Hoping to make your money stretch further next time you travel? Luckily, there are a few things you can do to get more bang for your travel buck, and here are a few of my top tips:
Organise a transfer
If you haven’t yet used a transfer while traveling, this is about to change your life. Whether you’re looking for hotel to airport transfers or vice-versa, this is one way to give yourself a little luxury. There’s nothing worse than arriving at your new destination while tired and jet-lagged, and needing to barter with a taxi driver or figure out the public transport situation.
If you’re hoping to get the most out of your trip, wasting time on this type of activity is not the way to do it. Instead, pre-book your transfer, get straight to your hotel to unpack, sleep, or freshen up, and get straight back out to explore.
Plan well
This doesn’t mean that you need to have a strict itinerary and know what you’re doing every second of every day. But instead, have a good idea of what sights you want to see first. That way, you can budget accordingly by researching how much these tourist hotspots cost in advance. Sometimes you can even save money by booking passes and tickets online, and this will also help save time at the other end.
By doing a bit of research, you can also get to know which places usually have large crowds or lines and rearrange your schedule so you don’t need to spend hours waiting.
Take insurance
This may seem counter-intuitive- after all, you’re hoping to save money, not spend it right? But purchasing travel insurance is the best way to keep those travel savings in your pocket. After all, it only takes one bad experience (like getting sick, getting pickpocketed, or spilling a drink all over your electronics) to wipe out your travel fund. The last thing you need to do is be calling up family and friends for help with a hospital bill, so be sure to purchase travel insurance before you go.
Choose wisely
Heading to Western Europe is going to cost a lot more than exploring Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia or Central America. If you’ve always dreamed of seeing Paris, Rome, and Madrid, consider going in the shoulder season instead. Not only is this the cheaper time to go, but the weather will be better and you’ll have fewer tourists elbowing you in the ribs. You may also want to consider your accommodation carefully. If you’re staying somewhere known for being pricey, a private room in a hostel can be much more reasonable than a hotel room.