You can travel cheaper.
I love to travel. In fact, I love travelling so much, I travel whenever I can. Does this mean I have unplanned expenses on my trip? Nope. I actually plan my trips months in advance to avoid exorbitant prices.
Travel is about time, money and flexibility/convenience. You can choose which of these is most important. Here are some examples:
- Time/Money: If you want to save time with a direct flight, you would need to pay more
- Money/Convenience: If you want to stay closer to the top attraction, you often will need to pay more.
- Convenience/Time: If you are in a race against time, you are forced to have a trip of convenience – at a price of course!
Remember!
Remember that travelling cheap does not mean staying in stool hotels miles away from anything worth seeing. All it means is that you work within what you have and what you want to spend – remember tourist traps are called that for a reason!
Planning, planning, planning
As with all good things in life, it takes time to plan and execute a frugal holiday. Many people get frustrated and choose to just opt for the easy options – and pay the price for their convenience. At this point, I want to mention that I am a shopper, not a buyer. This means that I shop around, I look for the best deal – but I am in no rush to actually buy anything. I would only buy something if the price is right and the time and value work out perfectly
An example of this would be in the way I book my flights. If I am interested in booking a flight to Europe, I would find the airports that are the cheapest (with the lowest airport taxes, etc.). These would include Dublin and Madrid. I would then go and check the prices of flights around my dates daily for a few months. Once I get the price that I feel justifies the flight, I will buy it.
Top tips for travelling
Please – learn from me, as this will probably save you a small fortune. Here are Frugal Local’s top tips for frugal travelling. Remember that travelling frugally does not mean cheap. It just means that you are not wasting money on things that will not add value to your life.
Let’s jump into those tips right away!
Do your research.
Also, make sure you know the visa requirements and fees involved e.g. travel insurance requirements and airport departure taxes.
Know what you want to get out of your holiday. Also know what you want to buy and what you would need to spend on food, souvenirs and excursions.
Research foreign currency laws
Check where you will be able to exchange your rands and if they charge commission. E.g. Due to the lax forex laws of the UK, it’s more profitable to exchange Rands in London than to exchange it for Pounds in South Africa.
Also, confirm if you have any loyalty miles or points that you can spend on this holiday.
Tips on booking
Awesome resources for your trip planning
Essentially what I am implying is that planning is everything. It’s just like the perfect date: leave nothing to chance.
Here are some of the resources I use to plan my trip:
- Wikitravel: research your destination, how to get around, where to arrive and what sights to see
- Hippo.co.za: use this for travel insurance comparisons. Don’t just take the one from Flight Centre!
- Travelstart.co.za: check flights here regularly. Check for flights around your chosen date. Don’t fly Ethiopian Air and don’t fly Mozambican Air.
- booking.com and airbnb.com: frugal accommodation for the normal person. You could try couch surfing, but I personally wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re looking to get laid or have a SERIOUS frugal spirit!
- Google maps: mark off all the places of interest under “saved”. Also, download the area map for use offline. Your GPS is available for offline use with offline maps.
- Atlas Obscura is probably my favourite place to find interesting and weird places to see in your travels. Don’t just do all the normal things – check out anything from a bookshop with all their books on boats to haunted hotels on this site!
Top tips during your trip
I know this isn’t frugal, but I still think it’s important to notice these things. Many people are not prepared for their travels. Here are some travel tips:
- Have your paperwork in a folder, which includes bank statements, passports, visa letters, proof of accommodation and other important info
- Don’t carry too much cash in one place. spread it into different places including your hand luggage, inside a book, in your wallet and so forth.
- Check out supermarkets: sometimes you will be able to find authentic meals and even some of the souvenirs at half the price.
- Try the local food, you will regret it if you did not. Check out websites that allow for street food tours and home cooking experiences
- Check out where tours go to and see if you are able to get there yourself. Remember you will not be able to see everything nor remember everything from a guide. The internet is full of guides!
Conclusion
Don’t spend money on things you will not remember, and certainly not on souvenirs for people you don’t care about.
For the sake of your budget, your work and your planning, Your holiday should be booked months in advance.
Plan to rest and get your strength back to a healthy level.
And most of all, enjoy your trip!
Happy investing!