5 Proven Hacks to Help You Spend Less when You Travel

Starting from when you begin researching your next trip and down to what you do when you’re there - there’s a lot of money to be saved. And if you like to travel a lot, like me, saving some money from one trip can help a lot in your next one.

Keep reading to find out 5 proven, but not so well known hacks that will definitely help you save money when you travel!

1. Use a local or international SIM

The first thing I’d like to talk about is the huge phone bill you get every time you travel to another country. That’s a huge downer for me every time I get back from a trip. Sure, roaming makes it possible for you to use your phone and number virtually anywhere, but it’s that really the best solution?

Local or international SIMs allow you to make calls at a fraction of the cost and offer cheaper plans than the predetermined roaming packages. There’s only one thing to keep in mind - in order to use another SIM, you most likely need to unlock your phone.

I used UnlockUnit.com because they have better prices than other unlocking websites, 24/7 customer support and great reviews on Review Center.

The unlocking process is very easy. All you have to do is fill in a form with your phone’s manufacturer and model, the country & network you originally bought your phone from and your phone’s IMEI, which you can get by dialling *#06#.

After that, you wait a couple of hours and they send you your unique unlocking code by email. You insert a SIM from a different carrier into your phone and a message pops up that says “SIM Network Unlock Pin”.

You insert the code and bam! You’re done. Now you have the freedom to use any SIM card from any carrier in the world.

The great thing is that you can do this from virtually anywhere, and no one has access to your device. Furthermore, it has the added benefit that it raises the value of your phone for when you want to sell it. Neat, right?

For more info about your specific brand, or unlocking in general go to UnlockUnit.com or visit their Youtube channel.

2. Coupon codes

This pretty much applies whenever you buy something online, so keep it in mind. It’s a good habit to form! Before you decide to book your flight, accommodation, car rental service, or buy things you need for your trip - search for a coupon for that service or product.

It’s simple, just type in “coupon [name of the website/product]” and take a look at the results. The first 2 or 3 websites are usually the best, but here are some I've tested personally and know are reliable: RetailMeNot, DontPayFull and BargainMoose.

Try the coupons that are most recent and that have the most upvotes!

3. Clear your cache if you're an indecisive shopper

A lot (if not all) websites today use cookies. What are cookies, you ask? They’re basically pieces of data about your activity on a certain website that gets stored in your browser, and automatically sent to that website’s server every time you come back.

Cookies are not all bad, they’re the ones that remember what you added in your shopping cart 2 weeks ago when you didn’t know whether you should buy it yet. But they’re also the ones that keep raising the price of your plane tickets! So make sure to clear your browser cache or check back in from another computer.

4. Talk to the locals (and don’t over tip)

Wherever you go, take the time to talk to the locals. A quick friendly question can offer you information on the best places to eat, visit and fairly priced transportation.

Make a habit out of asking about local customs as well. This will help you avoid unintentionally offend the people you meet with your country’s habits. And most importantly, this will let you know how much to tip at restaurants and bars. A common mistake that tourists make is over tipping.

5. Eat with the season

In order to take advantage of the freshest and best priced food is to ask your waiter what local dishes are most popular in the season. This is a double win, because you get to experience some fantastic new cuisine and save money.

I’d love to hear about your experience with any of the hacks mentioned above. When you try them out, drop me a line below!

NOTE: This article is from one of our contributors. Any views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views on www.pinoyadventurista.com.