What little MoneySaving things do you do when preparing for a trip?

MSE_James

I'm preparing to do some travel this month and was just downloading offline maps in Google Maps for the places I'll be visiting, to save a little bit of my mobile data roaming allowance.

It got me thinking about putting together a list of little MoneySaving things that you can do before setting off on a trip or holiday - the kind of thing you might not immediately think of.

Does anyone else have any little MoneySaving tips for things you do before you set out to visit somewhere far from home?

I'm not talking about anything to do with booking travel or accommodation - just all the extra bits and pieces. 

DullGreyGuy

Check/ask on trip advisor (or other sources) on the ATM fees of local cashpoints and find where the ones cheapest for me are located relative to where I'm staying. 

Confirm the official prices of entry for any major tourist sites I'm visiting to be able to judge if what tour operators are worth it or not (sometimes worth paying a premium to jump queues, some deals are not deals at all).

Check how taxis, buses and other transport works so you're less likely to be fleeced. 

In any Latin country, push the Mrs in front and hope she gets the local price not the tourist price for us.

Turn off certain electric items (eg TV) that would normally leave on standby, dont turn off router or security devices 

Get refillable 100ml bottles and decant from large bottles rather than be ripped off with the travel size. 

Download music/movies etc for the plane or other long journeys to avoid data use

MSE_James

Some great ones there @DullGreyGuy  - I've certainly been researching ATM fees 

SiliconChip

As always, if you need travel insurance buy it as soon as you book the first element of the holiday.

zagfles

While downloading maps also download the local language in Google Translate.

Check whether there is "free" roaming on your mobile tariff where you're going and if not how much it costs. If necessary set a data limit on your phone so you don't accidently use too much.

Learn at least a few words of the local language, even if just hello, goodbye, please, thank you and excuse me. Yes this is moneysaving, a few times I've got cheaper prices by speaking a few words in the local language!

Travel light! Don't take stuff "just in case" - unless you're going to middle of nowhere they'll be shops eg if your sandals break and occasionally buying something will be much cheaper than always paying for a checked bag. Plus obviously less to lug around. Also think about the weather, for instance if going somewhere hot, don't take jeans, they are the worst thing to wear in hot weather, as well as being heavy, instead take lightweight trousers/shorts/skirts.

Don't buy currency in the UK. In a lot of places now you won't even need cash, we've been to Sweden and Norway this year and never used any cash. A lot of places don't even take cash. If you do need cash, either use ATMs or exchange when there. As above watch for charges, but unlikely to be more than changing cash in the UK.

LillythePink

If you have several gadgets which all need charging, take an extenson lead with 3/4 or however many plugs you need, therefore you only need one international/european adapter plug.

rigolith

If they give you the option of paying in pounds on your card, decline. The rate is terrible.

400ixl

How does saving a little on your roaming allowance make any difference to what you pay? Surely you pay the same amount whether you use 1% or 99% of your allowance?

ATM charges and conversion rates are two areas. Also avoid having more cash than you will use, you don't want to be bringing foreign currency back, or being tempted to just spend more to not bring it back.

Car hire, look at excesses and perhaps taking out excess insurance.

If in a city look at whether there are city passes for multiple attractions and whether you plan to visit enough of them to make it value for money.

hugheskevi

(1) Take appropriate cards for ATM withdrawals and spending - Barclaycard Rewards (Visa) for ATM withdrawals and Chase (Mastercard) for spending make a great combination. For longer trips, have multiple accounts and cards. Wherever possible, use joint accounts with my wife to avoid issues if one of us is incapacitated in some way. Fees for withdrawals can vary wildly, so research best local ATMs to withdraw from prior to entering each country, and mark them on Google Maps for convenience prior to arrival in each destination.

(2) Use an appropriate SIM card for roaming - 3 PAYG is great in many countries, else local SIMs where it doesn't work. E-SIMs can be useful to cover a short period between arriving and getting a local SIM, but are far too expensive to consider for prolonged use.

(3) Ensure passport, driving licence and GHIC card are renewed long before they expire - I log to replace a year before they expire so I can do it with plenty of time at a convenient moment between travel.

(4) Check to see if any International Driving Permits are required where I plan to travel.

(5) Ensure Uber account is all up-to-date with correct card connected - it will be preferable to use Uber over local taxis in most places if it is available.

(6) Download Maps.me and offline map, Waze and Google Maps with offline map for my destination(s).

(7) Ensure my Whatsapp account is fine, as this is now commonly used for communication by tour providers, and often for accommodation too.

(8) Organise all my contacts in Google Contacts, so I can readily contact anyone on any device should the need arise.

(9) Set up Google translate on phone.

(10) Ensure I have some form of access to cash should my phone and cards be stolen, eg, an internet savings account I could move money into an online current account and then make a Western Union transfer.

(11) Print out all COVID evidence, as well as having it online. Also carry Yellow Fever certificate and GHIC card. Ensure I have a digital record of all of these, available in my Google Drive.

(12) Make key files in Google Drive (eg passport photo, insurance, driving licence photo, COVID evidence) available offline.

(13) Carry a reasonable amount of pristine US dollar bills of various denominations in cash, in case of emergency (euros may be preferable, depending on travel destinations)

(14) Carry spare passport photos - some country or govt. organisation will want them at some point, and much more convenient to have them to hand. Also carry photocopy of passport - again, some bureaucracy will want it at some point (and replace once used).

(15) Print out and have available digital evidence of funds to travel, ie, print outs of saving account statements. Refresh these electronically every 3 months (not worth printing out on the road - it is very rare to be asked for evidence).

(16) Take photos of everything I am taking with me, especially valuables, and also take photos/scan receipts and save them so they are readily available in the event of the need to make an insurance claim whilst traveling.

(17) Redirect mail to family member and set up voicemail on my phone saying I am away and to contact me by email.

(18) Ensure my electronic records of financial accounts are all up to date, so in the event of something unfortunate happening my wife can manage affairs. I also share this with a family member in case something happens to both of us

That is what I would do for a serious trip, it is overkill for 2 weeks in the Med  

silvercar

Have recorded the contact numbers from abroad for your travel insurance - including medical emergencies - and your travel agent, airline etc

zagfles

LillythePink said:

If you have several gadgets which all need charging, take an extenson lead with 3/4 or however many plugs you need, therefore you only need one international/european adapter plug.

But not a block plug, IME they are too heavy for Euro sockets and fall off.

Or if you only need USB charging, save space and get a Euro multi USB charger instead of having to take an adapter plug, extension lead plus 3 or 4 chargers.