Who doesn’t like travelling? Everyone wants to just get away from their hectic daily life and really live it up. But let’s face it, the various costs associated with traveling tends to make us rethink plans, just because we can’t afford it at the moment.
Travelling is undeniably an expensive affair, but, with the right approach, you can finally afford to take your dream vacation. We have made a list of a few things that can help you bring down your travel costs and vacation without any stress.
Plan a Proper Budget
The important thing to remember while planning a travel budget is to be realistic. Making a detailed list of all the possible expenses you are planning to make, helps a great deal. This can help you understand where you could end up overspending on things.
Preparing a budget is not a definitive answer to your problems. You actually have to stick to that budget. Apart from knowing how to pamper yourself during the trip, it is also a good approach to know exactly when to save and when to splurge.
Time Your Travel to Perfection
Make the effort to get the cheapest flight possible to your destination. You can find different airfares for the same destination. These fares generally differ on the day of the week you plan to travel e.g. you will see that airfares are usually cheaper on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
In addition to this, planning ahead can also help you save money on your airfare. If you book your air tickets say 50 days in advance, you can get a discounted price for the ticket. Having said this, you could even get discounted air tickets if you decide to travel to your destination during off season when not many tourists are flocking to the place.
Avoid Staying at City Centres
If your accommodation has a view facing the most popular tourist attraction, chances are that you are going to rack up quite a bill. Also, most of the times, such places are cramped and just not worth what you’re paying for them.
A more budget-friendly alternative would be to go for accommodation beyond the city limits. Moreover, you can consider looking for places on websites like Airbnb to get the best possible deals. An alternative to getting lucrative discounts is to book hotels using your travel credit cards. You could earn air miles on your bookings, discounted stays, or even both!
Consider Your Accommodation Options
We understand that it is easy to go for a hotel chain just because it is very popular and have seemingly attractive discount opportunities online. You should also consider several other options that can help hugely to save a considerable amount of money while traveling.
If you don’t have any children and are traveling alone, you can consider going to a hostel. The simple reason being, they are much cheaper than hotels. They also give you the experience of meeting and socializing with people visiting from all over the world. If shared accommodation is not up to your alley, you could even rent a private room at these hostels that are cheaper than rooms at hotels.
If you are someone who likes their privacy and the idea of staying in a hostel doesn’t seem attractive to you, you can always consider going for a vacation property rental. Granted, the cost of renting a property might match that off staying in a hotel, but, you have the freedom of cooking your own food. This way, you can possibly save some money on food while traveling.
Look for Tourist Places You can Enjoy for Free
This is where thorough research really comes in handy. This might help you find all the fun activities in your destination that you can do for free or at a minimum cost. There are things called community calendars that you can go through to find out all the fun activities that you can attend. Main tourist attractions often cost a bomb and may not meet your expectations either given the hype on social media these days!
Be Thrifty With Your Commute
It is advisable to avoid using airport cabs, as they can be a very expensive affair. Before you go to any destination, research about the public transportation available that can help you save money on travel. Public transportation generally is the most affordable mode of transport. This way you can save a considerable amount of money on your travels and enjoy the local culture while at it.
Another way to get around the destination is to rent a car. But before that, it is good to research the different prices and get the cheapest one. There are a number of car rental mobile applications on which you can compare all the available options.
Again, this is where your credit card can come in handy too. Many card issuers offer discounts on car rentals across the world such as Hertz, Avis, and more.
Save Money on Food
While traveling, it is completely understandable to splurge on food and try and taste everything the destination has to offer. Food is a major part of any travel experience and budget and can amount to quite a lot of money spent. There are a few things you can do to save money on food:
- Eat where the locals do.
- Book accommodation with complimentary breakfast.
- Carry snacks with you for the trip.
- Make use of restaurant reservation applications to find lucrative discounts on food bills.
- Explore the street cuisine.
- Eat at least one meal from the hotel.
- Avoid eating at areas near popular tourist places.
By following these tips, you might be able to save a lot of money on food and thus bring down your traveling costs.
Know Your Exchange Rates
Money exchange rates are something that is subject to change every day, so it is very important to know how much your currency is worth. It is very beneficial to keep a track of the currency rates a few months in advance. This way you can exchange your currency when the rate has a considerable drop, thereby saving money in the future before the cost increases.
Further, you should avoid buying currency at the airport because they have a higher exchange rate, thereby minimizing your value of money, literally in this case. You should consider contacting the bureau in advance to get a better deal.
While planning your travel for cheap, the one thing you shouldn’t skimp on is getting travel insurance. Travel has its perks but a single mishap during your journey can cost you heavily. If your travel is to a nearby destination and for a short duration, you could consider the complimentary travel insurance that comes with your travel credit card. This is another way to minimize (or in this case, eliminate) this cost.
Otherwise, you could compare travel insurance policies online and choose one that addresses your needs the best. Purchasing your policy online can even get you some pretty sweet discounts where you could end up paying next to nothing and still be covered.
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