When it comes to tips on saving money while on vacation, we’ve done it all before. We try to avoid taxis when getting from A to B. The biggie is to avoid eating out near major touristic attractions, we prefer the quick on the go street food. We just don’t buy souvenirs, but if you must, avoid making the purchase at the airport. Ask the locals for help in finding off the beaten path areas and places to eat. The list goes on and on.
Here are a few additional tips:
Get creative with your sightseeing
We all know that entrance fees to museums, temples, beauty spots and other tourist hot spots can cost loads, especially if you have kids in tow. This doesn’t mean that you have to avoid tourist spots altogether, but why not cut down on spending in this department by getting creative with your sightseeing? Suddenly a walk down an ordinary street becomes an adventure – see that boring church? Why not pretend it’s a haunted house. That small forest in the distance? Use it for an imaginary bear hunt or even trolls. Our kids love getting creative with their surroundings and best of all, it’s all free. We did this quite a bit while getting lost in Venice or roaming around Rome.
Wagoners Abroad Venice ItalyPack a Flask or Empty Bottle
A short and simple tip that can save you a bundle on all those pricey drink top-ups throughout the day. When you’re out and about, make sure you pack a drinks flask that you can fill up each time you come across a fountain or spend time in a restaurant. We usually just refill the same water bottle over and we each have a way of marking our bottles to differentiate them from one another
Phone Mobile Data Off – How about a Postcard?
It’s always tempting to keep in touch with your loved ones back home by sending text messages and uploading photos of your trip. If you haven’t sorted out matters on the mobile service provider side of things however, fees for mobile roaming fees and internet usage can be a nasty sting in the tail. To save the hassle (and a bundle of cash), why not go old-fashioned and revert to sending a postcard instead. The benefits speak for themselves – it’s cheaper, more personal, and plus, what was the reason you went on holiday in the first place? Being cut off from the strains of the digital world can be a real relief. If you must have digital, like we do, then seek out that wifi hot spot and be sure to Turn Off Mobile Data.
Public Transportation
If you want to see all of the sights, you don’t need to pay for the organized group tours. Grab a map from the local tourist office and invest in city travel passes. When visiting cities, these come in extra handy as often you’ll have unlimited daily access to buses, trams and subways. This is a huge help if you plan of visiting a variety of locations in one day and you won’t be limited to a tour schedule. Many cities also offer multi day passes and this has really been helpful for us along the way, especially in Paris.
If you have a limited amount of time in the city, we also highly recommend the Hop On Hop Off Buses too. This is more of a move at your own pace type of tour and would have limited hours.
We hope that this information helps out a little with saving money. If you have additional tips, please feel free to share in the comments. Happy Travels!