Traveling can be expensive, especially when you’re planning to relocate to a new country. You’ve not only for yourself to think about but also all of your belongings. Transporting large furniture and heavy boxes costs a lot of money, even with the cheapest international couriers.
Luckily, there are plenty of simple things that you can do to save money for budget-friendy traveling. Below, we’re going to cover the simplest and most effective ways to cut your costs during your move abroad.
How to Save Money When You’re Travelling
Cutting your travel expenses enables you to dedicate more of your budget towards other things, like decorating your new house or exploring the local amenities in your new area.
So, how can you minimize the amount of money that you’re spending when traveling abroad? Here are some tips and tricks to help you out.
Book early
Generally, you’ll pay more if you book nearer to your chosen date of travel. Being organized and booking your trip as early as possible will reduce your overall costs and enable you to take advantage of early bird offers. It also means you can choose the best seats on the plane if you’re able to book in advance!
Once you’ve booked your flights, you can start planning the rest of your travel arrangements to transition into your expat life.
Get travel insurance
Travel insurance might seem unnecessary, and it’s tempting to take the risk and travel with no coverage. However, you can never predict when something is going to go wrong. Your luggage might go missing, your travel provider might cancel your flights, or you could fall ill shortly before you’re due to travel.
Getting an annual travel insurance policy provides you with coverage in the event of an unforeseen emergency. You can receive a refund if your trip is canceled and you’ll be able to make alternative arrangements quickly and easily.
Sign up for a great health insurance policy
Health insurance is a form of insurance that offers you coverage for healthcare services in a particular country or state. A health insurance provider might cover some or all of the costs of particular treatments and therapies.
The level of coverage that you have depends on the specifics of your plan. Generally, a more costly plan will offer a higher level of coverage, so although you're paying a higher premium each month, you won't pay as much if and when you need medical help. Conversely, a cheaper plan will mean lower monthly payments but potentially higher costs when you receive treatment.
Health insurance not only lowers your costs when you need treatments or therapies but also enables you to access medical facilities. A lot of hospitals and primary care practices will not treat expats unless they can prove that they have valid insurance. In countries where free healthcare is not universal, even the locals have to show proof of insurance to receive medical care too.
Pay attention to your data coverage
It’s easy to forget about the extortionate costs of data roaming when you’re abroad, but if you want to avoid hefty mobile phone bills, you need to keep this in mind. Your mobile network provider might offer data roaming as part of your package, but this isn’t always the case, and it’s not always free.
Before you make your move abroad, be sure to check whether your data package covers areas other than your home country. If not, you might be able to switch over to a new package that offers the coverage that you need.
If you plan on living abroad permanently, you’ll most likely need to switch to a new provider to avoid data roaming difficulties. In the meantime, you might be able to join public Wi-Fi networks while you’re out and about in your new local area.
Use public transport when possible
When you first move to a new country, it can be tough to learn the public transport system. As a result, you might find yourself jumping in the car or grabbing a taxi instead.
However, fuel and taxi fees are costly, especially when you’re traveling daily. When possible, plan your routes via public transport, such as buses, trams, and trains, to cut your costs.
Most places offer annual passes at a discounted price for locals. Instead of paying your travel fees each day, you can pay a bulk sum of money that works out much cheaper.
Once you’ve got your head around the public transport system in your local area, it will become second nature. You’ll gain confidence and familiarise yourself with the area by opting for public transport too, which will help you to feel settled in your new home.
