It's no secret that we love a holiday hack, so we enlisted the experts at Flight Centre to share their best secret tips to help us live our best vacay lives. From genius ways to save big to huge sneaky sales, they’ve got us dreaming of ticking off our next bucket list escape even sooner.
Here are eight of the best travel and spending tips, according to a travel agent.
Let The Experts Do Their Thing
Unless you’ve managed to find yourself a crystal ball, the rest of us sadly have no idea when those big cheeky flight deals are coming up. Travel agents have unique insights and sneaky inside knowledge when those epic sales are launching, so they’ll ensure you don’t book a week too early and pay more than you need to.
Switch Up Your Island Escape
White squeaky sand, sparkling crystal clear waters, cocktails by the infinity pool—there’s nothing in our books like a luxe beach escape. But if you’re on a shoe-string and some of the more harder-to-reach destinations are slightly out of budget, why not give lesser-explored islands like The Philippines or Vanuatu a go? Easy to reach from Australia and a little less tourist-packed, you can thank us later.
Eat Where The Locals Do
Ditch the Western eateries and really immerse yourself in the local cuisine. Heading to Bali? Hit up a warung for lunch where they’ll load your plate up with home-cooking at its finest for a few measly dollars. Barcelona or Lisbon on your bucket list? Explore the weekend markets and sample all the tapas your stomach can hold for a fraction of the price. Just be sure to check if water is safe to drink before downing an icy cold bevvy with lunch.
Consider A Cruise
Avoid all those painful airport layovers and the endless unpacking and repacking. Chic onboard restaurants, great cocktail bars, nightly Broadway-worthy performances—there’s a lot to love about that kind of ease when you travel with a cruise. Less expensive than you may think, Flight Centre has all sorts of great ‘cruise to nowhere’ round trips that’ll only set you back a few hundred dollars for a few nights of adventure. Our fave? The three night Tasman Sea from Sydney that’ll only set you back $330pp.
See The City On Foot
Freetour.com is an awesome global company that offers up free walking tours with passionate local guides almost everywhere in the world. Mostly run by students who know the coolest hidden corners of their city, you’ll get your steps up while experiencing great neighbourhoods and authentic recommendations while also saving on Taxis or Ubers.
Forget All The Messy Logistics
Saving you around 10% on average per traveller, tours are not only a wallet-friendly mode of travel, but also remove all the hassle and stress out of planning each fiddly component of your big adventure. With carefully curated tour group partnerships in all the most dreamy cities around the globe, you can focus on the packing while all of your flights, accommodation, transfers and activities are sorted for you. Phew.
Opt For Trains Over Planes
When adventuring across land-bound destinations like Europe and Japan, trains are clean, right in the heart of the city and far cheaper than flying. No long laborious flight delays or racing to get there hours ahead of time, you’ll have more time to explore your new favourite city while also being far more sustainable to our precious environment.
Be Wise With Your Cash
Exchange rates can have you hemorrhaging money big time on holiday if you’re not careful when switching dollars. Maximise your spending money by buying your currency before you leave the country at Travel Money Oz. They’ll help ensure you get the best rate with no cheeky hidden extras taken from your hard-earned dollars.
When it comes to your next adventure, Flight Centre is your perfect partner for letting you book your way with ease. With deals for everyone on flights, accommodation and packages, book now instore, online or via the app.
Editor’s note: This article is sponsored by Flight Centre and proudly endorsed by The Urban List. To find out more about who we work with and why read our editorial policy here.
Image credit: Georgia Condon