Just curious if anyone had some tips on being super stingy while travelling.
Just curious if anyone had some tips on being super stingy while travelling, and if so what they might be.
Reply to this self-cater (hit up the grocery stores), limit museum/sightseeing that costs money per day, sleep on park benches (heard this but never experienced this myself), take overnight trains so you don't have to pay for accomodation that night, bring your own food (dried soup that you add water to, granola bars, fruit leathers), sleep in 20-bed dorm hostels, hitchhike, try to sneak into museums if possible (not advocating this really), always fill up your water bottle with tap water from the hostel, bring your own laundry detergent and hand wash in the sinks, get lonely planet europe on a shoestring, eat a lot of pizza and bread in italy and nothing else, maybe some nutella, check out the couchsurfing website and see if you can hook up with anyone that will let you crash on their floor.
I guess other than that, try to bring everything that you need with you from your country (particularly if you're from the states) ie. allergy medication, contact solution, etc. That stuff is pricier to buy in europe if you run out.
Reply to this Buy food at local supermarkets (grocey stores), if you stay in hostels that offer breakfast sneak food into your bag for later, overnight transport (definately), barter as much as possible (depending on the country), take public local transport or walk, don't drink alcohol - or set yourself a budget for nights out, shop around for somewhere to sleep, go to local tourism centres and ask what the "free" sites are (and check out the Lonely Plant)... the list can go on...
Reply to this If you're travelling around Europe I have a couple of tips. In France, the museums are often free entry on the first and third sunday of each month. Get hold of a student card for extra discounts on attractions etc. If you're under 25 you can often buy a youth train ticket instead of an adult ticket, slightly cheaper. Shop around as much as poss and haggle like mad - no harm being cheeky from time to time! Also, in Europe restaurants often have cheaper 'menus' where you choose three courses from a set menu, depending on the restaurant this can be very good value for money. Venture into the back roads (only if they look safe! not talking about dark alleys!) Often able to find nicer and cheaper places to eat in back roads. When in Europe you can often order jugs (pichets or carafes) of wine, much, much cheaper than by the bottle. In Belgium this weekend we got a pichet of v nice rose for just 10 euros and we got 6 good size glasses out of that!
Try looking at hotels on discount websites, then contact the hotel, tell them the price you're able to get on the web and see if you can negotiate a better deal with the hotel direct. Take public transport whenever possible because taxis are usually pretty expensive - look into the public transport systems before you leave and try to plan your route in advance so you look like you know where you're going. Take drinks, snacks etc with you on trains, planes etc where they are very expensive. Obvious point but dont touch the minibar in a hotel, unless the minibar is not sensored and you can pop out and replace what you've used the next day! Slightly sneaky but what the hell! Loads of places are free to visit, for example, cathedrals, monuments, etc, eg. the Sacre Coeur in Paris. Make the most of these free places and take advantage of free tours, but just dont fall for the sales pitches at the end of free tours, eg. tours of chocolate factories, perfume factoriers etc are often free but there is a heavy sales pitch at the end.
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