How not to splurge on vacation: 11 life hacking for budget travel

1. Learn in advance attractions

Before the trip, explore the main sights and make a list of places required for viewing. Calculate the cost of their attendance and highlight the amount of travel budget. If you get too much, find out if whether the tourist map in the city, where you will relax.

These cards give the right to visit certain museums and free use of public transport - perhaps so will save. Here are some of them:

• roma Pass in Rome.
• venezia Unica in Venice.
• paris Pass in Paris.
• Barcelona City Pass in Barcelona.
• ViennaPASS in Vienna.

2. Find free entertainment

In any journey, you can enjoy art, nature and pleasant atmosphere without spending a penny.

• Look for free tours. For example, Free Walking TourWhich is in many points. The guide shows the city, and you pay him a tip - as much as you want. Minus: most of the tours are held in English.
• Download the audio guide and explore the city for yourself. Free audio guide in Russian is, for example, in the application iziTravel.
• Learn the days when museums can be visited free of charge.
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  Most often it is the first Sunday of the month, but there are also other dates.
• Download offline maps. For example, Maps.me or Google Maps. With them you can build interesting routes for hiking and will not get lost.

3. Think about how you will get around the city

When you do not know how to get to your destination, you want to take a taxi: do not need to understand where the stop, and you will be taken quickly to the right address. But it will cost much more expensive. To avoid falling into such a situation before the trip look schedule and characteristics of local public transport: how to get from the airport to the city, a number of the bus or train is right for you, how much and what kind of fare rates there is.

In many cities there is no common foreign tariff: the price may vary depending on the duration or distance of travel.

For example, it is sometimes advantageous to take unlimited travel for a day, than each time to pay for travel. Information about such subtleties can be found on travel forums, but more convenient to download city transport application in which you are going.

There you can build a trip from point A to point B and choose the best option of movement. The program will tell you how much travel, where to transfer and how long it takes the road. Look right in the Google Play and the App Store on demand like Lisbon Transport, Prague Transport, Seoul Transport.

4. Highlight the budget for the day

You probably have a travel budget - the amount that you can spend on travel. Subtract from it on expenses cultural program and calculate how much you can spend each day. And on the basis of this amount, work out all purchases: food, souvenirs, shopping, and transport.

Keep track of expenses, and better write them down - so you do not exceed the daily limit and will not go hungry the next day. In addition, knowledge of the exact budget does not allow to make spontaneous purchases. Constantly keep in mind that amount, and give up a Thai massage or a second portion of the ice cream will be much easier.

5. Translate the purchase price in rubles

Abroad, it is difficult to sort out because of another currency prices. To understand how much the thing, translating everything into rubles: it is sobering. For example, a magnet for the five euro seems not so expensive by local standards, but actually costs 357 rubles.

If it is difficult to consider in mind, download currency converter. It is particularly useful during shopping time discounts cloud the mind and do not allow to think rationally. For example, Currency Exchange application works without internet. You can update the exchange rate at the hotel, then to quickly calculate the cost of things before buying.

6. Do not use credit card

The amount of credit cards - this is the bank's money. You can not spend it just as easily as their own money, because everything will have to return, and sometimes with interest.

Instead, use a multi-currency travel card. This is an ordinary debit card, which you can open several accounts in different currencies. This is advantageous because the way you will pay in the local currency and the bank will not take a commission for currency conversion.

7. Refuse to pay the Internet

Let's be honest: the Internet on a trip only to post stories in Instagram. If you do without it, it is quite possible to live with free Wi-Fi, and save a few thousand - depending on your tariff.

The money saved is better spent on impressions: go on an unusual excursion or ride on extreme ride.

8. Take a first aid kit

In order not to spend money on medicines on the trip, it is better to take them with him. And even if you like to travel light, it is necessary to capture even the most necessary:

• pain reliever;
• antipyretic;
• remedy for allergies;
• means from food poisoning;
• pastilles for sucking, if a sore throat;
• antiseptic;
• bandages and band-aids.

9. Carry a water bottle

The trip thirsty more often than usual, especially if you travel in the summer. To quench your thirst, you have to order a cheap tea in a cafe or buy drinks at the supermarket. This is not a waste, but the water takes up a large amount that it would be possible not to spend.

Save simple: carry a water bottle and fill if possible. It can be purchased on arrival or take out of the house: in the tourist shops sell foldable containers, which do not occupy much space in your luggage.

10. Grab a snack from home

Food - one of the main items in the cost of the trip. Not to overpay for a meal at the airport and spend less at the cafe, bring a small snack. It may be a couple of packets of biscuits, muesli bars, nuts or instant oatmeal. The most economical take with them noodles Fast food.

Eat well the whole trip is not necessary: ​​the money saved can go to a good restaurant and sample the local cuisine.

11. Choose a cafe away from attractions

Cafes and restaurants in tourist areas - close to the sights and the pedestrian street - inflate costs and do not care much about the quality of food. They earn at the expense of tourists, and local do not go there. If you really want to enjoy the beautiful view that opens from the café, order a coffee or a glass of wine.

And to eat really tasty and inexpensive, look for restaurants away from the tourist routes. On the surface they can be unsightly, and the staff does not always speak in English, but in any case you will understand each other: a sign language interpreter and the phone has not been canceled.

Search for places you can in your offline maps, there is still an application The Fork on TripAdvisor. In it, you can book a table and eat with a discount of 20 to 50% depending on day of week and time of day.