Cheap Holidays

By all means, keep your holidays affordable by securing cheap travel tickets and cheap hotels, but also keep an eye out for day-to-day expenses on food and entertainment, that make or breaks cheap holidays.

The main contention about cheap holidays is that some travelers feel as though they have ‘missed out’ on experiences by passing over certain ‘experiences’ because of a tighter budget. While it is true that you may not experience luxurious comforts, all it takes is a bit of careful research and clever planning in order to get the most out of cheap holidays in Australia. Planning your itinerary in advance and making appropriate bookings will help you get the most out of your holidays. Bottom-line, leave little (or nothing) to last-minute planning!

Make your own bookings for day tours and save on entrance fees to attractions by purchasing tourist city or day cards. Since you have saved on cheap travel or airfares or by living in cheap hotels, you deserve to splurge a little to get the most out of your time in that city!

There are many discount cards available, and they typically offer free (or heavily discounted) entrance fees on a city’s key attractions, as well as discounts (and recommendations) for shopping and dining.

The Smart Visit Card is available in three Australian cities – Sydney, Melbourne and Tasmania (for Hobart and beyond). The price for an adult card for Sydney starts at A$135 (for a 2-day pass); A$69 for a 1-day pass in Melbourne, and A$165 for a 3-day pass in Tasmania. These cards are expensive, but they offer overall savings for travelers who like to pack a punch in one day.

In Brisbane, you can purchase a Brisbane 5-in-1 card for A$145 (adult) that offers decent savings on 5 different Queensland experiences. If your idea of holidays include visits to theme parks in nearby Gold Coast, you can purchase Theme Park Fun / Super / Escape Passes at good discounts for any (or all) of the 3 major theme parks in Gold Coast. You can make bookings for day tours in and around Perth by making use of Perth’s Sightseeing Pass packages.

Alternatively, if you prefer to holiday at a more leisurely pace, consider the generic and flexible Australia Sightseeing Pass (price starts from A$386) that consists of 8 coupons you can exchange for 8 half day or 4 full day tours from a wide selection of excursions in cities such as Adelaide, Hobart, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne.

The best cheap holidays will invariably include visits to attractions that are free. While searching for suitable accommodation and flights to a city, spend some time finding out about attractions in a city that do not charge entrance fees, and plan a day or two exploring them. For example, if you are visiting the Sunshine Coast, you will want to put aside at least a day for beach-hopping along the Sunshine Coast, from Noosa to Moffat) to enjoy a range of beach activities, from surfing to swimming to sun-bathing. Or, get close to nature by signing up for free guide walk offered in Perth’s Kings Park. When visiting Adelaide, you can choose from the range of free parks and beaches available in Adelaide.