Time to read : 5 Minutes

Being stingy gets me notoriously inspired… or what I call stinge-spired. And my main motivation is getting my family more for less. 

Here is a countdown of my seven best travel tricks, to go further… for longer… cheaper!

Cheap holiday trick 7: book package holidays 

Nowadays, it’s often better value to get an all-inclusive deal, or at least a deal that includes flights and accommodation. Such is the bulk-buying power of travel companies that they can usually secure far cheaper prices than even the best sales to retail tourists. 

And now Aldi is getting in on the act, you can bet the bargains will only get bigger – the other players will be forced to squeeze margins more. 

While there are options galore, for me, I’ve found Luxury Escapes never disappoints, with lush holidays at crazy-low prices. 

Speaking of packages…

Cheap holiday trick 6: bank cruise savings

Have you been on a cruise yet? Most people are instant cruise converts – I recently was. 

You can cruise just so economically if you, again, choose one where you pay an overall price. Think about it: it’s your food, your travel and your accommodation all in one.

If you also leave from a port close to home, you cut out any flights or night-before accommodation costs, too.

Cruises often represent exceptional value versus doing the same thing on land. 

Cheap holiday trick 5: self-contained holiday experiences

When you don’t buy all-inclusive holidays, of any flavour, a hotel room with a kitchenette or apartment-style accommodation can save you a small fortune because you can plan and cook the family’s food yourself. 

Make it part of the fun – to make sure you also get a holiday! For instance, what about taking turns and rating the offerings Master-chef-style each night?

With the right amenities at hand, you could also try “cocooning”, the concept coined in the credit crack-up of recreating expensive hospitality experiences at ‘home’. 

We love a movie marathon with mattresses, blankets and home-made ice-cream sundaes to rival ‘Gold Class’… for about 10% of the cost.  

And have you ever thought about the mark up on cinema popcorn!

Cheap holiday trick 4: get cashback on all the above

Whatever style of holiday – and stay – you choose, pay the right way.  

A bunch of ‘cashback’ services have sprung up to offer, yes, money back on a ton of different purchases. And because the expense of holidays and hotel accommodation is just so large, the refunds are sweet. 

These services – in the form of bespoke apps, websites or your bank itself – simply act as the (uber-like) intermediary between consumers and merchants. In return for bringing them more customers, companies agree to rebate a bit of what they pay.

Check out Westpac-owned Shopback and ANZ-affiliated Cashrewards. 

My top tip: wait for a 15% ‘upsized’ deal from a travel platform (think Expedia, Wotif or hotels.com) then book away. 

Cheap holiday trick 3: Frequent Flyer program

I just booked my two kids and I return flights to Los Angeles (251,400 points) – to go to Disneyland next year – just for the price of the taxes (about $700). So I saved at least $5,000. 

Now, the top tip with the Qantas Frequent Flyer is to book 353 days in advance. Don’t ask me why – it’s such an unusual number of days – but this is when many of the rolled-gold Classic Rewards seats are first released. 

Though some seats will subsequently be opened up, that first release is usually the biggest and the most likely to get a whole family on the same plane. After these are gone, you’d have to keep an eagle eye out for the trickle of further availability. 

You can also book seats closer to travel on the newer Classics Plus Rewards scheme, but you’ll forego far more points. 

With that one, economy fares convert to 1 cent per point; with the old-school Classic, you’ll get between 2 and 5 cents per point, depending on the cash fare. 

The key to saving big is to collect points and plan ahead. 

Cheap holiday trick 2: drive your dollar further 

Hire cars are expensive, right? But an app called Rentalcars.com ‘aggregates’ the offerings of hundreds of hire car companies in more than 200 countries, to find you the real best deal. 

And if you’d like a young driver to take a turn at the wheel, and get their road hours up on the trip, it can even find you the car with the lowest (or no) young driver fee.   

Don’t forget the Petrol Spy app for when you are filling up, which pinpoints the cheapest place to do it. 

And that brings us to the really fun part…

Cheap holiday trick 1: save with my favourite food and entertainment apps 

You should never pay full price for anything. There’s always an angle… and that goes doubly – even triply – when it comes to food, entertainment and enjoyment on holidays. 

We have to start with the Entertainment App, (formerly The Entertainment Book) which has just celebrated its 30th birthday. 

This nominally prices – for maybe $70 – a virtual compendium of countless discounts and deals, for the benefit of charities. 

You just name your charity of choice when you purchase it. 

This is especially good for family restaurants – buy one meal, get one free or 25% off is common. There are also great savings on theme park and attraction tickets.  

Our other family fave when it comes to the eating out and indulging part of our trip is the First Table app.  

This gives up to 50% off restaurants – even the fancy ones… so long as you go early but often you can still grab a good deal even if you book at the last minute. It’s perfect when you have kids!

Bottom line 

Next time you’re longing for a holiday that doesn’t break the bank, why not revisit my suggestions? With a little bit of research and some forward planning, you can enjoy a family holiday on a budget… and create some wonderful memories along the way. 

Go deeper:

Credit card sweeteners: the good, the bad and the bittersweet

Financial disclaimer

The information contained on this web page is of general nature only and has been prepared without taking into consideration your objectives, needs and financial situation. You should check with a financial professional before making any decisions. Any opinions expressed within an article are those of the author and do not specifically reflect the views of Compare Club Australia Pty Ltd.