A lot of people choose to go travelling and like me a lot of people haven’t got a clue where to get their stuff from, so here are a few bargains that I have picked up along the way.
Millets Value Sunny 65L Rucksack – The cornerstone of any backpackers travels. When looking on eBay, 65L rucksacks were still going for £45 second hand (from known makes, Karrimor, Low Alpine etc). By chance I was looking on the Millets site after being in the store and found these retailing at only £15! A massive saving! They come in blue or pink, depending what tickles your fancy and as yet I have had no problems. It has ample space and a separate waterproof compartment that can be sealed.
Post Office Platinum Credit Card – When travelling abroad the last thing you want is your bank spending some of your holiday money too! With the help of Martin Lewis, I applied for this credit card. It’s ideal for using abroad as there is absolutely no commission on purchases, so you only pay for what you spend. The other great thing about this card was that there was (as at 20.07.2010) 0% on card purchases for 3 months, that means that anything you buy on the card you won’t get charged extra for, so perfect for any trip abroad. Just don’t ask for cash back or use an ATM with it as you will revert to the non promotional rate which is somewhere in the 30’s! The application is done easily online and the requirements aren’t as high as many lenders so you are more likely to be approved.
Nationwide Flex Account – Obviously not everything can be paid for on the credit card, so by setting up and account with Nationwide, you can save a bit more money too. Nationwide are one of the only high street banks to currently offer 0% commission on withdrawing money overseas. This again means that if you are travelling for a long period of time, you don’t have to carry a large amount of cash with you. It also means that once again, the banks aren’t spending your cash for you! Application is very simple and easily done in a branch. Be advised do this at least a month in advance as most items (card, PIN number, internet/telephone banking set up) rely on sending you paper confirmation by post, which can take time.
Travel Insurance at Money Supermarket – I shopped about a bit for travel insurance and each person will obviously have differing needs with regards to insurance. Although companies such as direct line constantly tell you to ‘cut out the middle man’ to save money, this type of disintermediation may not always prove so. Sites like MS are described as aggregators and research proves that being top of the list gives you more business; therefore companies may offer their normal rate on their site, but a reduced, exclusive, rate on MS in order to make the most of advertising on that site. This is done by credit card lenders as well so be sure to check. This is due mainly to the significantly higher amounts of traffic these sites receive, and in a market as saturated as insurance; to compete you need to be in the same space as everyone else. I found my deal on MS and checked the company site to make sure, and was proved correct with the same policy being nearly £10 more expensive on their site. Worth checking!
So that’s it, a few bargains that will ultimately give me more money to spend on my travels and should make sure that my bank manager isn’t getting too bigger bonus this year! I will add any more as and when I think of them, but other suggestions are always welcome! And let me know if this works for you.
Happy Holidays :)
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