Scoot is having a flash sale from 11 December 2014 11am to 12 December 2014 12pm.
Fly to BKK from $16
Fly to Hongkong from $28
Fly to Nanjing from $68
Fly to Taipei from $98
Get additional 50% off when you book via their mobile app/mobile site. Use promo code: GETOUT50
Visit their website for more details:
From now till 13 December 2014, enjoy 35% off* Insure & Travel Enhanced Single Trip Plan with UOB Cards.
Buy now at www.uob.com.sg/ti
Travel savvy, travel happy with Insure & Travel Enhanced.
*Valid till 13 December 2014.
Terms and Conditions apply.
In our earliest post on How to travel Europe on a shoestring budget, we talk about how you can travel to Europe without breaking the bank. Careful planning is essential and that is what this article is going to focus on.
Things you need:
1. Map of Europe (Google map will do fine)
2. Notebook & writing materials
3. Internet and/or travel guides
4. Credit card (For making online booking)
5. Travel Companion(s) (duh, to discuss.)
This is going to be the most exciting and fun part of the planning. With occasional squabbles, you will spend hours researching on the best places to go with your travel companion.
Go do some research on the most travelled places and UNESCO’s world heritage sites. Use a travel guide to do your research if you have one. Otherwise, just connect to the internet and use Google.
Jot down the places you want to go in this order.
[Places of attraction] – [City], [Country]
For example,
1. Eiffel Tower – Paris, France
2. Colosseum – Rome, Italy
3. (List goes on, depending on how adventurous you are)
Mark a cross ‘X’ on the map for each destination. (I hope you don’t fill the entire map with crosses.)
Now that you have shortlisted the places you want to go, it’s time to plan your travel route in the most efficient manner. By efficient, i mean the route that saves you the most time and resources.
Before you jump into planning the route, go search for the cheapest airfare to any of the European city that you have shortlisted first. This will be the first and your last stop of your travel plan.
There are online aggregators that compare the cheapest flight for you. For example, there are sites like SkyScanner, FareCompare, Kayak, Expedia and Zuji where you can enter your departure and return date and you get a list of flights where you can sort and filter the prices accordingly. Try to search for the cheapest return airfare. For some, there are also other factors to consider such as the quality and service of the airlines, convenience of the airport, miles point, etc. I will leave the prioritisation to you.
Once you have confirm the city to be the first and last stop. Label the cross ‘X’ with 1. I will use Amsterdam, Netherlands as an example.
Next, look for the next ‘X’ that is bordering around Amsterdam, Netherlands. By bordering, i mean connected that is not separated by land or sea. In my example, my next stop will be to visit Kölner Dom in Cologne, Germany. Mark it as 2, and follow on with the rest.
My third stop will be Museumsinsel (Museum Island) in Berlin, Germany
The rest as follows:
*Note: Such itinerary took me a month to travel to all the places. It was tiring but fun and satisfying to conquer all of them within one month. If you were to ask me again, i would suggest condensing the above itinerary to 10stops/4 countries tops if you can only afford anything less than one month of travel. If you can afford to be away longer, go for it!
Now that you have a map filled with ‘X’s and numbers. You need to work out your mode of transportation that takes you from each stop.
Europe is connected by high-speed rails and you can easily hop around country in a matter of hours.
You can purchase the Eurail Global Pass that allows you to take their high speed train.
If you are age 25 and below, good news for you! You can get the Youth Traveller Pass. It costs about €442 for a 10days travel within 2 months. Check out the latest price at their website. You can also purchase them from our local travel agency. Just call them and ask.
It is not cheap, but it beats taking a more costlier option – budget airlines. Taking rail also save you times if you travel at night and book one of their sleeper cabin.
Now you need to schedule your train’s timetable time. Eurail has a very useful timetable that allows you to check out the train arrival and departure time.
For example, a route from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Cologne, Germany.
There are a few routes with different timing and train. Some of the route requires you to change train. Make sure you pick the right one.
Note down the details of the train station and arrival timing in your notebook. You will need them later.
Once you are done with planning for your train timing, you need to settle your accommodation. Look for
an accommodation that is situated near your railway station (if you are reaching at night) or a somewhere near the places of attraction.
There are different kind of affordable accommodation which you can consider instead of booking a hotel.
1. Backpackers/Hostels (Use Google)
2. Homestay (I’d suggest airbnb)
3. Couchsurfing (free)
You will need your credit card to make the booking.
Your last step would be to print out all the booking confirmation, fix them onto your notebook or file. I stapled all the confirmations and maps on each pages of my notebook from day 1 to day 30 so that it won’t drop. I also download offline maps of each cities on my iPad.
Now you can skip the travel agent and save the cost on tour packages!
Here’s the final product on a map.
“When preparing to travel, lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money” –Susan Heller
Travelling to Europe is a dream destination for most people. With its rich cultural heritage from castle to prehistoric landscapes, it is obvious why Europe is the most travelled place in the world.
However, for many the cost of air ticket alone is going to put away the idea of travelling aside.
If you are willing to get a bit out of your comfort zone and do some planning, there are a few simple ways for you to travel without breaking the bank. Try these methods and you will be bringing half the money. Here are our tips:
First and foremost, you’ll need a flight to bring you to Europe and that’s when airfares could contribute up to 20% of your budget should be bought with careful planing and research. There are many flights comparison website, and you will be shortchanging yourself if you do not utilise them.
Read also: 6 tips to save on your air ticket
Once you reached your dream destination, you will not be sticking your butt at the Eiffel Tower for the entire week. Find out the cheapest way to bring you to The Louvre or the Notre Dame de Paris. If you stay within the district, walk and embraces the place like a tourist. If not there is bus, metro and RER at your service. If Google is not your best friend, make it yours.
If you are travelling to other parts of Europe, besides taking a flight all the time which may bust your budget, your next best alternative would be train. Countries in Europe are connected by high-speed trains which could take you between destinations in hours. Consider buying a Eurail pass if you plan to hop around different countries. Work the number out using the trip planner by RailEurope and see if it is more worthwhile to purchase individual tickets or a rail pass. Do note that for certain trains (night and scenic train) might need additional reservation fee to make a reservation.
Good news (and good excuse) for those under 26. They have a youth pass which you can to enjoy up to 35% discount off its Eurail Pass.
The next item on your list would be accommodation which contributes to a significant amount of cost to your budget. You don’t need to stay in five star hotels to enjoy your Europe trip. Most of the time should be spent exploring the scenic and tourist attractions rather than having a spa in your bathroom or a view from your balcony that overlook the entire cityscape.
If you are a student with not much budget, hostels and backpackers would do just fine. You can also rent someone’s room temporarily using airbnb.
Otherwise, budget hotels and motels such as IBIS or Formule 1 could be in your consideration.
Again, this requires careful planning and your best friend would be more than willing to help.
There are aggregators sites like Trivago, Agoda and Booking.com which will compare and show you the available accommodation at your check in and out date and you can filter and sort them according to your budget.
If you want to further save on your accommodation, you can consider booking an overnight train and sleep while you travel to your next destination. You not only save on hotel cost, you save valuable time.
Eat like a local. If you visit touristy areas, expect yourself to dig deep into your wallet. Follow the locals’ lead for cheap eats. Ask around to find out affordable restaurants. Of course, there are times when you should indulge in their delicacies, so occasionally pamper yourself a bit.
As a Singaporeans, we are not used to tipping, but in Europe if you plan to tip, around 10 percent is the norm.
Some of your accommodation may include breakfast, so take advantage of it. Croissant and Coffee? I will take that.
Find free entertainment. Visit the parks, concerts and cathedrals and you can’t deny that exploring Europe by foot together with a camera is by itself – entertaining. It don’t cost much to have a photograph with an Eiffel Tower or the Colosseum in the background. Visit their national heritage sites and immerse in their culture and diversity without busting your budget.
Planning for a getaway? It’s never too early to start planning for the trip. Before you get excited over your dream destination, it pays to start scouting for the cheapest tickets.
There are many factors that affect the price of the ticket. The price of a ticket may fluctuate and differs across different airlines and the route taken. Ultimately, it depends on the basics of economics of supply and demand which explains for the variation in pricing.
Here we share with you 6 tips to save on your air ticket:
Airlines segment their market to increase their profitability. In other words, they charge different travellers different price for the same route. How do they do that? Business travellers usually travel on a Monday and return on Thursday and Friday, and flying on these days would usually be more expensive than if you travel on mid-week, say Tuesday and Wednesday. Avoid these dates if your travelling plan is flexible.
While it is ideal to purchase your ticket when airlines launches a sale, you can also enjoy up savings if you make your purchase on the right day. According to flight comparison website Skycanner, it would be the cheapest to book as early as possible for budget and short-haul flights. The best time to book is 28-29 weeks ahead of your travelling date from Singapore. Whereas for full service and long-haul flight, it may be cheaper to wait, but not too long from your flight date. A general benchmark would be between 17-22 weeks ahead of scheduled flight.
If you are flexible with your travelling plan, flying on less popular hours will get you cheaper ticket. Most people do not want to reach their destination late in the evening or depart early in the morning, but as long as public transport is available to bring you to and fro from airport-accommodation, why not?
With advent of technology, the introduction of flight comparison websites have helped many individuals compare prices of different airlines at their selected date. There are many sites like SkyScanner, Kayak, Zuji and Expedia which does the job for you. Use at least 2 to make sure that you are getting a bargain for your air ticket.
Before you book your next flight, check if your credit card is eligible for rebates, air miles or free travel insurance. Many banks are offering travelling credit card to chalk up your mile points which can be used to offset your next ticket or upgrade your seats. If you are a frequent traveller, you may even redeem for free tickets. If not there are also rebates and free travel insurance as an icing to the cake.
You can search for travel vouchers that are up for sale on classified sites like Gumtree and STClassified. These vouchers are usually offered by individuals who have won them in lucky draws and gifts and do not intend to travel. These vouchers are usually being offered at 10-20% cheaper off its value.
Have you heard of Trivago, Expedia, Hotel.com? Yes, these hotels aggregators search thousands of hotels to find you the best deals but which one to use? Use our hotels search engine (http://hotels.moneydigest.sg) as we search these aggregators to bring you the best price guaranteed hotels.
