5 travel hacks to stretch your holiday budget
<p>Unless you’re a trust fund kid or you have a bottomless bank account, you need to keep to a budget while travelling. Here are 5 hacks to help you stretch your holiday budget.</p>
<p><strong>1. Buy travel insurance</strong></p>
<p>When you’re planning a trip, you will look at all the ways you can save money, such as not paying for additional baggage or looking for low-cost carriers.</p>
<p>However, you should never, ever scrimp on travel insurance.</p>
<p>Travel insurance will save you money should you encounter any emergencies while overseas.</p>
<p>For example, if you have a medical emergency while travelling, you can seek treatment at the hospital without worrying if you can afford it as you will be able to claim part of the cost.</p>
<p>Buy the best travel insurance you can afford and make sure you read the terms and conditions to understand what it covers.</p>
<p>Ensure you <u><a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/travel/tips/Top-5-Travel-Insurance-Tips">read the small print carefully</a></u>.</p>
<p><strong>2. Make use of free Wi-Fi</strong></p>
<p>Unless you need to constantly be on call (and let’s be honest, that kind of defeats the purpose of a holiday), you don’t need to pay for a roaming phone plan or even a local SIM card.</p>
<p>You can just rely of free Wi-Fi that’s provided at most cafes and restaurants, and at your accommodation.</p>
<p>With apps like FaceTime and WhatsApp for texting and making calls, you don’t have to spend any money to keep in touch with people back home.</p>
<p>Check out our tips and tricks for helping stretch your <u><a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/money/How-to-Manage-Your-Phone-Data-Use">mobile phone dollar further</a></u>.</p>
<p><strong>3. Look for free or cheap activities</strong></p>
<p>You don’t have to book expensive tour packages to enjoy your vacation.</p>
<p>Instead, look for cheap or free activities.</p>
<p>This is especially easy to do in larger cities.</p>
<p>London, for example, has over 23 free museums, such as the Tate Modern, British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.</p>
<p>And the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain, offers free entry for the last two hours of every day.</p>
<p>Search online for more such options.</p>
<p>And there’s no better way to really get to know a place than to explore its streets.</p>
<p>You can check online for free walking tours that are usually organised by experienced guides.</p>
<p>You are free to tip the guide any amount you want at the end of the tour.</p>
<p>If money is no object, check out these <u><a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/healthsmart/diet/10-leisure-activities-burn-more-calories-you-realise">10 holiday activities that burn calories fast</a></u>. </p>
<p><strong>4. Book accommodation with a kitchen</strong></p>
<p>This is especially useful in cities where it’s expensive to eat out, such as Paris or London.</p>
<p>Even eating in just one meal a day can save you a significant amount of money.</p>
<p>The moment you settle in, go for a grocery run to buy ingredients for the duration of your stay.</p>
<p>Ingredients like milk, juice, eggs, bread and sandwich meats can help you put together a great and satisfying breakfast.</p>
<p>Planning a family trip or solo holiday anytime soon?</p>
<p>You may have booked your plane tickets and accommodation, but that doesn’t mean you’re all set to go.</p>
<p>Go through this travel checklist to make sure <u><a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/travel/avoid-pre-holiday-anxiety-our-travel-tip-checklist">you’ve got everything planned</a></u>.</p>
<p><strong>5. Download apps for good deals</strong></p>
<p>If you do want to have a little splurge while on holiday, use apps that can help you locate good deals.</p>
<p>Sick of homemade sandwiches for lunch?</p>
<p>Treat yourself to a great meal in London by using <span><a href="https://www.bookatable.co.uk/">Bookatable</a></span> by Michelin.</p>
<p>The app lets you find good value set meals from popular restaurants and even those owned by celebrity chefs.</p>
<p>For example, you can enjoy a meal at a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant for under £28 (AUD$50), which is a steal!</p>
<p>Do some research before you reach your destination to find more such apps.</p>
<p>Check out these 5 clever mobile travel apps that will assist you on <span><a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/travel/tips/Useful-Travel-Apps">your next big adventure</a></span>.</p>
<p><em>Written by Siti Rohani. This article first appeared in </em><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><em><a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/travel/5-travel-hacks-stretch-your-holiday-budget?items_per_page=All">Reader’s Digest</a></em></strong></span><em>. For more of what you love </em><em>from the world’s best-loved magazine, </em><strong><em><u><a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.com.au/c/readersdigestsubscribe?utm_source=readersdigest&utm_campaign=RDSUB&utm_medium=display&keycode=WRA85S">here’s our best subscription offer</a></u></em></strong><em>.</em></p>
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