Insider Money-Saving Tips For The Road - By Adventure Travel Experts

Hello, Lou here from the Fencox team.

In our previous blog post, we shared some insights on our pricing increases over the years and chatted about some of the reasons that have led to travel becoming more expensive overall.

Being mad travellers ourselves, today I thought I’d share with you the Fencox teams’…

Top 6 tips to help you save money on your booking and on your travels…

1. Pay close attention to your trip inclusions

If you’re shopping around and comparing other companies’ trips with ours, it’s tempting to compare based on the headline price, but dive deeper into the fine print and compare the inclusions too.

*Thoroughly researching the fine print will help you set your travel budget and avoid hidden costs.*

Are most meals, drinks and activities included? What about arrival and departure transfers? Do they offer a lifetime guarantee on your deposit?

Sure, you might find a cheaper trip that looks the same on the surface, but all travel companies have to deal with the exact same conditions, so if the price is different, it’s for a reason.

In the end, it’s about you…

Maybe you just don’t mind having to pay for things as you go during the trip; so that you can get more of a say in your day. That’s fine.

OR perhaps you’re the kind of person who doesn’t want to think about this kind

of thing while overseas.

You do you!

Our advice: make any decision with eyes wide open.

2. Avoid FX surcharges on your booking

Did you know you can save money on your booking by paying for your trip in full before your cooling off period ends?

This means that any fluctuations in the exchange rate won’t apply to you at final payment date, potentially saving you a few hundred dollars to spend on that handcrafted rug at the local bazaar on your adventure. (You can learn more about our Prices and Surcharges here).

*Save more money for souvenirs by paying in full up front to avoid FX surcharges.*

3. Get money WISE

Would anything grind your gears more than getting back from your trip and opening a bank statement full of international transaction fees? Probably not!

More and more of our guests tell me they use WISE when they travel as they don’t charge fees on ATM withdrawals. My team-mate Justin, (over at our sister brand Magnificent Rail) has told me he and his wife use it too. Here’s what everyone seems to like about it:

The app was very user-friendly and topping it up from their bank accounts was easy
It offers better exchange rates than bank travel cards/visa
You don’t need to choose a currency to load it against (you can have multiple), and it automatically converts AUD to the local currency whenever you use it

And something everyone really likes is:

A safety feature that you can toggle on to “lock” your account, so if you lose the physical card, it can’t be used.

4. Stay connected with an E-Sim

E-sims are simple to use and take the hassle out of purchasing a local sim card – you just set it up on your phone a day or two before you go and then activate it when you arrive. Guests often tell us they use Airalo, (Mat, our CEO really likes this one too and he travels…a lot! He confessed he couldn’t even remember which country he was in the other day. LOL! ) as they offer plans and coverage in 200+ countries/regions.

Airalo’s ‘most popular’ 30-Day Eurolink plan, (at time of writing) offers 3GB of data in 42 countries for AUD$20.50 which is a jumping off point for comparing against other providers Nomad, ($18.20 3G/30 days), or Holafly – though they’re a chunk pricier at AUD $117 as they offer unlimited data plans. Here’s a handy article I found over at Cybernews comparing which of the two biggies (Airalo and Holafly) is the best for travel if you wanted to poke around their different plans in detail.

5. Travel lightly

We’ve noticed our Fencoxers have been arriving on their trips with smaller bags. Why?

They understand the benefit of versatile lightweight clothing that can be layered
The days of ‘just in case’ are gone! You can buy anything, anywhere
They can save money on airline baggage fees
It saves them time in transit

*Taking too much luggage will leave you regretting those stairs…and your life choices!*

Taking less also means you’re not taxing yourself physically so you have more energy for all the fun stuff. (I reckon five pairs of socks is all anyone really needs).

6. Save money at the sink

On the subject of socks…hotel laundry can be expensive and will dissolve those dollars in your budget. Taking lightweight clothing in quick dry fabrics that can be washed in your hotel room sink or bathtub and hung up overnight is one of the easiest ways to save money. Pack a few laundry detergent sheets in a zip lock bag and a pegless clothesline, and you’ll stay fresh as a daisy and richer – for little effort.

*Laundry detergent sheets are great for keeping clothes fresh on your trip – they pack flat, take up next to no space and don’t spill in your bags.*

ReShine Earth and Restor offer eco-conscious suds for your duds if you wanted to try some out before your trip and Earth Rescue even have a fragrance-free one too if you have a sensitive sniffer.

Anyhoo, I hope all this was helpful!

I’m always on the hunt for ideas to save for my next adventure, so if you have a hack or a tip I’d love you to share it with me.