Budget Travel Webpage

Travel may not be an expensive leisure activity. It all depends on how you plan, how much time you spend planning your vacation, where you look for the best deals, the time you choose to travel and some frugal sense.

Check out the following ideas to save money on the road:

1. Look for alternative accommodations. Accommodation can be very expensive, especially hotels. Two good alternatives are hostels and apartment rentals. People think hostels are only for young backpackers and think of these as places where you’d have to share bathrooms. Well that’s not really true. Hostels offer private rooms with their own bathroom, wireless, and towels which are of course slightly more expensive than dormitory lodging and way cheaper than what hotels charge. You can find some of the amenities you’ll find in any hotel at half the price. They have a wide range of rooms to suit all types of travellers so don’t overlook them! (Read my post on “Hostel Accommodation’)

If the private room with attached bathroom in hostels you are looking up are fully booked (bear in mind they have limited private rooms in hostels) you can still stand a chance at budget hotels which offers the same amenities as the higher end hotels at a lower price.

On the other hand, apartment rentals are another option. Why not stay in fully furnished apartments while you are on vacation? Apartments are especially great for traveling families. They come with all the normal apartment amenities — kitchen, laundry room, and TV. If you plan to spend five or more days in a city, these are great cost effective alternatives to hotels. If you plan to travel during low peak season, you can save a lot on accommodation.

2. Learn to negotiate. Times are tough for the travel industry. If you must seek the services of a travel agent, use this to your advantage by asking for free upgrades or negotiating lower rates. You may be surprised by how accommodating any travel agent can be.

3. Think before you use your credit card. Should you use travel credit card? If you are a frequent traveller and are comfortable with carrying credit cards, specialty cards that help you earn free miles or allow you to secure free or very cheap lodging at otherwise higher priced hotels it may be worth to use the card. If you don’t have such deals, then you are better off not using credit cards. A debit card will do or alternatively change enough cash in your local money changer’s to avoid paying more than you should at your destination. 

4. Book flights in advance. Airlines are always the most expensive part of a trip. Booking 6 to 8 weeks before you leave will ensure the best price. The airline pricing system penalises last minute tickets as well as more advanced bookings. Moreover, always book a return trip: you’ll get a better deal that way too. There will be last minute deals available but unless you want to take a huge risk, it is wiser to book in advance.

5. Always visit the tourist office. These offices have all the information you need on the place or city you are visiting including the latest deals and discounts and free events happening in the city.

6. Get a City Pass. City passes give you full access to city attractions and transport for less. If you like to see museums or visit historic sites, then entrance fees can add up pretty quickly. It is much cheaper to get a city pass which will usually give you free entry into the majority of a city’s attractions and unlimited use of the public transport in the city for a day.

7. Opt to eat out for lunch and eat in for dinner. It’s much better and relatively cheaper to have a set lunch than dinner. You can make your own sandwich for dinner by purchasing bread and cheese, lettuce and cold cuts from the grocers. The money saved can be used for other purposes such as transport or paying for entry to tourist attractions.  

8. Stay connected for free. Do you need to check your emails while you travel? You can always get free access to the internet in libraries and free wi-fi in most cafes or fast food restaurants like McDonald’s. Check out the city’s wi-fi zones where you can plug in for free.

There are a variety of ways to save money when you go on vacation. It takes simple planning, research, frugality and thinking outside of the box. Oh yes and also some self-restraint like not buying unnecessary things while you are abroad. Check your priorities and stick to them.  

Tags: money saving strategies on holiday, money saving tips for the traveller, save money while you travel