Vacation

What i do before going and while on that vacation..

Survey flight prices
-I use the sky scanner website. Type in the dates, departure airport and arrival airport, a complete list of airlines that's flying to the destination on that date will pop out. The cheapest to the most expensive. U can  narrow down your ideal flight by  filtering the options like leaving after a certain time/arriving at a certain time, if u prefer direct flights etc..
Obviously it would be tempting and u'll get over excited when u see a cheap ticket/low cost airline flying domestic or say within Europe. but be warned sometimes it does add up with the cost for baggage and to pay using a credit card to almost the same price as a full fledged airline flight cost.
-The cost to travel to the low cost airport which are usually further, thus costing more.
So take all of this into account to select the best flight

-I check whether a travel fair is coming up : Matta fair, Malaysia Airlines travel fair.
Don't wait till the usually 3 day fair itself to grab cheap tickets, go online everyday to the airline's website a week before, leading up to the weekend to get cheap prices in the convenience and comfort of home. U wouldn't want to miss out on the cheap seats if you wait : no more available dates of your choice.

Accomodation
My go to hotel search engine: Booking.com. I find it more straightforward and clear compared to the rest.
I go for the non refundable room rate which is always a bargain.
Before i book, i check out the reviews and check out the pictures previous travelers posted at the hotel's trip advisor review page. I dont trust the pictures from these hotel search engines or the hotel website, because for sure the hotel would supply their best pictures/lay out for the rooms they advertise.
Location of the hotel is important to me. has to be close to places of interest; restaurants etc..save on transportation cost.

Mode of transport during your vacation.
 Most big cities operates the hop on hop off tourist bus.
I find it very convenient to get your bearings of the city you're visiting. You stop at any of the bus stops
along the route and hop on the next available bus when you're done exploring the area/tourist spot you've stopped at. Always cheaper to get the 2 days pass in advance rather than bought separately.This option is cheaper than taking a taxi everywhere but maybe pricier than the metro or public bus. But the public transport like the metro n public buses are riddled with sticky fingers aka pick pockets. So i tend to avoid if possible.

Book entrance/admission tickets online/advance
Save yourself the hassle of queuing up to buy tickets at the door which can waste a lot of precious time.

Exchange rate
Cheaper to withdraw money from atm's at your destination rather than changing at our local money changers. Please check out the fee for each withdrawal before doing so (usually still cheaper than changing money locally) But of course you'd have to have cash in hand before travelling.

Research on halal restaurants

Practice precautions
Do your homework on the local cultures to avoid offending the locals.
Research the city you're visiting if you know your destination is known to have pickpockets, scams etc..
I make copies of my passport and cards to make things easier if in the unfortunate event that i lose my passport, it'll make things easier to have a copy and bring it to our embassy to get a temporary passport.
Use a money belt.
Cafes and restaurants right smack in the centre of tourist spots/areas will cost  3-4 times more than you'd pay at cafes and restaurants located off the beaten path, or 2-3 blocks away.

Last but not least:
Remember to enjoy and do what the locals do. Be adventurous. Go for a good show/opera/flamenco dance/theatre. Try the local food (if halal for muslims)
You never know when u'll get the opportunity to return.