Globetrotting doesn’t always have to drain the bank completely. Travel is an adventure, and whether or not you’re rich, everyone deserves the soothing enrichment that traveling brings. Even though most travelers know the standard money-saving techniques, several lesser-known travel hacks can help your budget. Here, we explore 15 of them inspired by a discussion on an online community.
1. Utilize Free City Tours
In many cities, locals organize free walking tours. Leveraging this opportunity is a great way to explore the city and learn about its history and culture without spending a single dime. You are assigned a tour guide on this city walking tour, who doesn’t charge you any penny — but a little tipping never hurts anybody.
2. Book Lodges Outside of the City Center
Yeah, you want to explore the heart of the city, but lodging in cheaper accommodations in the countryside can help save you a lot of fortune while also giving you an adventurous experience of exploring different neighborhoods. Accommodation prices can be significantly lower if you book a hotel outside the city center.
3. Book Flights Midweeks
If you’re a regular flight user, you might already know this. Frequent flight travelers know that flight tickets are usually cheaper on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Studies even prove this. You can save a significant amount of money by booking your flights on these days.
4. Use a Travel Rewards Credit Card
If you are a frequent traveler, using a travel rewards credit card can help you earn points or miles that you can use for free flights, hotel stays, and other travel expenses. With a travel credit card, the emphasis is on racking up points (or miles) that can later be exchanged for travel-related rewards. You can apply for some travel rewards credit cards online, including Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, and more.
5. Use Local Transportation
We’re trying to save money, right? Emrabce local transportation, even though it can sometimes be inconvenient. Try using buses or trains instead of taking a taxi or renting a car. You’d be surprised how much money you can save up, and you get the chance to experience the local culture.
6. Leverage on Free Refreshments
It doesn’t mean you’re poor, and you do not need to feel ashamed. Looking for local deals and coupons for dining out and entertainment in local papers or online once you arrive in a new city can help you save some money. I assure you that the experience is pretty much the same as paying for the meals and entertainment.
7. Search for Flights in Incognito Window
This is a very economical way of booking a flight ticket to that big city you want to visit. By searching for flights in an incognito window or clearing your search history every time you Google a flight, you keep the prices lower instead of spiking them. You’re welcome.
8. Plan and Make Advance Bookings
Another way to save money is by paying less on flight tickets. If you need to travel in two weeks and book the ticket for it two weeks or a week before, you pay way less than you would on the day or a day to travel. Fly big at a cheaper cost.
9. Set a Realistic Budget
Sometimes, because we want to be conscious about how we spend money, we tend to make budgets so low they can’t achieve half of what we want to use them for. On the flip side, some of us work with extremely high budgets. The disadvantages of both might vary, but they all result in you eventually spending more money, so always set a realistic budget.
10. Prioritize Destinations With Lower Costs
Always remember you can get something decently beautiful without draining your bank account. Before adding that destination to your list, do a quick search. You want to be sure you won’t need to spend a fortune to drink a glass of water!
11. Note Down Day-Wise Expenses
For the days you’d be staying in your destination, check in daily to see how much you spent the whole day. Doing this helps you keep track of how much money is leaving and enables you to stay focused on keeping your wallet happy by avoiding unnecessary spending.
12. Seek Volunteering Opportunities
Enquire about local volunteer initiatives — several organizations provide free lodging and meals for a few work hours per day. So, when you’re at your destination, you’re not bothered paying for your accommodation, or in some cases your meal costs as well. But plan accordingly to have enough time to explore and enjoy your trip.
13. Quickly Register a Local SIM card
It does cost a lot to roam with your home country’s mobile plan in another country. So why pay more when you need to reach someone on the phone when you can just walk into the nearest telecom office and get a local SIM card for data and calls, which is often more budget-friendly?
14. Educational Discount
If you’re a student, researcher, or teacher, you can write a proposal to your department or school to help sponsor your research trip to a different country. The opportunity to take advantage of discounts on attractions, accommodations, and transportation is at your fingertips as a student; seize it!
15. Grocery Store Snacks
Stock up on snacks and drinks from local grocery stores instead of purchasing them from touristy areas because you never know if they’ll cost more there — and they often do. So, save some money, buy them where you’re sure they’re cheaper, and stock them in your traveling kits.
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