1. Come up with a plan!
Allocating some time for research before your trip can reduce your overall costs for transportation, meals, entry tickets and so on. You can research on forums and even raise a topic if no answer is already there – for example where do locals eat. Try to avoid eating out near city centers or other touristy areas and pick restaurants where residents go, even if on first impression their appearance isn’t as appealing, food will surely be very tasty and much cheaper, not to mention more authentic.
Depending on the number of days you stay and objectives you plan to visit, you can look up what is the best way to get there using public transportation. If you choose multiple day plans, it could be cheaper than single fare journeys. Getting to and from the airport could also vary in costs, so if you are not in a rush, perhaps it’s better to take a bus rather than a speedy train.
For objectives such as museums you can look up if they have any free visiting days or if you are planning to visit multiple museums perhaps buying a visiting pass would be the right choice.
2. Don’t be afraid of long layovers when choosing your flights.
For long distances it is cheaper if you choose options with layovers rather than direct ones. If you also have plenty of hours between the flights, you could visit another city! For example, Istanbul – Singapore is more expensive than Bucharest – Istanbul – Singapore.
3. Try to be open with your vacation dates and destinations.
It helps to choose them based on the costs. By being flexible you can also avoid the high season so no big crowds nor the high prices. Another thing that helps is also being flexible with the route you take to get there no matter if you will fly or drive. If possible, try to avoid traveling when there are national holidays.
4. Book early (but not too early).
Airplane tickets keep getting more expensive as the departure date approaches but there are some better times to buy them. So, we covered the last-minute booking scenario but similarly, booking with too much time in advance can incur the same kind of costs. Booking the flight two or three months in advance should suffice but you might want to consider booking even a bit earlier if you plan to go during high season. There are some sayings that if you book Tuesday night (or such) fares are cheaper – these are myths! What you could do instead, is to use VPN and also keep an eye out for deals and promotions.
5. Try to share your meals.
This is not always possible but after a couple of restaurant visits you can quickly judge if the portions are too big for a single person. We often couldn’t even finish half of our food, because the portions were huge. Of course, this may depend on the destination. If so, in this case you can share a single dish for two people or two dishes for 3 people instead of three and so on. By doing so you are saving costs and perhaps even more important – you are reducing waste! And if you are not full you can always order something extra or a side dish.
6. Get your travel insurance!
This is one of the most important things to do before your actual vacation. You can also pay a bit extra to get reimbursed if things don’t go to plan and you cannot attend the trip but the most important one is the medical insurance. God forbid you get really ill abroad and need medical assistance – the costs for this have the potential to bring financial ruin.
7. Pack properly!
Do your homework and check the weather and climate of the destination you’re going to visit. This way you can bring proper clothes for your trip but even if you go to the tropics, it’s a wise idea to also have a set of warmer clothes.
If you are going on a city break, there is no point in buying extra luggage (if not included in the ticket – low-cost airlines) as one backpack should be enough. This is possible if you use vacuum bags to compress clothes, socks, underwear. You can also roll your clothes and use elastics to keep them in place. You will be amazed how many things you can pack this way. Of course, this only works if you plan what you’re going to wear and not bring extra clothes that you’ll want to choose from. This technique has a slight inconvenience as your clothes will be very wrinkled but most hotels and even B&Bs will have an iron available if you request it.
8. Walk!
Using your own feet to get to places has multiple advantages if the distance is not that big. You can enjoy the scenery, you can save costs and it’s good exercise. Of course, you need to estimate what’s better as there is no point in spending the whole time walking rather than actually visiting. Perhaps a combination between walking and public transportation is best.
9. Get recommendations from the locals.
If the online research you did was not comprehensive enough or if the information was difficult to find, you could always ask the locals for hints and tips. This can include restaurants and other places they frequent, perhaps even attraction which are not listed.
10. Search for free things to do.
In some places there are free walking tours where you can tip the guide and avoid expensive tours that are already on TripAdvisor. Some museums have free visiting days and many attractions are outdoor and don’t require entrance fees.
11. Choose hostels or apartments.
Rather than just booking hotels, you can use Bed & Breakfast accommodations such as AirBnB.com. You can also choose hostels if this works for you – some even have double rooms and not dorm sizes. Other options are couch surfing if you want to meet locals and looking to make some friends. If you choose an apartment another advantage is that you will have access to the kitchen so you can bring food or even cook.
12. Eat from local fresh food markets or street food rather than in an overpriced café or restaurant.
This will not only help you save money, but in this way, you will eat local and traditional food and the experience is unique.
TRAVEL JAR 