Due to the internet, booking your trip to the Maldives or Brazil is as simple as making a few clicks on a few websites and everything will be sorted. But even though getting to travel directories and comparing what providers have to offer have made the process of traveling relatively easy and more efficient, most people still end up not getting a very good experience due to financial constraints.
And it is not that they may not have the money to fund their trips, but because they do a lot of unnecessary things that end up wasting their money. If they could only be financially prudent, then the money they end up wasting could be used to make their trips much better. If you have gone through the renew my passport hassles and you are now ready for the trip, here are a few valuable tips for you to save you from wasting a lot of money while you travel-:
Failure to get a travel insurance
It is sad how most people never see the need for a travel insurance every time they are leaving the country. When you fly out, and especially to a foreign country, you expose yourself to a myriad of risks, some of which may prove to be very expensive. A travel insurance is not just for the sake of it. It is a crucial, versatile and convenient document that will come to your aid should things, with financial implications, go wrong during your trip.
For example, a delayed flight might mean that you will be spending the night in a new city. The travel insurance will help you take care of the costs. Again, if you are faced with an emergency back at home and you need to cut short your trip, the insurance will come to your rescue when considering the air tickets. Therefore, it will be more expensive not to have the insurance, than just opt for it. The cost is just a few dollars a day and you can get it from the same credit company you used for funding your trip.
Using only US websites to check for deals
Most people know of major domestic sites such as Kayak, Expedia, Travelocity and a few other big names and these are the only ones they consider when planning a trip. If you belong to this category, then you have been losing a lot of money when booking your vacations. It is true that getting deals from such sites is relatively simple and they have very enticing offers to various destinations. However, they are also very expensive, and they are not guaranteed to have the best deals at all times. If you take your time to compare what they have with what other companies out of the United States have to offer, then you will be amazed at the gaping differences. Therefore, to save money when booking your vacation, be ready to expand your horizons and consider other sites such as Agoda, Skyscanner, Holiday Pirates, Momondo and Laterooms amongst others.
Poor money management
Some people will also waste a lot of money during trips because they simply don’t know the principles of proper money management. In most cases, they don’t know what to buy, when to buy and how to buy them. For instance, they walk into a local market and out of curiosity, they end up making lots of unnecessary purchases they don’t even know how to use. Others also don’t know how to scout and spot deals so that they can spend the least amount of money during their travels.
For example, some people will book flights straightaway due to excitement, not knowing that sometimes prices fluctuate, and if they only find the right information, then they could save some money. Additionally, some people wait until the very last minute to book flights and hotels, and at such times, especially if it is a busy traveling season, you may end up paying a lot of money, yet you had very good chances of saving if you had little financial lessons.
Sticking to the menus suggested on the guidebook
Some travelers are so cautious that they will follow religiously all the recommendations on the guidebook. This is completely unnecessary and will deprive you of the chance of trying things out so that you get the most out of the experience. This is not to say you should be reckless with what you eat or how you eat, but by getting a little creative, you can find great deals than what you are reading on the guidebooks.
A good approach would be to use crowd sourcing sites like Open Rice, Timeout, and Foursquare amongst others to find top rated local restaurants which will not just be affordable but also have great local meals which may be lacking in the menus provided on the guidebooks.
Failure to visit the tourism the board
You may wonder how visiting the tourism board may save you money, but if you have gone through the process of renewing my passport, then it shouldn’t be a pain to take some time to visit the tourism board and find somenuggets of information that may make your trip more affordable and enjoyable. Tourism boards have information on festivals, events and other information you wouldn’t normally find in the guidebooks. When you arrive, find out from the boards what is happening where and see which ones are likely to be interesting to you. If it is on the tourism board, then there are higher chances they are sponsored and will be very affordable. In this manner, you get to save more money.
Not calling hotels for better rates
Finally, you lose a lot of money when you travel by not calling hotels to ask for better deals. Sometimes you just don’t get the deals because you didn’t ask for them. Remember, hotels are in constant competition for clients and they will always be more willing to give you a nice discount so that they don’t lose the business. It won’t cost you a lot other than a few minutes of your time, but it will end up saving you some good money, especially if you will be staying for long. Therefore, don’t shy aware from calling the hotels to ask for deals and better rates.
