No one can put a price tag on experience.
One of the things that I enjoy doing with my son is traveling. Since he was four years old, I made it to a point that every year, there is a new place that we would visit and explore. We already had been to several places in the Philippines and two years ago, we started our international travels. I thank the Lord for giving us an opportunity to go to places and learn about the culture and history of that place.
Believe it or not, when we travel, we don't spend so much. I try to explore cheap and affordable ways to save during travels without sacrificing having fun. Some of the adventures that Kib and I had were paid for by another person or it's because of blogging opportunities.
A lot were asking me how I did it. Now, I'm sharing with you my tried and tested travel tips which you can also follow:
1. Go on vacation during the off-peak season. The beauty of homeschooling gives us an opportunity to travel any time of the year. Most of the time we schedule our holidays in July because it's our birthday month. July is an off-peak season as it is the start of the wet season in the Philippines. We already tried going on a vacation during peak season and it was a nightmare! So much traffic, flight delays, and overcrowded tourist spots.
The best time to book a vacation is between July to November, both local and international.
2. Bring a tumbler. Water can be an expensive commodity in other countries, so better to bring your own water tumbler. It also lessens the purchase of single-use water bottles. Let's help save our environment!
3. Plan your itinerary. Planning your itinerary very well can save you a lot! Reading travel blogs can give you an idea about the place and also give you suggestions on where to go. Blogs give you an authentic and honest experience of the place. There are places that you have to pay entrance fees; travel blogs can give you suggestions on where to go for free.
Booking a holiday via a travel agency is also a good idea if you do not want to worry so much about transportation going to different places. However, try to check the itinerary carefully; there is a tendency that you will be brought to a not-so-interesting place. However, you can also request a customized itinerary but it will be costlier than the regular tour packages. Doing a DIY itinerary is only for those people who love exploring and are not afraid to get lost. It can also eat your pre-departure time as you need to do a lot of online research to come up with a perfect one suited for you and your family.
4. Bring food with you. Food can be a bit expensive in the place where you will go, so better to bring snacks with you so that you won't buy food often if you get hungry. Candies, crackers, or cookies are very handy.
5. Eat where the locals eat. Ask for suggestions on where to eat from the locals! The hotel receptionist will be very glad to give you an idea of where to go and eat.
6. Look for tourist spots that you can visit for free. Just like what I mentioned in #3, travel blogs can give you details on the places that you can go for free. Asking locals too is another good idea to know which places to go.
7. Try to navigate the streets using regular public transportation. Download maps.me app on your mobile phone so that you will have an offline map of the place. After downloading the app, download the map of the place where you're going. You can also get free paper maps at the airport and hotel too.
Another travel-related app that you can download is Rome2Rio. It can give you different options on how to go to a particular place.
8. Have a set budget for shopping. One of the best things to do when on a holiday is to go shopping! It's really tempting to buy items from another place for pasalubong or for yourself. However, be disciplined on spending too. You might be going back with a huge debt because of too much expenditure. Make sure that you also have enough space on your luggage, or else you may be paying for extra at the airport.
9. Bring an extra shopping bag. Bringing a foldable shopping bag is also a nice idea so that you won't be lugging different shopping bags when you shop. In Hong Kong, you have to pay extra for shopping bags, so better to have an extra shopping bag with you. There are foldable shopping bags that you can easily slip inside your bag.
10. Pack light. For those who are flying via low-cost carriers (LCC) such as Cebu Pacific, Air Asia, etc., you have to pay extra for the checked baggage. Make sure that you observe the weight limit and size of the hand-carry luggage (15 kilos).
However, it is also okay to travel via regular airline companies because you want to be more comfortable while sitting for long hours on the airplane. In addition to that, you don't need to pay extra for food and checked luggage because it is already included in the airfare. Planning your vacation for months can really save you a huge amount on airfare. Airfares can get more and more expensive as the day of your departure comes near.
There you go! These are all the travel hacks that I have been doing for all our adventures. I do hope that this blog will help you plan for your next travel with your family.
Enjoy!
One of the things that I enjoy doing with my son is traveling. Since he was four years old, I made it to a point that every year, there is a new place that we would visit and explore. We already had been to several places in the Philippines and two years ago, we started our international travels. I thank the Lord for giving us an opportunity to go to places and learn about the culture and history of that place.
Believe it or not, when we travel, we don't spend so much. I try to explore cheap and affordable ways to save during travels without sacrificing having fun. Some of the adventures that Kib and I had were paid for by another person or it's because of blogging opportunities.
A lot were asking me how I did it. Now, I'm sharing with you my tried and tested travel tips which you can also follow:
1. Go on vacation during the off-peak season. The beauty of homeschooling gives us an opportunity to travel any time of the year. Most of the time we schedule our holidays in July because it's our birthday month. July is an off-peak season as it is the start of the wet season in the Philippines. We already tried going on a vacation during peak season and it was a nightmare! So much traffic, flight delays, and overcrowded tourist spots.
The best time to book a vacation is between July to November, both local and international.
2. Bring a tumbler. Water can be an expensive commodity in other countries, so better to bring your own water tumbler. It also lessens the purchase of single-use water bottles. Let's help save our environment!
3. Plan your itinerary. Planning your itinerary very well can save you a lot! Reading travel blogs can give you an idea about the place and also give you suggestions on where to go. Blogs give you an authentic and honest experience of the place. There are places that you have to pay entrance fees; travel blogs can give you suggestions on where to go for free.
Booking a holiday via a travel agency is also a good idea if you do not want to worry so much about transportation going to different places. However, try to check the itinerary carefully; there is a tendency that you will be brought to a not-so-interesting place. However, you can also request a customized itinerary but it will be costlier than the regular tour packages. Doing a DIY itinerary is only for those people who love exploring and are not afraid to get lost. It can also eat your pre-departure time as you need to do a lot of online research to come up with a perfect one suited for you and your family.
4. Bring food with you. Food can be a bit expensive in the place where you will go, so better to bring snacks with you so that you won't buy food often if you get hungry. Candies, crackers, or cookies are very handy.
5. Eat where the locals eat. Ask for suggestions on where to eat from the locals! The hotel receptionist will be very glad to give you an idea of where to go and eat.
6. Look for tourist spots that you can visit for free. Just like what I mentioned in #3, travel blogs can give you details on the places that you can go for free. Asking locals too is another good idea to know which places to go.
7. Try to navigate the streets using regular public transportation. Download maps.me app on your mobile phone so that you will have an offline map of the place. After downloading the app, download the map of the place where you're going. You can also get free paper maps at the airport and hotel too.
Another travel-related app that you can download is Rome2Rio. It can give you different options on how to go to a particular place.
8. Have a set budget for shopping. One of the best things to do when on a holiday is to go shopping! It's really tempting to buy items from another place for pasalubong or for yourself. However, be disciplined on spending too. You might be going back with a huge debt because of too much expenditure. Make sure that you also have enough space on your luggage, or else you may be paying for extra at the airport.
9. Bring an extra shopping bag. Bringing a foldable shopping bag is also a nice idea so that you won't be lugging different shopping bags when you shop. In Hong Kong, you have to pay extra for shopping bags, so better to have an extra shopping bag with you. There are foldable shopping bags that you can easily slip inside your bag.
10. Pack light. For those who are flying via low-cost carriers (LCC) such as Cebu Pacific, Air Asia, etc., you have to pay extra for the checked baggage. Make sure that you observe the weight limit and size of the hand-carry luggage (15 kilos).
However, it is also okay to travel via regular airline companies because you want to be more comfortable while sitting for long hours on the airplane. In addition to that, you don't need to pay extra for food and checked luggage because it is already included in the airfare. Planning your vacation for months can really save you a huge amount on airfare. Airfares can get more and more expensive as the day of your departure comes near.
There you go! These are all the travel hacks that I have been doing for all our adventures. I do hope that this blog will help you plan for your next travel with your family.
Enjoy!
