Do you want to start taking more trips and you want a few tips on how to make your hard-earned money go further? I love to travel and spend a decent amount of money doing so. I’ve been known to splurge here and there, but for the most part, I like to save money where I can (who doesn’t right?). Here are eight tips on how to save money while travelling.
Book with Credit Card Points or Air Miles
You can buy almost anything with credit card points and you don’t even need to have a credit card that charges you an annual fee. I’ve had a Royal Bank Visa for years now, with no annual fee, and I receive one point per $1 spent and the points can be used to book flights and/or hotels (I’ve used it for both) as well as gift cards that work worldwide. I put everything on my credit card too, so points build up quite quickly.
I’ve also used Air Miles to book hotels throughout the world. Usually, for credit card points as well as Air Miles, the bookings are non-refundable so make sure that’s where you really want to stay and aren’t going to have a change of heart or plans. For my upcoming Europe trip, we booked two rooms in Paris and Tucepi (Croatia), using credit card points and Air Miles, and we were able to book five nights using points and Air Miles (including at an all-inclusive in Croatia). With Air Miles, you need to pay the taxes, but with credit card points, they’re usually included. In Europe, there are “city taxes” that each hotel charges, which are usually very minimal, and those must be paid at the property when you arrive/depart.
Use Google Flights or Hopper
For those not familiar with Google Flights or Hopper (a downloadable app for your phone), you can search for your dates of travel and find when it’s cheapest to fly. If you’re flexible with your dates, this is really helpful! Depending on the date and location, flights are not offered at the same time, for the same cost, or even at all (this happened when I recently flew from Amsterdam to Mykonos, the flight was only available on certain days of the week). Both Google and Hopper will provide flight options from the different airlines that provide flights to your destination on the days specified. Google Flights will tell you whether or not the prices are low, typical or high for that trip, and Hopper will tell you if you should wait to book (if it thinks prices will go down) or if you should book now (prices are cheap). Even when I don’t have flexible dates, I use Google Flights because it provides every option available to you. You can also filter by number of stops, airlines, price, times, etc.
Compare Prices for Hotels and Private Rentals
With so many different options for accommodations, you really need to do your research for not only location, but price as well. In some cities, hotels can be extremely expensive, so hostels (if you’re into that) and private accommodations (Air BnB, VRBO) should be looked at to determine which is cheaper and will still fit your requirements.
Hostels are multi-share accommodations and they aren’t for everyone. They’re usually the cheapest, but for good reason. You share a room as well as bathroom facilities. I’ve only stayed in one once (in Amsterdam, as the hotels with the best locations were too expensive) and you could choose whether you wanted an all-female, all-male or mixed sex room. We chose all-female. While it worked for us, as we really only slept there one night and only for a few hours (Amsterdam is fun!), since we had an early morning flight and went straight from the club to the airport.
In looking at hotels for an upcoming Europe trip, in Prague, Dubrovnik and Split, we found that Air BnB options were better located and better priced than hotels, so we chose to book those. In Paris, and Tucepi, we chose to book hotels. Each city will be very different for prices and prime location, since it will depend what you want to see and/or be close to. For the most part, tourist attractions are located downtown and/or within old town, so those hotels are going to be the priciest, but also the best located. Paying a bit more for location (whether a hotel or not) may save you in the long run, depending on transportation costs (another post will be coming soon to discuss various transportation options). You don’t want to waste a lot of time and money on transportation when you could have just paid a bit more to stay closer to the sites.
Use Groupon or Other Deal Sites
This is more for when you’re visiting somewhere in Canada and the US, since I don’t think Groupon exists in Europe and other parts of the world (although they may have their own version). I’ve used both Groupon and Travelzoo when travelling to Vancouver and Las Vegas, as well as local deals in Calgary. You can even use these sites to book trips (I haven’t done that yet though). For the most part, I use them for food, but I have used them for hotels, activities and massages too. Once you have your trip booked, just head to their website(s), choose and/or search for the city you’ll be visiting, and the type of deal you want. To ease in your search, you can filter restaurants, spas, activities, etc. Also try and watch for when they have sales on local deals, as you can save even more money! Usually they’ll do up to 20 or 25% off, and obviously that’s the best time to book.
If it’s for an activity or spa, you normally require an appointment, so I would call ahead to see if the service is available on the day(s) you want it, and if it’s not, you save yourself from buying a deal you can’t use (although both sites are quite good for providing refunds). Additionally, I’ve called a spa before and said they would offer me the same deal if I booked directly through them (this doesn’t work with the extra % off, then you’re just better off to book directly through the deal site).
Finally, always read the fine print of every deal. Most of the time, they have to be used within a certain number of days. While I’m all for planning ahead, sometimes it doesn’t work to purchase them too far in advance, or the deal will expire before you’re able to use it. The amount you pay for the deal doesn’t usually expire (i.e. $100), but what you purchased (i.e. four course dinner for two) does.
Book Hotels with Breakfast Included
Sometimes it’s worth it to include breakfast with your hotel stay (it may be optional and sometimes it’s just included in what you pay). You can search the average cost of breakfast in almost any city and you’ll be able to see if including breakfast is worth it. You also need to determine if it’s a continental breakfast, if that continental breakfast has any hot items, or if it’s a hot breakfast buffet. Obviously the different options will justify the cost. Sometimes, it’s not worth it to book hotels with breakfast included if it raises the prices substantially. If it’s not worth it for you, check out my next tip!
Bring Snacks
If breakfast isn’t included or it’s too expensive to include it, fear not! You don’t need to worry about paying for breakfast each day. When I went to Greece, Amsterdam and Bermuda, we packed granola bars from home. They don’t take up a lot of precious packing space, and are fairly sturdy so they’ll be able to hold up to abuse they may get on a flight. These little things were absolute lifesavers for us. If we were hungry in the mornings and didn’t want to waste any time eating, we ate one of those and we were on our way. They’re also great to pack for excursions, because you never know when you’ll get hungry! Or am I the only one that’s constantly hungry with an aggressive stomach growl? Food is life (literally and figuratively).
Shop Around for Excursions
Excursion prices for similar trips can vary greatly. This is where Trip Advisor, Get Your Guide and Viator come in handy. You can search for excursions in whatever city you chose, and they will show you everything available (if you’re going to a big city or a tourist heavy city, there will be a ton of options). Additionally, you can read reviews on all of tours, which comes in handy when there are so many similar options.
When I was in Amsterdam, we booked a trip to the surrounding small towns and villages, including Zaanse Schans (pictured), Edam, Voldendam and Marken. For this one single trip there were multiple tour providers and multiple tour options (i.e. full day, half day, private, semi-private, small group, large group; you get the idea). We were time conscious because after the tour we were taking the train to visit my relatives about two hours away from Amsterdam, so we wanted a morning tour that would finish in the early afternoon. You wouldn’t believe the number of tours the showed up, all with different costs; so it took me going through the “what to expect” and “what’s included” description (you need to read these), as well as reading reviews, to determine which tour and tour provider was best for us. You’re not only looking at cost, you’re looking to get the best experience too. Luckily, the tour we booked was provided for one of the lowest costs I’d seen, and had great reviews. We were very happy with the tour we chose, and I’ve recently recommended it for other family members travelling to Amsterdam. Let me know if you’re visiting soon and if you’re interested!
Eat Where the Locals Eat
No matter where you’re staying (hotel, hostel, Air BnB, etc.) there will be locals available that are usually more than willing to provide recommendations on where/what to eat. In doing my own research for a future trip, I was reading blog posts that said “go back a block or two from the main square to get a meal”. Sometimes (not all of the time), restaurants that are close to a tourist attraction don’t always provide the best food, and are more expensive. Why? Because they can be. They don’t need to rely on an amazing menu or cheap prices to bring people in. Their proximity to the main town square or a major tourist attraction is enough to do that. Can you find restaurants close to a square or tourist attraction with great food and great prices? Absolutely! Again, this is where I would rely on a local, or at the very least, Trip Advisor, to provide you some tips on great restaurants to visit. The same can be said for bars and/or clubs. When staying in Amsterdam, we asked the guy at the front desk of our hostel where good restaurants and clubs were. He asked what we liked and provided a variety of options for us to choose from, and we absolutely loved one of the restaurants he recommended! We were only there for two days so we couldn’t try everything, unfortunately. Also, try to find a restaurant that serves some type of authentic food of where you’re visiting. It’s just another way to immerse yourself into a different culture/country!
Final Advice
Hopefully these tips provided you some insight on how to save money while travelling. I find that every little bit helps; you could splurge for a fancy dinner while on your trip, partake in another excursion or bring back a little souvenir for those in your life. Or, maybe you just save it for another trip! The possibilities are endless and you can spend it (or not) however you wish!
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