Expedia Add-On Advantage Unlocks a New Way to Save on Travel!

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Planning a family trip is a daunting task. I know, because we have been there, done that. There is just so much to juggle, from nap schedules to feeding times. Sometimes it is just easier to throw in the towel and say, “maybe later when they’re older, it will all get easier".

But you know what - there is no “perfect time”. Keep telling yourself later, and soon years have passed, the kids have grown older and you are still waiting.

So as hard as traveling with little kids may seem, the wifey and I have done it. A lot. In fact, we brought Ash for his first overseas trip when he was 3 months old! I would be lying if I said everything was plain sailing and without struggles but I have never regretted any trip that we took as a family. All the memories that we made together and all the new experiences we had shared far outweigh the struggles and madness that come with traveling as a family.

Call me crazy but the moment when we are back home, I am already hatching a plan for our next holiday!

But planning for a holiday with the 3 monkies is no easy task. From brainstorming to searching and eventually booking a suitable family vacation that fits our schedule and ticks a few boxes in keeping our (growing) kids interested and entertained can be time consuming.

My number one factor is mainly COST. Because it is definitely not cheap for a family of 5, especially with older kids who no longer qualify for child prices! Yes, both Ash and Ayd have to pay the adult rate for air tickets... and even at buffets! Sob.

And this is what Expedia had in mind when they launched the Expedia Add-On Advantage, which gives travellers the flexibility of booking a flight or package first at your preferred price, before adding on a hotel booking at discounted rates of up to 57% off up till the day of their departure!

I was fortunate enough to be invited as a guest panelist for the launch of Expedia Add-On Advantage in Singapore, where I shared my thoughts, experiences and challenges when it comes to planning a trip with the monkies. But for all the planning and researching that I have done over the years, there is nothing quite like the newly introduced Expedia Add-On Advantage which unlocks a new way to save for your travels.

Here’s how you can unlock hotel savings with the Expedia Add-On Advantage:

1. Visit Expedia.com.sg or download the Expedia app to look for a flight or package. (Psst... if you make your purchase via the app, you get DOUBLE Expedia points)

2. After securing your flight and completing your booking, hotel discounts are unlocked with Expedia Add-On Advantage.

3. Without the pressure of having to race against time to book a hotel, you can return at any time up until your day of travel to book unlimited number of hotel rooms, to any destination. Do bear in mind that the hotel stay needs to occur within the travel dates of the round-trip flight.

4. Plan, search and book as many times as you want up until the date of your flight to unlock savings up to 57% off with Expedia Add-On Advantage!

I don't know about you, but this sounds like a cost-effective option for not just families, but for anyone for that matter! When I plan my holiday, the first thing I purchase is the air tickets because you know what they say, air ticket prices generally spike as it gets closer to the departure date... especially since we can only get away during the school holidays! Only after I have secured my air tickets, will I take my time to search for the accommodation.

And surprise surprise, it seems that a lot of Singaporeans follow the same steps like me. Heh.

In a recent survey conducted by Brand Expedia with 500 Singaporeans aged 18 and above in June 2018, majority of Singaporean travellers (71%) said that they booked their air tickets and accommodation separately because they prefer more flexibility (66%), need more time to research on accommodation (45%) and think that accommodation prices could be cheaper if they make the booking at a later date (31%).

And when asked about the amount of time they generally spend planning for a one-week holiday, six in 10 Singaporeans said that they spend more than 10 hours planning for their holiday, while three in 10 spend over 30 hours planning for a similar holiday.

WOW, that is a lot of time spent on planning and researching! I do not know whether I had spent over 30 hours planning for our recent trip to Hokkaido but it sure took up a few nights of my time. Speaking of Hokkaido, I did purchase our air tickets via Expedia (#notsponsored) because it just happened that their price was even cheaper than if I had booked directly with the airline.

Pity that the Expedia Add-On Advantage was not launched then because as I found out during the launch event, I can reap HUGE savings when it comes to booking the accommodation through the Expedia Add-On Advantage.

In fact, your stay can even be FREE if you are lucky enough to stumble onto some promotions!

How’s that for value, convenience and flexibility??? 😄

With Expedia Add-On Advantage, I love that it gives me time to compare options with Expedia or with another booking service... knowing that the discounted rates of up to 57% off offered by Expedia are valid up till the day of my departure. Having more options is definitely good.

With that in mind, the December school holidays are coming up...

Hmmm.

Excuse me a minute while I check prices on Expedia. Now where’s my credit card?




For more information, visit www.expedia.com.sg/addonadvantage.