Travel & Holidays Travel hack

Here's one for Sydney....

Sydney travel hack.... use a low balance Opal card to go to the airport.... then never use that card ever again....

What travel tips/hacks do you have?

 

Lunch is all you need everyday while on holiday.

Find a one crack buffet. Load chicken drumsticks as outriggers on the plate, cover with lettuce leaves, then load up.

You've just doubled the capacity of your plate.

 

Too funny I must try that I'm always trying to stack food high at buffets

 

You can do the same with pay by the plate Chinese. Substitute spring rolls for the chicken drums.

 

I lead a sheltered life

 

And you can from memory travel on buses, trains, trams and ferrys on Sundays for $2.50 per person. Not really a travel hack but it's still cheap for Sydney. Using Opal card.

Family Funday Sunday - Tickets | transportnsw.info

 

Mine is an oldie but a goodie. The travel belt.

Not one of those stupid canvas thingies, but a normal belt with a zipper on the back that opens up enough to throw some cash in.

You can usually fit a few grand in there. For short trips it can be enough for the whole thing. For longer trips it is simple insurance. Safe too because it never leaves your sight.

Must love pants though...

 

What about getting back from the airport?

 

I have multiple Opal cards.... they cost nothing.

 

But if the card has a balance less than $18, how do you get through the barrier when you exit the airport station?

 

My thought exactly. Would work the other way going from airport to a station without barriers then just dont tap off, but thats more transit law/fraud than a life hack though

 

Several of those stations on the north side and shire - the catch is that most of those stations are destinational and have no buses nearby to continue the trip.

 

Always book your flights to your actual destination, not somewhere else.

Recently I was considering one of two destinations. I booked the holiday, then booked the flights to the other destination. Fortunately I realised the mistake quickly and was able to get a full refund.

 

The barriers at the airport opened, with the screen showing a -$14 balance in the card.

 

So essentially you just ripped off TransportNSW/Airportlink $14. That's theft not a life hack.

 

Except each time you reload automatically it forces you to put $40 on it, till your balance drops to $10 and it automatically tops up. I think transport nsw has collected enough interest bearing payments from me....

 

I guess the ATO has collected enough taxes from me....so it's OK now for me to dodge taxes?

pinkboy

 

Strong self entitlement attitude

 

If they fix the loopholes....
But it will cost state transit probably another $100,000* in software improvements and it could be rolled out in a later upgrade. You may also see people who can't get through the gates... no good for people cutting it very fine timewise for a flight! Extra stress....

Spoiler

*ok, it may or may not be that much.

 

Always also book your return flight in the correct month. Only realised the day I was supposed to leave!