21+ countries and counting, mostly covering Europe, I have learnt a lot from friends and family while planning, executing and going on trips even with travel agencies when I did not have any clue. Sharing some tips with you so that your adventure does not burn a whole in your pocket.
1. Download all the information you need on the trip like emergency numbers, hotel numbers, Places to see and public transport numbers, lost and found article numbers, things to avoid at night and must try things on a journey before hand.
2. To save yourself from buying any sim card and to save that expense it is always recommended to download offline maps for that particular place, city, if the itinerary is planned in advance by you.
3. Check for various couch surfing options, cheap Airbnb homestays etc, rather than staying in inns or hotels because that saves a huge chunk of your stay expenses. Go for places that are situated a little on the outskirts so that you can explore the nearby areas as well, and traveling by public transport is always the best option.
4. Try your best to use credit cards for online bookings because there is always an option to cancel a thing or two if you are not interested in doing it. At the same time it is safer to carry travel cards and keep them in secluded places like a secret pouch or pocket so that no one steals a lot from you in any unwanted circumstance.
5. Check the weather of all the places for the next ten days from the date you are visiting a particular city or country and be ready accordingly to avoid disappointments.
6. If you have booked any trip through a travel agency make sure that you even research on your own for the hacks or extra charges to avoid any cheating at the eleventh hour.
7. Have a handy time table of the public transport which is mostly available online nowadays for bigger cities and famous places, so that you save on taxi money.
8. Travel lighter within the tourist areas to be on the move at any time, while catching trains.
9. Book your flight tickets in advance and prefer web check ins to get the best seat at the cheapest rate.
10. Prefer carrying bigger laptop bags on your cabin luggage so that extra stuff can be put in at no extra cost.
11. Do not go for any unwanted cruises with food at all the places because it is once in a lifetime experience and half the time you will end up being on the deck.
12. Try buying lesser materialistic things and more of postcards as souvenirs or even interesting magnets or keychains as giveaways or memories as they are readily available and do not eat up much money.
13. If possible visit some places during the off-season to get the cheapest stay deals. Hotels will slash down prices by 70% to keep the rooms occupied so you have luxurious stays, the same goes for air travel.
14. Do not ever feel shy to ask for upgrades wherever you go, if you are lucky you may find one on any airline.
15. In case you need Wifi in an unknown location where you do not possess a local number, especially international travels, search for a coffee shop with Wifi and buy a hot coffee and download or search for the information you need for the next day or that particular hour.
16. Traveling in larger groups helps you get many group discounts and group passes slashing down a lot of prices by about a quarter.
17. Go for all mode of transport passes wherever possible as they will be much cheaper than regular tickets bought on the spot, the same works for art houses and museums.
18. Always consult a student before traveling because they are the ones who want to travel the world but have to maintain a certain budget, these people will know the best apps and websites for booking hotels, travels and local cuisines.
I have saved around 50 to 60k in the past two years, using many of these hacks.
Hope it helps you too!
happy traveling folks!!
Rucha Sudhir Khot
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