Going on First Flight (PER to LAX). Any Tips for a Travel Newbie on How to Make My Wallet Stretch?

Freshie on 29/08/2017 - 00:20
Last edited 29/08/2017 - 00:22

Hello OzB family,

(This first paragraph is not so important context if you'd like to skip it)
Going to go on my first vacation without my parents to Los Angeles from Perth. In proper (cringe) millennial fashion, I'll be going on this vacation due to hitting a stalemate in my life with absolute burn-out motivation wise. I saw a music festival lineup include an artist that has defined me and has helped me through a lot of mental issues through his lyricism over the years. Seeing him live was the one and only thing in my bucket list, and 10 mins after jokingly telling my friend "when are we booking flights?", I had spontaneously decided to plan to go LA within the space of about 20 minutes haha… This is despite having 4$ savings at the time! And despite the festival date being the 28-29th of October! Smart idea this is, isn't it! Roast all you want, I'd say it is well deserved… But in defence this is one of my last years I have before I have plentiful financial commitments etc. lol

Anyways, my flight/travel smarts are poor. I have no clue how to get the cheapest flights and accomodation + am unsure if there's anything I should capitalise on e.g. flight rewards etc.
I was hoping someone might have some info on how to save as much money as possible on a flight to LA from Perth. Bargaining runs in my blood so I wouldn't handle knowing my flights are at much more a premium than what they could be that well.

Is it better to book through a place like STA travel in person? Do they have/do they often offer prices usually unavailable to see publicly? (am a student btw if that changes anything). No clue how to go about getting the best flight deal

And if you happen to have gone to LA before, any recommendations on things to do or ways to save?

Is there a staple budget flight insurance, currency conversion method etc that OzBargainers adopt?

*Also, I need to be in LA specifically from at least 27th Oct - 5th Nov

Thanks in advance guys. Any tips are appreciated!

Travel

Comments

  • [Deactivated] on 29/08/2017 - 00:27
    +1

    i just finishing booking my xmas europe trip,
    under 24K for 2, flying business with etihad 38 nights accommodation in 11 cities with breakfast included and all inter-europe transport and travel insurance.
    flight centre wanted 36k.

    i booked my flights on fly365 via a KLM codeshare flight, booked all my hotels on bookings.com, booked inter-europe via skyscanner and google flights, booked car hire with europcar.

    all done myself, its easy, you need to decide where to go, where to stay, how long will you in each place etc
    speak to some mates who have been over there.

    • vstratosphere on 04/09/2017 - 11:27

      Different finicals status as we are two poor uni students, but we are flying to Europe Christmas time with Qatar in economy, 21 nights, 14 cities, breakfast included, all Europe trasnsport included, and travel insurance. $5000 for each person. Skyscanner is great and watching for deals on hotels and flights to where you want to go is very good too. Watching prices and sales as well as advice from others is really good for travel. Airbnb and hostels are a good way to save too. :)

  • toniyellow on 29/08/2017 - 00:31
    +2

    A citibank debit card is going to be the cheapest way to get your $4 cash out in the US

    Read more here
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/wiki/cards_with_no_overseas_tra…

    Don't leave that much later, apply for it in time for it to arrive

    Not sure where to start with the rest. Try the search function for LA maybe then report back

    • Freshie on 29/08/2017 - 00:37

      hahaha thanks for the advice on how to cheaply get my 4$ out.
      Currently on a 2 minute noodle diet x stay inside house for 9 weeks lifestyle and should have about ~1.3k (AUD) to spend at this rate.

      Have searched for a few days on most of the major flight search engine sites. All seem to offer pretty identical rates. I wonder if anyone knows if any site has any coupon codes/offers or cheaper service fees

      • [Deactivated] on 29/08/2017 - 00:46
        +6

        If I were you, I'd be looking to vacation in the next suburb over.

        I doubt you can afford to leave your municipality, let alone the country!

        • Freshie on 29/08/2017 - 00:57

          LOLL
          woops I meant 1.3k after estimated hotel (~900), uber (~220),food (~300), visa etc!
          3kish before accom etc
          That ~1.3k is in case I over-budgeted and for souvenirs/shopping

          There quite a few airbnb options for 1.5-2k split between two
          Plus uber/bus/lyfts split between two

          Think I'll survive 10 days but I have more doubt than what is acceptable :)

          I look forward to showing my very shocked friends I successfully spontaneously planned and budgeted for a 3.5k+ vacation with no savings whatsoever while a full time uni student, in the space of 9 weeks.
          Quite insane of me but I have a lot of confidence I can make this happen and receive my OzB diploma certificate

        • [Deactivated] on 29/08/2017 - 07:09

          @Freshie:
          Plus flights am I right?
          So you have about $400 spending money.

        • garffi on 29/08/2017 - 11:19
          +1

          @Freshie: I booked my first solo trip to Vietnam for this November (cheap tickets :P) and I can say all my family and friends are shocked about my sudden plan. I also suffered major burnout but unfortunately parents wouldn't let me take a gap so now I'm doing it after my degree (bad choice)… If you keep thinking of doing it, it'll never happen. Book the flights and have fun!

        • singlemalt72 on 29/08/2017 - 12:23

          @Freshie:
          $900 for hotels??

          Youth Hostels my friend - Save about $400 - $500 easy.

        • Freshie on 29/08/2017 - 13:20

          @tuzii:
          No not plus flights.
          In terms of budgeting I've put a lot of thought into making sure I'll be okay for the vacation. I have estimated all costs and how much I'll need to make per fortnight to be set.
          I've estimated my flights to be 1250$ but I've seen previous deals on here for around the 1000$ mark so fingers crossed I can get flights even slightly cheaper (not very hopeful atm though)

        • Freshie on 29/08/2017 - 13:21

          @singlemalt72:
          Have you had any experiences with hostels?
          Do you have a private room in any hostels?
          I'm thinking of staying 5 days in an airbnb and 5 days in a hostel

        • singlemalt72 on 29/08/2017 - 15:01

          @Freshie:
          I'm 45 now, been using hostels on and off since I was 18.

          Private rooms are comparable to hotels in price, the savings are in dorm rooms, 4,6 or 8 to a room.

          It isn't as bad as it sounds - hostels have great facilities such as kitchen so you can store and cook food (another saving) - your room is essentially just a place to sleep you have other lounge areas and tv areas for relaxing/socialising. The front desk will have all the info you need to get around, find cheap meals/services, advice on where not to go (just as important as where to go) and all sorts of useful resources.

          And really - staying in Airbnb or hotel you are not around other travellers - this is the best part of getting around - you will learn more about travelling in a hostel in a week than you will in a month of Ozbargain.

        • Freshie on 29/08/2017 - 16:07
          +1

          @singlemalt72:

          Very wise words. If I were travelling solo, I'd book a hostel for my whole vacation without hesitation. Hopefully my travel partner is willing to stay at a hostel. It'd be great to meet other travellers especially with it only being me and my friend travelling

          Cheers for the insight!

      • toniyellow on 29/08/2017 - 09:11
        +1

        Search function here I mean. You will get a feel for what is considered a bargain price on a ticket, what people have said about LA before.

        https://www.ozbargain.com.au/search/node/La

        Look into hostels not airbnb if you are truly on a budget. Even if you are looking at shared room airbnb it will most often not have the same atmosphere or facilities as a hostel - security, 24/7 reception, place to meet people, often well located to public traaport.

        If you have a plan to come up with 3.5k in a few months doing fulltime uni that is remarkable. Are your parents bankrolling rent and food and transport? Are you skipping class to attend work? Aren't uni exams normally around november just after this vacation?

        So much of this screams like it was not well thought through, or you have this much confidence because you have wealthy parents who will be there if you fail uni or run out of cash, which is truly the millenial stereotype.

        • Freshie on 29/08/2017 - 13:56

          Search function here I mean. You will get a feel for what is considered a bargain price on a ticket, what people have said about LA before.

          Thanks for that link! Just had a look through a few threads and will continue to do so. Already gained some knowledge.

          If you have a plan to come up with 3.5k in a few months doing fulltime uni that is remarkable. Are your parents bankrolling rent and food and transport? Are you skipping class to attend work? Aren't uni exams normally around november just after this vacation?

          No, my mother is recently widowed so takes care of my two little brothers, and myself to some extent.
          My father left behind a property (but no savings. medical and legal costs ate whatever he had up after he fell ill for 18 months), so a mortgage isn't a worry of ours, which is a blessing. But besides that, our household income would be in the lowest bracket. I don't get any direct financial help however don't chip in for electricity, water and internet bills at the moment. I've paid for every single item I own + pay for my phone bill, spotify, transport and food but have no wealth at all to fall back onto.

          I'll be coming up with the 3.5k from working 15 to 20 hours per week, selling my old macbook pro and various other items for about 1.5k altogether. I also have a credit card with a 1k limit that has no current debt and my family has no affluence so I do to claim youth allowance, but won't directly rely on it to go on a vacation for moral reasons lol. All up that's nearly 8000$ I have within 9 weeks with minimal financial commitments until then.

          Aren't uni exams normally around november just after this vacation?

          In terms of uni clashing, I'll have zero exams this semester but have a few major assignments I'll have to finish up before and during my long flight to USA.

          Are you skipping class to attend work?

          I'll be skipping 2 days of classes while I'm in USA but I really doubt that'd be an issue. Won't be skipping class to go to work, but my time management has had to be pretty spot on for the past 2 weeks haha. I think it's been a good way to enforce healthy habits rather than lounging about. And by enforce healthy habits I mean if I don't stick to a tight schedule and budget, I'll either flunk this semester and/or end up looking for drug deals to complete in order to survive in Los Angeles LOL.

          Fingers crossed all comes through!

        • Freshie on 29/08/2017 - 14:12

          @Freshie:
          @anzacpaul

  • altomic on 29/08/2017 - 01:08
    +1

    walmart. super cheap. cheap booze. cheap food. cheap souvenirs.

    • Freshie on 29/08/2017 - 01:12

      Unfortunately I'm not 21 yet so cheap booze would include a potential criminal fine and/or paying a stranger to purchase for me, so that's out of the plan I guess. But I'll definitely head to Walmart for other items

      • [Deactivated] on 29/08/2017 - 10:11
        +1

        Well shit…. No point in going good then.

  • toomuchdogfur on 29/08/2017 - 06:32
    +1

    For flights, look at Expedia and other online sites to get an idea of how much flights are then ask STA for a quote as well since you are young enough to access their deals. The lowest I've seen flights from SYD to LAX go is $650, not sure about Perth but I'd guess $800 would be the lowest for that. You may also get travel insurance included if you book it with certain credit cards - check your own cards to see if you have this benefit.

    I lived in LA for a few years so here's some advice to save cash while you're there:

    • Money - get a 28 Degrees Mastercard if you don't already have one, no fees and no exchange rate surcharges. Avoid travel money cards (ones that let you carry multiple currencies on a card) as they have horrible exchange rates. Also avoid changing too much cash - you should carry at least 50USD but 95% of places you go to will accept Visa/Mastercard so don't overdo it.

    • Accomodation - you have the right idea to AirBNB, hotels in LA aren't cheap. But consider the next point too…

    • Transport - most buses and Metro trains within LA are $1.25 flat fare, however the coverage area is very limited. If you plan where you stay carefully (use the public transport routing on Google Maps before you go!), you might be able to make use of the public transport and save a ton of cash as even Uber will cost at least $6 a trip (expect it to be $20 to $50 depending on distance). But be warned that the public transport is slow and crowded, so there's definitely a tradeoff to how cheap it is.

    • Food - eating in a restaurant, like all of the US, will come with a 15%+ tip expectation. Deliveries also have a tip expectation, albeit usually less than that. If you want to avoid tipping, order take out and pick up the food yourself (or just stick to fast food joints… not Maccas or KFC though, they're actually noticeably worse than their Aussie counterparts for some reason!). Also get the Yelp and/or Zagat apps, they are very helpful in deciding where to eat around LA.

    • Groceries - of course a cheaper alternative to getting take out is getting your own groceries instead to cook at your AirBNB, but be careful as there are many supermarket chains that charge vastly different prices for the same thing. As suggested earlier Walmart is good but if you're staying within Central LA there aren't any Walmarts around there (yes I found this odd too). So you can also look at Ralphs, Smart & Final and Trader Joes depending on what's near you (Ralphs is the most similar to our Woolworths/Coles IMO). Target, CVS, Rite Aid and Vons are OK in a pinch, but a tad costlier than the previous choices. AVOID Whole Foods, Gelsons and Sprouts as they cost $$$.

    Let me know if there's anything in particular you want to hear about.

    • Freshie on 29/08/2017 - 14:29

      Can't thank you enough for this. Noted.

      I'm curious.. Would you mind me asking why you lived in LA for a few years? And how'd you find that experience?

      • toomuchdogfur on 03/09/2017 - 13:05

        I went there for work, and also sort of as an experience while I was still young(ish). LA is a nice place to be - great weather, lots of restaurants/shops/experiences/etc and everything is open till late! However it is expensive to live in (though relative to Sydney, it's about the same), public transport sucksssss (hence the bad traffic everywhere) and its so spread out that you will be doing a lot of driving to get to places.

        I think I would have enjoyed it more if I was earlier in my 20s, but ultimately I came back home as I missed my family and friends. Also IMO the capitalism vibe is noticeably stronger over there than in Australia - there are subtle things like the TV ads (lots of them with happy partners/spouses/families crowding around a new diamond ring/car/whatever) but the more concrete things like the number of homeless people and the weak public healthcare made it clear that the country doesn't care much for the less fortunate people.

        The thing I miss most though? Amazon's vast catalogue and two day shipping!

    • Freshie on 29/08/2017 - 14:54

      get a 28 Degrees Mastercard if you don't already have one

      Just searched up a 28 degree mastercard and it seems to be a credit card offered?
      I already have a credit card and only borderline make 20k p.a including youth allowance so I think it might be a bit too hard to apply for one.
      Any alternatives/second best options youre aware of? There isn't a debit card version right?

      I guess applying for a citibank card and paying with cash will have to be my go to payment method

      • toomuchdogfur on 03/09/2017 - 13:07

        I'm not aware of the other options, I'll let the other comments fill in those gaps. Just avoid the travel money cards!

        Failing that try to find a place to change cash before you go. The rates to buy USD over there are not great, though there are some good places if you search for them (but do you really want to spend time during your holiday to do that?)

  • CyberMurning on 29/08/2017 - 07:51
    +1

    Newbie on How to Make My Wallet Stretch?

    Nail one corner of your wallet to the ground then connect the other corner to the tail of airplane.

    Watch and pray.

    • Freshie on 29/08/2017 - 14:10

      New to travelling, not stretching my wallet! :P

      But wasn't aware of that strategy. I'll see if I'm able to pull it off.

      Cheers

  • anzacpaul on 29/08/2017 - 09:28

    One of your last years before plentiful financial commitments and you have $4 in the bank?

    Gonna be real tough trying to save that kind of coin in 2 months.

    • Freshie on 29/08/2017 - 14:16

      I don't know if it's possible to tag people in comments but check my response to @toniyellow

  • dasher86 on 29/08/2017 - 09:35
    +1

    How to Make My Wallet Stretch?

    If your wallet is leather you can stretch it with water.

  • ihbh on 29/08/2017 - 09:55
    +1

    This is a long shot.

    1. See if there are any network marketing conferences in LAX around that date.

    2. Join the organization.

    3. Sell like hell.

    4. You might earn a free trip to the conference.

    5. Who cares about family and friends; you've achieved your goal of getting to LAX for the music festival.

  • R-Man on 29/08/2017 - 11:18

    Is it better to book through a place like STA travel in person? Do they have/do they often offer prices usually unavailable to see publicly? (am a student btw if that changes anything). No clue how to go about getting the best flight deal

    Here is just my experience: Hell no! do not go in-store.

    To me, STA travel agents have been at best useless, and at worst deceptive.

    However I have booked my last 3 overseas trips using the STA Travel website for a good fare and no problems.

    I always favour in finding your own deals online rather than visit an agent. The only exception is if you attend a travel expo. I've found the cheapest fares at Travel Expo Americas for MEL - LAX.

    • Freshie on 29/08/2017 - 14:24

      Deceptive..Wow.

      So STA travel agents can offer prices higher than what it'd be to just book through their site? Do they charge something like a booking/appointment/service fee that you wouldn't have to pay for online?

      Had no clue about travel expos. Cheers :)

      • R-Man on 29/08/2017 - 15:38

        Nowadays I search Skyscanner, expedia and https://matrix.itasoftware.com/ and find the cheapest option (excluding merchants with bad reviews such as zuji). STA travel website has always ended up the best for 3 overseas trips in the last 2 years.

        Yep they can have different prices in store. Not a service fee or anything - just manipulation and trying sucker the customer to paying more.

        If you don't mind I'm just gonna rant about my experiences below haha :)

        I was booking a trip to South America for the summer. The STA agent and manager tried to convince me that I "have to" pay peak season fare because "most of my trip was in peak season" = $3000. I said i'd think about it and left.

        This turned out to be a lie. Later that night I typed in my dates on STA website - exact same flights = $2555. I went for that.

        The website knew that if my journey starts before peak season, it should be cheaper. It was the staff at STA who saw an opportunity to exploit a customer and make him pay more.

        (I spoke to a different travel agent after who confirmed that I shouldn't be paying peak fare as well)

  • Mary Poppins on 29/08/2017 - 11:31
    +1

    One word of warning… if you plan on catching a cab from the airport…. please do you homework on fares before you get there! Don't make the same stupid mistake that I made by allowing some douchebag con me into thinking he was a cab driver and then charging me $200US for what should of been an $20US fare!! Yes… he must of seen me coming and that is one mistake I will NEVER forget :-(

    • Freshie on 29/08/2017 - 14:25
      +1

      Wow that's horrible. I would've been fuming. Sorry to hear.
      Might stick to uber and lyft now lol

      • Mary Poppins on 29/08/2017 - 20:54
        +1

        Oh & I forgot to add… the mongrel had the cheek to ask for a 20% extra tip… I had $250 in my purse :-(

        • bluedufflecoat on 30/08/2017 - 20:04
          +1

          I'm landing in San Francisco soon. Not necessarily the same thing but I used jayride to book a shuttle to my hotel. Cost is $20+ AUD before tips.

          OP could look into websites like jayride to find airport transfer options. There was even a "limo" option for about $50. If two people are travelling, might be worth getting the private car equivalent because it is not a lot dearer but would probably be faster as you don't make multiple stops on the way.

  • NigelTufnel on 29/08/2017 - 11:43

    the festival date being the 28-29th of October

    Camp Flog Gnaw?
    If so, it looks like it's pretty much downtown LA. Getting around LA is a bitch, it's a terrible city for transport (even self driving is pretty bad with traffic), so you'd want to stay close by if possible, but that's not going to be cheap (unless you stay in a dodgy area, and there are quite a lot of those in LA). Look at Airbnb as a first port of call, but with only 2 months until your trip, it might be slim pickings. I'd generally suggest camping, but not for a festival in downtown LA…

    Check skyscanner/iwantthatflight for flight deals, again, you're leaving in 2 months, so you don't have a lot of time to pick and choose when to book. There's an app called Hopper that will tell you if it's a good time to book or if prices are likely to go down, but I wouldn't expect much, it's more for planning a year in advance. You could try go to a studentflights and see if they can offer you a good deal given you're a student. But do your research about what a good price is first!

    Money wise, get the 28degrees mastercard to use for most purchases and the Citibank debit for cash out. Again, you've left it a bit late for application processing, but you should be alright (provided you can get a 28 degrees with $4 in your bank account).

    Food. Try to buy as much as you can from grocery stores instead of eating out. The restaurants might look cheap, but they you add on sales tax and tips it can get a bit expensive. Better off buying lots of fruit, snacks and trying to cook your own meals where possible.

    • Freshie on 29/08/2017 - 14:35

      Camp Flog Gnaw?

      Yep. Complexcon is on the next week so i'll probably change my intended flight dates of 24th-31st Oct to 26th-6th and get two festivals for the price of one flight. An extra 4 days + complexcon tickets will be a bit of a stretch though, so I'll check to make sure I can do it haha.

      There's an app called Hopper

      awesome. will download and hope for the best + use in the future

      Try to buy as much as you can from grocery stores instead of eating out

      Yep that's the plan. I'll probably try to eat out for one meal every day or two. But any food will probably be better than the majority of what i'll be eating for the next few weeks lmao. Especially since a lot will be food unattainable in Australia

      Thanks for all the advice :)

  • ptl93 on 29/08/2017 - 12:15
    +1

    Some tips from my trip last week.

    Renting a car is probably the most convenience option if you want to save time and travel anywhere. Use expedia to find the best deal and book the car in advance though. I used Advantage Car Rental/EZ Car which appeared to be the cheapest and there are free shuttle van from LAX Airport that take you straight to their place.

    If you plan to visit Hollywood Boulevard on car, where the Walk of Fame, Chinese Theatre, Dolby Theatre are, just park directly under Hollywood & Highland Parking, grab a ticket and get it validated for FREE upstair at the visitor centre. You will get 4 Hour Free Parking.

    Do not buy any SIMS card at the airport, instead go to an AT&T and T-mobile store and you can get a SIM Card with Unlimited Calls, Data for half or even 1/3 the price. There is an AT&T store near In&Out Burger, around 2 km north of LAX Airport if you don't mind walking.

    Apply for a Citibank debit card and Bankwest Platinum Zero/28 degree credit card before you go. Bankwest gives you free travel insurance as well if you spend $500 for the flight ticket and accommodations prior to departure. You can withdraw cash using ATM inside the airport (with $2-$4 ATM fee) instead of buying USD from Australia.

    Don't ever use the Taxi, just use UBERX if you need. It saves you money and also you don't have to tip.

    • R-Man on 29/08/2017 - 16:01
      +1

      I think they're under 21 and won't be able to rent a car, at least not affordably

      • Freshie on 29/08/2017 - 16:04

        Correct

  • Redflanders on 30/08/2017 - 18:50
    +4

    I have travelled extensively on a budget throughout the past ten years. We have found we have had some amazing experiences and me some fantastic people that we would not have had if we had stayed in pricey hotels and eaten in restaurants all the time.

    Some tips I have not just for saving money but also handy for a first time traveler are.

    Research everthing you're going to do. Tripadvisor is a great resource. Pretty much everything you want to do has been asked about in the travel forums.

    For flights use Skyscanner or iwantthatflight etc to find the cheapest flight, then go to the airline's actual page so you don't get booking fees.

    If you can pack light you can save money by just having carry on luggage (maybe not on the initial flight over but definitely on domestic flights) We did six months in Asia with just smaller carry on backpacks.

    Make sure your phone is network unlocked and head to a 7/11 or similar once you get into town for a cheap sim. NEVER use your Aussie sim abroad unless it's an emergency, roaming costs are killer.

    Research transport to and from the airports before you travel, often public transport is available for a fraction of the cost of a taxi if you're willing to spend a little longer to get there.

    Hostel dorms will save you a ton of money compared to hotels and even some airbnbs. Use HostelBookers or HostelWorld to get an idea. Pack a small padlock to lock your stuff in a locker that is usually provided. Pack foam earplugs to drown out any noise from fellow travellers. Claim a top bunk for less disturbance as well.

    Save money on food by cooking at the hostel.

    A small quick drying towel like a gym towel is very handy, doesn't take up much room and can tie to the outside of your bag to dry on the move.

    Don't forget a powerpoint adapter/converter. Usually someone in your circle will have one so might be able to borrow one instead of purchasing (you could do this for lots of things like a backpack as well)

    Travel insurance is a wise move.

    If you love to read a kindle takes up a lot less room than a book.

    Rolling up you clothes tightly takes up a lot less room in your luggage than just folding them.

    That's all I can think of right now. If I remember more I'll add them on.

    I hope you have a great time!

  • Freshie on 23/10/2017 - 01:23

    Update:
    I did it. I'm going in 3 days lol. Thanks for all the advice guys.
    Will report back after trip

    • Mary Poppins on 13/12/2017 - 15:01

      How was the trip? Any advice?

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