How to Spend Less When Traveling
Many people think that travel is a luxury that not everyone can enjoy. For me, this is a misconception because anyone can embark on a journey as long they set their minds to it. If they can set aside even a little amount per paycheck for that once-in-a-lifetime adventure, I think that anything is possible. If you’re still worried about budget constraints, here are some ways on how you can spend less during travel.
Stay with a Friend
If you have a good friend who is based in that country or place you are planning to visit, reach out to him or her and ask if you could with him or her. Staying with a friend will allow you to save on accommodations and you can use that money instead on other things like transportation and food. If you haven’t seen that friend in a long while, staying at his or her home will allow you guys to reconnect and catch up on your lives. He or she might even take a leave of absence just to show you around.
Make the Most of Coupons
When staying with a friend is not option, the next best thing is to look for travel coupons. Groupon is very helpful in finding cheap travel packages that include hotel accommodations, free breakfast and airport transfers. Sign up for email alerts so you’ll know the latest deals and if you’re lucky and quick enough, you’ll be able to book a steal. Make sure you keep your eye out online for other possible options. Look up reviews before you decide on your accommodations. Just keep in mind that the place you’re staying won’t be at par with 4-5 star hotels since it is after all a coupon. But since you will be out the entire day anyways, the most important thing is that your accommodations are clean, comfy with a good staff and recommendations from friends and online reviews.
Research Ahead
Packaged tours may be less of a hassle but they can be a little more expensive than when you do some exploring on your own. If you do preliminary research on the places you want to go to and how to get there, you can save a lot compared to when you join a group tour. You also have more freedom to create your own itinerary and explore more places. Include in your research restaurants and cafes that have great but cheap food and coffee. Try to work your itinerary around them so you take a breather at these yummy stopovers. It will also help if you know where you can buy souvenirs at a fraction of the price that the ones sold at malls.
Bring Travel Insurance
Sometimes travel insurance is the last thing people think about when they leave on a journey. They often think that it’s something they can do without. Travel insurance, however, serves as a backup especially when you have unexpected medical emergencies while traveling. An example of this is if you have an allergic reaction to something you ate or maybe had a small accident abroad and needed to go to the hospital. The fees incurred might burn through the budget you’ve reserved for your adventure and may even force you to cut short your trip. If you have travel insurance, it will cover your emergency medical needs as well as unexpected events like delayed flights.
When it comes to travel, never say never. If you learn to save for your trips and learn how to budget your money when traveling, then you can go wherever you wish to go.
About the Author
Based in San Diego California, Tiffany Matthews is a professional writer with over 5 years of writing experience. She also blogs about travel, fashion, and anything under the sun at wordbaristas.com, a group blog that she shares with her good friends. In her free time, she likes to travel, read books, and watch movies. You can find her on Twitter as @TiffyCat87.
Category: Travel
