So you’ve been bitten by the travel bug, and you can’t help but click the moment you see a seat sale. Your friends have embarrassingly plastered your Facebook timeline with travel articles. You have strangers following you on Instagram to see beautiful photos of your adventures. And you may or may not have tattooed “adventure is out there” on your nape. Yep, you’re an addict. Allow us to feed that addiction.
7. Keep the best deals on your radar
A real travel buff has all the essential travel apps, subscriptions to airline and booking sites’ newsletters, and probably a friend or two from a travel agency.
Pro Traveller Tip: Bookmark the ZAP pages for Kaligo.com, Booking.com and Agoda.com (www.agoda.com/zap) to earn CashBack in addition to already good deals. You can use points earned here (and from any ZAP merchant) to pay for Cebu Pacific flights, too, via GetGo.
6. Travel light, but don’t forget your essentials
Photo by kozumel on flickr.com
If you’re anything like us, you probably don’t pay for extra baggage allowance. That means you’ve already mastered the art of living without the stuff that has to be checked in (goodbye, razors and Swiss knives!). But make sure you have enough to be comfortable while travelling. Never forget your universal adaptor, charger, camera, weather- and religious-customs-appropriate clothes, sturdy shoes, and sunscreen.
5. Do your research and know where to locate yourself
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You might have saved huge amounts on your hotel price, but you’ll be spending ridiculously on transportation if you’re not located near the sites you intend to see. Just pop open your Maps app and plot your sites to figure out where best to stay. If the map doesn’t help, you can also check out reviews of your prospect hotels and see what previous guests have to say about the location.
4. Book accommodations in advance
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The last thing you want is to be boarding the plane, filling out your arrival card, and realizing you forgot to book a place to stay. It’s easier than ever to book hotels, and now with myriad booking sites available, you can search for the best deals. Pro Traveller Tip: Check out Agoda.com’s flash sale. From March 20-April 3, 2015, you earn 7% CashBack on accommodations booked for the entire 2015.
3. Check the best season to visit each site
Photo by arabani on flickr.com
Besides your own schedule, keep in mind what’s happening in your destination, too. Do you like to be in the middle of the excitement of a huge festival? Visit Hong Kong during Chinese New Year. Would you prefer to have some alone time? Visit Boracay right after Laboracay. Want to chase the Northern Lights? You won’t even see nightfall during the summer. Want to climb Mt. Pulag? It’s safer after the rainy season.
2. Know your bucket list of to-go places by heart
Photo by amboo213 on flickr.com
This way, you’ll have your eyes open for special deals, and travel tips related to the places you want to see. If your friends know your bucket list, too, they’ll be all too happy to help you out by sending you relevant information (hello, seat sale alerts!).
1. Calendar all holidays and long weekends
Photo by biagkensiak on flickr.com
So when you’re faced with an opportunity to book, you don’t need to worry about figuring out when. And if you’re blessed with a flexible schedule, you know the peak seasons to avoid! Plus, file your leaves in advance, and figure out when your travel buddies are available too. In a nutshell, get all the scheduling issues out of the way ahead of time.
Agoda.com is giving 7% CashBack on hotel bookings for a limited time. Booking dates: March 20-April 3, 2015; Stay dates: March 20-December 31, 2015. Book via www.agoda.com/zap to get your CashBack points; direct bookings do not receive ZAP perks.
