The world is a book and those who do not
travel read only one page. I remember the day I saw this statement from one of
the notebooks I got from my brother and it made me realize that there is more
to life than what my comfort zone can offer. A bright and wonderful world
waiting for me to experience, discover, and fall in love with.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I have not
traveled the world but I have been to 2 countries aside from my own and I’d
like to how I planned those trips because who said traveling is only for the
rich? Hahaha...
6
things I think about when I travel on a budget
1. Choosing the Country
The first country I ever visited was the
beautiful country of Thailand, to be specific the marvelous city of Bangkok. Known
for its culture and people, I chose this city not only for the culture and the
people but also because of the film Love of Siam. A story of Love and
Friendship. I wanted to understand how this country worked, how hospitable the
people are and experience what it has to offer.
I also considered the exchange rate of my
Philippine Peso to Thai Baht. Remember, when on a budget, always consider the
rate to determine how much in total you will be bringing.
2. Dates
of Travel
Traveling
on a budget has taught me how important flexibility is when it came to travel
dates. It works well for people whose
jobs give them flexible hours but if flexible dates are not an option at least
strive hard to get the cheapest of the day’s fare. Some Airlines offer
promotions that cuts the amount of the ticket up to 80-90% on certain dates and
holidays so schedule wisely…
3. Book
Flights Wisely
When
I traveled to Bangkok, my airplane ticket was around Php 8,000 with Philippine
Airlines as the carrier. Don’t get me wrong the flight was great, the flight
attendants were friendly and meals were included in the price but spending huge
amount of your budget on the ticket is something I would not suggest even if
you can afford it, after all this is traveling on a budget. When I traveled to Hong
Kong with my sister we got our tickets for a very affordable price. Here’s a
screenshot of the receipt for reference.
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Our Hong Kong tickets...
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So book wisely. My carrier of
choice has been Cebu Pacific from the start. They offer a variety of options
with way too many promotions and recently I found out that they have started a
rewards program similar to that of Philippine Airlines where you earn points
when traveling. When booking your flights remember the following things.
Go on Incognito Mode
(Chrome) or InPrivate (Firefox). Airline’s websites downloads cookies in the
background that remembers your last visit, making it fairly difficult to find
good rates. If you prefer, you can clear your cache and cookies to make sure
that when you get to the website you’ll have a great chance of getting those
promo fares.
If you can’t find the
flight you want or can afford, there is always tomorrow. That is why I
personally prefer that the travel dates be flexible.
Most of the time, the
promo comes on declared holidays to reel in the majority. You can wait up to
midnight before the holiday and be the first one to grab the promo or you can
check every day. You will need a lot of what they call PATIENCE...
Understand your payment
options. Cebu Pacific offers a variety of options to pay for your flight. You
can pay online using a credit card, pay over the counter, you can also pay
through banks and the bancnet network. For more details please visit www.cebupacificair.com
Lastly, join rewards
program and make sure you get those points when traveling. It’s not going to
mean much right now but when you get enough points you can enjoy free flights
and many more.
4. Be
SMART with Hotels Too
Similar to what you would do when you book a flight, booking your hotel
is equally important and timely but nothing is ever easy when you are on a
budget. That's why you should take enough time to make sure you are ready with
everything before you travel. After you have booked your flight it is now time
to book your hotel. What I have been using so far is the Agoda.com Website. They have offered me a variety of
cheap but great places to stay in. I have not tried any other website or app
but feel free to give it a try and let me know in the comments section. Always
remember to be careful when providing personal and banking information online
through websites you do not trust.
5.
Deals, Discounts and Many more
Nowadays there are tons
of ways you can get a discount on either services or admissions fees, you just
have to look for them. Take for example my trip to Hong Kong. Before we
traveled, we decided that will we will visit Madame Tussaud’s Wax museum so
when we checked out their website, they gave us something we could not resist.
Check it at www.madametussauds.com
When you
book online, you'll save a significant amount of money for you to keep or spend
for something else and what's neat about the tickets is that they offer a 20%
discount if you visit another Madame Tussaud’s like the one in Bangkok.
6.
Research, Research and Research some more
Remember to do as much research as you can of
the country you will be visiting. It is important that you understand, even
only the important ones, how the country operates, their traditions, language,
culture and even personality so you can be prepared both physically, mentally,
emotionally and most importantly financially.
One of the best pieces
of advice I have heard so far was from Sonia Gil. She said to use your common
sense while traveling. If you see a dark path leading to somewhere you are not
familiar with then you should probably steer clear from that path. It’s the
same as you would do in your own country which totally makes sense. Sonia is an
amazing travel b/vlogger so if you have time, check her YouTube channel out by
clicking on this link Sonia's Travel
So there
you go.. The top 6 things I consider when traveling on a budget. I hope this
helps you in any way.. If it does let me know... If it does not, always
remember that these are my preferences so feel free to try things that make you
comfortable. Happy Traveling!!...
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