Who said your dream vacation has to empty your entire savings? That you have to enjoy all the luxuries during the journey as well as on your vacation.
As long as you get to see and roam around the place you've always wanted to go to, it doesn't matter how luxurious your living standard is there right? It shouldn't, not in today's market where jobs are hard to come by and saving money is harder.
Planning a vacation meticulously keeping all the financial constraints in mind will help you make the most out of it, further if you are wise on the saving front, both generally and during your travels, you'll save money for other vacations as well.
In this article, the top ways to save money while on vacation are discussed.
Flexibility: Be flexible in choosing the dates for your vacation - flight prices depend a lot on the time and date of the flight and can vary considerably based on these two factors.
If you search hard enough, you can find the most economical flight that fits your budget.
This while initially seems like a bit of a drag, is extremely beneficial in the long run.
Websites exist which can help your cause, for example Skyscanner allows you to find the cheapest flights from your chosen airport to a choice of different destinations.
Be smart and try to travel during the off season as its way cheaper, flights during the weekdays also cost less than those which fly on the weekend.
Indirect flights are cheaper than direct ones.
Keep such stuff in mind while searching for your ticket and you're sure to save quite a bit.
A Pointer to Flying Economically: It's wise to check all your point cards and see if you can avail a free flight.
Also if you have points on several different airlines you ca head over to points.
com and convert them to the points you require, also you can buy points if you need them.
This is often much cheaper than flying outright.
Not so Fine Dining A good way to save cash is to avoid eating three times a day in restaurants.
Instead go to the local supermarket or shops.
They're usually far cheaper and fresh, ask the locals for the best food they have.
They'll point you to a good cheap restaurant that serves it.
Street Hawkers are also a good and economical way of eating, again ask around for famous streets dedicated to selling food.
Once every few days eat at a restaurant to get the fine dining feel.
But eating locally is much more fun.
The Renter: Book your hotel in advance as it'll be a bit cheaper.
If you search hard enough you'll find a good hotel for a cheap rate.
Another option is looking for a local who can rent you a room, check out sites like AirBnB which list places which locals are willing to rent.
Other Tips: There are various other small ways to save money.
Use free Wi-Fi facilities abroad to the fullest - as your international data plan may be expensive.
Stroll into a coffee shop or a hotel lobby to use the Wi-Fi facility.
Exchange your currency while the exchange rates are higher than average.
You can also earn some cash abroad while working on things like grape picking for a couple hours.
Weigh your luggage before going so you don't exceed the limit and end up paying extra.