Using Proxy Switching Web Apps to Save on Travel

Update 5/14/2016:

I just used the same trick to save over $200 on two New Zealand inter-island plane tickets.

NZ Air with normal USA internet connection: $336

NZ Air with web app set to NZ local internet: $123

I know I'm late to the game for IP masking applications.  People have been using international browser add-ons to stream Netflix in order to gain access to shows and movies that are available in say, Brazil, but aren't in the USA.  People use them to stream BBC from non-UK computers.  Until today, the idea had never occurred to me that they can also be used to save major cash on international travel.

It all began when I decided to book a scenic rail trip in New Zealand.  We know we're going to be exhausted after almost 40 hours of traveling, so why not start with a relaxing all-day rail journey through the beautiful New Zealand landscape?  I went on the rail website and was slightly taken aback by the high one-way fares  $179 NZD per person.  That's a total of about $500 US dollars!  After doing some searching around for promo codes in the hope that I might be able to save 10-20% on fares, I found multiple references to a site called The Man in Seat 61.  What a goldmine of information!  The site has lots of great tips about rail and ferry travel in specific countries, and he recommended a Chrome extension called "Hola!"

Here's a link to the web article.  I won't go into details.  Let the numbers below do the talking.

When I accessed the rail booking site, these were my only price options: 

After activating "Hola!", I selected New Zealand as the country I was browsing from.  I knew I was in virtual New Zealand because a cute little NZ flag appeared in the top right corner of my browser!  When I went back to the booking site and re-selected the itinerary I wanted, all of a sudden the lower price fares were no longer hidden!  Just by using a free Chrome extension, I have saved $320 NZ dollars, or about $220 US dollars!

All of this being said, I could have called the rail company directly and booked the cheaper "Starter" fare over the phone (notice the WebStarter is only available online).  Apparently all non-web rates are available to anyone but for some reason if you're making a reservation from a computer that isn't in New Zealand they only display the partially and fully refundable tickets.  I guess I can sort of understand.  International travelers are probably more likely to want some sort of reimbursement guarantee in case their trip gets canceled or modified.

I hope others find this tip useful.  If not for travel, then maybe for streaming French Netflix ;)

Do be warned:  These kind of apps can make your computer defenses vulnerable so I recommend that users keep them deactivated unless they are actually being used.