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You Can Afford To Travel In 2020 – Here’s How

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Break your coffee habit

Because let’s be honest, it really is just that, a habit. The coffee at work might be below average, but it will be worth sacrificing your double shot, oat-milk latte for when you’ve saved over $5,000 in just a couple of months. Buy a thermos and bring in your brew, or save buying one for days that you really need a caffeine boost (we admit, that’s every other day), but you’ll soon be reaping the rewards for your restraint. What you’d save in six months is enough to get you to Bali and cover your accommodation for two nights, if you plan strategically.

Money saved in six months: $5,040 (average spend per day, $35)

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Take less taxis

Compared to the likes of London, taxi fares in Hong Kong are comically (and conveniently) low. Stumbling into a taxi after a heavy night in Wan Chai is the sensible decision, but do we really need to flag a cab back from the office when the MTR is just a few minutes away? It’s estimated that we spend approximately $150 on this convenience a week, but by taking the “ding ding” more and racking up those steps on our Fitbit, we’ve saved $3,600 in six months to spend on a girls getaway to Phuket, with a little extra to splurge on a new bikini.

Money saved in six months: $3,600 (average spend per week, $150)

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Say "no" to high-end dining

This one hits the hardest. With so many delicious restos popping up left, right and centre, giving up our Truffle Tagliolini from Pici is not something we’re ready to commit to… Skyscanner surveyed 400 travellers in Hong Kong to see what they’d be happy to give up in order to travel more, and dining out at a high-end restaurant made the cut. But before we justify our indulgences with our go-to “eating out is just as expensive as eating in”, argument, if you forgo that boozy brunch just once a month, in six months you’ll have saved $5,400, and bought yourself a flight to Auckland, New Zealand.

Money saved in six months: $5,400 (average spend per month, $900)

Read more: New Zealand Travel Guide: Your Itinerary To The North And South Island

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Strip back on beauty treatments

We deserve the hell out of a monthly massage, but beauty sadly comes with a hefty price tag in this city. Okay, a cheeky foot massage isn’t going to tug too hard at the purse strings, but a $700 facial and hot stone treatment might. Improvise with a face mask from Sasa and grab some pore strips from Mannings for six months, because you might just find yourself aboard a plane to Amsterdam in November.

Money saved in six months: $4,200 (average spend per month, $700)

Read more: A Local’s Guide To Amsterdam: Where To Stay, Eat And What To Do

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5 / 5

Opt for a packed lunch

The fuss of meal prepping a packed lunch can often stop us from doing it, but when you realise you’d only need to do it for five months to save enough for a return flight to Sydney, the fuss has an end goal worth saving for! If you’re spending roughly $85 a day on lunch, you spend $1,870 on your weekday lunches alone. This isn’t even taking into account the post-gym dinner pickup, the Netflix order in or the weekend lunches. Whilst there are plenty of lunch deals around town, your next flight might be worth a six-month saving spree.

Money saved in six months: $11,220 (average spend per month, $1,870)

Read more: Ethical Animal Tourism: Humane Safaris And Sanctuaries That Are Worth Visiting

 

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January 2018 by Lexi Davey, and was most recently updated in December 2019 by Tania Shroff.

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