By Prime Sarmiento

(Note: This is part two of my 6-part series on How To Travel Alone as a Woman. The first part discusses travel safety  tips for solo female travelers)

 

 

 

 

My recent survey  revealed that one of the top concerns of female travelers is how to travel in style without breaking the bank. This is of course no surprise. I know that we smart, beautiful and ambitious working (gypsy)gals want to get away from it all once a while by traveling overseas. But we want to do it in a space which is comfortable for us and at a price that will not have us worry about our credit card bills for the next few months (or – goddess forbid – years!).

 

My lil sis and I are female travelers who are into value-for-money traveling (what backpacking?). We refused to stay in a hovel or pack and eat instant noodles in a cup just so we can save on dining out. We sometimes stay with relatives and friends, but couchsurfing is out of the question (with all due respects to couchsurfers out there, but we’re not comfortable sleeping in a place owned by a person we hardly know).

 

I have listed here NINE tried and tested CHEAP and CHIC TRAVEL TACTICS that my lil sis and I have done to make our journeys comfortable and within our budget. These tips are so useful, proving that you don't need to rough it out or max out your credit cards just so you can have a well-deserved break!

 

1. Compare prices before you book anything

 

At a time that there are so many choices available and everything that we want to know – from how to book a safe and clean hostel in Bangkok to scoring a the cheapest  flights to New York –   can be found by simply googling for it.It’s so easy to compare the prices of air fares, hotels and even tour packages. From there, you can see which airline offers the lowest price at your chosen time and destination and/or moderately priced hotels that have amenities that you can’t live without.

 

When I research about air fares – which usually account for a significant portion of my travel budget – the first website that I go to is Kayak.com. I put in my destination and desired travel schedule and from there, get an idea of how much I should spend for a round trip airfare. While I can book plane fares via Kayak, I seldom do that. I prefer to just use the price at Kayak as a gauge and book directly from the budget carrier. For instance, I travel a lot around Asia so I usually book directly from budget carriers in the region like Cebu Pacific, AirAsia or Jetstar. My lil sis who travels around Europe does the same thing and usually books direct from popular low cost carriers like are Ryanair, Easy Jet and Vueling. And since she's based in Ireland, she travels a lot via Aerlingus, Ireland's low-cost airline.    

 

You can also use Kayak to compare prices on hotels and car rentals. Another one that I really like is Hipmunk.com where, apart from comparing prices of airfares and hotel rates, I can also get a chance to read reviews made by hotel guests as Hipmunk’s site is linked to Tripadvisor.com. This is a review site for hotel guests where you get to know about things that you want to know anout the hotel that you want to stay in: is it safe? Is it clean? Are the staff friendly? Is it near a restaurant/tourist spot that I want to visit? This means I can always compare prices and quality (would I actually get what I’m willing to pay for?) Besides,  the site mascot (a chipmunk) is so cute. So there.

 

For travels around Southeast Asia, especially in the Mekong subregion (Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos), I go to Travelfish.org not only for hotel reviews but also for mini-guides in key cities.

 

While I use Kayak and Hipmunk to compare prices, I prefer to book hotels via Agoda.com. Not only I can compare prices and read reviews by past guests of hotels (and hostels) listed in Agoda.com, I also like scoring deals from the site as you can get heavily discounted prices (more than 50 percent) in hotels listed in Agoda. Agoda users can also compare hotels via the facilities that they have – you can always narrow down your list by choosing hotels with amenities that you can’t live without (a gym, 24-hour room service, free wi-fi in your room).

 

My lil sis and I also use Hostelbookers.com to compare prices and quality (the site features reviews of hostels guests). We also book a room in a hostel in Hostelbookers (based from my experience, it's even cheaper to book from here than directly from the hostel).

 

2. Anything can be negotiated

 

Here’s the TOP Secret method to getting what you want, especially lower hotel rates. It’s so “secret” that few people know it: Ask For It.

 

If you want to get discounts or additional perks, all you have to do is approach your service provider (i.e. guest house owner, travel guide, travel agent) and ask for it. Remember, you are a customer and it is within your right to get the biggest bang for your buck (hey, we all worked hard for that money so why settle for anything else?). Besides, what’s the worst thing that will happen? That they will say no? So what?

 

The perfect time to bargain is during the off season when customers are scarce and the sales people can barely make their quota. That’s when you ask for discount ( I do that all the time, especially wen dealing with travel agents or guides). Another time is when you’re staying in a hotel for a long time (one week, at least). You can usually ask for a break in hotel fees.

 

If you’re buying in a market, especially those souvenir shops, bargain hard, don’t be afraid to drop the prices by as much as 50 percent (or more) and negotiate prices from there. But of course, there’s a limit to this bargaining.

 

For those small scale peddlers, a few coins may mean a lot in terms of financial viability, but for you, they may be nothing more than loose change, so yes prepare to give in. But at the same time, prepare to walk away if you can’t get what you want. (And whatever happens, don’t be like me who actually CRIED when I failed to get a discount for punjabi dress from a store in Delhi. Oh goddess, those Indian vendors are tough!).

 

3. Get a credit card

 

This may sound counter intuitive, but unless you are an uncontrollable shopaholic (in that case, please keep that credit card locked in your drawer), then having a credit card is the best way to get travel deals.

 

Apart from the convenience it offers, having a credit card is one of the best ways to get air fares at very low rates – that’s because you can collect frequent flyer miles. You don’t even need go travel. Just use a credit card which will allow you to earn credit card points and convert it to a frequent flyer miles. I use two credit cards, both issued by Citibank Visa, to shop and earn frequent flyer miles for Philippine Air Lines and vouchers for Cebu Pacific.

 

You don’t need to be a frequent traveler to earn those miles. My mother is the perfect example. A true blue OC, my mother seldom travels but she managed to accumulate a lot of frequent flyer miles because she uses her credit cards for everything (grocery, electricity bills, gas).

 

Having a credit card is also the best way to snag travel deals. Several airlines hold a sale especially during the off season, but since they offer them at a limited time, you have to book early, online and you can only do that if you have a credit card.

 

4. Spend on things that you love, scrimp on the rest

 

What are the things that you really really love while  traveling? Do you want to scuba dive, trek or dine out in a Michelin-starred restaurant ? The most important thing here is you put most – even more than half – of your travel budget in things that you enjoy and scrimp on things you can do without.

 

I visit a place often because I like to view temples, museums, galleries. This is a relatively inexpensive travel itinerary, allowing me to put more money on stuff I care about.

 

For instance, I travel because I need more space to write. So I always have money to pay for my own room with aircon, ensuite bathroom and as much as possible, a 24-hour room service. I also budget something for at least one yoga session and to eat just once in a good restaurant. If needed, I pay for a travel guide or book a day trip. To be able to afford these things, I seldom shop for souvenirs, eat in expensive restaurants, or go clubbing. Red eye flights can be such a bitch but since I can always sleep in my own hotel room anyway, I settle for budget airfares even if the flight schedule sucks.

 

 

5. Travel to a cheaper place

 

Why worry about budgeting for every single thing if I can just go to a place which is cheaper than my hometown? The hotel, tickets, cab fares and food is cheaper so I don’t have to count pennies just to get by. This is why I travel a lot around Southeast Asia – it’s near, and in several cities (with the exemption of Singapore), the price of hotel/food/transpo are cheaper than Manila.

 

Corollary to this tip is another (sub-) tip: Go local. Ditch that Big Mac for a while and dine in a locally-owned resto. Go to a grocery, buy some local products (when I was in Vietnam, I bought a lot of locally-manufactured yogurt and drank loads of brewed Vietnamese robusta coffee). Instead of booking a room in an international hotel chain, stay in a bed and breakfast or budget inn owned by locals. Take the local public transport – trains, bikes, tuktuks, jeepney – and avoid car rentals or taking cabs.

 

This is why I encourage everyone to come here and travel around Southeast Asia. It’s affordable and just have anything that you can ask for – mountains and beach resorts, museums and galleries, happening clubs and bars and restaurants some of the tastiest food that the region can offer.

 

6. Travel during the off-season

 

I soooo hate traveling during the holidays – I hate the crowds, the high prices, the noise, the huge number of noisy (and nosey) people who encroach in my space. I especially hate traveling on Christmas. Everything is just pricier – the hotel, the plane fare, the travel guides, the restaurant.

 

Truth is, I’d rather work during the holidays and take my vacation leave when the holidays are over. This is perfect for me – I can always get the place to myself,and get good bargains as no one’s buying.

 

So check the off season and peak season of the place you’re visiting. And I’m not just referring to the holidays but also to the weather. Summer is the peak season in central Europe, so if you want to save money, better travel before or after the summer months. And oh yeah, never ever travel on Christmas (Or Chinese New Year)!

 

7. Invest on a guide

 

I especially recommend this to female travelers who will be traveling alone in a certain place for the first time. Even if you can just find anything by searching for it in the internet, buying a guide (whether in print or electronic edition) saves you time and ultimately money. These guides have an organized account of all the information that you need (history, culture, maps, recommended hotels and restaurants) and they’re handy if you’re confused with all the choices out there.

 

 

8. Sign up for organized tours*

 

It’s one of the easiest ways to meet new people while traveling and also give you a soft introduction to a place where you can neither speak the language nor familiar with the culture. Tour operators get huge discounts on hotel rates and transport fees, so it’s quite comfy and relatively cheaper to travel with a group.

 

You don’t need to sign up for the whole tour package. One option that you can do as a solo female traveler is to book for day trips*. I still get to book my plane and hotel room and still explore on my own. At the same time, I get the chance to go to tourist spots which may not be accessible to me as I don’t have my own car and/or hardly know the place that I want to visit.

 

9. Buy a travel insurance

 

Something bad is always bound to happen to you, so why take unnecessary risk when there’s an affordable way to protect you? A travel insurance ensures that you have money when you got sick, lost your luggage or had an accident. Besides, traveln insurance is so affordable – you can't say you can't afford it.

The thing is If you can’t afford a travel insurance, then you can’t afford to travel. Stay home  and save some more (yeah, seriously.)

 

 

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The Gypsygals (aka Prime and Nina) behind The Gypsygals are always happy to answer questions on just about anything on female travel or traveling alone as a woman. You can send your questions via e-mail at primeandnina [at] ymail [dot] com or use this handy contact form. You can also drop me (Prime) a line via Twitter: @GypsyPrime

 Or you can answer this survey (three short questions, you can finish it in a minute) so that we can produce content to help you craft your own journeys.

 

Resources:

1. Learn the art of travel hacking via  Frequent Flyer Master by Chris Guilleabeau*. Airfare will account for half of your travel budget and you’ll save a lot of money by just learning how to get cheaper tickets or better yet, earn a free ticket. Chris, travel hacking expert, will teach you how to quickly add as much as 30,000 miles at one time; redeem miles for high-value awards and even how to bypass outsourced (and often unhelpful) airline customer support staff.

 

 

2. Want to know more how to travel alone as a woman?   The Art of Solo Travel: A Girls’ Guide*  by Stephanie Lee is ideal for the woman traveling alone for the first time but has no idea how to go about it.  The guide answers all the questions that you have on traveling alone as a woman – from saving money for your travels, to advice on relationships and health on the road and even advice on how to deal with dream crushers.  Get it now and start crafting your own journeys!