How to Save Money While Traveling: Part 2
In “How to Save Money While Traveling: Part 1,” we gave money-saving tips to get you to your overseas destination. In Part 2, we will show you how to save money once you reach your destination.
Spoiler alert:
enjoying a rich, worthwhile visit without breaking the bank is possible!
Transportation
Once you reach your destination, you’ll need a way to get around to see the sights. Taxi fares can add up quickly, so we advise taking public transportation whenever possible. Research before your trip to see if your destination has transportation cards or passes you can purchase. London’s Oyster Card, for example, works on almost every form of public transportation and costs less than buying individual tickets. If public transportation is unavailable, consider using services such as uber or turo .
Once you know how you’ll get from place to place, plan your itinerary to maximize the offerings of specific regions of your travel destination. For instance, if you know you’ll visit a particular museum on Friday, try to knock out the historical walking tour in that part of town on the same day. Batching activities will allow you to pay for transportation once rather than multiple return trips to the area.
Of course, walking is the best way to save money on transportation while traveling. While it may not always be feasible, walking is cheap and one of the best ways to personally experience your travel destination. Something about getting the dust of a place on your shoes allows it to sink more personally into your soul. Walking through a town or nature preserve will enable you to take in the colors, sights, smells, and sounds in a way that is impossible while in a bus, car, or train.
An added benefit of walking is that it will keep you in shape on your trip. Don’t be surprised if you surpass your daily steps multiple times during your visit. For digital nomads, walking provides a welcome break from sitting at the computer all day and saves gym fees.
Food
Sampling local cuisine is one of the best parts of travel! However, it is also one of the easiest sinkholes for vacation budgets if you're not careful.
To make your dollars stretch while keeping your stomach happy, use the following tips:
Plan your meals. Decide which meals you will eat out and what price range you’ll work within.
Shop the grocery stores for local snacks and ingredients. Not only is this a cheaper option than eating out, but it also gives you a unique taste of the region.
Cook some meals “at home” if your lodging has a kitchen.
Eat a large breakfast and carry snacks for lunch. Many hotels and hostels have free breakfasts; take advantage of these when you can!
If tap water is potable, carry a collapsible water bottle with you.
Enjoy alcohol sparingly. While you’ll want to sample some local offerings, alcoholic beverages can quickly drain your trip funds. Alcohol is something you can enjoy back at home, so make sure you think big-picture and use your funds to experience the fullness of your travel destination.
By working with these tips, you can savor each culinary experience without worrying about your budget. You are also likely to discover some new local favorites.
Activities
What is the purpose of traveling if you don’t get out and see the sights? While entrance and excursion fees are another category of expenses that make people think they can’t afford travel, there are ways to work around the costs.
No-Cost Activities
While you’ll definitely want to prioritize one or two paid “hot spots,” most destinations can be explored at no cost. In addition to walking the streets, you can enter any buildings and exhibits that are free to the public or take advantage of any free events, parades, or festivals during your stay. Many cities have murals, street art, and other points of interest that could occupy an entire day of sightseeing at no charge.
Churches and cathedrals are often an excellent way to enjoy a city. Far from mere religious statements, churches provide a glimpse into the history, architecture, art, and values of places over time. They also can give free shelter from the weather or the afternoon heat.
Free Admission Days and Other Workarounds
For those paid attractions you don’t want to miss, call ahead to ask about free admission days, reduced rate packages, or other special deals that would apply to you during your trip. You’d be surprised how many museums, art galleries, and history tours want to bring you through their doors, especially during the off-season.
For live events such as theatre and opera, some workarounds might allow you to attend on a dime. For example, some venues offer standing-room-only tickets at significantly reduced rates (call ahead to ask about this option). While you might risk not seeing the show, you can sometimes get discounted tickets by arriving at will-call last minute to ask about any empty seats.
CityPASS
Some cities participate in initiatives such as citypass that allow visitors access to several attractions for a flat rate. Depending on what you want to see, purchasing a CityPASS can save you tons of money while expanding your sightseeing opportunities.
Talk to Locals
Finally, talking to the locals is a great way to save money on activities. Locals are the ones who know about hidden gardens tucked between buildings, the group of college kids that give the best impromptu concerts on Thursday nights, or the local artist whose bridge painting is the best free art demonstration and gallery around. They know of that little garden tucked away between buildings and the local artist painting on the bridge (free art demonstration and gallery, anyone?). Locals also can tell you which featured museums and tourist attractions aren’t worth your time and which restaurants are significantly overpriced.
Mementos
Travel is about making memories; you will want to bring something home to help you remember your trip. Before you blow more than you wanted to spend on tchotchkes, read on to learn how to have your cake and eat it too when it comes to mementos.
To enjoy your trip without buyer’s remorse, create a souvenir budget and stick to it! Far from restricting you, this strategy will enhance your shopping experience. You’ll have to think carefully about which trinket will best summarize your trip, and this effort will increase the value and meaning of whatever you purchase. Best of all, because you know you can afford it, you’ll be able to enjoy your item guilt-free.
You also may want to decide to only purchase one item per trip (or per country or city if you’re visiting multiple places). As anyone who has caught the travel bug can tell you, souvenirs from various trips can add up fast. You want to ensure that whatever you take home will be a valued memento rather than clutter.
Modern technology offers a cost-free way to collect lifetime memories: photos. Instead of paying for clothing that will eventually fray or a trinket that will collect dust, why not snap some pictures and choose them as the souvenir of your trip? Photography is a great way to capture the flavor of a destination and requires no physical storage space once you return home.
Other
Like travel experiences, not all money-saving tips fit into neat, little categories. Below are some additional strategies that stand on their own.
Keep a digital or physical list of your planned and actual trip expenses. Writing down purchases as you go has a way of keeping you on track.
Travel with friends! As wonderful as solo trips can be, traveling with one or more others allows you to split the cost of rooming, meals, and travel fees.
If you travel frequently, consider getting a Priority Pass. This pass grants you access to airport lounges and will pay for itself by saving you from overpriced airport food. It comes with additional perks, such as exclusive seating areas, gyms, buffets, and more.
Plan a more extended stay. Typically, a longer stay is more cost-effective than a shorter one. If your travel destination is near other places of interest, see if you can knock those locations off your bucket list by taking day trips.
Keep your valuables on your person rather than in your luggage. Better yet, leave them at home.
Research local laws, dangers, fines, and penalties in advance. This will save you from making accidental but costly mistakes.
If you don’t have time to do the research necessary to save money while traveling, hire a VA service such as Luneer Mgmt to do the work. Delegating your trip planning will cost you something up front, but the expense can pay for itself with what you will save on your trip.
Make Travel a Lifestyle
While the tips and tricks on this list are helpful, the savviest travelers think beyond the trip to live each day with a travel mindset. Instead of deciding that travel isn’t possible, these people will look at their current expenses and determine what they can eliminate and put toward travel instead. For instance, cutting out your daily latte could save you the cost of a round-trip fare to many destinations, and deciding to eat out once instead of three times a month could cover the rest of your expenses. If you find it difficult to cut back, make a vision board of the places you’d like to go and remember that each sacrifice you make is getting you closer to your goal.
Where There’s a Will…
The sole reason for learning to save money while traveling is to make travel possible! More important than what you do or where you go is that you go at all.
With some planing and scaling back of unnecessary expenses, you (yes, you!) can enjoy an exotic getaway long before your retirement days.
What are you waiting for? Do your research, book your tickets, and let your adventure begin!
WRITTEN BY: KATIE BARNETT
