Traveling is a stressful experience, whether you’re traveling for business or vacation, there are always challenges to overcome. These challenges are finding the best airline prices, hotels, destinations, and most importantly, something within your budget.
Money is the number one factor stopping you from freely roaming the world and going on all those trips you’ve always dreamt of. But in business, when you’re traveling to attend an important event or meet an important client, traveling is inevitable for the growth of your business. We all want to save money and time while traveling but it’s not something we all can easily do. The problem isn’t in the budget you lay out as much as it is with how you manage your money when abroad. Here are a few tips I picked up throughout the years that will help you smartly save your valuable time and limited resources while traveling.
- Set your travel budget:
Planning ahead of a trip is vital when traveling; we all love how spontaneous and random traveling looks in movies but in reality, that’s never the case. Your budget needs to cover more than just your flight and hotel booking, it needs to include everything from daily expenses to all the places you want to go, and even your daily meals. Going to a foreign country is a new and exciting experience but it’s also full of distractions and tempting money-spending chances that’ll sidetrack you.
And before you know it, you’ll be reaching into your pocket to use that credit card you swore against. Write a list of all the things you want to do, calculate transportation, food, and emergency expenses too. Traveling knowing what you’re going to spend and how you’ll pay for it will make traveling less stressful.
- Find the best prices for Hotels, Airlines, and Transportation:
I know this point may seem like an obvious one but you’ll be surprised by the amount of people that travel without getting the best, most affordable deals. There are plenty of apps and websites out there like Trivago, Expedia, and Booking that’ll give you the latest and cheapest airline and hotel deals. You can easily compare prices and find the right deal for you, as for transportation, you can use UP Hail to compare taxi and rideshare fares or get a limo service from www.limofind.com
Another trick to try is copying the locals. When in New York, take the subway but when in Egypt, take the bus or tram! Transportation alone consumes a lot of your budget when traveling so the best way to find the cheapest transportation is by asking the locals.
- Use a Mail Forwarding Service:
International shipping costs a fortune! If you’re an expat, a digital nomad, or a business owner looking to expand your services abroad, a mail forwarding service is for you. You can easily check all your mail and packages online never missing out on important mail or a delivery date again.
You can keep your packages stored in safe mail facilities until you return and if you want it shipped out to you, PostScan Mail will find the most affordable and convenient shipping rates and all your packages will be consolidated before shipping for even less shipping fees. This way you can always access your mail and forward your packages with no trouble.
- Use Coupons & Reward Points:
If you frequently travel, you probably have a preferred airline or hotel chain. It is best to stick to your preferences because you’ll earn reward points and exclusive discounts in the long run. Some hotel chains like the Marriot, Ritz, or Hilton have special reward systems and give you points with each stay that you can turn in for better price rates.
You can also check out discount booking websites like NextVacay or get coupons for hotels, restaurants, and flights from RetailMeNot or check HotelCoupons for local bookings. This will save you the time wasted looking for hotels or restaurants when at the destination.
- Stay away from touristy attractions and restaurants:
This is a well-known rule when traveling that many seem to forget. Eating in famous restaurants or shopping at luxurious shops is very tempting when abroad. However, this can quickly eat away your money. This is another time to ask the locals! Go eat at local eateries and street vendors; sometimes the food is better than a five-star restaurant! Usually, shops near hotels in big cities or capitals cost more just because of the added tourist fee.
For example, when in Paris, walk down Avenue des Champs-Élysées to enjoy the culture and chicness but when buying, head to the hidden smaller, narrower alleys.
