While travel can refresh or fill you with energy, it can also empty your pockets. People save for years, to go on a trip to destination of their fantasies. Almost everybody who travels make budget estimates before leaving, unless you are a Millionaire. But down on ground it gets ugly, when your spending’s exceed the budget, and drains your savings. The biggest pain for frequent travelers still remains, how to save money on Trips, how not to develop guilt for having spent too much. Here we have created a list of tips that might help you in saving big bucks during trips.
Be the early Bird – All of the travel plans are usually planned much ahead of time, unless you are lazy enough or crazy enough. Make use of this timing and book your tickets beforehand in cheaper prices. The nearer your booking date and travel dates are, more prices you will be subjected to pay. Also try to narrow down on making bookings for Wednesday. It is the day when flight prices are lowest.
Always have a Budget – The golden rule of travelling is to always make a budget before you head out. You got to be clear how much you are going to spend on hotels, how much you are going to spend on food, how much you are going to spend on commute, and how much you are going to spend on shopping. A budget will control your hand in spending and you will not be disappointed at your bank balance after the trip.
Seasonable and Reasonable – Plan your travel dates on off season for that destination. There are many advantages of it. You will get Hotels at Cheap Price. There will be less rush in the destination which means smoother travel experiences. Taxi tariffs will drop in these times, which means less spend on commute. There will also likely be discounts on local shops and souvenirs shops, which is good.
Get the financial idea of the destination – It will require lots of research but it will also save you lots of money. Researching before hand that how much does an average meal costs at your destination will give you an idea what to expect. Same goes on with cabs, hotels, and other stuff like souvenirs shopping. There are tons of online resources that will give you some hint, or you can always ask around.
Carry some snacks from home – In cases when it is a long trip before you reach your destination you are bound to feel hungry in the flight, or even in the cab if it is a road trip. Buying food from planes or from popular highways heading to popular destinations can be a costly affair. The expense might not be very much, but they can add up to a huge amount. So carry some snacks from home.
Pack Lightly – The more luggage you have the more expenses you will have to bear. Imagine carrying two suitcases with you when you are travelling. Will you ever be comfortable taking a ride on public transport with that much of luggage. The answer will always be no, and you will be compelled to book a cab which will result in more expenses. Plus did you forget the charges by planes on extra luggage.
Cherry Picking – If you want to explore a beach for this vacation, you can chose destinations that are closer and cheaper. For example, to explore beaches you can go to Miami, Goa, Maldives, Phuket, or Fiji. Going to Miami might cost you just double than visiting to Maldives or Phuket. I have given the hint, rest choice is yours. Though if you wish to explore particular City or Country, then I rest my case.
City to City – Your itinerary for a particular country might involve visiting many cities. This gives you a choice on how to commute between them, by taking a cab, or travelling through local transport (Train, Bus). If you don’t have local transport option, then that’s the way. But if they do, you can save some good bucks. All the major destinations in the world are very well connected with public transport.
Where home currency is strong – Yes there will always be countries that have weaker economic status than your home country, unless your home country is at the bottom of the food chain. Make use of it and travel to low cost countries where you will get advantage on the currency exchange. This way you can save a lot of money, and still be able to explore some great destinations.
Expensive destinations must be off your list – Always remember that your plan is to save money while travelling and it is only going to happen when you will visit some economical destinations. If while choosing the destination you pick New York, Ibiza, or Singapore then your plan is not going to work out as these destination and many like these are costly by default no matter how many hacks you adopt.
Public Advantage – Try finding Public Hotspots and make use of free Wi-fi. Especially when you mood is to surf web for long hours. You will these free services in Coffee Shops, Hotels, Library, Stations, Airports, Restaurants, etc. Use google to find the nearest Public Hotspot and chill. This is the best way of saving some bucks on things that aren’t vital to your travel as data charges on roaming are high.
Hotel Rentals – If you are travelling in a large group then avoid using hotels avoid using hotels and prefer renting an apartment or AirBnB in such cases. You will save a lot. This is not the only advantage but you will also get ample amount of freedom to spend your days in the choice of your destination in the way you want. If you are a party person then there will be no hotel rules to strict you from fun.
Half Blood traveler – Ever heard of Working Holiday VISA, if not find out right now whether your country of destination has such scheme for country of your residence. Go on a holiday, work for couple of odd hours and enjoy the rest of the day. There are many jobs that you can do, such as English tutoring, content services, part time DJ or a bar tender. Chances are you will earn what you spend.
Card to bank on – You might not be fully aware, but your Credit cards and Debit cards have partnership with various vendors like cafes, restaurants, fashion brands, hotels to provide attractive offers to their customer. You are the one. Before travel visit your card provider bank and check what partners they have in the destination you are headed to. If your bank is well connected then expect to save a lot.
Odd Hours – It happens one in hundred time that you enter the Hotel at Check in time and exit at check-out time, for rest of the cases you end up paying at least one day tariff extra. The remedy is to find a hotel that has 24 hours checkout time. It will be hard to find, but will save you a days worth in hotel. In most of the hotel booking portals you will find a filter to select such hotels, or the best way that is also a little old school is to call the hotel reception and ask them manually.
Touristy spots that are free – We know everything that comes for free while travelling can be boring especially if it is a tourist spot. But we are also not saying that stuff your itinerary with all the free spots. Everyday make room for one or two free spots. There are many museums and public parks which will allow you a free entry, and you never know it might turn out better than others.
Stick to few destinations – If you are travelling to some different state in your country or if you are travelling to some foreign country, you will always be tempted to cover more and more destinations within a single trip, which is a bad idea. The more you are going to move, the more you are going to spend. Rather stick to some couple of destinations, explore them completely and save bucks.
Why to fine dine while travelling – Unless there is some special occasion while you are travelling, refrain yourself from fine dining experiences, except if some popular restaurant is on your bucket list. Fine dining means lots of expenses. Plus when you are in a different destination, why not try the local food at local places and eateries along with people from that destination. Its a better experience.
Hostels are good options to stay – If you are travelling solo, then prefer booking a hostel rather than hotel. Trust me you are not only going to save a lot but also enjoy a lot. You will meet some like minded travelers that are on a budget trip, and you can also indulge in some group activities offered by the management of the hostels you are staying in. You will also kill the feeling of travelling alone.
Solo is good, but double is better – Unless this trip of yours is a solo trip, try to tag along a friend of yours with the trip. It will be a financially good move apart from getting some good company. You will be able top split the expenses like staying in hotel, or commute in cabs which is a majority of the expense that you occur in any trip. Plus you will kill any room available for boredom.
Keep the Caravan Moving – When traveling from one city to another, or one place to another, provided the journey is 6 to 10 hours, prefer travelling in Night. There are many advantages to it. You can sleep while you travel with killing the boredom of long commute, and you will also save a Night’s Hotel Tariff. In cases where you are genuinely interested in viewing the beauty of country side, travel in day.
Trust me and be Loyal – If you are a frequent traveler, please don’t take Loyalty Programs lightly. Be it for Airways, Hotels, Restaurants, Cafes, fashion stores, etc. Try to register to loyalty programs from Multi national brands that have outlets in most of the countries around the World. When you will travel in some far fetched location and get some 10 to 20 percent extra discount, you will love it.
A bank account for travel – It might sound silly to open a bank account only for travel, but this is a very good practice especially when you are travelling internationally. It is also applicable if your current bank company doesn’t has a huge network of banks in world and the ATM network. Some global banks might be a better alternative offering lesser transaction fee while travelling.
Haggling is good in tourist destinations – Pick up any popular tourist destination and you will see that the prices of even common items is higher there than the neighboring cities. It is a characteristic of any tourist destination that the prices of items are hiked. So do not be afraid of haggling and thinking that they are just local businesses. Use your brain and quote the most legit prices of items.
Travel Insurance – It will not cost you a fortune but in case if any unfortunate event happens it will ensure that your money doesn’t goes to the bin. Yes travel insurance is a must. IT should cover your hotel bookings, cab bookings, and flight bookings. Remember to buy an insurance that also covers your health, espoecially when you are travelling to developed nations, as there the healthcare is very costly.
Saving Money is a habit that fuels your Travel Habits !
