Got the travel bug? Sure, traveling's expensive, but once you've been bitten by the travel bug, you know you won't be happy just staying home because you have to save money.
Here's the key: do your research and follow a few simple guidelines, and you'll find bargains and get to where you want to go while spending a lot less money than you might have originally thought.
1. Don't follow the crowd. Not only will you pay more for everything, the places you want to go will be really busy. Be adventurous! Or go in the off-season.
2. If you're flying, do everything you can to lower the cost of transportation. Air travel, fcan make up a large part of your costs. When looking for airfares online, check prices for different times of the day, and different days of the week. Or fly in the middle of the week, rather than on a weekend. Even when you check prices can make a difference - try logging on after midnight, or on different days.
3. There are always alternatives to air travel. Be creative - think about a cruise, or a bus, or a train. Cruises are great fun, and bus travel can be a great way to get to your destination if you have time on your hands. Rail travel is another good choice when you have a few extra days available.
4. Remember your car. Even with high gas prices, traveling by car might be a good, inexpensive way to go in comparison to flying. Just make sure to be prepared for all possible costs. And get your car serviced before you leave, so you can avoid having to do emergency repairs far away from home.
5. Check for bargain hotel rates. It never hurts to ask if you can get a discount for a room. Hotels like to be full, so if there are too many empty rooms, often you can negotiate a better room rate. A hotel that does a lot of business conferences, for example, is likely to be less busy on weekends.
6. Consider accommodation alternatives. You don't always have to stay at a hotel. Bed and breakfasts often offer a lot of bang for the buck, and you won't be stuck in a busy, touristy area. There are also retreat centers, timeshares and hostels. Don't forget about house sitting. Or you could set up an exchange of your home with someone else in the area you want to travel to. And in the summertime, you can often rent empty dorm rooms from colleges and universities.
Sure, you need money to travel. But you can definitely keep well within your budget. Research, and follow the tips above, and you'll be able to plan a trip well worth taking without breaking the bank.
Author Lina S. Yates presents life tips for all the tangents in your life at http://99tangents.com. If you're thinking about a trip, or looking to keep to your budget on your next holiday, make sure you check out all the travel tips at 99Tangents. This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.
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