How to Travel Smart: Linda King's Expert Tips on Bargain Hunting
Join us for an insightful bonus episode featuring Linda King, the Smart Travelista, as she shares essential tips for savvy travelers looking to save money and stay healthy on their adventures. One of the key strategies discussed is the importance of keeping an eye on sales by signing up for airline and travel mailing lists, ensuring you never miss a great deal. Linda also emphasizes the significance of building airline points and miles, which can lead to substantial savings, especially when booking business class flights. As travel can sometimes lead to unexpected health issues, she provides practical advice on maintaining hygiene, such as being cautious with local water and avoiding potentially risky street food. Tune in for a wealth of knowledge that will help you navigate your next trip with confidence and flair!
Takeaways:
- Always keep an eye on travel sales by signing up for airline mailing lists.
- Building airline points and miles is still a valuable strategy for saving on flights.
- Research local health precautions and vaccinations needed before traveling to different countries.
- When bargaining, start with a low offer to give you more room to negotiate.
- Be mindful of local water quality when brushing your teeth or taking showers abroad.
- Choose foods that you can peel to minimize the risk of foodborne illness while traveling.
Transcript
Welcome.
Forest Kelly:Welcome to the Best five nine in one podcast with Forest Kelly.
Speaker B:It's time for a bonus episode.
Speaker B:Hey, I figured sometimes if you want to get to a winery, you have to travel.
Speaker B:So let's talk travel with this smart.
Forest Kelly:Travelista, the Best five minute Wine podcast.
Speaker B:In our first episode, you gave us some great tips on traveling.
Speaker B:Let's continue with that.
Speaker B:What's another one?
Linda King:And one good thing that I always suggest to everyone is to always keep an eye on the sales.
Linda King:The way you keep an eye on the sales is to sign up to the mailing list.
Linda King:So whether it be, you know, the airline mailing list or the travel mailing list, they're going to tell you when the sales are on.
Linda King:If you like running by the seat of your pants and you want to do it two weeks before, or you only get told a month out that you've got holidays, then really you've got no choice.
Linda King:But if it's something that you know that you want to plan and you've got other things attached to that, like you might have a cruise or something else that you've already paid money for, then obviously you need to probably secure those flights.
Speaker B:Now, you, you mentioned about building airline points and miles for free.
Speaker B:Is.
Speaker B:Is that still a thing with credit cards?
Linda King:Yes, but I've heard in the US that your points are getting diluted over there.
Linda King:Probably the same's happening in Australia as well.
Linda King:But I still go with the theory that you need to build points.
Linda King:I still do it.
Linda King:And then what I do is take a massive lump of points and go, say, longer haul.
Linda King:So, yes, I still build the point.
Linda King:I know after the pandemic, you know, things have changed as far as travel, but I still think building the airline miles is still a really good strategy.
Linda King:It's a good cost saving too.
Linda King:Say I want to go business class through Melbourne to London.
Linda King:If I pay that in money, that's quite a few thousand dollars.
Linda King:If I do that in points, all I'm paying for are the airline taxes.
Linda King:So that's a dramatic saving.
Speaker B:Oh, yeah.
Speaker B:I could see where that would be a dramatic savings.
Speaker B:Just as a point of reference, how many countries have you been to?
Linda King:I've visited 34 countries.
Speaker B:Okay, so 34 countries.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So you've got a lot of experience in bargain shopping.
Speaker B:Is that a skill or is it luck?
Linda King:I think it's definitely a skill.
Linda King:It can be a little bit of luck as well.
Linda King:I think, again, what you've got to do is say you're in a market.
Linda King:The same thing's going to be sold in probably 10 or 12 different places.
Linda King:It's about scoping out everyone's price.
Linda King:So someone might say 500 baht, you might go somewhere else and they'll say 750 baht.
Linda King:And so what you do is you just ask all these people and if it's something that you actually want, you go, okay, okay.
Linda King:The average out of all these people, they've all told me different costs is going to be X amount.
Linda King:And then what you do is you are, you offer half, which is quite shocking to them, and they'll go, no, no, no.
Linda King:But I think with any negotiation, start really low and then you've got more room to move.
Linda King:And, and, but it's just about the research.
Linda King:So anything about travel is research.
Linda King:So before you travel to get the best out of your trip, you do a little bit of research.
Linda King:Would be the same when you're on the spot.
Linda King:Bargain shopping.
Speaker B:Oh, I love bargain shopping at the markets and the different street vendors.
Speaker B:And I've got no problem being the.
Speaker B:And the bad guy at the same time.
Speaker B:One of the problems that I have when I'm traveling is I get too adventurous and sometimes I end up getting sick.
Speaker B:So do you have any tips on staying healthy when you're traveling?
Linda King:So do a bit of research before you go.
Linda King:Are you going to a developed or, you know, not so developed country, you're probably sometimes going to need to get vaccinations and you need to do them probably a few months beforehand.
Linda King:So a lot of them are like six weeks before you've got to get the vaccines.
Linda King:Another thing I would do is just really be mindful about your hygiene.
Linda King:So.
Linda King:And you know, I talk about this in one of the books that I've got about health and safety, but it's really about one can you drink the water there?
Linda King:So some places are really good and you can drink the water, but if you can't, then you need to definitely get bottled water.
Linda King:But also just be mindful when you're in the shower.
Linda King:Sometimes when we're in the shower and we're, you know, stinging in the shower, we open our mouth and the water can get in our mouth.
Linda King:And also when you clean your teeth, you've got to be really careful because we're using that local water to clean our teeth.
Linda King:So if you're going to a place where the water isn't the best, make sure that obviously when you're cleaning your teeth and you're drinking that, you're using that bottled water.
Linda King:And everyone's different about this forest But I stay away from street food because I'm not.
Linda King:Don't really know about the hygiene of how they've cooked.
Linda King:That food is that, you know, that old meat.
Linda King:So I try and steer clear of street food because it can be a bit of a risk.
Linda King:But it depends, you know, if you're used to doing that and you've had no problems, then go for it.
Linda King:Just be mindful about what you're eating.
Linda King:Again, if you're eating lettuce, lettuce is washed in the local water, so I would steer clear of lettuce.
Linda King:I always eat food that I can peel.
Linda King:So, you know, like, if you're having fruit, get one that you can actually peel because there's less risk there, I suppose.
Linda King:After the pandemic, we know about our little sanitizer wipes.
Linda King:I take multiple packets of those with me everywhere, and I wipe down everything.
Speaker B:Okay, I've written down those notes.
Speaker B:And next time I travel, use those health safety tips.
Speaker B:Out of the 34 countries that you've traveled to, which one is your favorite?
Linda King:Look, I'd have to say there's two winners.
Linda King:Probably the most recent one that I've just come back from French Polynesia.
Linda King:My God.
Linda King:So mind blowing and so beautiful.
Linda King:I recommend anyone to go there, but my ultimate favorite's got to be.
Speaker B:Got to be what?
Speaker B:Well, we'll find find out in our next conversation with Linda King, the smart travelista.
Forest Kelly:The best five Minute One podcast.
Speaker B:Don't forget my favorite part.
Forest Kelly:Please, please like and.
