Follow these easy budget travel tips and you may save a penny or two on your holidays, without compromising on the good times.
• Research every stage of your trip thoroughly to make sure you’re getting the best deals on transport and accommodation, and to find the restaurants and shops that don’t charge ‘tourist prices’ – a good guidebook will point you in the right direction. See how to buy cheap flights online.
• Haggle and barter! In some countries this is expected and is considered respectful. It’s a great way to practice your language skills and interact with the locals as well as getting a reasonable price. Don’t settle for the first price offered – you can often get it cheaper by playing it cool, pretending to walk away, or by coming back later on, and by standing firm on your price limit. Dress down – if you look wealthy the price of the item might start even higher than normal. Keep it friendly and you’ll have fun.
• Ask a local where they would eat or shop, and how much they would pay for an item, taxi trip or how much they would tip – this way you avoid being overcharged. Always agree the fare before getting into a taxi; this is especially recommended in many Asian countries.
• Time your long rail or coach journeys overnight so that you can save on a night’s accommodation, and get to your destination refreshed and with a full day ahead of you. For superb, thorough guidance on rail journeys keep the The Man in Seat 61's book close at hand.
• Eat at local street stalls and markets, where the food is considerably cheaper than restaurants, and offers a more genuine experience of the country’s cuisine and social life. Or cook in your hostel’s kitchen or self-catering accommodation and prepare packed lunches.
• Rent an apartment or do a ‘house swap’ if on holiday with your family or a big group as it often works out cheaper than booking individual hotel rooms, plus you get to cook meals at home. To rent apartments and villas, try websites such as Owner's Direct. For home-swaps, try Homelink, which has exchange homes in 73 countries, Intervac with homes in 50 countries, and Home Exchange with 15,000 listings.
• Share cabs, rooms and food with other travellers and you could end up paying just a fraction of the cost. Plus it's a chance to meet new people and share travel stories.
• Save before you go by borrowing a backpack/ suitcase/ sleeping bag/ tent from friends. Or buy items second-hand and sell again when you’re done with them on websites such as Geartrade.com and unwantd.com, where you can also swap items with other users.
• Set a strict daily budget for spending money, for example in some countries you can get away with £10 a day for accommodation, meals and a couple of bus fares.
• Look out for when museums and galleries have a free or reduced-price entry day, or buy a package ticket (such as the London Pass) that includes entry to several museums, and sometimes bus tours, making it cheaper than if you paid for them all separately. Or skip them altogether and get a truer feel of a city by visiting its churches (even attend a service), monuments and parks, or by simply wandering the streets and sitting in the squares – all of which are free to do. See London for Free and Tokyo for Free.
• Free mementos can offer much better memories than expensive purpose-made souvenirs. For example, a pretty pebble, leaves pressed in a book, or a bus ticket can all help you remember much more powerfully the experiences, colours, sights and smells of a trip.
• Look out for banks offering commission-free currency exchange, or head straight to the Post Office or Marks & Spencers in the UK who offer major currencies commission-free.
Author: Rachel Ricks
Date: 8 October 2008
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