World Tourism Day: 5 Best Ways You Can Save Money When Travelling Abroad

Whether it's Paris, London, Switzerland or Dubai, who doesn¡¯t wish to travel abroad? A foreign vacation with friends and family, a solo one, or even a work-related trip, going abroad is something most of us dream of doing someday, right?

Since September 27 is celebrated as World Tourism Day, let us take this as an opportunity to dive deep into some simple ways in which you can save money when planning to travel abroad. These tips can help trim down the total cost of your trip and help with better financial planning.

How You Can Save Money When Travelling Abroad

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1. Use fare comparison websites

This is something all of us do to a certain extent, and it helps in saving money. Don't just go to a single website and buy the tickets without comparing.

Keep in mind that airfare websites are designed with key features that help price sensitive customers choose the cheapest options. ¡°They often have special deals and promotions and price drop alert systems. Additionally, if you are planning a complex itinerary, involving multiple destinations, arriving at one city and departing from another, these websites can help you piece together the most cost-effective options,¡± says Arun Bagaria, founder and CEO of TravClan, a B2B travel tech platform as per Business Insider.

For example, for Skyscanner, artificial intelligence (AI) is now built into how the site recommends results to travellers and it helps travellers to express their travel intent. If you're booking international flights in a currency other than your own, these websites often offer currency conversion tools, ensuring you understand the costs in your local currency.

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2. Utilise credit cards and their rewards smartly

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Keeping an eye on credit card promotions and offers tailored to international travel can be a smart strategy to save some bucks. Many credit card companies nowadays even collaborate with airlines to provide their cardholders with exclusive advantages such as discounted fares, bonus miles, or cashback rewards when they book international flights.

These incentives can have a substantial impact on reducing the overall cost of your international airfare, making your travel more affordable and rewarding. Staying informed about these credit card partnerships can lead to significant savings on your journeys abroad. If you tend to travel frequently throughout the year, you can also get a travel credit card to boost your savings by maximizing the benefits offered.

Also, keeping an eye on special offers and promotions provided by airlines or travel agencies/portals is a savvy strategy for saving on international airfares. These promotions often include time-sensitive discounts, credit card offers, comprehensive travel packages that bundle flights with accommodations and other amenities, or exclusive deals tailored to particular destinations and for particular time periods.

By staying informed about these opportunities, you can maximise your savings and make the international journey more cost-effective. ¡°Subscribing to airline newsletters and tracking their social media accounts can help you remain informed regarding these money-saving prospects,¡± says Rikant Pittie, EaseMyTrip's co-founder, as per Business Insider.

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3. Be flexible with your planning

Having the scope of flexibility in modifying your travel plans plays a big role in cost-effective international travel. Adapting your travel dates within a certain time frame can significantly increase the likelihood of securing more budget-friendly fares, as it allows you to capitalise on promotional periods or off-peak times.

Moreover, a willingness to explore a variety of international destinations can lead to unexpected bargains, as lesser-known routes or destinations may offer better deals. Exploring these flexible approaches lets you make the most of potential savings when booking international flights.

¡°Airlines frequently extend lower-priced flights to less-visited locales or locations experiencing reduced demand at particular times of the year,¡± says Rikant Pittie.

4. Be open to taking alternate routes

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While direct flights are convenient, they tend to be more expensive. Booking an international flight with a layover or two can lead to substantial savings. Although layovers may extend your travel time by a few hours, they often come with lower fares. ¡°Additionally, you can take advantage of this extra time to explore a new city or airport during your journey, turning it into a mini-adventure,¡± says Bagaria.

Booking an international flight with a layover will extend the flight time by some hours but it will also bring down the fare significantly.

5. Take the currency into consideration

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Last but not the least, currency appreciation or depreciation should also be factored in when you choose the destination. For example, if the British currency is weaker, then more foreign tourists will come to the UK, as their spending power increases due to the fall in the value of the pound against their national currency. So, if possible, take into consideration different countries' currency values when deciding the travel plan. Also, in case your destination is fixed, then at least factor in the currency value when sorting your financial plan.

Try and plan the timing of your foreign trip as per the currency value too, as it can save you a lot of money. Like in the present scenario, travelling abroad when the rupee is falling can burn a hole in your pocket by costing you a lot more than the previous expected costs.

If you are a budget-conscious traveller, you may prefer to plan to have a shorter holiday or, if possible, postpone the plan.

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