No-Shit-talk, No-Nonsense, it’s for real, you can save at least INR 20,000 per person per year by just following these travel tricks !
You might have found some tricks like travel off-season, have flexible dates, pack light, book everything advance or at the last moment, carry reusable water bottle bla-bla.
Be a smart traveler, get into the loopholes of the travel trade for extended discounts and offers. So here we go…
#01 How To Save On Transportations?
Instead of rides called from hotel and hostel front desks, use car-sharing services like Discover Car, Holiday Taxi, BlaBlaCar, ZipCar, Car2Go, and many others working internationally or just within 1 country.
It will help you save a ton!
For safety, you can see reviews and other information about the driver.
It’s easier to plan, as there is always a particular time when the driver comes to a particular place.
You can also utilize bus services like Trainline, Megabus, Flixbus, Easybus, and many others, especially for inter-city transfers.
Spending just a few minutes familiarizing yourself with public transportation options like 12go.asia, RailEurope can save a lot of money!
Trying to save costs on transportation but aren’t sure what the cheapest way to go ??
To choose the best travel option from one point to another, I suggest using GoEuro or Rome2Rio, where you can compare several options from carsharing to flights. On these apps, you can put in the two locations that you’re traveling between, and the app will give you every route available (i.e. bus, plane, train, boat, walking, etc), along with the price and total travel time of each option. This makes it easy to compare each option and see what the cheapest one is.
#02 Better Alternatives Than Hotel
Of course, hotels aren’t the only accommodation options available. Nowadays, cheap and almost free stays through online platforms have become very common.
From Couchsurfing to HomeAway the options are limitless.
Couchsurfing lets you enjoy the hospitality of local people and live their culture first hand. It’s a wonderful opportunity to see the world and meet amazing people—with no cost for lodging!
Airbnb is also a great and inexpensive option to stay in a new place living like a local.
Hostels are the most budgeted and perfect option if you like meeting new people and continue traveling together.
If you are staying in one place for a long time, you should consider renting an apartment for a month. It can be cheaper than 2 weeks in a hotel.
#03 Heavy Lunch – A Food Hack
Save money on meals while traveling by making lunch your main meal of the day!
Yes, it’s for real! Many restaurants serve the same items for lunch and dinner, but they mark their prices up by 20-40% for dinner.
Dinner is considered as the most important meal that most diners tend to readily splurge on expensive cocktails and wines.
Eating a heavy lunch will fill you up and save you money.
You can still have a smaller or more affordable dinner, and it’s often not hard to find a good breakfast for a reasonable price.
#04 Eat Locally Whenever And Wherever You Can!
Eating locally is inevitably cheaper, not to mention a much more authentic experience.
If you are staying in Airbnb, hostel, or an apartment then you have your kitchen where you can prepare fulfilling and cheaper food. You don’t have to cook every other meal because you should also enjoy local delicacies, but cooking even one meal a day can save you a lot of expenditure!
You shouldn’t be eating food near any tourist attractions because everything tends to be expensive there.
Alternatively you should find few locals and ask about their suggestions about where to eat.
Eating where the locals eat is always cheaper.
Alternatively, you can try Eatwith to pre-book your unforgettable culinary experiences.
#05 Forums Are Always A Help
Forums give you opinions from people like you!
Millions of people use travel forums, any of whom might know the answer to your question!
You will come across a lot of tips and tricks that other travelers have shared.
Search in forums for the best places to visit apart from most popular tourist attractions.
Whatever questions come to your mind; you simply can ask or search for a relative thread.
You can join forums like TripAdvisor and LonelyPlanet.
#06 Use Newer Travel Agents
If you use a travel agent, look for one who’s new on the scene.
I know it’s difficult to search for newbie agents and the trust factor is always there. But do your homework to save more.
Typically you can find more than one newbie at any travel agency out there.
Those newbies might just give you a better deal.
Why? Because they have the least confidence to rip you off, so you’re generally going to get the best deals with them, whereas the other older and experienced agents know all other tricks and may squeeze every dollar out of you.
#07 Trick To Upgrade Your Room For So Little!
Though it may sound like a bribe, this trick works well most of the time, or if you have got your luck with you.
Slip a currency note typically between INR 500-1000 (depending on the location) and between your govt ID and credit/debit card when handing them to the check-in agent at your hotel’s reception. You should accompany it by asking a question such as “Do you have any complimentary upgrades?”
The sandwiching of the money is so that the cameras don’t see it.
This trick originates from Las Vegas where it’s known as $20 Sandwich.
Most of the time you might find yourself getting a nice upgrade to a room with a few other premium amenities that would cost much more than what you have paid as an advance tip.
But sometimes, they will return your tip, and sometimes, they’ll keep it without doing anything for you.
#08 Avoid Tourist Traps
“Tourist traps” are basically the attractions and activities that are way much overpriced and advertised a lot.
Locals know about avoiding these attractions, but being easy prey, tourist gets into the trap and is often deceived into thinking they’re must-see sights. However, you will often leave feeling underwhelmed and ripped off.
Think like a local – this means doing some reading/research before going to a destination
Avoid tours – especially those that advertise squeezing many attractions within a short period.
It can be difficult to know which tourist traps to look out for, so be sure to research your destination in advance. Plan out the activities you want to do beforehand and avoid being tempted by expensive attractions.
#09 Take Free Walking Tours
Yes, They Are Free!
Although they are free, however, guides work for tips, so you should tip if you enjoy a tour. Still, this is cheaper than a paid tour.
You can find them in most of the major cities in Europe, and there are also a few in Asia, Australia, New Zealand, New York, and South America.
You can find these tours by just Googling “free walking tour (city name).”
Moreover, the benefits of availing free walking tours are innumerable like better guides than paid ones, easy to book, no planning necessary, can be rescheduled, etc.
The most important part is that you’ll get recommendations. Guides on free walking tours are more than happy to provide their recommendations for a great meal, cool shopping, offsite attractions, and more.
#10 Get City Passes To Move Around
They are an amazing way to save money on attractions that not enough people use.
If you plan on seeing a lot of sights in a city, you should get a city travel pass, which offers you either discounted or free access to the most of attractions and museums, as well as free rides on public transportation.
GoCity, BigBus Tours, CityPass are some of the tourist pass providers. You can also opt for passes provided by city tourist offices.
#11 Book Last-Minute Cruise For A Surprisingly Cheap Vacation
The closer you get to the departure date, the cheaper the cruise becomes.
Cruise ships drop prices strategically until the boat is leaving the port since for those empty cabins mean no money. Hence filling up with discounts is a better option for them.
Unlike air travel, cruises are often cheap when purchased last-minute, particularly for longer duration cruises.
BONUS TIPS
- Never take a Matrix (or similar) SIM card – it is not needed and they charge exorbitant prices. In most countries, you can get a prepaid SIM from the airport itself.
- Always pick a back alley or parallel road to eat from tourist attractions. The rates fall dramatically.
- Never buy souvenirs from tourist attractions – skip shopping altogether. All the handicrafts you see are not worth the money. Find out from locals where to get the original deal from and head over there.
- Do not always rely on Tripadvisor or any articles for that matter, instead read personal blogs with unedited pictures.
