Being in Singapore means you have easy access to many nearby
countries with a rich and diverse culture. With budget flights
aplenty, Singapore is the perfect base to explore Asia on the
cheap. While travelling is seen as a luxurious activity or hobby by
some, it doesn’t have to be so. In fact, it should be a mandatory
part of experiencing life! Here’re 5 tips we have for you to help
you travel on the cheap and in comfort as well!
Singapore has some great budget flight airlines which go to a huge
number of destination. While it used to be that the budget airlines
here only go round Asia, now you’ve got those that flies to
Australia or even Greece! Budget flights provide a low-frills way
to go on a holiday and they aren’t really less comfortable compared
to a full-service flight. Do however take note of various fees that
are not included in the cost you see on the screen though. These
include luggage fees, processing fees for credit cards and seat
selection fees.
Want to save more on top of using a budget airline? If you fly
frequent enough, consider credit card collaborations with some of
these airlines, such as the Tigerair Platinum Credit card, or your
Krisflyer card that allows you to redeem miles with Scoot and
TigerAir.
Use hotel comparison sites such as Agoda.com or Booking.com to
source for your overseas lodging according to your budget. Not only
that, you get to read up on user reviews as well, which provides a
great way to gauge the quality of the hotels you are looking
at.
If you are looking for something even cheaper, you can look up
travel guides such as Lonely Planet which lists lodging according
to budget, with lots of Bed & Breakfasts that are not even
listed online. Other than that, Airbnb or Couchsurfing can be an
alternative as well.
The right credit card can provide a great deal of travel perks when
making your bookings and even while you are overseas. For
instance, travel
cards earn you miles when you make your hotel and flight
bookings with the cards, which you can then utilise for your next
trips. For example, HSBC
Advance Visa Platinum card can earn you 4 miles on your
dining, entertainment and online shoppihng expenses. Other cards
like UOB
PRVI Miles card or Citi
Prestige MasterCard card can earn you 2-2.4 miels per S$1
spent in countries outside of Singapore. Prefer to get immediate
perks? Then use a cashback card, such as the ANZ
Optimum World Mastercard card which gives you unlimited 5%
cashback on travel bookings if you choose the travel category for
the quarter. The CIMB
Platinum Mastercard is also a good choice as it earns you
a 10% cashback on travel-related purchases.
Some of these cards also offer cardholders free travel insurance,
so remember to activate them before you go and save some $100 from
having to take out your own travel insurance policy!
It can be pretty easy to eat on a tight budget while travelling.
The key is to stay away from places that are full of tourist and go
where the locals eat. Don’t hesitate to visit local markets or even
make a simple sandwich lunch with bread and ham from the
supermarket. Some places also offer discount food after dinner
hours, so consider packing them to sit by the river for a romantic
dinner with your partner.
There are also credit cards that offer regional discounts with
dining partners – CIMB
credit cards offer a number of discounts and privileges on
dining in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Similarly, Maybank
credit cards also provide a number of travel discounts and
regional dining privileges in Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia and
Philippines.
Getting a tourist pass can be of great value especially if you are
staying for at least 1 to 2 weeks in a single country. Other than
providing cheaper public transportation options, some of these
tourist passes also come with great perks, such as discount tickets
to major tourist attractions and food outlets. One such pass is the
Paris Pass, which gives you free entry to more than 60 Paris
attractions and tours, unlimited travel across central Paris on its
various public transportation systems and also fast-track entry to
popular attractions. Amsterdam offers some similar travel passes
for tourists as well, and Japan has its popular JR rail pass which
gives you the convenience of travelling across the country on
its famous bullet train at affordable prices.
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