“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”- Augustine of Hippo. This saying is very true, as I believe that traveling is the best way to learn. Learn about people, cultures, places, history… and food!
In our fast-paced lives, travel gives us the opportunity to get away, and rejuvenate ourselves. As much as we like traveling, it does cost, and we need to plan for it.
Travel costs- plan wisely!
Below are a few tips which will help you save on your travel budget yet let you enjoy a beautiful and fun-filled holiday!
Avoid traveling during the Holiday Season
Try and plan your travel during weekdays or off-season rather than during the Holiday period. The airfare, hotels etc. all get expensive during the peak season owing to higher demand. The added benefit of traveling in the off-season is less crowd. The sightseeing points, the hotels, the restaurants at your travel destination, will all be a little less crowded! Apart from being less expensive!
Be flexible about flying dates and flight timings
Thanks to advanced analytics, the airlines now understand when a particular flight would be in demand. As a result, the prices are inflated for those days and time. When booking a flight, check the fare for two days ahead and after your preferred travel dates. If they are cheaper, go for it! Also, the fare for late night flights and early morning flights are usually cheaper.
Stay at Apartments
Hotel vs Apartments
Before booking a hotel at your travel destination, check for good options at renting apartments. Check Airbnb and other related sites for the same. More often than not, it’s cheaper to rent via Airbnb than booking a hotel room. The hotels offer a range of services and utilities, which we don’t end up using but still pay a premium for!
Plan to visit fewer places during a holiday
It is natural for us to plan a visit to 4 places on a 6-day trip. It’s just to pack in as much travel as we can in a short amount of time. But usually, this entails flying/driving to different destinations and changing hotels. All this will cost you more and its advisable that you stay in one place longer and enjoy your travel rather than just going in and out of hotels.
Local Transport
Use local transport
Once you reach your travel destination, try and use local transport for sightseeing and roaming around. You can also walk! This helps you save money on hefty taxi bills and is a much better way to see the place.
Eat local food and avoid the restaurants
The best way to savor the cuisine of any place is to eat the local delicacies. And you get the best local food on the streets! So, while traveling, try and eat as much as possible in the small street shops and cafes rather than in fancy restaurants. It will be easy on the pocket and great on the taste buds!
Local Street Food
Breakfast & Lunch or just Brunch!
Eat a late and heavy breakfast or brunch and you are all set for your day of travel/sightseeing. Having a brunch instead of two meals saves you time and money both. This is a great way to stay light as well!
Shop till you drop…but where?
Shopping is an intrinsic part of traveling. You buy something which reminds you of the place much after you’ve returned. But buy your souvenirs, clothes, handicraft etc., at the local markets. Avoid buying from the tourist specific markets which tend to inflate the prices and fleece you. Also, bargaining as much as you can is highly recommended!
Shopping
Choose your travel destination wisely
When planning your travel, explore the possibility of traveling to close by places. Places where you can reach via rail or road rather than by air. This will help reduce your travel cost immensely and help you enjoy your travel more!
Read all about the weather and climate for your travel destination
It’s very common for us to travel to a place and then realize that we haven’t packed enough warm clothes! Maybe because we didn’t expect it to be cold. If only we had checked the current temperature before packing, we wouldn’t have had to spend additionally on a warm coat/shawl.
So there! These are some smart travel tips. Hope you find them useful while planning your next trip. Save more, travel more!!
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Wow. Amazingly written. DId not know about your great writing skills. Will wait for your book to be out. All the best.