The Travelista

  • Home
  • About
    • Collaborations
    • Press
    • FAQ
    • Contact
  • Travel
    • Destinations by World Map
    • Hotels
    • Airlines
    • Restaurants
    • Itineraries
  • Life
    • Yorkshire
    • Style
  • Motherhood
  • Inspire Me
    • Adventure
    • Beach
    • City
    • Culture
    • Mountain
    • Tropical
  • Shop
    • E-mail
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

11 ways to travel smarter and cheaper in 2023

13/12/22 ᛫ Add a Comment

With the rising cost of living, many of us are reevaluating our spending habits. But does that mean international travel is off the cards? Not in my book. According to HSBC’s global money survey, a quarter of people (27%) have now set a stricter travel budget due to the cost of living, but I think people will still be keen to travel abroad. Fortunately, there are still plenty of ways to travel smarter and cheaper when when going on holiday.

From using the correct bank card to maximising cash back and claiming tax back at the airport, it is still possible to make your money go further. After travel blogging for almost 10 years, I have combined all of my tips to travel smarter and cheaper in 2023.

Jess in Jasper, Canada

This post has been sponsored by HSBC UK

11 ways to travel smarter and cheaper in 2023

1. Travel with a bank card that has zero transactions fees

More and more of the world is going cashless, which means having a zero transaction fee credit or debit card for travel is more important than ever. Without one, you could be paying up to 2.99% on all of your overseas card payments, which means you could be charged £25 in fees alone for spending 1000 euros. Some cards also offer zero fees on cash withdrawals too, rather than a cash handling fee of 2%.

HSBC UK have recently launched their fee-free Global Money account to help travellers cut costs, with zero transaction and withdrawal fees when abroad. There are plenty to choose from on the market so be sure to do your research.

2. Always pay in the local currency when using a card

This is an easy one to remember. When using your card abroad, you will be given an on screen option to either pay in your own currency, or the local currency. Paying in the local currency will always make the transaction a little cheaper due to exchange rates.

3. Use cash back sites to earn money on all your travel bookings

I’ve recently discovered the power of cash back sites such as TopCashBack.com. You could earn up to 10% cash back on all your online purchases using cash back sites. In terms of travel, these sites really come in to play when booking high ticket items such as flights, hotels, package holidays and even individual tours.

Jess in the Black Forest, Germany

4. Be sure to claim tax relief at the airport for any overseas purchases

Not everyone knows that you can claim VAT (or your host country’s equivalent) back at the airport for all of your holiday shopping. The main things to remember is to keep all of your receipts as proof of purchase, and you must claim this at the airport you are departing from. Look out for the ‘tax refund’ or ‘reclaim’ desk in your departure airport and be sure to factor in enough time to do this before your flight.

5. Sign up to frequent flyer programmes to collect free airmails for future trips

It really pays to fly consistently with airlines in the same frequent flyer programme, whenever possible. Air miles become particularly valuable when travelling long haul and can soon add up to provide you with discounts, or even free, future flights. You can also get additional perks such as lounge passes or seat upgrades. Some of the main frequent flyer programmes include; Oneworld, Virgin Atlantics Flying Club and Flying Blue.

TUI Dreamliner

6. Before booking a flight, clear your cookies and check the prices on different browsers

This is one of my classic travel booking hacks. If you clear your cookies and open a new browser e.g. Chrome, Safari or Firefox, you may find your flight price to be cheaper. This is because cookies can track how often you have visited a webpage, and if you visit a certain amount of times in a short space of time, the prices may increase. It’s incredibly sneaky and always very satisfying when you manage to beat the system. Give it a try.

7. Travel out of season whenever possible

It may seem an obvious one, but it makes a huge difference to the total price of flights and hotels. A savvy traveller will not only consider dates and seasons in their home country, but also in their destination country. For example, if I were to travel from the UK to the US in November, I know the flight prices will be increased due to Thanksgiving, even though Thanksgiving is not widely celebrated in the UK. It’s also worth looking into school holiday dates in your destination as well as in your origin country.

According to HSBC’s global money survey, one in five (20%) are travelling out of season to save money, with October the most popular month

8. Eat and drink local produce

When in Italy, drink Italian wine. When in France, eat French cheese. Local produce will always be better value as there are no import costs involved, not to mention fresher and more authentic. Support local when you can.

Tasting local pasta in Ischia, Italy

9. Withdraw smaller amounts of cash

Withdrawing smaller amounts of cash will make it less likely for you to end up coming home with spare cash which you will then have to pay to exchange back. It will also make you less likely to loose large amounts of cash whilst on your travels. If you can find a bank card that does not charge for withdrawals, withdrawing little and often is the way forward when it comes to cash.

10. Don’t tip excessively

It’s always worth doing a bit of research on the tipping culture of your destination, as there’s a chance you could end up ‘over tipping’. It varies vastly around the world.

Jess in Stockholm, Sweden

11. Be aware of common local scams

Scams will be more likely in some destinations than others, but tourists and travellers will always be seen as easy targets. I recently visited Barcelona so I Googled ‘common scams in Barcelona’. It’s reassuring to feel like you have this knowledge during your travels so you know what to look out for and what to avoid.

Read more tips from HSBC about how to manage your travel money outside the UK.

Read more from The Travelista; 3 morning rituals to improve your mental wellbeing. 

What are your top money saving tips whilst travelling? If you have any more to share or found this post helpful, be sure to leave a comment in the box below. Jess x

Add a Comment

Related Posts

  • Reviewing The Inflight Beauty Sleep Set by Kiss The Moon
  • 8 Things I Learnt on My First Solo Trip
  • What to Expect at a Yoga Retreat
« How to support a Mum of a premature baby – World Prematurity Day
My 2022 year in review; travel and beyond »

Spark a conversation! Cancel reply

Jess is an an award-winning UK travel blogger based in North Yorkshire, providing you with inspiration for both local and global adventures.

Read More

Looking for something in particular?

Subscribe

Never Miss a Post!

Latest Posts

Mediterranean Cruise Itinerary: Visiting 6 ports in 7 days

Family-friendly glamping in the Lake District with Feather Down Farms

An Indulgent Escape at Columbia Beach Resort, Cyprus

Follow on Instagram

What can I say, ya gals a foodie 😝🍴 #trave What can I say, ya gals a foodie 😝🍴 

#travelfoodie #eattheworld #globaleats #worldeatery #eeeeats #worldfood
Hello 2023! 🤍 A clean page, a fresh start. I h Hello 2023! 🤍 A clean page, a fresh start.

I had too many words about 2022 for a caption, so I’ve put them all into a blog post. 

My “2022 year in review” is live on The Travelista. It’s a longer, personal blog post about lessons, learnings, achievements and travels from year just gone, as well as my hopes and goals for 2023. I’ve put a link on stories for anyone interested. 😊

Wishing you a healthy, happy, adventure-filled New Year ✨

Photo: collecting shells on Cleethorpes beach during Twixmas 🐚
My 2022 travel recap ✨ 17 destinations across My 2022 travel recap ✨ 

17 destinations across 9 countries. My son stepped foot in 3 new countries and I got to bring him on 6 trips with me, including his first cruise. Wow ♥️

I’m finding a new rhythm for travelling with (and sometimes without) a little one and can’t wait for what’s to come in 2023.

Whether you’re new here or you’ve followed my journey for years, thank you so much for being here, for every like, comment and share. It is this amazing, supportive and loyal community that has enabled me to quit my job this year and return to doing this full time again post Covid. 

What was the most memorable place you’ve visited in 2022? ♥️

Where I went in 2022: 

Abu Dhabi
Cyprus 
Marbella 
Bruges 
Amsterdam
Guernsey 
Lake District 
Newcastle
Edinburgh 
Whitby
Lake District II
Almuñécar
Barcelona 
Gibraltar 
Marseille 
Rapallo
Florence

That’s a wrap! See you in 2023 🎥
A little snapshot into our Christmas, the first on A little snapshot into our Christmas, the first one in our new home, blending our families and hosting for 9. ☺️🥂 Hope you all had a lovely day 🎄

Merry Christmas from my family to yours ♥️.
Before I sign off for a little Christmas social me Before I sign off for a little Christmas social media break, here’s a festive photo dump of the past week + sharing my favourite poem🕯🎄🥂

Featuring 

➕ A lunch to @bettys with the girls. Making a new tradition. 
➕ A family visit to @castle_howard for their spectacular #IntotheWoods Christmas experience. Phenomenal. We go every year and it just gets better and better.
➕ Carols by candlelight at our local church - magic - but so many layers because the heating was broken!
➕ Dust if you Must by Rose Milligan. The perfect tonic in the (potentially stressful) build up to Christmas. 

We are hosting family this year and I’m excited! I’d love my house to look like a festive show home but it doesn’t, and that’s ok. (I have a 4 year old making mess twice as fast as I can tidy it). 

Fellow hosts, don’t be so busy ‘dusting’ that you miss all the little moments of magic! I’m reminding myself of this too. Swipe to read the poem and you’ll get it. ♥️

Wishing you a perfectly imperfect Christmas 🎄 

Love Jess x
ad Come with me and my Mum to do some last minute ad Come with me and my Mum to do some last minute Christmas shopping at @junction32. 🎁 

We are all feeling the pinch this year with the rising cost of living, so I set myself a challenge to find gifts for under £30. By shopping at outlets like Junction 32, which has over 80 brands offering up to 60% off the retail price, your money truly does go so much further. ♥️

What gifts I bought;

✔️ Slippers from @radleylondon RRP £40 J32 Price £20
✔️Himalayam charcoal gift set from @thebodyshop RRP £36.00 J32 Price £29.50
✔️Wax cheese wheels from independent retailer @themousehouse_lincoln £3 for £16
✔️Children’s cutlery set from @procookuk RRP £10 J32 Price £7

As usual J32 had some brilliant items on offer and a huge amount of choice, even this far into December.

Have you got any last minute Christmas shopping to do? I think I am finally done! 🛍 

#outletshopping #junction32 #junction32shoppingcentre #j32 #yorkshireoutletshopping

Subscribe

Never miss a post! Subscribe for Travelista updates and newsletters

The Travelista on YouTube

  • 3847likes
  • 19680followers
  • 9864followers
  • 2060subscribers

Copyright © 2023 · Design by Gatto

Copyright © 2023 · The Travelista on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

  • Privacy Policy
  • FAQ
  • Contact