This article aims at giving you tips on the 20 ways you can save money on holidays.
Holidays come with lots of expenses but you can still save some money regardless.
These are times every individual look forward to, it is a period to cool off, relax and above all, have fun. In most cases, holidays are spent outside one’s comfort zone, people tend to travel to a totally different location for holidays.
It is nice to want to explore beautiful places during holidays but the sad thing is, lots of individuals run into financial crisis after holidays. No matter where you’re planning to go, or how long you’re planning to stay, do whatever it takes to reduce your expenditures.
In order not to be a cashless victim after holidays, this article carefully lays down 20 ways of saving money on holidays. It is stated as follows:
1. CONSIDER THE LOCATION
For those who are planning to spend holidays abroad, your first move is to look for destinations with favourable exchange rates – that is, where local currencies are weak relative to the U.S. dollar. Consider countries that are facing economic instability, a condition that often puts downward pressure on the currency.
Mind you, there are challenges for going to such locations too.
2. CONSIDER OTHER MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION
Except it’s an International holiday, try using other means of transportation that are not flights. If it is a home-based holiday, you can travel by either road or rail. That way, you will be saving extra cash.
It all depends on choice anyway.
3. KNOW WHEN TO BOOK FLIGHTS/USE CHEAPER FLIGHTS
The issue of when best to book a flight is a conflicting one. The first thing you need to understand is that there must be price fluctuations, fares will certainly change with time but remember that certain factors like season, time of travel, method of booking etc, can affect the price of the booking.
- SEASON: Holidays are mostly in summer and during this period, there is a rush. According to CheapAir, the ideal time to book a flight is between 160 days and 14 days in advance.
- TIME OF TRAVEL: It is cheaper to fly on mid-weeks than weekends
“For the best days to fly, though, look for Tuesday and Wednesday flight days. Those are always the cheapest days to fly. Sundays will cost you the most, seeing an uptick of over $75 per ticket just for flying on this day”- CheapAir
- METHOD OF BOOKING: Method of booking determines the cost. In some cases, people prefer to do so through discount sites such as Momond, Travelocity, Agoda, Expedia etc, while some also prefer to go through the airlines directly.
However, know when to book a flight, be on a lookout for special offers and be smart enough to grab them.
Also, depending on financial capacity, go for flights you can afford. Instead of purchasing a first-class ticket, why not consider an economy class. It doesn’t make you less of a human, so long as saving is the target.
4. GROUP BOOKING
Travelling in groups, probably with close friends does not only make your holiday a fun-filled experience, but it also offers you the opportunity for group booking which comes with a discount. You pay less as a group than as an individual.
5. GO FOR SHOPPING BEFORE TRAVELING
Travel toiletries have a way of incurring more costs as such, It is advisable to buy the necessary things that will be needed during the vacation, in local shops. While shopping, ensure not to purchase items that will take up space to avoid having excess luggage.
If you’re not the travelling type, instead of buying a travelling box, you can borrow from a friend’s and relatives. This is another way of spending less on shopping.
6. HAVE A LIGHT LUGGAGE
Going beyond luggage restrictions is a common mistake made by travellers especially the females. If you must avoid unnecessary costs, stay within your luggage budget.
If you must avoid extra luggage charges or unpacking some items at the airport, pack light.
To be on a safe side, weigh and measure your luggage on a scale before leaving for the airport.
7. IN CASE OF UNCERTAINTIES, MAKE REFUNDABLE BOOKINGS
Refundable bookings are always more expensive than the non-refundable but the good thing is that you are sure of getting your money back when there is a change of plan for unknown reasons.
An important point to note is that travel insurance only covers non-refundable bookings.
8. NEGOTIATE ROOM RATES DIRECTLY WITH HOTELS/ HOSTELS
Travellers always believe that booking accommodation through Online Travel Agencies(OTA) is a way of paying less. This is a wrong assumption. Booking directly with hotels is a better option. You will not only get the accommodation at cheaper rates, but you will also be given a special treat especially for members of their loyalty programs.
Also, in booking directly with hotels, the problem of lost reservations, which is a common problem with most OTA’s, is averted. For direct booking with hotels, Roomkey is a site to do so.
9. GO FOR A CHEAP BUT COZY ACCOMMODATION
Instead of spending exorbitantly on hotels, go for hostels or camps.
In choosing a hostel, look for the one that offers additional value-adds and indirect savings opportunities: free or cheap tours and meals.
Choosing a camp can be costly. In opting for a camp, consist the weather, availability of camping materials and legality of campsites. If these don’t pose any threat, then you can consider using a camp.
10. GET AN ACCOMMODATION WITH A KITCHEN
Eating out is more expensive than cooking self-made meals. Getting an accommodation with a kitchen is the best way to spend less on feeding. You will get to prepare your meals.
Also, if you must spend less on feeding, take advantage of free breakfasts which are sometimes part of the package.
11. AVOID INTERNATIONAL PHONE PLANS
Except is a long business holiday, cut your cost by avoiding International phone plans. As a traveller who is on a short holiday, you can make do with a cheap internet calling App like WhatsApp.
Ensure that while booking and making reservations, the hotel, hostel etc, has a free WIFI connection. Also, avoid roaming.
12. AVOID EXCESSIVE FOREIGN TRANSACTIONS
Whether credit or debit cards, there are charges for each transaction made. Such charges range from 1% to 3% of the total transaction amount on all transactions completed outside the United States.
Currency exchange fees can sometimes be more costly than foreign transaction fees.
Also, avoid currency exchange bureaus in public places like shopping malls, Airports etc, they charge as much as 8% on small-dollar transactions.
Always get foreign currency at an ATM or local banks.
13. USE OF APP BASED BANKS
Travellers who do not understand exchange rates, travel money and how to spend abroad tend to huge sums of money. In order to avoid unnecessary loses, simply use app-based banks.
App-based banks make spending very easy with no charges. For saving purposes, it controls a traveller’s spending habit because it limits cash withdrawal per day.
14. LEARN TO EAT IN LOCAL RESTAURANTS
Why spend so much, eating in luxurious restaurants while you can equally get good meals in a local restaurant?
15. LOOK FOR FREE TOURS
In some cases, hostels do include free tours as part of the packages. Learn to take advantage of free tours. Being a cheap or free tour doesn’t make it any less interesting. You don’t necessarily need to spend on tours where such opportunities exist.
16. USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTS WHEN NECESSARY
Renting or hiring a car can be very expensive. Instead of spending so much, why not consider using public transport. It’s not such a bad idea.
17. GET A TRAVEL INSURANCE
The aim of getting travel insurance is to cover unforeseen occurrences such as illness, theft of possession, injury, early returns trips due to emergency etc, while on holiday. Insurance provides financial protection.
18. GET A WATER BOTTLE
I know that water is a life essential. Water is something that can be highly consumed even more than food. Instead of spending lots of money to purchase bottled water, which might be very expensive depending on the location, getting a good water bottle with an inbuilt filter works the magic of spending less on buying water.
19. SNACK IT
Don’t get it twisted. Most accommodations don’t have kitchens and as such, you will have to spend on feeding. In some cases, food may not be available for some reasons. Rather than starve to save, snacks are better options. Snacks can be very handy and helpful, in situations like this. Make snacks your friend.
20. STAYCATION
Holidays can be spent anywhere, it doesn’t necessarily have to be abroad. You can actually have a memorable and fun-filled holiday without travelling. This is the easiest way to save on holidays.
Conclusion
A number of times, people travel abroad for holidays just because a friend did so. Plan your holiday in your comfort zone and save more.
Different strokes for different folks, while some individuals will find these tips very helpful, others who have the money to spend on exquisite holidays may not have anything to worry about. If your target is to have a nice holiday and still save, then worry no more. These 20 ways will help you greatly.
Have a frugal holiday!
