Ready to travel? Here’s how to see Australia without blowing the travel budget
If you’ve been feeling trapped within your own state, you’re probably more than a little excited at the thought of the country opening up. But you may be worried about blowing your travel budget with unexpected expenses.
Travelling in this Covid recovery period is not without its challenges. The pandemic has brought unpredictability to almost everything we previously took for granted — from border restrictions and other new travel requirements to the inevitable price rises, there’s a lot to catch you unawares.
So how do you plan an affordable getaway in this era? We’ve rounded up some top tips from budget travel experts.
When to indulge and how to save this Easter
Easter is just around the corner and like always, we are here to make your life easier. Like you, we have been working hard all year and we are excited for a chance to relax and enjoy the break with our loved ones. We want you to have an enjoyable holiday, so we have done the research into Covid-friendly fun for you!
How to spot a knock-off and what can happen if you own one
Our confidence and skills with online shopping are improving every day, which means we’re becoming more adventurous with our purchases. Clothes, snacks, bath essentials, shoes, whatever it is we’re looking for, there's surely an online store selling it. But, what can we do if the product we bought was actually a knock-off?
#TravelAdventures await – tips on keeping your travel money safe during COVID
We all have our dream travel destinations in post COVID times. Due to the abrupt halt to travel, many of us have money stored in foreign currency and on travel cards. We’re trusting our travel money is safe until we can travel again. However there are some recent changes affecting travel money.
9 secret tips of the well-travelled
From booking flights to international ATM fee, follow our expert advice and improve your travel savvy. Here you go...
5 hidden fees in YOUR next rental car contract
Hiring a car? At Two Hoots we've heard of car rentals ballooning to as much 250% of the advertised price. Wow!
Watch out for these 5 common gotchas which can leave you with a shocking sky high bill.
A Queensland bus crashes. You wont believe what Translink did next.
What does it take to get a refund on your bus fare? Not even a crash apparently.
On March 16th, a Brisbane City Council bus was involved in an accident on Logan Road heading towards Mt Gravatt at around 8 am. Janelle, the mother of one 12-year-old passenger rang Translink to ask for a fare adjustment for the $10 fare charged as passengers were hurried off the bus before they could end the trip.
Wotif gives 20 million back to its users after abandoning cruel charging practices
Easter means higher prices thanks in part to public holiday surcharges. If you're in the midst of making holiday plans, there is some good news. Wotif has dumped its $5.50 'booking fee'. It has also dropped the $16.95 charge for flights with full-service airlines and flights with low-cost carriers now attract a reduced fee of $9.95. How lucrative are these surcharges for companies? It's expected consumers could save as much as $20 million a year from these changes made by Wotif.
But surcharges have gone beyond public holidays. There’s airlines – 'fuel surcharge', room service – 'delivery charge', taxis – 'booking fee', restaurants and cafes – 'cakeage', 'corkage' and a surcharge for a 'group booking'. Even a concert ticket purchase comes complete with booking and ticketing fees. I’m sure you’ve got a few more of your favourites to add to the list!
So, what’s happened over the last decade that has seen surcharges become so prevalent in our daily lives? Is this a trend set to continue in the future?