar, or have your meals at the hotels. That will add up quickly. Shop at local supermarkets for prepackaged foods and drinks and attend local market days for some good bargains on fresh meat, fruit or vegetables. This is an especially useful tip if your stay is going to be extended.

4. Don’t pay more in the exchange

By exchange, we mean currency exchange. This is a surprising creeper cost that comes up on you like a thief in the night. The reason for this is that you often don’t see the unfavorable terms you are exchanging your money at.

There are ways to avoid this. Firstly, travel with cash when you are going to locations where you receive favourable exchanges for your own money. Because your currency has greater value here, you can exchange it for more goods and services. The downside of course is that it’s dangerous to carry around a lot of cash. 

To prevent this, you can withdraw your currency from an ATM. Make sure you know if there’s a foreign service charge for this and what the rate is. 

Stay away from exchange services. As a rule they tend to exchange your cash at rates that are unfavourable to you.

When going abroad, allow your passion for travel to run free. Use these travel tips hacks to save money and help you have the best trip.