Holiday and Traveling

If you’re visiting a big city, hotels tend to be expensive the closer in you stay to the city center. Even the budget hotels might strain your budget. Consider staying in a suburb or the next small town over. Take a 15-20 minute bus or train ride into the city. Hotels and restaurants will be cheaper, and it may even be a cuter area to stay in.

Home swaps are becoming more popular as a way to save while on holiday. They’re good for families or small groups traveling together to share the expense.

As an even more frugal alternative to a hotel, if you’re young and adventurous, you might even want to give “couch surfing” a try. It’s a system where you register, then are referred to strangers who are willing to let you sleep on their couch. Sign up to host or be a couch surfer with an organization like Couch Surfing. They will connect you with others who are interested in letting you flop on their sofa. You can also sign up to host travelers yourself.

There are house swaps and couches to flop on all over the world. You have to be willing to give up a little of your privacy, but you can save a lot of money…. and make new friends while you’re saving.

Consider booking a fly/drive bundle or hotels bundled with flights. You might be an independent traveler who likes to find your own accommodations, but you might find you can save a bundle with that bundle.

If you want to go to a play or the opera look for half-off, same day sales booths. Many cities have these. In London and New York where everyone wants to see a play, these booths can save you a bunch. The only downside is you might not be able to see the latest plays. You may have to stand in a long line, and you might have to pay cash.

Are there any budget travel tips when you’re renting a car? Get the smallest car that you and your group can fit in. Car companies love to say they can “upgrade” you for only a little more…. but why do you want to pay more if you don’t need the space. Bigger cars take more gas… gas is expensive. (And, the driver in our team reminds me, they’re harder to park.)

Don’t get the “gas package” where you can return the rental car empty… you’ll never get it to empty…. You’ll be too afraid of running out of gas on your way back to the airport, so you’ll lose money on that half tank that’s left. Just fill it up near the airport and save money.

Think about your budget… and the environment when you leave for your holiday. Your house can save you money if you unplug all those appliances that say in “ready mode” and suck electricity while you’re gone. Unplugging them saves the environment too. Lower the hot water heater temperature to “vacation”. Make sure the heater or the air-conditioner are at money saving settings. The house doesn’t need to be heated or cooled as much while you’re gone.

All these little budget travel tips could add up to more travel time… so watch all those little things carefully.

Of course, you have heard about travel insurance, but many of us have just neglected its importance and headed off unsafely without getting covered. Now the debatable question is – do you really require travel insurance? Well, you do not need to get covered, unless and until you can assure the following:

-      You won’t be sick while traveling.

-      You won’t get involved in a car accident.

-      You won’t find yourself to be the victim of losing any of your valuable possessions.

-      No theft will take place.

-      There are no chances of your flight being delayed or even cancelled.

-      Your luggage won’t be lost.

-      Nothing will hinder your accommodation.

Can you really guarantee that nothing will go wrong while you’re headed off to a business trip, round-the-world holiday or a beach holiday? Will you still say that travel insurance is a total waste of money? Well, it’s a lot less waste of money than undergoing the hassle of arranging $65,000 in a foreign country to pay off your hefty hospital bill after accidentally breaking your leg.

In case, you are putting off the idea of availing travel insurance because of the expensive premiums costs associated with it, then most definitely budget travel insurance can be your perfect solution. So, how can you avail budget travel insurance for your next trip?

Take Some Time To Shop Around

An insurance buyer might not realize it, but it’s an undeniable fact that travel agents have the tendency to make hefty profits from the so-called budget travel insurance they tempt to sell you. So, before getting trapped, be smart enough to go for insurance hunting before finalizing the deal with any company. Bear in mind, the more intensive your research is, the more likely you are to get hold of the best deal. Shop around, and no wonder you will come across with such policy offers which have more advantages than your travel agent would have provided, and that also by paying half of the price.

Judge Your Needs

In case, you are headed towards a long time vacation, and unsure of your activities out there, then do take some time to attentively think whether you will get involved in any outdoor activities. Like, if your holiday includes skiing, then it’s cheaper to have skiing cover included in your travel insurance before you leave.

Announce Your Pre-existing Medical Condition

You may ask why such declaration is important while getting budget travel insurance. Well, insurance companies are very much interested to gain knowledge about potential risks, and thus any insurance buyer is asked to fill out a form regarding his/her health condition. In case you don’t have any health problems then this will significantly lessen the insurance premium cost, whereas if there are health issues then you just need to pay extra.

We all should know that travel insurance is a must when on holiday or vacation. Medical emergencies can cost up to $100,000 or more if an evacuation is required. Cancellations to plan, cruise or tour tickers can also cost a lot of money and sometimes there is nothing you can do it avoid it. Even loss of luggage can be costly now that more people travel with laptops and mobile phones.

Travel insurance can be expensive and you may be tempted to skip it for your holiday. For long trips it may actually cost more for insurance than it does for airfares. This is especially true of budget holidays through places like South East Asia or Europe. Also backpackers may not have costly tour packages or baggage to be worried about. The normal comprehensive level of travel insurance is often a waste for these people.

Many holiday insurance providers offer plans suited to the budget traveller and backpackers. These plans tend to cover general medical expenses such as hospital visits, doctor and surgical fees, dental costs, and medical evacuation. Sometimes these will also offer minimal cover in other areas such as baggage, credit card and passport replacement. It is up to you to decide if you want this as it will raise the price.

Some companies in Australia that offer budget and backpacker travel insurance are: iTrek Travel Insurance, Downunder Insurance, 1Cover Direct Travel Insurance, Insure4Less, and Travel Insurance Direct. Reading travel insurance reviews can help determine the best insurance for you.

Watch out for the excess. The normal excess tends to be $100 but some providers charge a higher excess in order to offer lower premiums. It is usually best to avoid high excesses as it discourages claiming. However, this tends to not be a problem on backpacker travel insurance as it really only covers costly medical expenses which means that the excess will only be a small percentage of the overall bill.

Since each policy offers a different level of cover with its own terms and conditions it is wise to review the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS). In Australia it is required that a company provides with a PDS prior to purchase as it details all the conditions, exclusions and limits of the policy.