5 ways you’re wasting money on travel
I recently booked a $6 Uber in a foreign city. Once it arrived, I hopped in the car. The chipper driver said “Hi,” then flipped a uey. Seconds later, he pulled over. “Did you know you were only two blocks when you booked this ride?” he asked with a smile. I did not and was pretty embarrassed by my goof.
Oops.
Had I taken a few extra seconds to see just how close my destination was, I would have saved a few bucks, not to mention my embarrassment. Thankfully I didn’t lose too much on the deal. But there are actually a lot of ways travelers routinely waste money when venturing abroad, whether domestically or internationally.
Let me count the ways:
1. Visiting in peak season. I get it—many people only get time off or vacation days on nights, weekends, in summer, or when it’s generally convenient for everyone else (such as Christmas break for skiing). But this has a nasty effect of high demand and low supply, which can double or even triple the price of travel in some cases. If you can be flexible or ask work for time off in low or shoulder seasons, you can stretch your dollar by a wide margin.
2. Paying for excessive baggage. You may think you need all of that stuff. But you don’t. If Rick Steves can pack everything he needs into a single backpack for his annual five month visit to Europe (which he really does), you can pack one or two weeks of clothes in only a small carry on. Heck, I only took a large fanny pack the first time I visited the Middle East! Point is, if you want to save hundreds of dollars in added baggage fees, stop telling yourself you can’t pack that light. Everybody can. You just have to only wear one pair of shoes and get used to doing sink laundry once in a while.
3. Dining at tourist traps. Not only does this mistake cost you dozens, if not hundreds, of dollars, it’s actually a horrible waste of food, since touristy restaurants don’t offer the same quality as cooks and chefs that truly take pride in the food they serve. Remember: touristy restaurants are businesses first, eating establishments second, which results in mediocre dining that costs a lot more than you’ll pay for better food elsewhere. So don’t do it. When it comes to good food, the extra walk or drive is worth it. If you absolutely must, consider grabbing a snack until you can get to a proper eatery.
4. Buying private (or too much) ground transportation. I’m talking taxis, rental cars, or Ubers for short walks like the mistake I made. In many cases, public transport, courtesy hotel shuttles, limited ride shares, and even bike and scooter shares can get you everywhere you want to be without a costly rental car. Another big mistake is pre-booking an expensive airport transfer in advance, only to realize you could have saved a lot of money just calling an Uber upon arrival. So before you pay for unnecessary or extra ground transportation, check all available options and distances.
5. Failing to pre-book popular attractions. In many cases, booking online not only saves you time at the ticket counter, but it can save you serious cash. This is especially true in Europe, which often promotes “skip the line” tours, which are really just online tickets that let you avoid the long ticket counters that plague popular attractions. Again, a little extra planning goes a long way to saving precious dollars, time, and headaches waiting in long lines, instead of—you know—actually seeing cool stuff.
Don’t make the same mistake I did. Try the above. It might just fund your next great vacation.
Blake Snow contributes to fancy publications and Fortune 500 companies as a bodacious writer-for-hire and frequent travel journalist. He lives in Provo, Utah with his family of seven and one ferocious chihuahua.