How to save money when booking a trip during the pandemic

Many recommend booking a flight at least three or four months ahead of time. It’s certainly cheaper than booking the day before – stats suggest that you could pay more than two and a half times for a ticket to popular regional destinations like Bali and Bangkok. But whatever it is, make sure to keep your plans flexible. Instead of booking a fixed ticket with stringent dates, top up a little extra for a flexi ticket. For instance, Singapore Airlines lets you change your travel date or destination, and even offers the option of getting a full refund. 

Here’s a pro tip for those who haven’t travelled in a while – use a flight and hotel search aggregator. You’d have heard of a few household names: Expedia, Skyscanner, and Traveloka are some of the more popular ones locally. What these search engines do is that they trawl various travel platforms and pull data, so that there’s no need for you to individually each to manually compare rates.

We’ve all heard alleged stories where that friend of a friend scored a free first class ticket to a far-flung destination. Firstly, they’re not a scam. Secondly, it’s entirely possible to get a free flight just by using your credit card. Since it’s likely to have been years since your last flight, you would’ve racked up a substantial amount of miles and points across all cards – it’s definitely time to book yourself a trip out of here. It’s also worth recognising that when it comes to redeeming your miles, short-haul flights are worth less compared to flying to Europe, the US, and other non-regional destinations.

Insurance might seem like a hassle, but travelling during the pandemic means that it’s a major must – that is, if it isn’t already compulsory to wherever you’re heading. Take Thailand: you’ll need to specially purchase Covid-19 travel insurance that’ll cover a minimum of USD$10,000. But besides Covid-specific insurance, it makes sense to also get general travel insurance just in case anything goes wrong. Cancelled flights, lost luggage, medical emergencies – the list of what could potentially go wrong is endless.

It goes without saying that Singaporeans all flock to nearby regional destinations. Bangkok, Bali and Batam are all popular spots for good reason – they’re affordable and just a short flight away. It helps that these cities have also relaxed their Covid restrictions recently, making a weekend getaway much easier. But with that said, flight tickets and hotel rates are bound to be pricier, especially during public holidays and long weekends. Instead, it’s worth checking out lesser-known, alternative destinations to avoid masses of Singaporeans. Some options like Da Nang and Chiang Mai are worth exploring, for a holiday off the beaten path. 

Read more on the best travel destinations that are less than five hours away from Singapore.

We’ve all experienced it or perhaps heard horror stories. After booking a flight, the government announces last-minute Covid regulation changes. There’s only so much you can do to make sure that it’s all smooth sailing, but no matter what, make sure you’re updated on the latest travel restrictions – for both Singapore and whichever country you’re travelling to.