Saving Money While Traveling Around The World
Traveling around the world is a goal for most people. However, traveling can be an expensive undertaking. Even with a lot of money, prudence is required for you to travel as many places as possible. You don’t want your finances to get in your way when it comes to touring the world.
If you decide to hike into the Andes, you want to enjoy the awesomeness of the scenery and the wilderness of the endless jungles without anything pulling you back.
The following steps will ensure that every penny is judiciously spent.
- 1. Travel off-season
It is called peak season because everyone is trying to go there. Demand for flights, hotels and accommodations, entry tickets, local guides and tours, and basically everything else including food is high. With this crazy demand, the prices shoot to near doubles. Decent hotels charge you an arm and a leg for a suite.
During off-peak, the buzz is no more and even five-star hotels are struggling to get business. You can enjoy extremely good times off-season than you’ll ever imagine you could under any circumstance. At this time, you will not need to find deals; they will be thrown at you at every turn. Which means you will spend as little as possible
- Keep haggling where possible
If you are an art collector, then you know that it is possible to get a curving for just $5 in some parts of the world. For some, the same curving, they will get it at $50 or even $500. It all depends on your haggling skills. When you travel to less developed worlds, you are likely to be the center of attraction and you will most likely be slapped with impossible prices of curio and souvenirs.
However, you don’t have to pay over the odds just because something looks majestic. Haggle until it becomes apparent that the person cannot go any lower. I prefer to work the math in my head about how much in local currency the person would get from my dollars. I also ask myself what he or she can buy with that. If I am satisfied, I will pay. Haggling is a good way to make friends too.
- Look out for budget accommodations
They are everywhere. For example, you don’t have to visit the tourist site; most destinations there are expensive. However, if you visit the nearest town, you can still access the tourist attraction and still get quality accommodation on a cheap. Apartments, hostels, and surf-couching are also good for budget accommodation.
- Use public transport
Trains and buses offer the best value for transport in most places. In most parts of the country, a cab will cost you up to 10 times what a bus would cost you. You will spend almost negligible sums to move for hundreds of kilometers using public transport. Public transport also offers you a chance to interact with the locals. Sometimes you make friends and end up staying with them for a day or two.
5. Use budget airlines and connection flights
Mainstream airlines tend to be a little expensive and somehow crowded compared to new airlines making it into the market. They offer budget-friendly tickets. Another way is to use connection flights. Apart from saving on time, they can be quite cheap. It is always good to book online because most airlines offer coupons and discounts on their online profiles. You don’t want to miss. Especially if you are traveling with your family, bulk tickets can be very cheap.
- Visit cheap places
It is a no-brainer that if you visit places such as Greece, you are likely to spend less due to the economic downturn. Take advantage of struggling economies to travel there and enjoy while it last. In fact, these countries need you to boost their economy.
- Avoid the beaten path
If you keep the beaten path, you are getting yourself trapped into a tourist siege. Everything is sold at a tourist premium. Travel elsewhere and discover new attractions.
About the author
Scott Carruthers — http://dscottcarrutherstravel.com/ — is a travel and food enthusiast. He has toured over 25 countries around the globe. He is also keen on art and photography.