5 ways to save money on your trips
Once you’re on your trip, this is when expenses tend to hit. However, it doesn’t have to be one massive hit at one time. You can space out some costs to help you out while you travel. Here are my tips:
Pay for everything you can upfront. This is self-explanatory, but a lot of people don’t think to do this. I’m going to break down some things you can pay for ahead of your trip.
HOTELS : I usually stay at Hilton properties, and they give you a discount if you pay ahead of time. You may have to pay city taxes once you’re there and put a card down for incidentals, but that is a fraction of what the total cost of the room is. This should be one of the first things you pay for outside of your flight.
PLANE ADD-ONS: Airline companies are starting to have cheaper tickets for “basic economy,” but then charge you for your carry-on, meal, seat selection, etc. If you find a ticket for $350 for basic economy and $400 for economy and need to bring a carry-on, I would go ahead and pay the higher ticket price in order to have your comforts. You can pay for all of this ahead of time and this will help! Sometimes, I’ll pay the super cheap basic economy ticket, and then will pay to have my seat upgraded once I have my ticket. If you’re flying on a budget airline (like Norwegian, Frontier, RyanAir, etc.) they charge you for every little thing. Pay for that ahead of time! If you can’t do it when you pay for your ticket, pay for it later but definitely before your trip.
EXCURSIONS: This includes museums, tours, attractions. Anything that you have to pay in order to do or see. Do this ahead of time and this will also help you plan out your itinerary for your trip. This also helps you if these attractions tend to sell out quickly. For example, the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam sells out months in advance. Buy your ticket as soon as you can to ensure you don’t miss anything you really wanted to see. Go ahead and buy your museum tickets ahead of time too! They’re usually less than $10, but those add up when you go to cities like Paris or London with tons of museums. Also, look into city pass cards. Some of these are worth it if you plan to go to multiple museums. These tend to either give you free entry with your pass or a discounted price. Either way, it’s good to look into these.
TRANSPORTATION: Do you plan on traveling to more than one place? Buy your train, bus, plane, boat tickets ahead of time! Similar to your excursions, this will help you build out your itinerary and help you avoid a price surge day-of.
Limit alcohol at restaurants/bars. Alcohol definitely adds up. I’m someone who looooves to have a cocktail at any hour with any excuse lol. However, this tends to be a sneaky way I just waste money. If you figure that most cocktails are around $10-15, and you go to a bar or club one night. Say you get 3 drinks. That’s almost $30-50 if you include taxes and tips right there! That could be a whole meal! If you really want to drink, go to Duty Free at the airport on your way out or go to a local liquor store and stock up on airplane bottles or a bottle of your favorite alcohol and pregame in your room.
Limit coffee. Coffee is a luxury in most countries. I can’t have coffee anymore, but I do drink a coffee alternative called Teeccino. They come in tea bags so it is super easy to transport and make on the go since all you need is hot water! If you are jonesing for a cup of coffee, avoid chains like Starbucks and go to a local coffee shop. They are usually cheaper and probably taste better!
Souvenirs. I used to be really bad about buying just touristy crap on trips that I’d never use. I’d buy t-shirts, knowing that I had tons at home. I’d buy coffee mugs, knowing I also have a ton at home. Then I said “forget it” and didn’t buy any souvenirs or gifts for myself or my family and that made me sad! Now, I try to find locals goods or art from that area that I can buy. These are usually more well made, and might just be slightly more expensive. But the piece and memory will stay with you forever! If you’re afraid it is an impulse buy, wait a day or 2 and then go back if you really want it.
Is it too big to fit in your suitcase? Ship it back! I bought a ton of ceramics and linen in Tallinn and shipped it back. UPS quoted me for over $100 without the box and bubble wrap; however, the local post office ended up only being $30 with all of the supplies! And I sent a postcard too :)
Get cash ahead of time. Do. Not. Get. Cash. At. ATMs. in. Major. Cities. These are the biggest scams out there and prey on dumb tourists (I’ve been there… I’ve been that dumb tourist. Don’t be like me). They charge you an incredibly high fee and will have you take out a minimum that is way more than you would ever need on your trip. Prague especially is notorious for this. Instead, check the currency exchange rate ahead of time. Figure out in USD how much you’d probably spend and go to your bank. I went to my local bank and was charged $7 to get €200 (as opposed to a 25% foreign exchange fee at an ATM). I spent that €200 on anything that was less than $20USD since I didn’t want to pay the foreign exchange fee on something so small.
Honorable mention: bring your own refillable water bottle. In Europe, you have to pay for water at restaurants. Bring your own water bottle and fill it up in your hotel room and bring that with you. If you’re worried about water not being as safe as home, you can get a brita or other filtered water bottles to help avoid this issue.
So you see, it is possible to save some money on your trip or at least have less items to spend money on while you’re traveling. Don’t let the excitement of a new city trick you into spending more than you need.
Do you have any extra tips?