Planning your very own travel itinerary is always the best way to travel. But it can be hard planning a trip without knowing the place beforehand.
Limited time offer (Starting 14 October 2019): Want to travel like a boss with free travel credits on YouTrip? Use referral code GSF5 during the signup process and receive $5 for free!
Luckily, with travel apps and platforms readily at our disposal, touring around a country free and easy has never been this easy (and cheap). Here are 6 killer tips for planning the trip of your lifetime!
1. Using Skyscanner without Internet Cookies – Anti-Tracking Practices
Image Source: Skyscanner
It seems like a no-brainer for some to use Skyscanner when booking a flight, where the platform allows users to search for the best airfares and timings.
If you are not aware of Skyscanner yet, jump right in and start saving!
To take Skyscanner to the next level, make sure internet cookies are not allowed on the site and use good anti-tracking practices. Sounds complicated? You can do so effortlessly by using a privacy browser to take of that for you, such as Brave Browser.
It is also rumoured that new flights are released on Tuesday/midweek. Contrary to popular belief, this rumour only applies to a few international flights based on personal experience. So booking as soon as possible is still the general rule of thumb for most flights!
2. YouTrip to Pay Online in Overseas Currencies – Save More Money!
For Singaporeans only, YouTrip is the miracle of 2019.
How so?
YouTrip is a digital travel wallet that boasts a 0% transaction fees for more than 150+ supported currencies. Not to mention, YouTrip uses live wholesale exchange rates during currency conversion. That means no more making time-wasting trips to the money changer for less than favourable exchange rates. Yay!
Next, here is what’s revolutionary about YouTrip. As you may or may not know, booking tickets online in foreign currencies can be a lot cheaper than paying in SGD (local currency).
Fortunately, YouTrip allows users to use their card online for online purchases too. Be it shopping on Amazon or Taobao, or booking your air tickets online. You name it!
Referral Code: Enter GSF5 during signup and receive $5 in travel credits.
Sign up for your YouTrip card even if you are not traveling in the foreseeable future. It can take a while for the card to arrive at your doorstep.
*Find out more about YouTrip and its amazing features here!
3. Taking Google Maps to the Next Level
Enough tips about saving money. Here’s a real tip for planning your travel itinerary day by day.
Here are the steps on how to use Google Maps to plan an itinerary effectively:
I. Start by first determining the places you want to visit. Once you have done so, click save on Google Maps and add these places to a private list of yours.
II. This list can be accessed on your phone or desktop by clicking on the ‘Your Places’ tab.
III. Click on the list that you have created and press ‘View map.’
IV. This will give you a visual representation of the places on the map. From here, you can quickly identify which places you should visit first and add in any other destinations that are ‘along the way’. This trick works exceptionally well for planning road trips as well!
V. After clustering the places you want to go to each day, remember to key in the destinations into a single route and share it with anyone.
VI. Download an offline version of the map. This will help significantly when navigating in areas with little to no internet coverage!
4. Road Tripping? Consider Relocating Vehicles from $1/day!
Image Source: imoova.com
Ever heard of car rentals at only 1 dollar a day?
That’s right! RV, camper and car rental companies do have such rental deals from time to time!
These rentals exist as a means for rental companies to relocate cars back to their desired locations without spending precious man-hours on trucking the vehicles themselves. Relocation rentals are ubiquitous in Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada and Europe.
And that’s just icing on the cake. Most deals also come with a free tank of petrol or ferry transfer, depending on the relocation destination of your car.
How can we find such deals?
Start by planning your road trip in the opposite direction of popular itineraries, or use unpopular cities as your starting point. $1 deals are usually offered only at these places where relocation work is most needed.
Leveraging on this, you could be saving truckloads of cash on your upcoming road trip!
Of course, if it sounds too good to be true, it’s because there’s a HUGE but to relocation rentals.
Such rentals may come with mileage limits and tight time frames, ranging from 3 to 5 days. With that in mind, relocation rentals may not be the best option for those who wish to take their time and not be pressured by time and distance constraints.
Choose wisely and read the terms and conditions carefully!
5. Join Groups, Forums and Communities for Help
Not sure where the best, hidden, un-touristy spots are or unsure what to pack for your trip? Check out forums on Facebook for help.
There’s a travel group for every destination on Facebook. Such groups are filled with helpful locals and tourists who have been there before.
From personal experience, such groups are very active, and you can almost always expect someone to reply to you with tips and advice. They might even plan your travel itinerary for you!
6. Public Transport vs Ride Sharing
You may think that public transport is the more affordable option here, albeit longer travelling times.
However, as long as you are not travelling alone, the chances of ride-sharing being cheaper and faster are incredibly high. And almost guaranteed if the apps offer a signup bonus or promo code for first-time users.
To add on, we trust that most areas would have more than one ride-share app.
Time to make full use of your newly bought tourist mobile number!
Bonus: Plan Your Accommodations & Activities in Advance, at a Discount!
Image Source: Airbnb
First time planning a travel itinerary? Use Airbnb and Klook signup bonus to your advantage too!
These 2 apps are major disruptors to the tour industry just a few years ago and continue to wow us with new features from time to time.
On Klook, it is interesting to note that they also sell tourist 4G sim cards (self-collect at the airport) on top of holiday activities.
GetYourGuide is also a good alternative for booking activities. Always compare these sites to get the best prices!
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