TRAVEL TIPS
Recently, I went on a 25-day trip across the United States stopping by some of the most expensive destinations in the country. I visited over 10 towns in Colorado, then I went to San Francisco, Los Angeles (and some towns around LA), Las Vegas, South Lake Tahoe, and back to San Francisco.
A lot of the people who follow me on social media were shocked when I told them I didn't really spend that much money on this trip. When I posted the little amount of money that I spent at every city I got to visit, I received tons of messages from people from all over the world asking me to share on my blog some of my best tips and tricks on how to spend less on a trip.
So, if you want to know how to do that, don't forget to save this article because these tips on how to spend less on a trip will be super useful to you.
10- Go on walking tours
Walking tours are so much fun. They are not only fun but also very enriching experiences you can have as a traveler. You have the chance to learn so much about what places have to offer. Being able to get to know a tourist sight, why it became famous, such as the history behind it, and other details from a local tour guide is an amazing experience.
When you take a walking tour, you can get advice from locals, you can meet so many people, you don't have to worry about making any plans because the tour has everything already planned out. It's the best way to see the city and to get some exercise done. And most of the time, THEY ARE FREE. Most walking tours guides will only expect travelers to tip them. So, being able to do something fun while traveling, and not having to pay so much for it really helps you not spend that much money on a trip.
9- Walk as much as you can instead of taking the train/bus/taxi
When I went to Rome, Italy I decided to walk as much as I could to get to places. That wasn't only the best way to keep my body active while on vacation, but it was also such a great way to see the city the way I wasn't expecting at all.
I wouldn't have noticed and appreciated certain details about Rome if I had used public transport all the time I needed to go places. When you are in a cab/uber, or train you can't see much of the city's architecture, sights, culture, way of life.
However, when you choose to walk to places, you get to see and explore the city in a unique way, and most importantly, you get to spend less. Public transport can be expensive sometimes. And not only that, but the number of times you use public transport/Uber can lead to spending tons of dollars that should be saved to do something else.
The first time I went to New York City and I wanted to go to Central Park, I decided I'd walk all the way from Times Square to the park. A lot of my friends wanted to catch the subway, but I told them I'd rather walk. We walked from 42nd street, where Times Square is, to 59th street, where Central Park starts.
It sounded like a lot of walking at first, but it wasn't bad at all. We saved money because we didn't have to pay for the metro, and we got to see the city's unique skyscrapers on the way there. It was totally worth it. Sometimes a 30-minute-walk sounds like a lot, but it is so worth it and it can help you save a lot of money.
8- Purchase a CityPass
CityPASS is a program that allows you to purchase admission to the top attractions in a particular area at a substantial discount. A CityPASS can help you save over 50% in comparison to regular ticket prices!
Advantages of a CityPASS
If you plan to fill your itinerary with activities, CityPASS will help you have more fun for less money. A CityPASS is easy to purchase and easy to use, with options for mobile ticketing or paper vouchers to suit your preference.
Just a heads up: sometimes the name of this pass can change depending on where you are. When I went to London, I purchased a CityPass, but there it is called The London Explorer. It's the same program, but with a different name.
7- Stay at hostels if you can
This is one of my favorite things to do when I travel. Staying at hostels can be a very remarkable experience.
The biggest reason why I like to stay at hostels is that I love the fact that most hostels are extremely cheap. Instead of paying $150 per night for a hotel room in Manhattan, I can simply pay $45 and still be able to stay on the same street as the $150-per night-hotel in Manhattan. I'm not even joking. One day I looked up the cheapest hotel room in New York City, and it was $150 per night. On the same street, I found a hostel which was $45 per night. Hostels are so affordable and they are great if you want to spend less when traveling.
Yes, you will have to share the room with other travelers, but trust me; the majority of people who stay at hostels are open-minded, fun, and respectful. They are backpackers, solo travelers, or groups of friends who just want to make the best out of their trips.
Plus, hostels are not only cheap, but they are so much fun. They offer free parties, events, walking tours, and so much more for their guests. Some of the best parties I've been to while traveling were at the hostels I stayed.
6- Cook your own food/buy your own grocery
Why would you pay $18 for a grilled chicken Caesar salad at a restaurant if you can buy a grilled chicken Caesar salad at a local grocery store for only $6? Even if you don't enjoy cooking (like I don't), you can buy a lot of pre-cooked meals, salads, snacks, water at any Target/Walmart/grocery nearby your hotel/hostel.
Of course, you would need to book a hotel room that has a mini-fridge and a microwave. Most hostels will have a kitchen area with a fridge, microwave, and stove. This is a great way to save money because you can reduce the number of times you eat out at a restaurant simply because you're cooking your own food/buying your own grocery.
5- Don't check in any bags. Just book a flight that allows you to bring a carry-on
In 2019, I paid $120 for a flight from New York City to Paris, France. Yes, it was that cheap. But the policy was: I was only allowed to take a smaller personal item onboard along with my overhead carry-on bag. And trust me, this was all I needed. Why do I feel the need to pack so much stuff? I wasn't moving to France. I was only going to spend a few days there, so a carry-on bag was just enough for me.
The flights that allow you to check in your first bag or whatever are normally more expensive than those flights that don't allow you to check in any bags. If no checked bag is included in your flight, the airline is most likely to let you bring a carry-on plus a personal item. This can help you save so much money.
4- Travel in groups and chip in main costs
Traveling with friends is not only the best way to bond with them and make new memories but also the best way to save money on a trip. Splitting the main costs of a trip can make traveling less expensive.
I've gone on a thousand road trips hitting so many destinations on the way, and they were ridiculously cheap compared to when I traveled solo. If you rent an Airbnb for $100 a night and you're with 2,3 other friends, that $100 goes down to around $34 per person. If you need to rent a car, and it's $90 per day but you are traveling with 4 others, that $90 reduces to $18 per day per person. Traveling with other people and chipping in main costs is the best thing to do if you want to save money and spend less on a trip.
3- Go camping instead
Now, who said that, whenever you travel, you have to stay at a hotel room, Airbnb or hostel? Have you ever thought of the possibility of going camping instead?
When I went on a weekend trip to Niagara Falls with a group of friends, we decided we would go camping instead of renting a room. We bought a large tent that could fit 5 people, and we reserved one of those camping sites/campgrounds. They are super cheap, and so many of them offer amazing facilities, such as showers, bathrooms, and even Wi-Fi.
We put up the tent together and spent the weekend camping. The campground was $30 per night if you brought your own tent. We split that amount evenly for the five of us, and it was super cheap.
2-Book travel packages
When flights and hotels are booked together, you can achieve better prices. You can simply save so much money by choosing a bundled package. This is an amazing strategy if you want to save a few hundred dollars when traveling. When I traveled to Iguacu Falls in Brazil, I booked a bundled package with a travel agency and it was so worth it.
Everything was less than R$:900 (Brazilian currency), which is around $200. The package included flight+hotel for 5 nights+tranfer+one attraction. Yes, it was that cheap. This is one of the best ways for you to spend less on a trip.
(I didn't fly from the U.S. to Brazil for this trip. I was already in Brazil).
1-Don't stay too many days away
And last but not least, if you want to spend less on a trip, my last piece of advice is for you to spend only 3–5 days at every place you travel to. My mom finds traveling hard because according to her, a good trip has to be between 7 to 10 days. Who said that? Travel agents? I personally know of so many people who will prevent themselves from traveling simply because they can't take seven days off of work. Or because a seven-day trip is "too expensive". But why can't you travel for just the weekend? For 4 days?
It is a great thing to do because you will end up having to do less, and consequently, you will spend less. If you travel for 7 days, you have to book a room for 7 days. If it costs $100 per night that's $700 we're talking about. But what if you stay for 3 days only? That's $400 less than what you'd spend on a room.
People tend to spend a lot of days traveling because they want to see a lot of sights and stuff, but I like to say that the place you want to travel to is never going to go away. If you go to London today, London will still be there next year. You can always go back and make new memories.
The third time I went backpacking in Europe, I only spent 4 days at each destination. I could only take 15 days off of work, so I made sure I'd spend 4 full days in Paris, Rome, Barcelona, and London.
Why would I need to stay 7 days in each city? What's up with this seven-day trip thing? I don't get it. Don't prevent yourself from traveling just because you don't have "enough days" to travel.
Instead, go on that trip of your dreams, and make the best out of it. If you don't get to do all the things you wish to do, this can be a strong reason for you to go back to that place. It doesn't matter how small or how big a city is. You can never see everything there. Not even the local people have done it. So, go on this weekend trip and make the best out of it. This will be an amazing way to spend less while traveling.
Do you know of any other simple but efficient ways to spend less on a trip? Leave your tips in the comment. I'd love to hear from you!
Thank you so much for reading my article today.
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