If you’re a frequent traveller then you’ll know two things: travelling can be stressful, and it can be expensive. Costs can quickly accumulate on the road. Between expensive flights, costly hotels, day activities and eating out almost every night, that hole in your pocket will threaten to burn up your entire pair of pants fairly quickly. But like any endeavor in life, travelling is as expensive as you make it, especially these days. With a little bit of saviness and the help from the internet, there are a number of different actions you can take to get the maximum quality of travel while keeping your costs down. We’ll take a look at a few of them below.
Ditch the hotels
In 2019 there’s absolutely no reason that you have to stay in a hotel. The hotel industry itself is an archaic one and terrible value for money, and the only reason you should check yourself into one is if you enjoy the status of a suite, or find that absolutely every other available accommodation is booked. Instead of hotels, you have a wealth of other options before you. Airbnb is a great alternative which lets you stay in the most amazing local accomodation for a fraction of the price of a hotel room. Not only do you get a comfortable space, but you also get a cultural lesson by immersing yourself in the home of someone else. Hostels are a quick fix if you just need a bed for a few days, and Couchsurfing is a great resource if you want to meet local people and stay for free.
Brush up on your passenger rights
How many times have you arrived at the airport only to discover that your flight is delayed for a couple of hours, or worse, cancelled completely? We’re guessing the answer is at least a handful of times. If you find yourself in this situation again, it pays to have a basic understanding of your passenger rights. Literally, it pays. That’s because of the flight compensation law that states that every airline that causes a significant delay has to compensate affected passengers between €250 to €600, regardless of the initial cost of your flight. It doesn’t matter if it’s Emirates or a budget airline like Norwegian Air, compensation is guaranteed if it’s the airline’s fault and the delay is severe enough.
Never eat on a high street
If you find yourself in a city center of a popular city, then it’s likely that all of the restaurants you encounter within that center are going to have their prices hiked way up to milk tourists of every last cent they have. To eat at cheaper, more local diners, move further outwards from the city center. A good rule of thumb to work with is called the “five block rule.” This rule states that you should avoid all businesses within five blocks of a densely packed tourist area. Once you move five or so blocks away these areas, you should see the crowds thin out and prices drop dramatically. Of course there are exceptions to every rule – Barcelona, for example, has such a big center that five blocks over will be just as pricey – but in general it’s worth sticking to.
