Sometimes, when you travel, it can feel like you’re bleeding money. Often, the problem starts even before you go, as you stock up on the right gear for the trip and make sure you have all your (expensive, not-covered-by-insurance) shots.
There are endless ways you can thwart this problem, and we wanted to know what readers like you do to save money. We asked our Facebook fans to give us their tips, and the tips we got were, as we expected, totally freaking awesome.
Here are our top 10 ways Gadling readers save money when they travel:
1. “We try to find a hotel that offers breakfast, Then we split our main meal of the day!” — Shelby
2. “I don’t stay at $300+/night hotels. Unless its a resort vacation, I’m not going to be in the hotel other than to shower and sleep. As long as its a nice stay with good reviews and good location, I’m all set.” — Saadia
3. “By spending more time in fewer places!” — Craig4. “I try to find an affordable place with a kitchenette, or, at the very least, a mini fridge. You can save a lot of money when you don’t have to pay $10/glass for a decent wine, and when you can make a simple lunch with what you pick up at the grocery instead of buying a $15 salad at a sit-down restaurant!” — Kristen
5. “We leave the kids with the grandparents!” — Karen
6. “Ask for ‘Tap’ water (when in countries with decent water systems) at restaurants.” — Dale
7. “Do your homework – the more advance research, the better. Local innkeepers, merchants and restaurateurs seem to be more appreciative and more candid with recommendations when they see you took the trouble to learn something about them/their town beforehand.”
8. ” I do tons of research before leaving and order tourist information packets. Usually we end up with a few coupons and talking to the tourist office workers garners a few tips. I also check out igougo.com to see what others have found in the area.” — Megan
9. “Dress respectfully but not too touristy. It’s hard to get a response to “what’s not too expensive?” while carrying a fancy camera, purse, bags of souvenirs, or otherwise look like the tourist with money to spend.” — Lillian (again)
10. “Walk as much as you can, keeps you fit as well … public transport makes you feel like a local … but the MAIN TIP i can give is NOT SPENDING when I’m at home … SAVE, SAVE, SAVE … I’d rather have one great holiday a year, or once every couple of years, so I can enjoy it and do the things I like and want.” — Yvonne
Got a better tip? Want to join in the conversation? Visit the Gadling Facebook page!
[Photo by Annie Scott.]