Saving money traveling is not easy. I receive many requests from customers asking how to save money on their vacation. The biggest problem is the cheaper an offer is, the lower is the quality. Before you just loose time and money you should do some considerations.
There is nothing better than a dream destination holiday. If you save money this could be better.
Where you can save money
Comparing prices was once a good option, but most of the online portals don’t compare the quality.
The worst thing is the waiting time in airports, or in this case, preparing for travel. It can be expensive, boring and stressful. In fact, the most stressful part about traveling anywhere is actually reaching the target.
Long waiting times may also be expensive. The longer you and your family stay in airports, the more you must pay for snacks, drinks, and shopping unneeded things.
Ask your travel agent about the time schedule and be sure, that you do not spend to much time on the way.
Reaching your hotel
If you are in a foreign place and you don’t speak the language, it isn’t easy. What can you do about it? Go with friends. In most cases, you can get a reduced rate on transport if you book as a group.
With things on offer such as ‘Family Tickets’ offering a reduced rate for multiple people. You then also have people to pass the time with once you are traveling to your destination.
Traveling alone, or just you and your family may give you the feeling of independence, but this is another cost factor, that your travel agent could reduce for you.
The transport from the airport, harbor or train station to your hotel can be both, stressful and expensive.
Finally, plan in advance, make it easier for yourself, make sure you know where you have to go, and what train or bus you have to catch. This saves you time when you get there, instead of trying to learn everything on the day.
First of all, a sightseeing tour
It really isn’t easy when choosing a tour guide, but it is important that you choose the right one for you! And here, quality matters.
A good tour guide knows how to balance how much information you are given, and how much self-exploration you should do.
Do your research, read their reviews and ratings. A guide should also be passionate about being a guide and what they are doing. They should be personable and able to listen as well as speaking.
Importantly, make sure they offer concessions and discounted rates for groups. Then, you and your friends benefit from a good tour guide and save money at the same time.
The prices for a private tour or a group tour may not be simple to compare. Try to find people traveling to the same city and time. Make announces in local groups or magazines. Sometimes even dating portals may help you find a group for a sightseeing tour. The normal price calculation for ten people is the same price for a private tour. You pay almost the same per person, but you receive far better quality service.
Day tours and private tours
Do it yourself is in my experience the worst way to save money. Some travelers spend days reading books or navigating through the internet, and lose the focus.
This year I had many requests about the best Christmas markets in Germany. Interesting was, that rarely people booked a tour, but spent time raising a new question. The consequence is, that at some point they don’t reach any answer anymore and the vacation is over. Or worse, the markets are not available anymore. By the way, this happened with a family yesterday. I see horrible scenes coming up for the father. He wrote to me sixteen times and yesterday asked for a tour, but the markets closed on Sunday.
Create a facebook group, or ask someone to do it for you, so you may join the right group and tour.
Tours and guides can make a trip so much better, giving you the information from a first-person perspective as well as making it interactive — something you can’t get from going by yourself.
They can also make a trip more expensive, especially for individual travelers. Good tour guides will offer a discounted rate for groups or families. Ask the guide of your choice, if they offer a waiting list.
Make sure you check with them before paying individually.
Make your plan for the new year saving money traveling
So, you’ve arrived at your location, you’ve been looking forward to your tour since booking it in advance.
The whole experience is much better because you’ve chosen the right guide for you. Now you’ve got your guide, transportation, and hopefully, you have also new friends. This is far more enjoyable and cheaper! Enjoy!!