Holidays for less money - Yes, it is possible

Being penny-pinching gets me notoriously inspired… or what I call pennywise. And my main motivation is getting way more for less.  

Here are our best travel tricks, for cheaper! 

Bank cruise savings 

Have you been on a cruise yet? Most people are instant cruise converts – I am.  

You can cruise just so economically if you, again, choose one where you pay an overall price. Think about it: it’s your food, your travel, your entertainment and your accommodation all in one. 

If you also leave from a port close to home, you cut out any flights or night-before accommodation costs, too. 

Cruises represent exceptional value versus doing the same on land.  

Packages 

Nowadays, it’s often better value to get an all-inclusive deal, or at least a deal that includes flights and accommodation. Such is the bulk-buying power of travel companies that they can usually secure far cheaper prices than even the best sales to retail tourists.  

And now Aldi is getting in on the act, you can bet the bargains will only get bigger – the other players will be forced to squeeze margins more.  

While there are options galore, for me, I’ve found Luxury Escapes never disappoints, with lush holidays at crazy-low prices. I have just returned from a Luxury Escapes getaway from Glenelg which was not only great value for money but a great holiday. 

Speaking of packages… 

Self-contained  

When you don’t buy all-inclusive holidays, of any flavour, a hotel room with a kitchenette or apartment-style accommodation can save you a small fortune because you can plan and cook the family’s food yourself. Make it part of the fun – to make sure you also get a holiday! For instance, what about taking turns and rating the offerings Master-chef-style each night? 

Cashback  

Whatever style of holiday choose the right way.   

A bunch of ‘cashback’ services have sprung up to offer, yes, money back on a ton of different purchases. And because the expense of holidays and hotel accommodation is just so large, the refunds are sweet. These services – in the form of bespoke apps, websites or your bank itself – simply act as the (uber-like) intermediary between consumers and merchants. In return for bringing them more customers, companies agree to rebate a bit of what they pay. 

Check out Westpac-owned Shopback and ANZ-affiliated Cashrewards.  

Wait for a 15% ‘upsized’ deal from a travel platform (think Expedia, Wotif or hotels.com) then book away.  

Frequent Flyer  

Now, the top tip with the Qantas Frequent Flyer is to book 354 days in advance. Don’t ask me why – it’s such an unusual number of days – but this is when many of the rolled-gold Classic Rewards seats are first released.  

Though some seats will subsequently be opened, that first release is usually the biggest and the most likely to get a whole family on the same plane. After these are gone, you’d have to keep an eagle eye out for the trickle of further availability.  

The key to saving big is to collect points and well ahead of time. 

Drive a good Deal  

Hire cars are expensive, right? But an app called Rentalcars.com ‘aggregates’ the offerings of hundreds of hire car companies in more than 200 countries, to find you the real best deal.  

Don’t forget the Petrol Spy app or the 7-Eleven for when you are filling up, which pinpoints the cheapest place to do it.  

Bottom line  

Next time you’re longing for a holiday that doesn’t break the bank. With a little bit of planning and research you can enjoy a holiday on a budget… and make wonderful memories!