Vacation On A Shoestring – Save Money When Travelling
It’s vacation time! The kids are out of school, and you are now about to take that trip you have been planning all year. If you’re like most people, you are also dreading the thought of all the expenses involved during your travels. No matter how long or short the trip may be, you know, as well as I do, that EVERYTHING cost money. Here are several tips you can follow to help you cut down on your expenses.
1. Buy your gas well off of the interstate. Gas stations and convenience stores that are immediately along the interstates are always more expensive that the ones that are located further on down those side roads. Take just a few extra minutes and save a few bucks.
2. Pack your own food and drinks. Before you leave on your trip, visit your local grocery store, and purchase snacks to take with you. Tourist hotspots usually place a very high price on items such as soft drinks and chips. A good list of foods to pack would be sodas, chips, cookies, bread, sliced meat and cheeses for making sandwiches, and even some fruit. This with help keep you from going into those expensive restaurants for every meal.
3. Take advantage of the continental breakfast. Almost each and every motel you stay at these days offer that morning complimentary meal, most of which usually consist of a small box of cereal, a donut, or a bagel. If you’re like me, you’ll jump all over that. It’s free, and you’re have a few more dollars to spend on lunch or dinner.
4. Use coupons wherever possible. Usually in your high-traffic tourist spots, you will find pamphlets or brochures that contain coupons for restaurants, attractions, or gift shops. Don’t feel cheap when you use these. Just feel smarter. You can decide to spend $20.00 to get into that museum, or do the intelligent thing and take advantage of that $3.00 off admission price.
5. Don’t purchase souvenirs until the last day. Of course, I don’t know anybody that comes back from a trip without a bunch of trinkets that will be played with for a couple of days and then thrown into the closet. While vacationing, take a mental note of the things that interest you. Then, on the final day you can make the decision on the item(s) you want the most. This will save you a big headache at the end.
