5 Ways to Save Money When You Travel

I love travelling. If I could afford to travel every month or make it my day job, I absolutely will. That’s how much I love it. But there’s usually a limit to the things you can indulge in because of finances. Except you have unlimited cash at your disposal, I am sure you are always on the lookout for how to maximise your funds while on a trip.

Well, here are 5 ways I have saved money when I travelled:

• Do your research while booking your accomodation. There are a number of things I consider while trying to book an accomodation — minus cost, of course. I ask myself questions like: Does the room come with breakfast? Is the area safe? How easy is it for me to get a bus or taxi from the hotel? Anything that helps me avoid incurring extra costs while at the hotel is considered at this point. And guys, ALWAYS read the fine print — some bookings are non-refundable or have a limited time for cancellation after which there’s a penalty. Even though this can be waived sometimes, it’s best to know before booking.
• Use cheaper modes of transportation. Depending on where you travel to, you may have a variety of transportation options. In London, for instance, the three most common modes of transportation are buses, trains and taxis with taxis being the most expensive. I used the buses and trains 95% of my time there and only used taxis when I was either too cold to wait for a bus or walk from one bus stop or station to another, was in a hurry and had missed the bus or train or simply wanted to indulge.

• Have a shopping list. This is something I learned early when I started travelling. The first time I travelled out, I went shopping with no shopping list and by the time I had paid for all the items I bought for people, I realised I had almost nothing for myself. Now, each time I travel, I have a list of people I plan to get gifts for with possible gifts beside their names. Sometimes, I go as far as putting the quantities. Yup! That has saved me a lot. It’s tempting to just keep picking items when you go into a store so it’s best to have a guide.
• Take advantage of sales! Who doesn’t love sales? There has hardly been anywhere I’ve travelled to that didn’t have stores doing one form of sales or another. That’s the first section I usually go into and when I don’t see something I like, I then proceed to the normal-priced items. I have bought really wonderful pieces using this tip.
• Do not forget your VAT refunds. When you travel, find out what the policies on VAT refunds are. In South Africa, you will need to present your receipts from the stores you shopped at to the Tax Refund office at the airport while in London, you will need to fill a form and present the receipts and not all stores participate in this. Please note that this information is as at 2018/2019. It’s best you find out what the policies are and claim your refunds, if you are entitled to them. I have gotten refunds in very significant sums on some trips and boy, that extra cash came in handy a number of times!

These are ways I have saved money while on some of my trips and I thought to share with you. Do you do some of these already? Will you try them out when next you travel? Share your experience when you do.

Ugh! Now I want to go on another trip!

Okay bye!