5 Ways to Save Money While Traveling
A simple way to be able to travel more, is to be able to keep travel costs down. Don’t you agree? The following tips are the ways I try to keep my own travel costs down, so that I can afford to travel more frequently. Or at least make sure that I don’t go broke while on the trip.
1. Travel off season! This seems so obvious, but actually do it! Hotels are cheaper, lines are non-existant. Not only do you save money, but you save frustration. One New Year’s Eve I headed for Boston and was able to stay at a really nice hotel for about half of what it would normally cost! And there was still a ton to do in the Boston area and I didn’t have to worry about crowds.
2. Watch where you eat! The one area you have to budget for while traveling is food. Everything else is pretty expendable. Since you have to eat, make smart food decisions. Stay at a hotel that includes breakfast, and actually eat breakfast there. Buy fruit, granola bars and sandwich supplies at a local grocery store and take these snacks with you while you explore. If you must dine at a well-known restuarant, see if they serve lunch. Most restaurants offer the same selections at lunch, for a more affordable price.
3. Limit Souvenirs! Do you really need any more magnets and shot glasses anyway? Most souvenir options are nothing more than K-mart goods with a commemorative sticker on it. You can make those yourselves! Do something more memorable, keep a journal, sketch images, take pictures, collect ephemera and make a trip scrapbook when you get back.
4. Find out the customs! Take an hour or two and read up on the place your traveling to. What can you learn by doing this? You can find out when the local museums offer free admission, if there are free concerts in the park, whether or not coffee shops charge you more when you sit at a table, and if it is neccessary to tip at restaurants.
5. Pack light! With airlines charging more for baggage than they have in the past, now’s a great time to learn the great art of packing light. If you limit your luggage to one carry on (and you can limit your luggage to one carry on even if you bring your laptop, digital slr camera, clothes and will be away for 3 weeks - ask me how I did it!), you won’t have to pay fees, and you won’t have space to fill your bag with souvenirs. So, when you really, really want that $40 sombrero, your luggage space will make it impossible for that to happen.