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Cheap Travel Secrets |
by:
Steve Gillman |
There are two ways to save money traveling. The first way is
to getbest deals onspecific things you want. There
islimitation to this type of approach though. If , for
example, you findlowest price onbest hotel in
Honolulu atheight ofseason, you will save
money, but still havevery expensive vacation. Trying to
get exactly what you want, or what you think you want, will
generally beexpensive proposition, in travel and in
life.
Be A Travel Opportunist
The other approach is to betrue opportunist. This will be
difficult for some of you, and entirely unacceptable to
others. Nonetheless,travelers who get to travel
most, go towidest variety of places, learnmost and
domost, areopportunists. This will be true until
you are so wealthy that you have no monetary limits.
The first time I went to Ecuador, I went there because it
was cheap. If it was not, I would have hadgreat time -
somewhere else. The trip lastedmonth, and cost $onezerofourfive,
which included airfare and even$onethreezero fee forguide to
take me totop of glacier-covered Mount Chimborazo.
I cutcost by takingbus from my home in Michigan to
Miami, and back again when I returned from Ecuador. The
round-trip ticket cost $onefiveeight. The round-trip flight to Quito
from Miami was only $twofivesix, because it wascourier flight,
which meant I signed for some luggage (car parts), and could
only take carry-on luggage.
Never did I feel deprived, or bored. I hadgreat time,
eating wherever it was cheap and clean, doing all sorts of
inexpensive, but interesting things, and traveling across
the country to climb Chimborazo. I also met and fell in love
with my wife Ana.
How To Become An Opportunist Traveler
Can you drink rum atdollar per bottle, instead of your
favorite beer? Can you eat chicken instead of steak? How
about visitingfree sights first, and dancing in
street festival instead ofdisco?
Beingopportunist means you'll have just as much variety,
and probably almost everything you want - eventually. You
just have to stop trying to get exactly what you want
exactly when you want it. Ifguide that took me up
Chimborazo hadn't dropped his price from $twozerozero to $onethreezero, I
would have spent $two forbus and gone hiking on El Altar,
another great Andean mountain. That would have left me with
enough money for several other minor adventures.
More Secrets Of Cheap Travel
Plane Tickets: My wife and I were planningtrip to
visit family in Ecuador. The cheapest airfare from Traverse
City, Michigan to Quito, was $oneseventwozero. Out of curiosity, I
checked Miami to Quito, and it was only $fourzerofour. Airfare from
Traverse City to Miami was $threezerozero. Book two separate flights
and save more than $twozerozerozero! The discount sites aren't set up
to search in this way (yet), so you have to do this on your
own. Byway,whole six-week trip, which we took in
twozerozerofour, cost $twofourzerozero, including losing $onezerozero, and being robbed of
$onesevenfour.
Food: Whether traveling here or in other countries,
it is usually cheaper to buy some healthy snacks in
grocery store, rather than eat every meal inrestaurant.
When you do eat in restaurants, it can be cheaper to to
order individual items onmenu fromlist of
appetizers or side dishes. You also may get more variety in
that way.
Accomodations: Forlong trip, you may want to rent
an apartment ininteresting city. We did this for two
months in Tucson, for about $sixzerozero less per month, compared to
evencheaper motels. Watch for hotel coupon-books in gas
stations. The coupons will often save you $onezero onroom you
would have stayed in anyhow. If you haveconversion van or
RV, you can campcouple nightsweek, like we do, to save
on motels. We lovehotsprings we've stayed at, for$three
fee toBLM, instead of $fourzero forcheapest motel in
area.
Travel Expenses: Do more and travel less. It is often
the traveling part that costsmost, due tocost of
gas, convenient fast food, and expensive hotels you are
forced to pay for when you just can't drive any further. So
if you findplace withreasonable motel, andlot to do
inarea - stay forwhile!
AboutAuthor
Steve Gillman traveled alone acrossU. S. and Mexico at
oneseven. Now fourzero, he travels with his wife Ana, whom he met in
Ecuador. His stories, tips and information on travel and
backpacking, can be found on his websites,
http://www.EverythingAboutTravel.com, and http://www.TheUltralightBackpackingSite.com |
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