Updated 18th January 2020
Are you a traveller that likes a hint of luxury for a fraction of the cost? Are you the traveller that can no longer sleep in dorms to cut costs? Are you a traveller where hitchhiking is indeed not an option? If you answered yes to any of these questions you are in the right place. Luxury travel hacks or simply luxury travel tips are any travel tips and tricks to help you to find cheap luxury travel. Primarily, we hope this article will provide countless options for you to be able to travel as nice as you can for as cheap as you can.
I mean I am sure you are sceptical! I mean luxury costs money, doesn’t it? Sure, it does, but with some strategy and travel expert tips, you can get a whole lot more bang for your buck. We are not millionaires, and we don’t claim to be either, but we have been lucky to visit 43 countries across 6 continents, including Antarctica, which for anyone playing at home is not cheap. We have also travelled to Iceland, Norway and Denmark, which are ridiculously expensive countries. The best part is that we have been able to do it comfortably without spending every cent of our savings through Luxury Travel Hacking 101.
So, I hear you asking, how do we do it? Well, here are our tips for affordable luxury travel to help you travel for less:
Table Of Contents
Using Travel Deals & Coupons As A Luxury Travel Hack
There is nothing better than a great travel deal. Often these travel deals come in the form of a travel coupon, as the American’s call it, or voucher as us Aussie’s know it, and they are found on various websites. Now, why would you use a travel voucher? Well, let’s be honest who would want to pay full price for something when they can get it for under half price? For this reason, I never travel anywhere without carefully checking all the travel deal sites. Depending on the deals this can actually inform where I will be travelling next. I mean, who doesn’t want discount luxury holidays? In Australia, these common sites include:
Internationally, other common sites include:
- Bookme NZ (also, in Australia too)
- Groupon (also, in Australia too)
- Plus many more
I must admit I was hesitant the first time it came to using these sites for travel. However, I can happily say through understanding the process I have never had any issues. I, therefore, have used these sites countless times to get crazy good deals, none of which I regret.
Scoopon
By far my favourite travel coupon website is Scoopon. This Australian company has a separate travel section, making navigating the site for travel deals super simple. Over the years the processes through Scoopon Travel have been streamlined, and it is now even easier to take advantage of these incredible travel deals. My first ever Scoopon I purchased was for a stay in Lombok, Indonesia, in a 3 bedroom private villa, with private pool. I travelled with a group of people, which therefore meant, our accommodation was less than $25AUD per person, per night, including breakfast. I mean can it get much better than that? Oh, and check out that pool below, I mean could you get a better cheap luxury vacation?
I have since been back to those villas another 4 times, 3 of which were purchased through Scoopon and the 4th, well I got to know everyone so well, they gave me a price almost as good as the Scoopon deal anyway.
If you are wanting to know more about Scoopon, the process of booking and just how you can utilise it to its full potential, please check out Scoopon Bali Deals: How to Get Cheap Bali Holidays.
INTERESTED IN MORE ABOUT SCOOPON? CHECK OUT THESE ARTICLES:
– Scoopon Travel – The Scoopon Review
– Luxury Australian Scoopon Travel Hacks
– Scoopon Bali Deals – How to Get Cheap Bali Holidays
TripADeal
Most people’s bucket lists involve travelling, and while other travel deal websites are great for travelling cheaply, they don’t often include the transportation to get there or a tour around the particular place. This is where TripADeal is a little different. Most of their deals include flights giving you a one-stop shop for your travel. Split into three sections of Tour, Cruise and Escape they cater for everyone. Each section specialises in:
- Tour – includes a tour aspect with flights
- Cruise – includes a cruise within your tour and also includes flights
- Escapes – includes accommodation and sometimes includes flights
Another handy aspect to TripADeal is there is a phone number. Therefore, if you want to speak with someone to make you feel more comfortable about the trip or booking, you have that option to do so.
Want to know more? Check out Review – TripADeal: Luxury Travel for LESS
Luxury Escapes
The name speaks for itself doesn’t it and perfectly aligns to this post. Luxury Escapes is similar to Scoopon, with its travel deals, however, deals purely in cheap luxury holidays. I have also utilised Luxury Escapes on a recent trip to Thailand scoring myself a two-story villa that was valued at $7000AUD for 7 nights for only $999. Can I hear someone say BARGAIN? This villa came equipped with two bedrooms, not that we needed the second, a private pool, balcony and kitchen. Situated on the hills of Koh Samui, overlooking the beautiful Gulf of Thailand, life really couldn’t get much better.
Webjet Exclusives
Not to be confused with Webjet, which looks specifically at flights, hotels and car rentals, Webjet Exclusives (W.E.) focuses on tours, often including flights and accommodation. Occasionally though they do have just accommodation deals. For this reason, I have booked a hotel stay through W.E. for January 2019, in Pt Douglas, Queensland. The process of booking was simple. However, the confirmation process I am still a bit bamboozled with. I did get back in contact with W.E. to let them know I had not received any confirmation from my order. W.E. then promptly contacted the hotel we would be staying with. 48 hours later I had a confirmation email from the hotel. Now whether this was an issue on Webjet Exclusives or the hotel’s end, I am unsure. We will just have to use them again to see how the second time goes.
Other travel deal websites include Get-Lux, which is affiliated with Flight Centre and international travel coupon websites such as Groupon.
Utilising Frequent Flyer Hacks
We were slow on the uptake of frequent flyer points via travel hacking credit cards and my god I am kicking myself now. If I had known about frequent flyer credit cards and started at the ripe old age of 18, I would have been loving the luxury travel for less a lot earlier. However, I did finally learn and started stockpiling frequent flyer points via the American Express Velocity Platinum Card. With this credit card points hack, I have managed to get flights for next to nothing. This in itself has obviously given us the option to travel and allows money to be spent on other aspects of luxury travel. So, how can you collect frequent flyer points via a credit card point hacks?
Be Strategic And Pick The Frequent Flyer Program That Is Best For You
Within Australia, there are two frequent flyer programs – Velocity and Qantas. For us, we personally find ourselves using Virgin Airlines (which are linked to the Velocity Frequent Flyers Program), a lot more than Qantas. For this reason alone, we signed up with a credit card linked to Velocity. Also, during the time of sign up the American Express (AMEX) Velocity Platinum Card had by far the best sign up special with 100,000 points on offer and was easily the best travel credit card in Australia. It must be mentioned that the sign-up points are supplied providing you are approved and have met the initial startup spend. For me, this was easy as I began using the credit card for everything from bills, groceries and linking it with my PayPal account.
For more ways to boost your Velocity points check out 8 Unexpected Ways to Boost your Velocity Card Points Balance.
This particular credit card also gives a free return flight from certain Australian capital cities, which was another great incentive for me.
Are you interested in signing up for the American Express Velocity Platinum Card? Send us a quick email at our contact us page and we will give out our personal link that gives you a vast array of points on sign up and also gives us a few extra points too. Really it is a win-win.
The Qantas Frequent Flyer Program is the direct competitor to Velocity Frequent Flyer Program.
Interested in best travel credit cards in the USA? Check out the best travel rewards credit cards for maximising free travel.
If you fly more with Qantas check out The Best Loopholes to Join the Qantas Frequent Flyer Program for Free.
Find The Credit Card That Allows The Best Collection Of Points
All frequent flyer credit cards allow you to collect points when you spend. However, be sure to do your research and find the best one for you. As mentioned above we use an AMEX Velocity Platinum card, but many others may tickle your fancy. Within Australia these include (however there are certainly more):
- VELOCITY FREQUENT FLYER
- American Express – Velocity Escape
- Virgin Money – Velocity Frequent Flyer
- Virgin Money – Velocity High Slyer
- QANTAS FREQUENT FLYER
- American Express – Qantas Discovery
- American Express – Qantas Premium
- HSBC – Premier World Qantas
- Qantas Money – Qantas Premier Everyday
- St George/Bank SA/Bank of Melbourne – Amplify Qantas
- NAB – Qantas Rewards
- Woolworths – Qantas Platinum
- CBA – Awards
- ANZ – Frequent Flyer Black
- Westpac – Altitude Black Qantas
Interested in other Luxury Travel Hacks? Check out
– A Beginner’s Guide to Travel Hacking: Credit Cards in the USA
Interested in other Frequent Flyer Programs & Hacks? Check out
– 8 Unexpected Ways to Boost Your Velocity Card Points Balance
– The Best Loopholes to Join Qantas Frequent Flyer Program for FREE!
Link Your Card To PayPal
This may be more for the AMEX credit card customers because AMEX is not accepted everywhere. To try and minimise where I couldn’t use my AMEX I linked my AMEX to my Paypal account. This allows me to utilise my AMEX card through Paypal while online shopping if that particular site/store does not take AMEX. This is super handy to bulk up your points balance. Linking any frequent flyer credit card to Paypal is still good practice because it will allow for you to automatically use your frequent flyer card when using Paypal.
Use Other Rewards Programs To Collect More Points
In Australia, we also have Flybuys, which is another rewards program through Coles Myer. Flybuys is also aligned to Velocity, and therefore I am able to transfer my Flybuys points to Velocity further stockpiling the number of points I have. So, if I do my grocery shopping at Coles, I pay with my AMEX and scan my Flybuys. I am not only gaining Velocity frequent flyer points from using the AMEX I am also collecting Flybuys points, which can later be transferred to my Velocity account.
Likewise, when filling up with petrol, there are plenty of points to be gained. BP is also affiliated with Velocity. Therefore, when I go to pay for fuel, I swipe my Velocity card (a separate card from AMEX but specific to my Velocity account) to gain points and then also pay with my AMEX, which
Explore Options Of Pooling Points
When I originally signed up, my fiancé also signed up. Therefore, in the beginning, we already had 200,000 points from the word go. These points technically could get each one of us a one-way Business class seat from east coast Australia to Los Angeles, which hey, I would not complain about. Once my fiancé’s points came through we then opted to transfer them to my account. Also, once he had used his free return flight, we then cancelled his card, so we only had to pay one annual fee for the next year. Therefore we had not only doubled our points but were also now saving money with just having to pay one yearly fee after the first year.
Get A Supplementary Card
We have only recently received our supplementary card, which we should have done in the beginning. A supplementary card is a second card linked to the same account. Now I can just hold onto my card, while Jarrad can also have his specific card. Therefore, we are now able to use our AMEX credit card even if we aren’t together because we each have one, simple. We really should have done this earlier as we have missed out on thousands of points when only one of us had an AMEX card. Also, it must be noted that as it is a supplementary card, there is still only one annual fee for the two cards, which is a definite win.
EXTRA TIP: Keep an eye for bonus points when you apply for a supplementary card. We scored ourselves an extra 3000 points during the promotion we signed up with.
Understanding & Using Different Types Of Travel
An interesting concept but one we are most certainly passionate about. The way you travel can easily create some luxury travel hacks, providing you are comfortable, with that level of luxury. I mean, luxury means something different to everyone and luxury within itself has different standards. For these reasons, I am going to include some luxury travel hacks specific to cruising and road tripping. I know I know I know, how can road tripping be luxurious, trust me it can be, and it can be an incredible way to travel and provide you with more luxurious views than you could have ever imagined. So, just hear me out and maybe we will just have to agree to disagree.
Understanding Benefits Of Repositioning (One Way) Cruises
Interested in an in depth guide on Repositioning Cruises? Check out Repositioning Cruises & Deals: The Luxury Travel Hack You Need To Know About
I hear it a lot – you either love to cruise, or you hate it. Well, I am proud to say I love a good cruise especially when it provides me more than just a cruise. I hear you saying ‘what the hell does that mean?’ I am talking about those cruises that depart from one port and arrive in another at the end of the trip. These cruises that are one way and not a round trip and therefore add in this extra aspect of travel since you no longer need to fly. Obviously, this saves you cash, which is a win. Not only are you now factoring in your travel costs but with a cruise, your accommodation, food, nightly turndown service and room clean are all included.
We saved thousands on a recent trip From South America to the USA. Flights out of South America are ridiculously priced, I mean ri-dic-u-lous. Therefore, when I stumbled across a cruise from Valparaiso, Chile to San Diago, USA for almost the same price as the flight we jumped at it. We, therefore, had our accommodation, food and travel covered on an 18-day cruise up the South American and Central American coast. We got to explore new places and got to enjoy unpacking just once for 18 days, which was a luxury we hadn’t had for 4 months. Therefore if you can find the perfect cruise there really are some great perks.
Still not convinced check out – Should you Choose to Cruise, Instead of Flying?
Increasing Your Chance Of A Cruise Upgrade
While on the cruise from South America to the US I learnt the hack of being flexible with room choice. Now I must divulge and state that this is not a guaranteed hack, however, you are substantially more likely to receive an upgrade if you do the following while booking your cruise.
Through the booking process, you are given the option of selecting the exact room you want. If you suffer from potential sea sickness or know what exact room you want, I suggest you select the exact room. That way you know you will have accommodation which is perfect for you at a price you are willing to pay. However, if you are more flexible and are ready to roll the dice often the cheapest option when booking a type of room is by selecting that type of room in general, not an exact room. This tells the cruise company you are flexible and the best aspect of being flexible is the opportunity for an upgrade. When we booked our cruise from South America to the USA, we booked the cheapest type of room on the ship, an interior room. However, when we boarded the boat we were greeted with the fantastic surprise of an oceanview room, midship, for the price of an interior room. This hack alone saved us over $1000US.
As I mentioned before, selecting interior room type does not necessarily mean you will be upgraded to an oceanview room, but yes, it is more likely. Also, choosing an interior room type does not mean you will be upgraded to a balcony room or suite, you will likely only be upgraded the level above. Therefore if you selected an oceanview room type, there is a chance you could be upgraded to a balcony room. Again, though this is a roll of the dice and can never be guaranteed. Realistically, we could have ended up with the cheapest and worst interior room on the ship.
The Luxury Of Road Tripping...#VanLife
So how can road tripping cost you less and provide you with more of a luxurious trip? There are a few options when it comes to this. For me personally, the most luxurious way, I believe is if you spend a little more on a campervan/motorhome with a toilet and shower you have the freedom to travel wherever you want and stop whenever you want. This allows you the freedom to chase the most epic and luxurious views possible. It can also keep the cost down through not requiring any extra for accommodation, not even a caravan park.
When road tripping Chile, USA and Australia we have been lucky enough to travel with a toilet and shower. This gave us incredible freedom to travel as we wished and visit some incredible sites such as deserts, see below, lakesides and beaches.
If you hire a car and book cheaper Airbnb’s or cabins in caravan parks, you may find that the prices are comparable with getting a motorhome, maybe even be less expensive. However, the added bonus to a campervan/motorhome is the kitchen, which allows for the preparing of lunch and dinners. Having your own food and cooking your own meals are not only healthier but also save serious cash. Travelling in a car does not give you this option. Unless you travel with a fridge and book Airbnb’s with kitchens, you will often find yourself eating out costing you more money. So even if a car and Airbnb’s appear cheaper to begin with you may find that eating out sends you over your budget anyway. So why not consider a motorhome?
Interested in other ROAD TRIPS around the world? CHECK OUT:
EUROPE:
– The Best 5 EUROPEAN Road Trips
– ICELAND Road Trip from Akureyri to Reykjavik
– ICELAND in a Campervan – Luxury on a Budget
– 5 Day Road Trip Tour of NORWAY incl. the Fjords
– SPAIN: Road Trip – 5 Days in Asturias
– UK Road Trip Tips
OCEANIA:
– AUSTRALIA – Adelaide to Melbourne Road Trip with Great Ocean Road Itinerary
– Comparing the Best Motorhome & Campervan Hire – NEW ZEALAND
– Kiwi Campers & Happy Campers NEW ZEALAND
– Review of a Maui Campervan – NEW ZEALAND
SOUTH AMERICA:
– Why You Should Motorhome CHILE – A Unique Way to see Chile
Being Flexible To Cut Costs
With flexibility comes better bang for your buck. This flexibility could take many forms. The most common I use is for cheap flight hacks, and that includes being flexible with dates and also airports.
Exploring Different Dates
If you aren’t constrained to specific dates search around until you find the cheapest combination for cheap flights. Skyscanner is a great option for this. Other websites for finding cheap airline tickets include Webjet, Kayak, Cheapflights, etc.
How To Use Skyscanner For Flexible Dates
- COMPUTER:
- In the dates section for Depart & Return instead of putting specific dates in select a month.
- Click Search Flights
- On this new screen, any date that has a price in green below it is the lowest price.
- APP:
- When putting in dates, you have the options for Calendar or Chart view.
- CALENDAR VIEW – Uses a colour coding system again. Any date with a green dot below it is the lowest price.
- CHART VIEW – Shows the prices in a chart form where the higher the column, the more expensive the price.
- When putting in dates, you have the options for Calendar or Chart view.
NOTE: Depending on the departure date selected this can change this price of the return flight. So keep that in mind when you are searching
Don’t have the time or want to search for cheap flights please get in contact as we would love to help. I get a real kick out of finding cheap flights.
Looking At Different Airports
The other flexibility I often use for flight ticket hacks is checking out other airports close by for departure and arrival. A simple example of this can be when flying to and from London. Be sure to look at Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and London City airports to check the cheapest and best option for you because switching airports can save you thousands. Again, Skyscanner is a great option for looking at prices to and from different airports.
I know in Australia school holidays can fall at different times for different states. I have saved significant amounts of money by flying internationally out of Melbourne when the kids are back at school in Victoria, while Adelaide, where I am from, the state is still on school holidays. This works for me during the school holidays as I am also a school teacher. Therefore, finding any way possible to make travel cheaper during these peak times are my top priority.
Using Stopovers & Layovers
Firstly, because I still get a little confused a stopover is usually classified as a stop for more than 24 hours in a particular destination whereas a layover refers to a connection point between cities when you are transiting. Both have benefits for seeing a new place.
Using stopovers strategically can be great ways to see new places without making a separate trip. For example, Icelandair has a stopover pass, which allows visitors to see Iceland at no extra airfare. We did this when we travelled from New York to London. We stopped in Iceland for 7 days and drove Route 1 around the entire island. I loved it that much we actually went back to Iceland in late 2017 and are planning another adventure in 2019.
Whereas long layovers can be great to get yourself out of the airport and explore a city quickly instead of visiting shops in the airports. There are countless ideal cities for a long layover, most of which are documented in that article.
Other great locations for layovers include:
Flying With Carry On Luggage Only
Another great way to save some extra money to put towards more luxurious travel is by flying with carry on luggage, also known as hand or cabin luggage, only. This is even more pivotal if you are flying with a budget airline that charges through the roof for checked-in luggage. So packing light it is.
Of course, if using this hack, you must be careful to ensure you stay within the dimension and weight restrictions of the particular airline you are flying with. This is so you aren’t slugged even more money at the airport for your hand luggage being overweight and needing to check it in. So minimalist packing it is.
I have travelled to Bali for a week and only taken hand luggage because in Bali all I need is some bathers, a few pieces of clothes and that is about it. This has saved me hundreds of dollars.
NOTE: Also be warned that if you are flying internationally with carry on luggage only all liquids must be less than 100ml. Well at least for leaving Australia and most places I have visited this is true.
So what do we love to take in our carry on luggage:
- Fantastic Carry On Luggage – our favourite is the Kathmandu 28L Travel Pack
- Utilising Packing Cells – These are amazing for organisation and we use these, specifically Kathmandu Packing Cells, for carry on, checked luggage and even when we road trip.
- Towel – Specifically Teselate’s Beach Towel because it is the perfect travel towel
- Basic and Versatile Clothes
- Small Bottles for Toiletries – must be under 100mls – the approved Carry-On Toiletry Bag Set is a great option.
- GoPro Hero 7 Black – if interested in adventure & photography like us
- iPad Mini – if required to be online, also like us.
Splitting Costs To Share Travel Costs
An obvious answer, don’t you think. If you can split your costs, it minimises your spending allowing for luxury travel on a budget. Simple options for splitting costs include:
- Travelling as a Couple
- Travelling with a Friend
- Travelling with a Group
Travelling As A Couple
My favourite way to travel is with my incredible partner, Jarrad, by my side. We split costs evenly and due to this can justify splurging on more luxurious travel than if we were travelling solo (not to mention solo surcharges, which can often pop up). For example, a night in the Marina Bay Sands, Singapore, one of the most luxurious hotels in the world is way better spent when it costs you only half. Also, let’s be honest sharing the view from the infinity pool on level 57 with your other half is something special too.
If you are looking for the best luxury vacations for couples be sure to check out Luxury Escapes, for incredible deals, which I discussed in more detail above.
Travelling With A Friend
Same process applies as travelling as a couple above. However, just be sure that if you can’t get twin beds, would you be ok sharing a double with your friend of choice?
Travelling With A Group
You want to road trip around Iceland? The cost of a car and fuel will certainly burn a hole in your pocket, so what options do you have:
a) Continue to save until you can afford to splurge all the money on the car, fuel and accommodation by yourself
OR
b) Ask at three people to tag along with you to split the costs?
The more people the further you can split the cost of the car rental, the fuel and the accommodation. Plus, you can take epic photos and create memories and strong friendships that last a lifetime. However, one word of advice – choose the people you want to sit in a close confined space with carefully. As much as saving money is essential, so is your sanity.
Obviously, not all costs can be split a.k.a plane tickets but the likes of accommodation, a substantial contributing cost can easily be split. Therefore, next time you are travelling could you consider inviting your partner, mate or a group of friends to share the costs? Let’s be frank travelling with someone(s) and sharing the experiences is way more fun anyway because as Christopher McCandless said ‘Happiness is only real, when shared’.
Finding Luxuries Within Accommodation
If you are strategic with accommodation dependent on your needs and level of luxury you can save yourself substantial money. Below are our tips to help save on accommodation.
What Is All The Fuss About Airbnb?
A great alternative to hotels is that of Airbnb. Often you can score yourself a better level of luxury for the price of an Airbnb than that of a hotel. Be sure when using Airbnb though that if you are wanting that particular level of luxury, you select the ‘entire place’ filter. This will ensure that the results you are shown are for entire places and you won’t need to share with the apartment or even room with anyone. Unless you find that luxurious than, by all means, go for it, it is cheaper.
I especially love Airbnbs after long bouts of travel because the added luxury of a washing machine and kitchen is a must. I will never forget staying in an Airbnb in Rio, Brazil after a 55-day tour across South America. To have a washing machine where we could give everything a thorough wash and a kitchen where we could cook breakfast, lunch and tea these were luxuries we hadn’t experienced in such a long time.
Another form of luxury is that of spas and views that can come with certain Airbnbs. For example, to me, there is nothing more luxurious than a secluded cabin in the snowy woods with floor to ceiling windows and an outside spa. That was an Airbnb experience in Iceland I will never ever forget.
If you are yet to experience Airbnb here is $55AUD off your first booking.
Airbnb Reviews
Currently we have the following extensive reviews of multiple Airbnbs:
Interested in other Airbnb articles? Check out:
ASIA:
– JAPAN – The Best Airbnb – Hakuba Accommodation
– MALAYSIA – Airbnb Malaysia – The Best Kuala Lumpur
– THAILAND – Amazing Pool Villa – Hua Hin with Airbnb Thailand
– THAILAND – Private Pool Villas in Phuket
EUROPE:
– ITALY – Airbnb Firenze – The Best Florence Airbnb
– ITALY – Where to Stay in Cinque Terre – Airbnb Italy
NORTH AMERICA:
– CUBA – Best Airbnb Cuba – Where to Stay in Havana
– USA – 10 BEST Joshua Tree Airbnbs
– USA – A Guide to Airbnb: Orange County, California
– USA – Airbnb Phoenix – Luxury Accommodation
– USA – Airbnb Santa Fe – Tipi Tent
OCEANIA:
– AUSTRALIA – Airbnb Adelaide – The Best Airbnbs in Adelaide & Surrounds
– AUSTRALIA – Airbnb Brisbane – The Best Places To Stay in Brisbane
– AUSTRALIA – Airbnb Canberra – Incredible Canberra Rentals
– AUSTRALIA – Airbnb Melbourne – Luxury Accommodation Melbourne
– AUSTRALIA – Airbnb Perth – The Best Short Term Accommodation in Perth
– AUSTRALIA – Luxury Accommodation Sydney – Airbnb For The WIN
– AUSTRALIA – Airbnb Options – Adelaide to Melbourne along The Great Ocean Road
SOUTH AMERICA:
– BRAZIL – Where to Stay in Rio De Janeiro with Airbnb Rio
– CHILE – Where to Stay in Santiago, Chile with Airbnb
MANY MORE TO COME….
UNIQUE AIRBNBS:
– Unique Airbnb Rentals – The Coolest Airbnbs
Finding Deals On Hotels
Never pay full price for a hotel, unless you 100% really, really, absolutely have to for whatever reason that may be. With hotel search engine these days there really is no excuse not to find a good deal. From Booking.com, Tripadvisor, Hotels Combined, Trivago there are tonnes of websites out there that can help you find a great deal.
For me personally my go to is Booking.com. With their incredible array of options, filters and of course free cancellations on some deals Booking.com is excellent. I love the free cancellations option because this allows you to keep searching as your date of travel gets closer and closer. If a super special pops up or something better closer to the date you are able to cancel your initial booking and score a better deal.
If you would like $20 off your next deal be sure to check out Booking.com.
Go Cheap To Splurge On Luxury
An old time favourite luxury travel hack for me is to go cheap to then splurge on luxury. The best way to explain this is through an example so here goes. I am not sure about you, but I had always wanted to stay at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore purely so I could swim in that incredible pool. Sadly you have to be a guest in the hotel to use the pool, sigh. Therefore when researching this hotel, even with Booking.com, the prices was HUGE. I mean really HUGE, which made me second guess whether we should stay. Sadly Marina Bay Sands is one of the only hotels I have never really been able to find a better deal for. I think this is primarily due to the reputation of the pool and for these reasons Marina Bay Sands can charge a lot because people will pay it. However, if you book directly with Marina Bay Sands, they do offer $20SG off. I know this because I can happily tell you I have since stayed in the Marina Bay Sands three times and haven’t broken my budget. But how did I do it?
Well, I sacrificed some luxuries for a few nights before to be able to justify splurging on one night at Marina Bay Sands. I must say though I do this strategically. The night I spend at Marina Bay Sands is a night where I can check in early (even if you can’t check in early the hotel concierge will still give you keys for the pool so remember to pack your bathers) and check out at the last possible minute. I also plan nothing so I can 100% enjoy the luxury that is the Marina Bay.
Whereas on the nights either leading up to or after my stay at Marina Bay Sands I pack all my touristy visits in and explore as much of Singapore as I can.
So where do I stay on the cheap in Singapore? Well, I can highly recommend the Pod Boutique Hostel in a Queen Suite room. This type of room in this boutique hostel is your own tiny room with a queen bed and not much more. What I like most about this place above any other hostel are the bathroom facilities. On each floor, they have individual ensuites. Therefore you can shower, go to the toilet and brush your teeth all in one room by yourself. This is a much much better set up than standard hostels. For these reasons we actually don’t mind staying there and the price of four nights in this boutique hostel for two couples in two separate queen suites was cheaper than one room at the Marina Bay Sands. Crazy isn’t it but oh so worth it.
LUXURY HOTELS & RESORTS
- AFRICA: Romantic Hideaways – Couple Resorts Africa
- ASIA: Valentine’s Breaks – Romantic Getaways in Asia
- AUSTRALIA: The Best Beachfront Resorts in Australia & Beachside Hotels
- EUROPE: Looking for Accommodation in Europe? Check out these Luxury Holidays in Europe
- NORTH AMERICA: Valentine’s Couple Retreat Near Me – North America
- THAILAND: 10 Private Pool Villas in Phuket to Add to Your Bucket List
Utilising Local Travel....COMING SOON
Have you ever considered travelling in your own backyard? Local travel is quite often overlooked by people wanting to spread their wings further.
COMING SOON ARE ARTICLES WRITTEN BY EXPERTS IN CERTAIN AREAS
Conclusion
So there you have it. Our comprehensive summary of best luxury travel hacks to save money to help you travel as luxuriously as you can, as cheap as you can. As a summary, here are our main money saving hacks:
- Utilising travel deals and coupon websites
- Having frequent flyer credit card(s) and using them strategically
- Using different types of travel to save you money and provide more luxury
- Being flexibility to cut costs
- Sharing your travels with others to split costs
- Knowing the types of accommodation that are luxurious for you and finding the best deals
Do you know of any luxury travel hacks that we have missed that should be included in this article? If there are we would love to hear from you because we are always trying to further explore the world for less. So please comment below because we would love to learn more luxury travel hacks from you.
Thank you and be sure to use these hacks to get travelling luxuriously for less.
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Wow the information you shared here seriously just blew me away – I’ve been struggling to get my head around building up travel points in Australia (I always seem to read about Americans enjoying great advantages with point system cards). The tip of cruising to a destination instead of flying is also priceless – think the way I travel will be changed forever now THANK YOU for sharing wonderful your experiences and tips! Hope to catch a good special for a snow experience on one of the travel sites soon 😀
Michelle you are too kind. I am so glad this post can help someone understand frequent flyer points and utilise other ways to travel. I will be sure to keep an eye for snow experiences in the near future. You will also be glad to know we are off on a road trip to NZ in July so I will be happily sharing tips about that :-)! Thank you again.
So many tips packed in one article! Since I am not familiar with cruises that much (I must admit, I have never taken one 🙁 ) this was the most useful part of the article for me. I’ll keep in mind the regular room tip for my first cruise! And hopefully, won’t be seasick 🙂
Thank you so much for your kind comment. I hope you get to enjoy an upgrade on a cruise one day and make sure you pack sea sickness tablets if you are worried :-)!
This is such a fantastic resource! I like to splurge once every trip, just to experience the different sides of the destination, especially at the end of some adventurous activities, like multi day treks. But the deals you mention here are the whole new level! Thank you for sharing! I’m looking forward to trying my hand at finding luxury bargains!
Splurging is the best isn’t it :-)! I am glad I could help you look for extra deals.
I’ll have to look around for equivalent sites for Canada. I’m always amazed at how much you can save with some of the sites you mentioned. I often use Priceline here in Canada. You can find some great hotel deals. Thanks for the great post.
Thank you so much for your comment Nancie. I will certainly need to check out Priceline when I come and visit Canada in the near future :-).
Lots of good info here. We tend to do more independent travel and less luxury so many of these are new to me. Travel cards have been huge for us to get to other continents – couldn’t do our big trips without them!
I totally agree. Travelling with points sometimes makes places so much more accessible :-).
this is such a helpful list, omg! I am in love with it, and it is exactly what I needed! THANK YOU for sharing this! I always like to splurge at least once on a trip, like a big activity or a fancy dinner! Now I can’t wait to test my knowledge and snag some deals!
Thank you so much for such a lovely comment Krista :-)! I am glad what I am writing is resonating with people and they can learn from it. Let me know how you go with snagging some deals.
This is an excellent summary of hacking travel costs. We have been using some of the ones you describe for many years and each year we discover new things that work for us. I have not heard of some of the websites you mention but I will check them out, because we love a good deal. Thanks for sharing these very valuable tips.
Thank you so much for your kind comment Bea :-)! Can I ask which hacks you have been using for years and what you recommend?
This is a very detailed and informative post. I love travel hacking and always try to find new ways how to save. Today, I learned something new from you. Thank you for sharing these details!
Thank you so much for your kind comment Anya and glad I could help :-)!
Such a lot of great tips here! Luxury travel is something I never think of cause I know I can’t afford it but your tips give me hope 😉 Hope to make good use of them!
I am glad I can be of help :-)!
Oh my goodness this is such a comprehensive list! Definitely bookmarking! I’m used to budget travel so I’d definitely like to try a few of these to upgrade my trips! This is such an incredible resource and ahh so excited to start using some of these tips!
Thank you so much for your kind comment Anya :-)! I hope you are able to use some of these tips. I would love to hear the outcomes if you do use any.
These are such great travel hacks for more luxurious travel and honestly things I never think of. I have used a stop over a few times and it is a great way to save money and see the world. I really should start checking coupon sites more often. I love that you included a huge variety of things for all different types and ways to travel.
Thank you so much for your kind comment Susanna :-)! I hope you find a great deal on a travel coupon site in the future.
Wow, that’s some packed info here! It’s always great to know more resources to travel more and for cheaper, saving money is always nice ahah! So thanks a lot for this very useful and informative travel hacks & resources.
Thank you so much for your kind comment Lyne 🙂
Wow! Tons of very good, helpful information in this article! I think my favorite tips was to get a campervan….I love a good road trip!
Campervanning is the BEST. We are currently converting a minibus to a van so stay tuned 🙂
Oh this is so a post after my own heart – I have a minor obsession with airmiles, points programmes and cashback credit cards! The other thing that’s made a huge difference on my travels is a credit card with zero foreign exchange fees – it’s SO much cheaper than using a debit card, or constantly withdrawing and changing cash.
I couldn’t agree more! I do the exact same thing :-)! Another friend mentioned this to me just a few days ago so I think I better update this post and add in zero foreign exchange fees :-). Thanks for commenting.
I like the tip about connecting AMEX to Paypal. I would have never come up with that one. Good stuff listed here altogether!
Thank you. I was lucky to stumble across it and it has helped boost my points balance substantially :-)!
Great list, thank you for sharing. You seem to find amazing deals. I will bookmark the websites with the travel deals and coupons.
Great idea :-)! This is just the tip of the iceberg too. There are plenty more.
Some great insider tips here! I’ve always considered getting a credit card and collecting points that way. Maybe its about time I looked into it
Definitely providing you can be trusted with a credit card ha ha. I had a friend once that opened one and got herself in a lot of debt. If you can keep on top of it though it can be a fantastic way to collect points and help with your travels :-).
Great tips! I always look at all the dates surrounding my trip to see if I can get a better deal, and check nearby airports! I’ve saved hundreds!
I am so glad to hear other people have tried that too and had success. Most people find me a bit strange spending so much time looking for cheap dates and airports ha ha. I am glad I am not alone ha ha.
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Lauren, that is such a good article! Most people don’t understand luxury travel or how important it is to spend money for the right things to really enjoy luxury travel while saving on others. Being smart helps a lot! 🙂
Thank you so much Sarah :-)!
What a great article! Thank you for sharing all these tips with us, to enjoy a luxury experience at good prices!
No worries. Glad I could help :-)!