It’s great to travel, or, so I think so. But I’d like to believe that most people have a little wanderlust in them. Experiencing amazing and famous sights, immersing yourself in other cultures – it’s great! And you can always learn something about yourself. What I’ve learnt about myself through travelling, is that I like to spend money.
I can go somewhere, that is considered cheap, and still spend a fortune. Money burns a hole in my pocket, apparently. So, what I’ve had to do is come up with a process, if you will, that makes my money last a little longer when I am off gallivanting.
Here are some of my top tips for keeping a hold of your money as long as you can while travelling.
Go Digital
Advancements in technology have made our lives better in a lot of ways – communicating, creating, and entertaining to name but a few. But one other way that it has made our lives easier is keeping track of our money. What we spend, where we spend it, what we spend it on can all be tracked down to the penny with a tap of a button. There are accounts out there that have budgeting and saving apps to help you. Take advantage of them.
Embrace the technology that is available to you and stretch you money as far as you can while you’re travelling.
Go Full Tourist
Do you ever see the people on holiday, that have the belt-packs on, a 2:1 scale map, a Sherpa and of course, socks & sandals? You’ve definitely seen them. They look pretty silly, don’t they? Well, they might look silly, but I bet you they never run out of money on holiday!
These people, as silly as they may be, are extremely organised, and you should be too! Okay, you might not have to rock the belt-pack, but being organised on holiday is a must. The more organised you are, the less likely you are to spend frivolously.
Go Budgeted
This might seem like an obvious one, but many people misinterpret what budgeting actually means. Withdrawing X amount from your bank account and saying ‘this is what I’m spending on holiday’ is not budgeting.
Break it down day by day. Look at the places you want to go – how expensive is it there? If you go in with a plan, then you’re more likely to stick to it. Having a budget on your travels is essential. The more you stick to your plan, the less you’re going to be going to the ATM to lift out more money.
Go Direct
Now, all of these online travel agents and holiday booking services might seem like the way to go, and some of the time, they are. But they’re not always the best deal out there, despite what they might say.
A lot of the time you’re sacrificing cost for convenience. They do all the work, and then they add on their fee. So you’re paying more on top of what the holiday actually costs. But, when you think about it, it’s not even that much work.
More often than not, if you go on to the website of the hotel where you’re planning to stay, they’ll be cheaper than the others out there, AND can even offer you a discount for booking direct. Village Hotels is one hotel that do this, and offer an additional 10% discount for booking directly with them.
