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8 Best Travel Tips for 2023: Budgeting, Safety, Hacks

Alevin Chan

Alevin Chan

Last updated 07 March, 2023

From the best ways to get to know a new city, to avoiding high ATM fees, and how to stay safe when out and about, here are 8 best travel tips to follow in 2023.

Best Travel Insurance Plans (2023)
Starr TraveLead Travel Insurance | Allianz Partners Travel Insurance | HLAS CovidSafe Travel Protect 360 | AIG Travel Guard® Direct | FWD Travel Insurance | Singlife Travel Insurance | Starr Cruise To Nowhere Travel Insurance | Sompo Travel Insurance | MSIG TravelEasy | Etiqa (TIQ) Travel Insurance | Tokio Marine TM Xplora Plus | Ergo Travel Protect

For the most part, travel is fun and enjoyable. But there are also things to watch out for that could potentially derail a happy trip, such as not having travel insurance, unwittingly falling prey to scams, or having to pay inflated prices for last minute bookings.

Here are eight travel tips and hacks to bear in mind when going on your overseas adventure in 2023.


#1 Buy travel insurance

The simple fact is, accidents can and do happen, whether you’re skiing on the snowy slopes of the Alps, or strutting down Fifth Avenue. And while no amount of insurance can prevent an accident from happening, a good travel insurance policy will prove useful in an emergency.

You don’t have to go overboard and splurge on the most expensive plan you can find. Instead, focus on overseas medical expenses (this usually comes with emergency evacuation and repatriation), trip cancellation, and luggage and travel documents.

If you don’t have your own personal accident plan, it might be wise to include this in your travel policy.


SingSaver's Best Price Travel Campaign: All successful applicants of participating Travel Insurance products will receive 1x (single trip) or 3x (annual trip) draw chance to enter our weekly lucky draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed (up to a maximum of $2,000) and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. Valid till 31 December 2023. T&Cs apply.

Travel Insurance Premium for Individual Cover Covid-19 Coverage Promotion

FWD Travel Insurance

 

from S$22.50 (for 1 week in Asean)
Yes

Use the promo code FWDDAY23 to get 25% off on Single Trip and Annual Trip plans. Valid till 3 October 2023. T&Cs apply. 

 

Receive 1x Airalo eSim with up to 3GB data (minimum premium $60). Valid till 30 October 2023. T&Cs apply.


Enjoy up to 3x chances to enter our Weekly Lucky Draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. T&Cs apply.

Etiqa (TIQ) Travel Insurance
Tiq_Etiqa_LogoLockUp-02

 

from S$39 (for 1 week in Asean)
Yes

Single Trip: Use the promo code TIQSINGSAVER to get 40% off. T&Cs apply. Valid till 31 Oct 2023. T&Cs apply.

 

Annual Trip: Use promo code TIQSINGSAVER to get 60% off COVID-19 add-on + $20 cashback. Fulfillment by TIQ. Valid till 31 Oct 2023. T&Cs apply.

 

Enjoy 1x chance (Single Trip) or 3x chances (Annual Trip) to enter our weekly lucky draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. Promotion ends on 31 December 2023.  T&Cs apply.

 

Additionally, stand to win S$3,000 in TIQ Travel Insurance Monthly Lucky Draw Campaign 2023 (Fulfillment by TIQ). Valid till 31 Dec 2023.

Starr TraveLead Travel Insurance


 

from S$11.05 (for 1 week in ASEAN)
Yes

Get up to $50 Grab Vouchers (min. Premium $30) and get 35% off when you use promo code SSVTL35. Valid till 31 Oct 2023. T&Cs apply.

 

Additionally, enjoy 1x chance (Single Trip) or 3x chances (Annual Trip) to enter our weekly lucky draw. 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. Promotion ends on 31 December 2023. T&Cs apply.

Allianz Travel Insurance
AZ logo

 

from S$34.10 (for 1 week in Asean)
Yes

Use promo code SSV45 to get 45% discount plus get up to $35 Grab Vouchers  when you apply NOW! Valid till 31 October 2023. T&Cs apply.

 

Additionally, enjoy 1x chance (Single Trip) or 3x chances (Annual Trip) to enter our weekly lucky draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. Promotion ends on 31 December 2023. T&Cs apply.

MSIG Travel Easy

 

from S$34.10 (for 1 week in ASEAN)
Yes

Enjoy 40% off when you apply for Single Trips and 20% off for Annual Plan plus get up to $38 Grab Vouchers when you purchase now!! Valid till 31 October 2023. T&Cs apply

 

Enjoy up to 3x chances to enter our Weekly Lucky Draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. T&Cs apply.

Singlife Travel Insurance

SINGLIFE_LOGO_200x50-2 


 

 from S$46.20 (for 1 week in ASEAN)
 Yes

Score an Airalo eSIM with up to 3GB data and receive it before you fly when you apply now! Valid till 31 October 2023. T&Cs apply.

 

Additionally, enjoy 1x chance (Single Trip) or 3x chances (Annual Trip) to enter our weekly lucky draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. Promotion ends on 31 December 2023. T&Cs apply.

 


Single Trip:
Enjoy a 25% discount when you use the promo code TRAVEL25. Valid till 9 Oct 2023. T&Cs apply.

Allied World  Travel Insurance

Allied-World-Insurance-2

 

 

 from S$45 (for one week in Asean)
Yes

Enjoy a 45% discount for Single Trip and 15% discount for Annual Trip when you apply now! Valid till 30 Nov 2023. T&Cs apply.

 

Enjoy 1x chance (Single Trip) or 3x chances (Annual Trip) to enter our weekly lucky draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. Promotion ends on 31 December 2023. T&Cs apply

AIG Travel Guard® Direct 

aig-logo

 

from S$30 (for 1 week in Asean)
Yes

Single Trip: Apply promo code SSTGD and receive up to $50 worth of Grab eVouchers! (minimum premium $60, fullfilment by AIG)  Valid till 6 Oct 2023. T&Cs apply.

 

Annual Trip: Get up to 6 Plaza Premium Lounge Access Passes with the promo code SSTGD when you apply NOW! Fulfillment by AIG. Valid till 6 Oct 2023. T&Cs apply.

 

Additionally, enjoy 1x chance (Single Trip) or 3x chances (Annual Trip) to enter our weekly lucky draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. Promotion ends on 31 December 2023. T&Cs apply.

Great Eastern Travel Insurance

Great-Eastern-1

 

 from S$52 (for one week in Asean)
Yes

Enjoy 1x chance (Single Trip) or 3x chances (Annual Trip) to enter our weekly lucky draw, where 1 lucky winner will stand to have their flight ticket reimbursed and 12 lucky winners will receive a Samsonite Volant Spinner 68/25 EXP worth S$480. T&Cs apply. Promotion ends on 31 December 2023. T&Cs apply.

 

Related to this topic: Exploring the World Alone? Here are 20 Travel Tips That Every Solo Traveller Should Know


#2 Book different hotels for longer trips

If you’re taking a long holiday – say more than 10 days – consider breaking up your stay over a few different hotels.

This can help you avoid price spikes that often happen during weekend and public holidays; you can book a swanky hotel on weekdays, then on weekends, move to more budget-friendly accommodations.

This will also allow you to check out different hotels (and districts) during the same trip, the better to compose your list of favourites.

Lastly, booking different hotels will also give you some reprieve from a bad hotel, instead of having to put up with it for the entirety of your stay, or worse, check out early and spend extra on another hotel.

 

 


#3 Reserve your rewards points and air miles for last-minute extensions

If you’ve ever tried to extend your hotel booking at the last minute, you’d likely have baulked at the ridiculous prices staring you in the face.

They’re not being evil – merely capitalistic. You see, hotels know that if you’re looking for a room for tomorrow night, you’re likely to be desperate. Hence, they can jack up the price and get away with it.

This is exacerbated if you only book one or two nights, as you won’t be entitled to the bulk discounts that tend to come with longer stays (hotel rooms tend to get cheaper on a per-night basis beyond a certain point, although every property has different cut-off points).

This is when your reward points or loyalty nights come in. Use them to offset the elevated costs of your extra hotel nights, so you don’t have to bust your budget, or deal with a huge credit card bill later.

The same goes for your air miles. It’s a good idea to leave some air miles in your account that you can use to purchase a new plane ticket or pay for date changes when necessary.

 

 


#4 Have a plan, but leave room for changes

While it can be tempting to want to pack your itinerary to the gills, it is more prudent to leave some room, in case you have to make any changes.

This is especially if your trip involves a lot of prepaid ticketed attractions, as there are often stringent rules around when a refund may be entertained. Should you be unable to make it on time because of a hiccup, you may find yourself out of pocket.

Spreading your ticketed attractions out throughout your trip can minimise the chances of this happening. You may also be able to claim compensation for non-refundable tickets from your travel insurance policy in certain cases, but this is subject to the policy provider’s practices.


#5 Buy a city pass

A great way to quickly grasp the character of an unfamiliar city is to join a city tour. You’ll get a beat-by-beat introduction of the highlights that make for good starting points for your own exploration later on.

City passes, too, can fulfil the same function, as they often bundle together a variety of popular attractions. Just pick the ones that look interesting to you, and go from there. As a bonus, you will also likely save some money, compared to if you were to buy tickets separately.

 

 


#6 Save your foreign currency and use your credit card

Wherever possible, you should use your credit card when paying for your purchases overseas. This not only allows you to take advantage of bonus air miles or cashback, it is also an overall more convenient and safer way to pay.

Defaulting to your credit card also allows you to reserve your foreign currency for when cash is the only way to pay. It’ll also make it easier to stay in control of your overseas spending, and any leftover cash can be carried over to your next trip.

Yes, you can withdraw cash from an ATM overseas, but you’ll first need to locate a machine that will accept your card. Then, you’ll have to eat the cash withdrawal fees, which can range from S$3 to as high as S$7 (as I recently found out in Taipei).

On top of all that, you run the risk of having your ATM card eaten by the machine should your bank happen to flag the transaction as suspicious.

Related to this topic: Ultimate Guide To Digital Multi-Currency Accounts: Revolut vs YouTrip vs Instarem vs Wise vs Wirex (2023)

 

 


#7 Enjoy street food… with care

Street food is one of the most satisfying ways to sample the local cuisine, but it can potentially make you ill if you’re not careful.

As a general rule, stick with foods that are freshly cooked over high heat – deep fried, boiled, grilled or steamed dishes are generally safe – and avoid anything raw or that has been left out. Before ordering, you might want to observe the vendors for hygiene practices, such as whether they handle cooked food with their bare hands.

Another tip to stay safe while out enjoying street food is to be aware of your surroundings and watch out for crowds. Keep your wallet or bags in front of you, and try not to hold your phone too far out when taking photos.


#8 Watch out for touts

In some areas, you may encounter seemingly friendly locals who offer to bring you to an eatery or restaurant nearby, claiming it to be the locals’ favourite. Or some factory outlet that only entertains locals, or some secret underground shop that’s only open this morning… etc.

This is a well-known scam in which touts overcharge unsuspecting tourists. And while you might get a semi-decent meal or souvenir out of it, the bill they stick you with will be anything but.

There are also subtler versions of this scam, which might be harder to spot. You might be invited with a smile to sit down for a cup of tea and a chat. One cup of tea turns to several, with a variety of local snacks offered, which you’re urged to sample.

By the end of it, you’re presented with a hefty bill for all the food and beverages you consumed, and if you refuse to pay, they will threaten to call the police on you.

 

 

 


Read these next:
Your Essential Travel Checklist for 2023
6 Ways To Maximise Your Credit Card Perks and Travel in Style
Travel Insurance Guide: Five Things All Travellers Must Know
6 Things You Should Do or Know to Save Money While Travelling in Europe
7 Top Travel Mistakes Singaporeans Make (and How to Avoid Them)

An ex-Financial Planner with a curiosity about what makes people tick, Alevin’s mission is to help readers understand the psychology of money. He’s also on an ongoing quest to optimise happiness and enjoyment in his life.

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