When you’re on vacation and trying to enjoy yourself, the last thing you want to worry about is your budget.
If you have an endless amount of money flowing through your bank account, then this is a problem that doesn’t apply to you but if you’re like us, a penny in your pocket is a penny that you’ve worked hard to earn.
So, how can you save money during your travels? Here are a few money-saving tips to keep your summer vacation affordable and stress-free.
5 Pro Tips for Saving Money While Traveling
1. Travel During the Off-Season
While going on an extensive tour of Europe during the Christmas holidays sounds great, it can do a lot of harm to your checkbook.
As it stands, most tourist destinations raise their prices during peak tourist season including the holidays and during the summer. To avoid paying extra once you arrive at your destination, try to plan your trip so that you’re traveling during the off-season.
Typically, the off-season will be less crowded, less expensive, and just as exciting.
2. Book Ahead of Time
Booking ahead of time can help you save a ton of cash during your travels.
When we say book ahead, we mean book everything ahead of time. From plane tickets and hotel rooms, to guided tours and wine tastings, it’s a budget-savvy best practice to make concrete plans before the commencement of your trip.
For example, if you book a hotel room the day you arrive in a country, you’re probably going to be paying a higher rate per night but if you had booked two weeks in advance, you might have had the benefit of a discounted rate.
3. Keep Bar Hopping to a Minimum
Bar hopping can be a fun way to spend the night with friends in a new city. With the music pumping and energy flowing, it’s easy to make multiple trips to the bar for a refill.
This being said, though, if you’re trying to travel with a budget, you might want to avoid starting a tab at your new favorite pub—see SomtoSeeks.
Drinks at bars are super expensive. One drink isn’t so bad but when you’re having fun, one drink can quickly turn into two and so on, leaving you with little money in your pocket or a tab that you’re unprepared to pay at the end of the night.
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Instead of filling up on liquid courage at the bar, consider getting into the practice of pre-drinking, which is basically when you start drinking before you head to the bar to cut down on how many drinks you buy while you’re out.
4. Travel Like a Local
When visiting a new city, it’s easy to seek out a taxi service or a rental car but depending on where you’re visiting, these modern travel options might not be the most affordable.
To find a method of transportation that isn’t going to break the bank, watch the locals.
If they take the train, you should take the train. If they take the bus, you should take the bus. Of course, you don’t have to follow this advice but keep in mind that the locals live there and have figured out the most affordable ways of doing just about everything — including moving from point A to point B.
5. Utilize Wi-Fi-To-Go
While out of the country, it’s not unheard of to rack up tons of roaming and data charges on your mobile phone. These can get very costly when you’re away from home for more than a day or two.
So, why not make use of Wi-fi to go? That’s right! There are handy little pocket-sized wi-fi boxes that you can purchase and take with you on your travels. This way, you’ll have wi-fi to Skype your family or to check the train schedule regardless of where you are — no more searching for free Wi-fi networks or being forced to buy a coffee to use a cafe’s internet.
There you have it! 5 pro tips for saving money while traveling the world. With any luck you’ll find them as helpful as we have.
