– EN –
Aiming at proving wrong those who say that holidays and traveling require a lot of money, we provide you with our -secret till today- travel tips so that you accomplish your goal of traveling without having to apply for fund! According to our humble point of view, (us who without any money we manage to travel 3-4 times a year away) trust us when we say your solution lies to: organizing! If you follow our steps on your following trip, you will see a major wallet and quality change. To the best. And I explain further:
1. The sooner the better
Book your tickets well in advance, months earlier. Even if you’re not 100% sure about the dates, take the risk. Prices’ll be very low and even if you fail to go eventually, worst case scenario you’ll lose a small amount. Let alone how perfect is to feel you have something to wait for! Conversely, however, if you’re last-minute type of person correspondingly you’ll find last-minute bookings. A reservation at the last minute in a hotel will save you a big cost. Such decision though involves quite a big risk and is suitable for those who do not want to sleep in peace. If you fell up to it however, thumbs up, because you can find cheap hotels and cheap airline tickets as hotels and airlines want to fill respectively their empty rooms and seats.
2. Going shopping, online!
Not quite a long ago, you had to spend days and nights searching for the best hotel and accomodation prices but today large sites like our proposed one, trivago, compare prices for you and all you have to do is to push the magic “book” button. Note: prices change every day and at any time, so be quick and decisive! Likewise, book earlier any car you may rent. You’ll see in the end that we support walkers but some places do need car. In the Greek example, going to an island and looking to rent a car on the last minute is not your smartest move. Again, click trivago, compare prices and book your most advantageous choice.
3. Thank God it’s Wednesday!
It’s good to be flexible with your travel dates. Weekends and days widely known as public holidays are beyond reach: “Do not touch“! Think smart and move even smarter: Travel any time, any day and save yourself money. Needless to say that when it comes to public holidays, it’s better to travel on the same day, and not on the previous or the following. “Do not touch” again! Likewise, the season you choose to travel may increase or reduce the total cost up to half of it. In almost all destinations there is a high season when everything is more expensive: ferries, plane tickets, hotels and accommodation costs. For example if you are up to summer holidays in Greece and want to enjoy the Greek seas on an island and seaside then schedule your trip for June and not July or August which is peak season for most tourist places in Greece.
4. Get your haversack on shoulder!
If away for a few days, prefer baggage you won’t need to check at the airport so you save yourself up to 50% discount on your ticket. This policy applies mainly on low-cost airlines (ryanair, jetairfly, easyjet etc) for which I suppose you are rather interested if reading this article… Again, in the example of Greece, you don’t need much clothing during summer. 🙂
5. Boutique hostel, Business Hotel or … Camping!
We suggested them in the past and loved them both in Greece and abroad: Boutique hostels as Solyk in Barcelona, Colors Hotel in Thessaloniki and Athens City Circus will give you a taste of this new trend in hospitality. Besides, a good bed, a clean bathroom and a little design is all a (hipster) man craves for…!
If you choose to stay in a hotel rather than a hostel, then do it right. Did you know the distinction between Business Hotels and Weekend Hotels; We are here to enlighten you: the former price high on weekdays (thus have offers on weekends) and the latter just the opposite. If the hotel is suitable for congress tourism and usually has large conference rooms, then is definitely a business one! Let alone my other suggestion? It’s time! Let’s go CAMPING: organized or free for the more adventurous ones!
6. Eat like a king! at tea time only!
Well, if breakfast is included, it’s out of the table: You eat it. What about the rest of the day? Generally is better to eat a good lunch than dinner. Not only is healthier but is also cheaper! In conclusion, if during our holidays we eat a solid breakfast, at about 9-10 in the morning then you’ll feel hungry again around 4-6 in the afternoon. So maybe you do not need that kebab or pizza for dinner. And of course always prefer local delicacies rather avant garde -supposedly-international cuisine with lobster tails on the edge of the dish.
7. Organize and do what you really want to and not what you “should”
If you are one of those people who never organize anything, you’re not fan of plans, leave everything to chance and have besides that, you always have a great time, thumbs up. We pay respects. From personal, great experience I will tell you that the best and most economy travels comes after organization and planning. Each destination has its own must-see list, and is unique for everyone. Dismiss recommendations proposed by the trivial and select places and experiences. Do things that you like and not what they suggest. List your tastes and build your schedule before flying away! And above all, read what we suggest you see depending your destination. Go with the mouth to mouth spots you trust (us)!
8. Leave your credit card at home and take advantage of free admissions
You go on holidays, not the shopping season. There is no reason, therefore, to have your credit card with you. Leave it back home and spend what you have. Seize the opportunity for free entertainment, festivals, concerts, and remember: the company is what counts, not expensive lifestyle. Search for what’s free around there in advance and spare enough money by choosing an alternative nightlife.
9. Take care of your mobile and look for Wi-fi
If you arrange a trip abroad and need to make calls back home, make sure to ask from your mobile network of promotions. If again your calls do remain within the country, get a local gsm card. For example whenever I travel to Belgium I get a prepaid Base gsm at 20E and get over with that. Charges are not to compare. Conversely, as there is no summer without internet, find spots (cafes / bar / shops) that indicate free Wi-fi to surf for free.
10. Walk, walk, walk.
If I could, I’d suggested a thousand times. The world has to be walked. Is both the cheapest way but also the living experience of becoming a local wherever you go! Say no to taxi, metro, buses, everything else and walk. Get tired, taste, smell, see, take pics and enjoy everything on your journey! OK, if you get tired, and you’re somewhere in Europe where bike-sharing is booming, take a ride.
We did our part, now it’s up to you to have a great holiday! Send us your own travel tips!
Tags: advance bag best book date discount Drink early Eat expensive fast flexible holidays hostel hotel july june low money month myth organise prices risk sleep summer ticket tips travel trivago wait
