Use Public Transport where possible. In developed countries, the bus, surface or underground train, or tram is usually the cheapest way to get around, especially with an Off-peak pass or  (in London) a "Travelcard". Taxis are usually expensive, and get stuck in traffic for long periods of time in large congested cities. Exceptions are Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, where taxis are actually more cost effective than the mass public transport. Study your map and plan ahead, and preferably get instructions from your hotel or us, if you have a long and busy itinerary on a particular day.

Check both overland transport and airfares. In some cases, travelling on a good budget airline is both faster and cheaper than travelling by train or bus.

Tell us everything, and ask advice. If you may need to date change, put the ticket for refund or may need to do a side trip, tell us in advance. We will ensure that your fare allows you to do this. If you do not tell us, we sell the most restrictive, cheapest fare to you, and doing your post purchase transaction can be very costly. If you want to know the date change, refund or re-routing fees, please ask us. We will tell you before you buy your ticket.

Travel Light. This usually pays off: the more bags you have, the more you will have to pay taxis to cart them along with you. Also, in the USA, there is a check-in charge of USD 25 upwards per piece for domestic flights with more than 24 hours' stop at a US city.

Large Breakfast, Skip Lunch. If you are staying at a good bed and breakfast in the UK, or a 3 star hotel or above, you can eat a hearty breakfast at the buffet and skip lunch, perhaps having a sweet, ice cream or sandwich in the mid-afternoon when feeling peckish. In touristy Europe and some other destinations, you may find a 3-course "Tourist menu", which will give you a starter, a main and a dessert for lunch, and even dinner. This is often priced the same as a dinner main. Fast Food and basement food courts are often the cheapest and least risky meal you can have (not considering dietary constraints). Don't let that prevent you from experimenting with what you see the locals eating!

 

Buy from the Supermarket. If you are in an expensive city and a tourist area to boot, all the shops and malls in the centre will be very expensive. If you find a supermarket chain, this will be cheap for basic necessities such as napkins, water, soft drinks, paper cups, bread, margarine, spreads, tinned fish, cheese, biscuits, chocolates etc. In Central Europe, tap water is safe in major city centres.

Have Local Currency. It is true that credit cards offer an excellent way of monitoring your transactions. However for low value items, and for places that do not accept them, you should have at least a nominal amount of local currency. You can then be more frugal with meals (if you wish), by frequenting places that don't accept cards.

If your bank has given you a PLUS (or CIRRUS) ATM card, you can withdraw money in the local currency. To avoid cash advance fees and interest, you should link your current and savings account to the credit card (or simply use your debit card instead). Note that HSBC Advance and HSBC Premier customers may withdraw from an HSBC ATM anywhere in the world from their own account, and not the credit card account, without any additional charge (at the prevailing preferential HSBC exchange rate). Please take care to retrieve your card once the withdrawal is complete. In some countries, the cash is dispensed before your card is returned.

Traveller's Cheques are now outdated, and are increasingly difficult to cash. Foreign exchange commissions can be very high, whether charged to you direct, or through a bad exchange rate at "Commission/Fee Free" outlets (about 10%). 

Think Frugal when Souvenir shopping. You may see several items which you might consider as "good souvenirs". If you are not careful, you will end up with a whole lot of "junk", which cannot be displayed or even stored at your home. They are usually low value and highly marked up, so this could be a major part of your spending. To avoid this trap, think: 1) where would I keep this? 2) who would want to or have the time to see this?

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