Hey there Reader,

We’re still loving Saigon — eating well, socializing lots, and hustling this week to get ready for our trip back home to spoil our mums over Christmas.

On the health front, I had a setback with what I thought was a promising treatment from the Allergy and Immunology department at one of the university hospitals that specializes in traditional medicine. Unfortunately, it knocked me out of action for almost a week, but no worries — I’ll get back on the horse and try the next option once we return from Oz.

The big shock this week has been changes to Trusted Housesitters, our preferred housesitting platform. Members are not happy with the new booking fees and updated terms and conditions, and they’ve also cut the discount we can offer you after December 30.

I’ve sat back, watched the furore, read all arguments from both sides, and weighed our position as both frequent sitters and affiliate partners, especially how it impacts on our future travels.

More on bith the ethical and practical conclusion I’ve come to in the Travel Plans section.

On the money front, I’ve finalized our annual banking review and switched up our preferred payment methods — including adding new debit card to the arsenal that we'll pick up while we're back home. See more in Travel Tips.

I’ve also included lessons from our London AI itinerary experiment, along with insights from Frances, the friend I developed the itinerary for. Between her experience and mine, one clear tip emerged — AI can be brilliant for structure, but human tweaks make all the difference.

And in Travel Resources, you’ll find our replacement for Skype now that landline support has been turned off.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Christmas and New Year. I’ll be concentrating on spoiling my mum for the next two weeks, so the next full edition will be out once we’re back in Saigon in Early 2026.

In This Week's Issue:

Top Stories in Travel This Week​

​Time-Sensitive Travel Deals

​Travel Tips: Lessons From The Road​

​Travel Plans: What's Ahead​

​Travel Resources: Worth a Look​

​A Quick Favor

📰 Top Stories in Travel this Week

👮 Thailand moves to curb repeat visa‑free entries​
It’s hard to keep up with the Thai visa changes and updates. It appears authorities are now looking to stop those quick border hops, which have become a common way for people to extend their stay without getting a longer-term visa.
👉 Thailand to curb repeat visa‑free entries​

Sharyn’s take: Understandable, I guess, as it’s become common practice — but it does mean travelers should check their visa options early and plan ahead rather than rely on border runs.

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🦹‍♂️ Holiday scams: how to avoid them​
Our bank (Macquarie Bank) has shared timely advice on spotting and preventing scams this holiday season, with a simple three‑step security health check.
👉 Your three‑step security health check​

Sharyn’s take: Worth a read — scams spike over the holidays, and prevention is always cheaper than recovery.

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🌐 Privacy concerns at home: Efforts to Enforce Digital ID & The New Social Media Ban in Australia​
If the new social media ban for under‑16s in Australia feels like overreach and a cynical effort to enforce a digital ID for everyone, this article shares possible ways you might get around such restrictions, plus a few other tips to protect your privacy online and safeguard your information.
👉 Tips to enhance online privacy​

Sharyn’s take: IMO, social media vetting is a parental responsibility, not the government’s. Under‑16s will probably be the first to figure out how to get around the ban — and meanwhile, it’ll be us oldies left proving our maturity just to access our Facebook page! Our VPNs will be on for our entire visit back home over Xmas, not because we expect to be flagged by Australia’s ePolice, but because it’s the principle of the thing. (Grumpy old woman signing off!)

💸 Top Deals

✈️ Cover‑More x Virgin Australia

Timeline: Now – 31 Dec 2025 (T&Cs apply

Offer: Win international return flights for two!

Use PROMO CODE: FLYAWAY when you buy Cover‑More travel insurance to enter the draw.

👉 Get A Travel Insurance Quote​

🐱 Trusted Housesitters

Timeline: Our discount code drops to 15% on December 30 — so get in now!

OFFER: 25% discount OFF all Plans (Sitter, Home Owner & Combined Memberships)

👉 Use This Link to Get the Discount Applied - OR

Join for FREE first, take a look around, and USE CODE: TRAVLBUG25 at checkout if you decide to join.

Sharyn’s take: This is the ONLY place you'll get this 25% discount now as I've had to change them all over on the website before we head home for XMAS on Friday. And please read our blurb under Travel Plans first before joining, so you know about the latest changes.

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👉 Looking for savings beyond flash sales? Check out our Evergreen Deals page for year‑round offers.

🛠 Travel Tips: Lessons From the Road

💲Ways to Pay on the Road

When it comes to money on the road, backups aren’t just about carrying a spare card — they’re about having different ways to pay. Physical cards, e‑cards, debit, credit, and bank transfer options all play a role, and knowing which one to use in each circumstance can save you money, stress, and even get you perks.

As mentioned back in the February 25th Newsletter, an annual review of payment options is important because banking options change regularly and you might be missing out on significant savings!!!

Here’s how we structure ours atm:

💡 Note: Some, but not all of these, are the best options we’ve found for Australians only. But wherever you're from, the key is lowest or no fees to open and operate the account, no forex or ATM fees, strong security, and convenience for secure online payments.

1 CBA Ultimate Credit Card – Our main credit card.

• Free travel insurance (saving us over 2000$ per year),
• No foreign exchange fees, and
• Earns points.
• Even if we were paying the monthly fee ($35 AUD if you spend under $4,000 per month), it would be worth it just for the travel insurance alone — but ours is waived under a package we already had with the bank.

2 Latitude 2Degrees Mastercard – Now our backup credit card.

• No foreign exchange fees.
• We earn rewards (which I've just swapped for a 120$ BWS gift card for our trip home)
• It now has an $8 monthly fee, but they are waiving that for 12 months for new accounts + up to $500 rewards.
• Worth noting that they’ve waived the fee for us for another 12 months (total 24) so ask if they’ll do the same for you if you already have an account.

3 Macquarie Bank Transaction Account – Our main debit card nowadays.

• No overseas ATM withdrawal fees,
• Pays interest on the balance (and very competitive rates on the attached savings account),
• It’s free to open and operate an account and to get a physical card.
• The dedicated authenticator app, also provides peace-of mind.

4 WISE Visa Card – Our go‑to for online payments and transfers.

• Free ATM withdrawals each month,
• The ability to generate an e‑card for online purchases
• Low‑cost transfers in countries like Vietnam, Bangladesh, and India which reduces our need for expensive cash withdrawals.
• It also lets us collect payments in foreign currencies, saving both us and our clients fees.
• You can hold multiple currencies in one account — we keep AUD, EUR, USD, GBP, and more — and switch between them easily saving on exchange fees.
• Security is excellent too: A good choice of 2FA options and you can freeze and unfreeze any card in seconds.

(Both Wise and Revolut charge a nominal fee for physical cards, but our referral link waives that fee for Wise.)

👉 Sign up with our Wise link here for free and get either your physical card fee waived, or your first 1000$ transfer fee-free.

5 Revolut Visa Card – Our extra backup debit card now. It has slightly less favorable rates to Wise, but is more accepted and has perks in some countries. It's:

• Easy to hook up to PAYID and other online point‑of‑sale systems
• Generate disposable Mastercards for one‑off payments, and
• Use for direct debits where terms and conditions make that the better deal.
• Transfers between Revolut Users are free, which is really handy as there are lots of them!
• Revolut has also just added an extra security feature called street mode, which is quite cool.
• They offer a free account plus two higher‑tier subscriptions with functionality we don’t really need (but you might), but the free option works well as a backup.

👉 Check out Revolut if you’d like to test it as a debit card option.

The crux: Don’t just carry backups — know where each card is most useful. That’s what keeps us covered and confident, whether it’s a big bank transfer, a secure online purchase, or a quick fee-free ATM withdrawal.

💡 Using AI for Itineraries

When our friend Frances was heading to London in September, she asked for input, knowing we’re regular visitors. I thought it would be fun to test AI for the job as a bit of a case study.

I used Grok as the main engine, with side checks from Copilot, and fed in her list of must‑see attractions plus one key stipulation: the itinerary had to be stair‑free due to a medical condition.

My initial prompt asked for a quintessential 5‑day London itinerary, grouping attractions by area to reduce transport and walking, and including non‑negotiables like Westminster Abbey, the British Museum, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Covent Garden, Harrods, and more from her list. I also asked for suggestions on unique places to rest and refresh along the way.

There was plenty of back‑and‑forth. The AI got confused about a couple of attractions, and I had to manually adjust the order and timing because some suggestions simply wouldn’t work if you know London.

Frances added her own input, and together we ended up with a solid 5‑day plan. We swapped out one destination, added another, and compared ticketing options — individual tickets won out for her needs, though a city pass like this one would have been better value in other scenarios. (FYI - GoCity has a 20% sale on at the moment for all passes) She booked skip‑the‑line tickets, hop‑on hop‑off bus, and guided tours through GetYourGuide, which we highly recommend.

Frances’s verdict:

“It was our first time to London, and even though I had read the Rick Steves guidebooks, I was unsure how to organize our 5‑day itinerary. Sharyn used her expertise and AI to create a spreadsheet with links and grouped sites by area, which made planning straightforward. Skip‑the‑line tickets helped us avoid queues. We missed two attractions — one day was too packed, and another we chose to spend revisiting favorites instead of heading to Windsor.”

My takeaway:​
Overall, AI was definitely a help. I couldn’t have pulled it together so quickly without it.

But — and this is the big caveat — AI is only as good as the information it pulls from the internet. If that info is wrong, your itinerary will be wrong. Unless you know the destination well, it’s hard to spot. That’s why I always personally complete any itineraries we post on our site, so I can vouch for the details. An example is this 1-day self-guided tour around HCMC.

I’m also learning that the quality of the result you get from AI really depends on how well you prompt it. I’m getting pretty slick at those these days — and I’ll be sharing my process in our upcoming AI Itinerary Planning Guide once I finalize my Hong Kong itinerary in January.

Here are some handy hints for using AI itineraries successfully

• ✅ Double‑check critical details (bus routes, accessibility, opening hours) against official sources like government or museum websites.
• 🗺️ Lay it out on a map (Google Lists is great) to catch logistical hiccups before you travel.
• 🎟️ Compare ticketing options — city passes vs. individual tickets — based on your actual must‑sees.
• 🕰️ Don’t overpack days — leave room for spontaneity, because the best memories often come from detours.
• 👀 Use AI for structure, not gospel — treat it like a draft, then refine with local knowledge and reputable sources.
• ✍️ Prompts matter — the clearer and more detailed your instructions, the better the itinerary. I’ll share step‑by‑step guidance on crafting effective prompts in my upcoming guide.

🗺 Travel Plans: What’s Ahead

No changes to our upcoming travel plans this week — but we’ve had to seriously re‑evaluate how we use Trusted Housesitters (THS) after their latest round of changes.

🚨 The big shock: THS has introduced a new per‑sit fee for everyone except Premium members. At around 18 AUD per sit, it doesn’t matter if it’s a one‑night stay or a three‑month gig. Unsurprisingly, the social forums are running hot with furious members, many vowing to leave the platform.

📉 Public backlash: On review sites, the damage is already showing. Trustpilot scores have dropped from 4.4 to 3.6 (out of 5), and are likely to sink further if the campaign by disgruntled members on Reddit and Facebook forums gains traction.

💸 Discount cut: The 25% discount code we’ve always been able to offer readers and students has been reduced to 15% — and that only after I pushed hard to keep it.

Add in new terms and conditions that push all risks back onto sitters and homeowners, plus a “technical glitch” that forced users to accept those terms before they could even read them, and it felt like a kick in the teeth. Their communication around big changes is, frankly, abysmal.

⚖️ Reality check: THS is simply a matching platform, introducing sitters to homeowners. What makes housesitting rewarding is the relationship between sitter and homeowner (and their pets) — not the company. The platform doesn’t need to be involved 99% of the time, which is why the new booking fee sticks in my craw. They’re charging for work they don’t actually do.

Where I’ve Landed

1. Revise our materials honestly. The Housesitter’s Roadmap and related content will now reflect my displeasure with THS’s direction, while still acknowledging the reality: at the moment, there aren’t many alternatives if you want sits outside the main hubs (UK, USA, AUS, NZ, Canada, Mexico). If you only want to sit in those hubs, cheaper location‑specific platforms like Aussie, UK, NZ Housesitters etc. are a better choice. I have discount codes for almost all of THS’s competitors and will continue to share and promote them.
2. Stick to our process. We’ll keep focusing on beautiful homes with low‑maintenance pets in destinations we want to visit. Thanks to our screening and application system, we have no trouble getting chosen for those really desirable sits — the ones everyone wants. However, if the forums are to be believed, many experienced sitters with strong reviews and homeowner contacts like us are starting to organize sits off‑platform or moving to competitors. That may reduce competition for the top listings on THS, but it also means newcomers need to be sharper than ever in how they present themselves. Having a slick process and knowing how to stand out is the difference between being overlooked and being chosen first — and that’s exactly what we teach step‑by‑step in the Housesitters Roadmap.
3. Support competition. Right now, there’s a golden opportunity for competitors to scoop up disgruntled THS members and expand. As a content creator, I’ll do everything I can to help those platforms succeed. Only with real competition will THS be forced to think twice before making moves like this again.

For us, the decision is complicated. Thanks to referral credits, we don’t have to renew until 2037 — so the new fee doesn’t hit us directly. But it’s the principle that matters. 18$ is nothing compared to the cost of a room in London, Paris, or Singapore. We'd still save thousands every year. What stings is the lack of respect for members and the way changes are communicated.

So, while we’ll continue using THS for now — simply because they have the most listings in destinations where alternatives don’t exist — I’ll be rooting hard for anyone who steps up to challenge them and joining up if they meet our needs.

💡 Reader Tip​
If, after that rant, you’re still thinking of joining THS, use the links and instructions I added to the deals section this week BEFORE December 30.

And if you expect to do more than about 10 sits, or engage a sitter for more than 10, join as a Premium member to avoid the per‑sit fee. (There are some other benefits too like lounge passes and sit cancellation insurance.) For less than 10 or you don't want the extras, Basic or Standard is fine.

📩 Want more?​
The full list of alternative housesitting sites and discount codes is included as part of the bonus materials in the Housesitters Roadmap as a PDF. I'm currently confirming they are all still valid and trying to source a few more. If you’d like a copy, just reply to this email newsletter and I’ll send it through once I get that sorted, which should be very soon.

📚 Travel Resources: Worth A Look

✈️ Kiwi.com Nomad Tool

Nomad is Kiwi.com’s new tool that takes the stress out of planning multi‑city trips. Just enter the destinations you want to visit, and it automatically calculates the cheapest route — usually by flights, though it advertises that it will insert buses or trains where cheaper. In reality, it always suggests flights, even on routes where ground transport could make sense. The database leans heavily on airports and major hubs, so smaller towns or purely overland journeys won’t appear.

👉 Try Nomad here by selecting "Nomad" rather than Return, O/Way or multi city.

Sharyn’s take: You don’t have to book through Kiwi — It's always worth cross‑checking prices direct with airlines or other platforms like our favorite Trip.com. I tested it from HCMC with stops in Brisbane, KL, Warsaw, Malta, and finishing in London, and the options it gve made sense based on my experience.

But it’s clear Nomad is a flight‑first tool. I wouldn’t bother using it between smaller destinations (e.g., Brisbane-Towoomba-Sunshine Coast) — you’ll end up with ridiculous routings. Stick to the major legs, and plan the smaller hops separately with local bus/train/ferry providers (think Trainline, FlixBus, or 12Go).

For stitching together complex flight itineraries, though, Nomad saves serious time and hassle.

📞 Yolla — Affordable Calls to Landlines & Mobiles

Yolla is a calling app that lets you make cheap international calls to landlines and mobile numbers worldwide. It’s an excellent replacement for Skype, which no longer supports landline calling. Yolla works over Wi‑Fi or mobile data, and you can top up credit directly in the app. Rates are competitive, and it’s designed for travelers who still need to reach banks, airlines, or family members who aren’t on WhatsApp or Messenger.

👉 Explore Yolla here​

Sharyn’s take: Now that Skype has dropped landline support, we’ve switched to Yolla as our go‑to for those calls, and it’s been seamless. I wouldn’t use it for everyday messaging — WhatsApp and FB Messenger still win there for us — but for those moments when you need to call a travel insurance or bank help desk, government office, or your elderly (non-smartphone) mum’s landline back home, Yolla is a cheap and convenient tool to have in the arsenal. For example, calls to Australia cost us a mere 2 cents (AUD) per minute.

🌱 What’s Working for Me (and might for you too)

💧 La Roche‑Posay Cicaplast Balm B5+ — Barrier Repair with Prebiotics​
Living with eczema‑prone skin while traveling can be tough, especially in humid climates or when routines get disrupted. Under the guidance of a doctor at HCMC University Hospital who specializes in herbal medicine and non‑steroidal allergy care, I started using La Roche‑Posay’s updated Cicaplast Balm B5+. This version adds Tribioma, a prebiotic complex that helps rebalance the skin’s microbiome while restoring the moisture barrier. Combined with panthenol (vitamin B5) and Madecassoside, it’s been one of the few creams so far that actually makes daily life more comfortable as we work through longer‑term solutions to my allergy issues.

👉 Check out Cicaplast Balm B5+​

Sharyn’s take: It’s not a miracle cure, but it’s practical, accessible in most countries, and worth packing if your skin flares or gets dry easily on the road.

Want to connect between newsletters? Find us on Facebook & Instagram for daily updates and behind‑the‑scenes stories.”

That's all for now.

🍷 Until next time, may your flights be smooth, your banking hacks pay off, and your holiday hugs last longer than the queues.

Tim and Sharyn

PS. If you enjoy receiving this newsletter, please feel free to BUY US A BEVERAGE. 😉 ☕🫖🍻🍷

Every $ helps keep us motivated and the show on the road.

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Tim and Sharyn Sharing our passion for independent budget travel Email: timshazz@catchourtravelbug.com Website: https://catchourtravelbug.com ​Facebook Instagram​

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