Tricks means someone is being tricked … Lillian has a look this weekend what that can mean for your travel arrangements …
Cheap Holiday Tricks for your Next Vacation
Whatever your tour operator or agent tells you, treat it as sales pitch! It’s utter brinkmanship as we all know; the end result is to nail that sale. So, as you prepare your next trip, keep in mind that you are better suited to get it cheaper with just a considerable amount of research. Here are a few tips from Lillian Gaitho of Jovago.com to lead you on a guaranteed saving scheme for your holiday.
Prep Up
Ensuring that your car, gadgets, and any equipment accompanying you on your trip are in spark condition will save you a pretty penny. If you are planning a road trip, take your car on a full-service routine checkup and make sure you pack your tool box as well as an extra tire. Camping gear and skating boards should also be packed in serene conditions. Apart from the tools of your oncoming wanderlust, take time to study maps of new places and download one or two apps that can be accessed offline for the same purpose.
Prioritize
At the onset of your planning, define an all-inclusive list of must-haves, should-haves and can-haves. This will help you to make a clear picture of what you are mostly looking forward to, for instance, some travelers may value luxury accommodation while others will prefer to cut on the lodging cost and use the money to cover the cost of visiting a desired attraction, event or just culinary indulgence.
Research your Planned Adventures
The great news with the digital shift must be the ability to get possibly anything a click away. Before embarking on our budget-trip of the year, take an hour or season to study the travel patterns in the area; this will give you a fairy good idea of the number of arrivals between periods, popular tourist attractions in the area, transport and distance to needful amenities such as beaches, shopping malls, souvenir markets etc. If you are already settled on the destination, go through guest reviews on such platforms such as Trip Advisor and Trust Pilot. Such information will help you in making decisions that correspond well to your budget needs. Also, note that special groups of visitors such as children, students, corporate groups and some government institutions may have discounted costs in comparison to other visitors, take full advantage of the same where applicable.
Full Package vs assorted service
Most full house tour operators have all-inclusive packages that take in details of the trip, the “pay less for more” model, as more business guarantees higher discounts. You must however be keen and take time to compare both services to mark the difference in cost. Consider factors that are not necessarily monetary such as time, convenience and efficiency of the service.
Travel Light
Every traveler dreads the scale, literally. Luggage costs could make the difference between one more night stay in a new destination. If you plan to shop for new items, stuff your rucksack with old clothes that you will not mind giving away to create space for the new lot. Compare the difference in cost between hiring out equipment that you may need from suppliers at your destination and ferrying them from home. Do not use oversized or unnecessarily heavy bags as the weight will also count on the scale.
Once at Your Destination…
Talk to the locals, there’s always something, a shorter route, a local and cheaper application and even locally discounted prices from stores that could save you a penny or too. Decide too if you want to drive around in a taxi, or opt for public transport which will generally be cheaper and more interesting.
