It goes without saying that the first step to booking a great value holiday is picking a great value destination. A fortnight in Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam or even Japan will cost Australian travellers a fraction of a trip to say, Paris or New York. But getting choosy with your destination isn’t the only way to get a great deal on your next trip.
There’s a whole raft of ways you can value-pack your next getaway – and still do that Euro trip of your dreams. Here’s a few to get you started. Travel smarter, not harder.
Credit: Accor Go low It’s an inconvenient but unavoidable truth – if you’re travelling in high season, you’ll pay high season prices. So, if you’re looking to save a buck, time your travel to avoid the crowds. Accommodation prices can more than halve in the low season, and you’ll have the bonus of rubbing shoulders with actual locals more than fellow tourists.
Of course, there are some destinations that don’t suit this approach – the Greek islands, for instance, more-or-less close up shop after summer’s done; flooding risk means India is best avoided once the monsoon rolls in. But spots like Bali and Mexico are great pretty much year-round, while destinations including North America have their own special charm over winter (hello, White Christmas!). In fact, many destinations are actually better explored off-peak – Italy is swarmed with tourists in the Euro summer, but crowds thin and temperatures remain lovely in the shoulder months.
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