1.) Always look after low cost carriers promo for short and medium haul flights. For long haul and ultra-long haul flights, I suggest using skyscanner because of the big airlines reduce their cost randomly. You can get a flight from Manila to Paris for only 26k.
Cebu Pacific usually announce their sale during special dates such as Ninoy Aquino Day, 11/11, Christmas, and so on. However, there are times when Cebu Pacific announce their sale on a random day.
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| A very useful website for flight searching. |
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| Here's a sample Piso Fare of Cebu Pacific |
2.) Go for cheap accommodation. I don't really care where I'll be sleeping as long as it pass two of my requirement. The 1st one is to have a good security for my luggage and other important documents. The 2nd one is to have a good location (near the MRT or landmark). However, if I know someone from the area I ask permission to crash for a few days. This will save you a lot of $$. See below for the list of Hostels and accommodation I've tried.
- South Korea
- Namsan Guesthouse 4 (This is highly recommended)
- Wow Hostel (Tried this because they offered me 400Php per night room)
- Cambodia
- CityLux Hotel (VIP Room is highly recommended)
- Vietnam
- Ruby Hotel (CHeap and good. We got a free upgrade)
- Saigon Sports Hotel 1 (Not Recommended)
- Singapore
- Hotel 81 (A good hotel located within the red light district)
- RuckSack Inn (12 bed dorm room is not recommended)
- Hong Kong
- GoldenCrown Hostel (An ok hotel)
- China
- Bejing Homekey Hotel (Mehhhhh)
- Shanghai Lakeside Holiday Inn (highly recommended)
- Malaysia
- Fernloft Chinatown (Good Location not bad for the price)
- Japan
- Hotel Raizan South (A good budget hotel!)
- Empire Shinjuku Hotel (Expensive! but it's already cheap considering it's in Shinjuku)
- Thailand
- Lub'd Siam (Cool and hip hostel)
3.) Use their public transportation. Most of our neighboring countries have good transportation system. It's always better to explore the city without the help of private tours :) but of course this depends on the people you're with. I usually walk if the distance is only one or two subway station away :).
- Singapore
- Good and reliable train and bus system.
- You can download an app that will instruct you what train or bus to use.
- Fare is usually 0.83 to 2 SGD
- Some places can only be accessible by bus
- Hong Kong
- Good and reliable train and bus system.
- Affordable train and bus fare
- Some places can only be accessible by bus
- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Good and reliable train and bus system
- Some train transfers can be a bit confusing.
- Johor Bahru, Malaysia
- Public transpo can be non-existence
- There are sufficient bus to and from Singapore
- All tourist spot has public transpo though
- Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
- Commuting can be unreliable
- Cabs will be your best bet
- Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Tuktuk can be really a challenge
- Bangkok, Thailand
- Train can sometimes be more expensive than riding a cab
- Taipei, Taiwan
- Good and reliable train and bus system
- Seoul, South Korea
- Good and reliable bus system
- Tourist friendly
- Macau
- Free buses can be used :)
- Los Angeles, CA
- Commuting can be hard.
- You'll be needing a car
- Houston, TX
- Commuting can be hard if you live outside Downtown.
- You'll be needing a car
- Austin, TX
- Commuting is easy
- Capital Metro has an application where you can buy tickets straight from your device.
- Unlimited Trips can cost from 2-5 USD per day.
- New York City, NY
- Good and reliably train and bus system
- MTA is expensive though.
- 1 week unlimited trips will cost you 30$ while it's 2.75$ per trip with free bus transfer
- Chicago, IL
- Commuting is easy.
- 3 days unlimited is 20$
- Single trip costs 2.25
- By far the best commuter card because you can also use it as a MasterCard Debit
- Dallas, TX
- Commuting is easy like Houston, Austin and San Antonio
- Half day unlimited is just 1.75$
- One Day Unlimited is 3-4$ I think
- San Antonio, TX
- Commuting is easy like Houston, Austin, and Dallas
- One day unlimited is 4$
- They have Express and Primo Buses with fast wifi on board
- Washington, DC
- Small city with good and reliable public transportation
- New Orleans, LA
- Commuting is easy and cheap
- Google Maps is your friend
- 3 USD per day
- Sydney, NSW Australia
- Good and reliable train, bus and ferry system
- You can buy a week unlimited pass for only 42 AUD
- Melbourne, VIC Australia
- Good and reliable train and bus system
- There are free tram and bus for tourist
- They have a daily cap on their MyKi Card so max you will spend for one day would be 4 AUD or 7 AUD
- Canberra ACT Australia
- Good bus system
- Don't go to Canberra on a weekend
- Gold Coast QLD Australia
- There are trains but a car will be your best bet
- Brisbane QLD, Australia
- Good train and bus system
- Batam, Indonesia
- Just go on a tour. Don't stress yourself too much.
- Beijing, China
- This city has the best train system ever!
- You can reach any destination using the train!
- Cheapest train fare!
- 2 CNY per ride
- Yikatong Card isn't really needed if you're a tourist
- Shanghai, China
- Good and efficient train and bus system
- Always opt for the train to be safe
- Cancun, Mexico
- Decent Public Bus
- Collectivos are a better option traveling to Tulum and Playa Del Carmen
4.) Try to do what the locals do. Don't be like a tourist all the time. Try to blend it. For example, Singapore can be very expensive for a tourist but after living there I realised that Singapore can be cheap depends on how you live. This also applies to other cities.
5.) Get all the discounts you can get. For example, foreigners can get discounts in Everland. You just need to print the discount coupon and you can save thousands of won. In Beijing, presenting a student will give you as much as 60%.
The savings you can get actually depends on what's your priority. As for me, I'm more for cultural experience with a little bit of food and tourist spots exploration.
