Tips to plan a budgeted international trip without a travel agent
International travel is expensive, and booking is always a daunting task since most of our plans are not made with proper budgeting. I have experience working in the tourism industry as a tour operator and I have a few tips that can help you simplify the process of booking your international trips. Most of these tips would also apply to domestic tours, but those are usually not as draining as the international ones. Use the below-mentioned resources wisely and make the best of your trip!
Tips:
- Plan 4 to 6 months in advance
- Pick a country close to your country of residence
- Unless you are planning to attend a local event in the country of visit, try to plan your trip when they have an off-season
- Check for local and tourism taxes and additional charges in your desired country of visit
- Keep an eye on the currency conversion rate, dollar and/or euro work in most countries
- Use Skyscanner to keep tabs on the rate for flights and be flexible with your dates
- Look to travel during the working days vs weekends as weekday flights are usually cheaper
- Try to book your hotels in advance and make sure you book them with breakfast included
- To get the cheapest flights, use an airline that is based out of the country you intend to visit (for example – for Dubai use Emirates Airlines, for India use Air India)
- Try to book a flight that allows you to make at least 1 change for free (this will drive the cost of the drive up but in the scenario, you decide to stay longer to have to cut your stay short, you will not have to pay the near to travel date fares)
- Try to get direct flights versus flights with stops, since longer stops incur unexpected food, beverage, and other costs plus you lose time
- Book hotels that are closer to the attractions you plan to visit. Transfers/Taxis can incur high costs
- Carry local currency, at least 30% to 40% of your travel cash should be in the local currency and if you are using a forex card, be sure to make a note of all the charges that apply
- Do not travel with the aim to work in these countries, it’s not wise to do anything illegal
Hotel booking websites:
Activity booking website:
Happy travels!
If you wish to hire me as your travel planner, please email me at parth@parthrawal.com.
Charges:
For the Middle East: USD 199/-
For India: USD 199/-
For Sri Lanka: USD 199/-
For Bhutan: USD 199/-
For Thailand: USD 199/-
For Singapore: USD 199/-
For multi-country tour planning: USD 79* no. of countries
I will keep updating this resource to add new booking websites and tips for your use. If you’ve found these tips to be helpful, please share them with your friends and comment below!
Is it possible to obtain a discount code or coupon for the lowest airfare available on any airline’s website? If affirmative, what would be the process to procure such a code or coupon?
If you are looking at specific airline carriers or sites like Expedia, they will generally ask you to make an account with them and provide you with coupons occasionally.
I prefer to use Skyscanner as it provides me with prices periodically, which helps me plan my trips in advance.
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