Are you ready to get the biggest bang for your buck when traveling? These top 8 money-saving travel tips will help you travel the globe without breaking the bank.
1.Stay Within Your Budget
This is one the best tips we can offer when it comes to traveling. When making up your mind to travel, avoid getting in over your head financially. If you return home from a wonderful trip only to find yourself in a ton of debt, it will end up putting a damper on the whole experience.
You don’t have to travel abroad if you aren’t able to afford it yet. There are undoubtedly plenty of places to explore nearby or within a day’s journey from where you live, including national parks, large cities, theme parks, and more.
By seeing the sights closer to home you can satisfy the urge to travel – and at the same time you can save money to visit more exotic locales in the future.
2. Use a Travel Rewards Credit Card
Even though you don’t want to overextend yourself when it comes to travel expenses, using a rewards credit card can be a great tool for maximizing your travel budget. A good rewards credit card can help you save a lot by getting reward points that you can use on things like free travel, late checkout and free upgrades.
Many travel credit cards also offer large signing bonuses which you can use towards your airfare when traveling overseas. That said, it’s recommended that you always pay your card off every month, as this will keep you from having to pay finance charges.
3. Plan Ahead For Debit and Credit Cards
Be sure to notify your bank and credit card companies of your plans to travel before you go. If these companies all of a sudden notice oversea purchases, they may place a security hold on your cards.
You should also make sure you bring along several cards from different banks. Even if you notify them ahead of time that you’ll be traveling, it’s still possible that you could run into problems.
4. Carry Some Cash In US Dollars
No matter where you’re from, it’s a good idea to keep some cash on hand in the form of US dollars in small bills. For example, you can use USD for tipping staff at the hotel and for transportation to and from the airport.
US Dollars are accepted everywhere, regardless of whether you’re traveling to Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, or the Caribbean. Additionally, it’s a good idea to keep cash on hand in the event of an emergency as US dollars are the most widely accepted form of currency worldwide.
5. Get a City Pass
It’s highly recommend to purchase a City Pass when visiting any city. They save you money by bundling attractions.
A City Pass is a great way to save money if you’ll be staying several days in a city and want to visit all the main tourist attractions. You can use public transit, and skip lines at tourist attractions when using a City Pass.
6. Don’t Neglect Getting Travel Insurance
This is a tip that often gets overlooked or dismissed, but don’t underestimate how important it is that you have travel insurance before leaving home. Many people think that they only need travel insurance if they’re going on more adventurous travels, not the typical tourist destinations.
However, this is a mistake, because accidents can occur at any time or any place. If something serious happens and you don’t have travel insurance, you could end up owing thousands (or tens of thousands) of dollars in medical bills.
When you’re already paying thousands on airfare and hotels for vacation, travel insurance is minute in comparison. That small investment gives you the peace of mind knowing that you’ll be covered for things like emergency surgery, a medical evacuation flight home, or for hotel booking while a travel companion recovers in the hospital.
7. Use Local Guides
Another great tip to save money when traveling is to hire a local guide. Not only does using a local guide save you money by cutting out the middle man, but you’ll be supporting local business and economy.
When booking tours online or internationally, you’re paying both the booking company and the tour guide. But if you book locally, the money goes directly to the tour operator. On top of that, it’s a great way to meet new people and learn about the local culture.
8. Enjoy Free Walking Tours
Another travel tip gem for saving money is to take advantage of the free walking tours that are offered everywhere around the globe. You should definitely consider joining a walking tour when traveling to a new city.
This is a perfect way for you to get familiar with the city. These walking tours are one of the best-kept travel secrets – and in fact, they’re usually better than the ones you book online. Led by locals, you typically only pay however much you’re comfortable with after the tour, but $10 per person is about right.
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