Budget Travel For The Frugal Traveler

Eric | Jan 23, 2010 | 0 comments

The travel industry is really good at creating the illusion that the trip is expensive. Hotels, airfare, luxury cruises, fancy dinners – it all wrong, especially if you travel with your family. Or so they want you think! If you think this way, you this way – more money for them, for less money you spend. But the trip is cheap enough if you just look hard. Check the budget travel for the frugal traveler, for saving money on the road :

1. Avoid hotels.
The adjustment can, especially very expensive hotels. Two good alternatives are hostels and apartment rentals. People think the only hostels for young backpackers and consider these as places where you would have to share bathrooms.

Well that’s not really true. The hostels offer private rooms with their own bathrooms, radio, and towels – all the amenities you in any hotel but half the price you find. They have a wide range of spaces to adapt to many travelers do not consider them so!

On the other hand, apartment rentals are another option. Why not stay in fully furnished apartments while you are on vacation? Apartments are especially great for traveling families. They come with all the normal apartment amenities — kitchen, laundry room, and TV. If you plan to spend five or more days in a city, these are great cost effective alternatives to hotels.

2. Negotiate.
Times are tough for the tourist industry. It’s a buyer’s market. Use this to your advantage by asking for free upgrades or negotiating lower rates. Nothing was ever lost by simply asking and you may be surprised by how amenable any travel and tourist based outfit can be to helping you. Just by inquiring, I received two free dinners at a hotel in Florida!

3. Use travel credit cards (maybe).
Should you use travel credit cards? I’m going to say, it depends. If you are a frequent traveler and are comfortable with carrying credit cards, specialty cards that help you earn free miles or allow you to secure free or very cheap lodging at otherwise higher priced hotels may be worth owning. You’d have to determine if such cards are going to be a better deal for you than those that offer regular credit card rewards programs or those that give you cash back rewards.

4. Book flights 6 to 8 weeks in advance.
Airlines are always the most expensive part of a trip. Booking 6 to 8 weeks before you leave will ensure the best price. The airline pricing system penalizes last minute tickets as well as more advanced bookings (airlines need to hedge against any rise in costs). Moreover, always book round trip: you’ll get a better deal that way too. You may want to consider using Priceline’s Name Your Price feature to score your tickets at great prices.

5. Always visit the tourist office.
These offices have their finger on the pulse of a city and can help you discover all the latest deals and discounts as well as free events happening in their city.

6. Get a City Pass.
City passes give you full access to city attractions for mere dollars. If you are the type of traveler who likes to see museums or visit historic sites, then entrance fees can add up pretty quickly. It is much cheaper to get a city pass which will usually give you free entry into the majority of a city’s attractions.

7. Eat out for lunch.
Everyone wants to have fancy dinners while they are traveling but dinners can add a lot to your travel tab. It’s much better and relatively cheaper to have a fancy lunch. Lunch specials at restaurants offer better value for your money than a dinner. It might not seem as fancy but it will certainly be more affordable.

8. Stay connected for free.
Hooked on the Internet? So am I. I always e-mail chirping or control. These days, you are free libraries and free Internet Wi-Fi in most or coffee in places like Barnes and Nobles get. Moreover, many urban areas Wi-Fi where you can stop in charge. You can Fri Wi-Fi for a part of Chicago, in Bryant Park and in the city of Cambridge, Master of Arts found. As you can see, it is a growing trend.

There are a variety of ways to save money when you go on holiday. It takes simple economy and thinking outside the box. There are plenty of simple and easy ways to save money so when you take a vacation, not only has been years you’ll be able to afford.