Planning a summer holiday? The trick to getting a great deal isn’t one magic website. Instead, you should be putting together your own portfolio of great tools.
Here’s how I reckon you should approach travel bargains so you don’t get stung on money or insurance.
Where the best deals are hiding
Start with community power. OzBargain’s travel deals and coupons are a regular feed of member-posted discounts on flights, hotels, travel packages and more. It’s definitely a bit old-school, but if you check in every so often you’ll spot genuine bargains.
On socials, follow Luke @savvynotstingy on Instagram for timely tips and flash-sale alerts.
For more turn-key packages, it’s worth looking at TripADeal for great-value tours and bundled airfares, as well as Luxury Escapes for curated premium stays that include buffet breakfasts, late checkouts and plenty of extras.
And when you’re ready to price-check everything, Skyscanner is a meta-search engine where you can compare airlines, set price alerts and “Search Flights Everywhere” to find the cheapest destinations for your available dates.
Build a booking game plan
Bargains love flexibility. So if you can travel midweek or depart outside of school holidays, you’re likely to end up paying less. Use travel aggregators to see the cheapest days, then sanity-check against the package sites and with your preferred airlines. When a deal looks too good to be true, check the total price after bags, seat selection and transfer fees. If you’re travelling with kids, compare two one-way tickets versus a return – odd combos can price lower than standard returns.
And it always pays to be strategic with your accommodation. Packages can be terrific, but DIY can win for city breaks. Mix and match – think two nights in a luxe hotel and then an Airbnb or mid-range hotel to balance the budget.
Travel money that won’t bite you
I like a blend: a small portion of cash for tips and taxis, a fee-free debit or credit card for everyday spending and then a prepaid travel card if you want to lock in a good exchange rate.
Cash is universal but risky – carry only what you need and split it across your bags and persons. Prepaid travel cards let you load foreign currency in advance, so you’ll know exactly what rate you’ve locked, but beware reload and ATM fees.
Your everyday card can be the simplest option – just make sure it doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees and that you’ve set it up to be used overseas. Credit cards can add purchase protection and sometimes travel insurance, but never use them for ATM withdrawals (cash-advance interest can seriously hurt). If a merchant asks whether to charge you in Australian dollars or the local currency at the terminal, always pick local currency to avoid the sneaky ‘dynamic currency conversion’ mark-up.
Picking the right travel insurance
Don’t just pick the cheapest add-on travel insurance during checkout. Compare policies and always read the PDS. You want enough cover for any potential medical expenses, cancellations and delays, lost or stolen gear, and rental-car excess. Check adventure exclusions if you’re skiing, hiking above certain altitudes or hiring scooters/motorbikes – plenty of claims are denied on these types of technicalities.
Comparison websites like Compare the Market are a good resource to trawl through all the options and find the right cover for you.
If your credit card already includes insurance, double-check how to activate it – you might need to pay a minimum portion of the trip on that card. Also check age limits, pre-existing condition rules and the excess per claim. Beware that some credit card travel insurance cover is the bare minimum and may not suit your circumstances.
Pay like a pro overseas
ATMs are fine if your bank refunds international fees or charges low ones. Use mobile wallets wherever they are accepted – they add tokenisation security, and lots of terminals now accept them. For hotels and car hire, use a credit card (not a debit card) because security holds on debit can tie up your cash for days.
Also avoid buying foreign currency at airports unless you have no other choice. Their rates and commissions can be eye-watering – and frankly ludicrous. If you do need cash in a pinch, take the minimum and top up later in town. Before you go, set transaction alerts in your banking app and switch on location services so fraud systems don’t block any legitimate payments.
Final checks before you book
Price the whole trip, not just the headline fare. Add baggage, seat fees, transfers, visas, resort fees and data roaming to your budget. Always check whether your passport is still valid (something that’s easy to forget since COVID) and any entry requirements. Take digital copies of all your documentation and share details of your trip with trusted loved ones back home.
Lastly, be deal-ready! That means having a realistic budget, dates you can move on, logins set up at the deal sites I’ve already mentioned and having price alerts up and running. Great deals don’t hang around – so when the stars align, I reckon you should book fast.
Enjoy the holiday countdown instead of second-guessing yourself, and spend the savings on something to remember once you get there.
