Our social media feeds are filled with people discovering the nooks and crannies of this amazing world, everyone painting the picture with their own unique colors. The wanderlust, the thrill of knowing the unknown and being a part of a mobile population haunts us all. The biggest worry for young and amateur travelers has to be the money spent in each destination. Today we will present 7 very effective ways to save your money while you are on a trip. If done properly, these will enable you to expand horizon and travel to more places than you initially planned!
Local lodging
Living in hostels and guest houses might not be as fancy as living in a hotel with grand reception and grander dining – but it will allow you to make your trip more interesting. The money you will save by availing local lodging can be spent on sight-seeing and extending your vacation. Try to befriend some locals and get a local lodging in someone’s house. You could save cost of your food by doing that as well! To be frank, the best experience one can get out of a place is by hanging out with locals, so do make sure you opt for that.
Scrape souvenir shopping
Collecting souvenirs are often as much fun as going to a new place. But you should always remember the real souvenir is your experience, the time you spend exploring cities, the smell and flavors which you etch in your memories, etc. Compromising quality of time you spent for loads and loads of souvenirs for everyone who will probably forget about souvenirs very soon is not worth it. Try bringing back small and meaningful gifts in limited numbers instead.
Coupons and discounts
Always, always be on the lookout for discounts codes and offers. Be it a discount on dining or shopping or bungee jumping – you have to be aware of advantages you can squeeze out of the place you are going to! With a little bit of awareness and smart planning, you could cover lot of your costs by spending less.
The airlines trick
Firstly, book your tickets as early as you can. The earliest booking comes with discounts and costs less. Look for round trips, as individual tickets for departure and return cost more than round trip tickets. Figure out if you can visit during breaks of connecting flights and go for them. Connecting flights, as unbelievable as it might seem, will save a huge chunk of your money.
Food Hassle
First thing you’d want to remember that your hotel is not the only option for your food. Also, decide beforehand how much you want to spend on your daily amount of food. You can carry light snacks to sustain yourself during nights of backpacking. You can take go-to breakfast from the same café that you had your dinner in. Try to avoid fancy dinners or lunches, they are not healthy for you or your wallet!
Transportation
This tip is totally place-specific. If you are travelling in Europe, you might want to take advantage of the metro. Places like Thailand offer good deals on rental cars. In Dubai, you would never want to choose a taxi over public transportation while in many other places of the middle-east taking taxies are the best and safest option. Compare your alternatives to pick the cheapest and safest option for your sight-seeing.
Planning ahead regarding the currency
Currency exchange rate never stays the same. You need to be aware of exchange rates and how it changes no matter where you go. Further, you need to find an exchange center that gives you the best deal. The first exchange center you go to or the first website you click into won’t do that for you. So you need to plan ahead. Remember, getting a good deal regarding currency exchange can a make a pretty big difference to your trip budget.
So, what are you waiting for? Grab that backpack, remember the tips and fly! Good luck to you.
