What is one cost you will not skimp on when traveling?
What is one thing you go cheap on to save money while traveling?
What is the oddest thing you sold or did to save money for a trip?
I won't skimp on hotels. After a long day of sightseeing I want comfort.
I go cheap on souvenirs, guidebooks and wine.
I won 2 grand on a slot machine once and buried it in a sock drawer in an envelope that said, "Tear open if going to Europe".
Strangest thing I ever did to save money for a trip: I took a summer job in a frozen pea processing factory. My job was in a quality control lab where I pinched the skins off of peas as part of the testing process for 12 hour shifts. ........
Private bathroom
Plane tickets.
It's not odd to me, but I drive a 12 year old car with no intention to upgrade until it dies. I don't care about cars. The thought of blowing all that money on a car when it could fund several trips...no.
I'm willing to spend more time traveling from point to point to avoid the need to buy train tickets way ahead of time in an effort to get an affordable fare. The flexibility is more important to me than an extra hour or two on a train or bus.
I won't settle for mediocre or unhealthy food for lunch or dinner. I don't care about the environment (other than basic cleanliness), but the food itself needs to be tasty and varied. If I don't like the affordable options I see around me, I go to a supermarket and buy things like cheese, yogurt and fruit.
Hmmmmm. . . gonna have to think on this one !! Great topic!!
Pinching peas’ skins for 12 hours !!?!! That is surely going to win the prize !!
Hmmm, like Kim, this makes me think…..
Roubrat, can I steal your answer?
To make this and the next trip doable:
*Hotel room must be en-suite. Location is important but hotel does not need to be fancy.
*I fly economy but will pay for upgraded seat selection.
*Our newest car is 18 years old. My truck is 33 years old. The oldest drivable car is 62 years old. Repair bills are less than a new car payments plus hubby can work on our really old ones.
*I did not look for a new horse when Logan went to horsey heaven this winter. But never say last horse...
*I banked half my PT job pay for the 6 months before Covid when I quit. The other half went to Logan's care. I was asked to help out a month ago so came out of retirement #2 to pick up almost enough to cover my hotels.
*I won't skimp so much that I don't have fun, regret not doing something or feel unsafe.
Leg room on a flight, I want it, I need it, I gotta have it.
I no longer buy trinkets or nik-naks for myself. I am in the downsizing stage in life and I don't want my kids to have to deal with all my crap when I am gone.
My friends have RVs, boats, purchase new trucks every 5 or so years and other "toys". I tell them how many trips I can go on when they tell me how much they spend. Since they have the toys, I enjoy them by default & buy the beer.
I don’t skimp on taxis from/to the airport or back and forth to the train station.
I’m vegan so sometimes I’d rather get a tub of hummus and a baguette for a meal than go to a restaurant.
horsewoofie wow, I'm impressed. I think I can get another 5 years out of mine.. Your one car is eligible for SS 😄
What is one cost you will not skimp on when traveling?
***Private bathroom.
What is one thing you go cheap on to save money while traveling?
***We inherited some money when my mother and my father-in-law died two years ago, so I guess now we could afford those lie-flat seats on the plane flight over. But although I can't sleep on planes, am miserably uncomfortable due to a bad hip, and would "give anything" to be able to lie down, apparently "anything" does not include such a lot of money that could go for the rest of the trip. So, it's main cabin for us.
We are strictly budget travelers. We don't go unless the airfares are 60% or less than normal airfares. But since my wife's now mobility challenged to riding an electric scooter, we're no longer riding the Metro to our hotels--hauling luggage. We're taking taxi's, etc.
We eat heavy at breakfast and often picnic or skip for lunch--eating peanut butter/crackers. And we may eat dinner at 5:00 p.m., and it's never in an expensive restaurant.
Budgeting or saving is a non-issue for us traveling. And it's uncanny how our Visa bill beats us home.
We look online for relatively cheap accommodations with high customer ratings. And we've never been dissatisfied in 52 years' of traveling to Europe. Some countries have better hotels and B&B's than others too. If we return to a city, we often stay in the same neighborhood--and we already know the street life and restaurants.
We never buy any souvenirs except sometimes a hardback book on special tourist sights and a refrigerator magnet.
I don’t skimp on alcohol, but I am one of those beer lovers. It’s part of the trip.
I save money by getting free samples of all toliteries from my hair stylist, the salon is part of a department store and thus he’s got plenty to give me for free.
I work a part time job during spring and summer, gives me money for travel as well as enjoying summer festival season in Chicago.
Yes, the hotel or VRBO needs to be comfortable and convenient. If you want misery, stay in a top floor hotel in Paris in August with no AC. Private bathroom, too. I'm glad I'm a man and don't have to sit on public toilets. That's gotta be rough.
As I've gotten older, economy airline seats suck. We fly premium economy on Virgin and it's such a better, restful experience. We're from rich. I'm a teacher/coach and the Hot Wife is a teacher's aide.
Otherwise, we're not foodies so I guess we skimp in that area. To save money we'll visit a grocery for snacks, apples, and booze. One of my best memories is walking along the Seine with our little wine and liquor bottles, checking out the people and sites.
For budgeting we'll save up and buy airline tickets and reserve the hotel, then pay for train tickets and so forth in the months preceding the trip. I try not to use credit or go into savings, or have a short-term plan to pay it off.
I save money on hotels - location is important but I don't care about private bathrooms or decor. I'll pay for experiences - once paid $100s for a hot air trip in Burma while staying in a hole-in-the-wall hostel - its not as as uncommon as you think.
Unless considerable savings are included in the price, I want the flight over from SFO or OAK to be non-stop, don't want to connect in JFK or Boston or anywhere else in the US or Canada, basically just sit in Economy for 11 hours and get over.
In Germany no problem with the WC and shower not en suite in a small hotel or Pension when offered a choice. If they are, you pay extra.
I have stayed on the top floor in a small hotel in Paris in August during a heat wave. That was in 1989. I do better now than at that time. The small two star hotel in Paris said AC was an extra charge, which I thought then was immoral. I didn't know any better then. So, I refused the AC, still do.
You don't get AC in Germany if the hotel is a 2 star, I don't think I have had that at a two star place.
If I spurge on the trip, it would be at meals depending on the restaurants, without the drinking included.
What is one cost you will not skimp on when traveling?
The flight over and back, has to have the appropriate layover to take the stress out of the connections (none of my destinations are popular enough to have non-stop ... actually if there is a non-stop flight probably not my sort of destination).
What is one thing you go cheap on to save money while traveling?
Anything that does not diminish the experience as I travel for the experiences and wont sacrifice that for a few dollars out of thousands of dollars.
What is the oddest thing you sold or did to save money for a trip?
I once worked in quality control tasting skinless peas, 12 hours a day.
..1. Clean bathrooms. I annoy myself with it, but I can scroll through photos of accommodations or read reviews and everything looks ok til the bathroom and then I am immediately like, "Nope".
..2. Food. It's weird because I've been cooking my whole life, I'm choosy, and we are food fanatics. I have a pastry certificate from Escoffier, but I hold to the belief that good food is not necessarily expensive food. I think there are things you cannot truly appreciate without spending on (certain seafood, hard to find produce, etc...) but in general, we are usually happy with holes in the wall and even grocery store bakeries and delis.
..3. Grocery rebates. Also, I buy "ugly art" from thrift stores or pick it up from trash piles. You know, gaudy paintings or over-produced corny stuff. I clean it then add vinyl letters saying something cheeky and resell it to my fellow millennials.
This hilariously backfired when my daughter and her friends were taking selfies and caught one of my projects in the background-- an ornate painting lettered with "Not today, Satan". When the girl's parents saw the photo, they thought it was a sincere religious sentiment and were a bit concerned, haha... I'm at least 10 years younger than most of my kids' friends' parents and I think I baffle them regularly. Now that I re-read this, it could be more that I'm weird than my age, ha!
1) Hotels--they must be comfortable, clean and have a private bathroom. A kettle and a mini-fridge is a plus. I tend to stay at chains to get the points. I'll take free rooms and free flights over "charm."
A/C also important during many parts of the year. Staying in chains also means status so I often get upgrades, free breakfasts if they are not included or discounts toward food among other perks. But location is also important. After a long day of sightseeing, I want to come back to comfort.
2) Transportation--I will splurge for business class on planes and first class on trains. This is especially true with Covid as I can either get a seat alone or have no one sitting right next to me.
3) I like good food and will try to find restaurants with good food. This doesn't necessarily mean expensive. At other times, I have no problem with going to a supermarket and putting a meal together to eat in my room. In fact, I enjoy going to supermarkets to see what the locals are buying.
4) I travel light and I don't buy souvenirs. I will also buy toiletries and other OTC items as I need them rather than stock up before the trip. It's more expensive this way but it helps keep the weight down.
I won't skimp on sights or activities I really want to see or do.
I go cheap on airfare, always fly coach.
Don't recall selling anything or doing anything odd to finance a trip.
We have traveled so much that we buy few souvenirs these days.
We rarely stay at 4 or 5 star hotels in Europe (we will in countries like Egypt), but prefer B&Bs with great locations near city center. We get a free breakfast and enjoy getting to know our hosts.
If we spend the bucks to fly overseas, we pay the fees for admission to the sites we want to see. We don't fly first class, happy with tourist.
I won't skimp on location. We're not high-end hotel people, but we are willing to pay extra to stay where the action is. If travelling with others; including family we definitely pay for privacy and get a 1 or 2 bedroom suite.
I do skimp on my phone. I have yet to take my phone off airplane mode when I'm out of the country and I make do with wifi. No way I'm paying $15/day for overseas coverage. Heading to Scotland in a couple of weeks and thinking of buying a local sim card for the first time to try it out. I'm not sure if it's necessary, but the GPS may be useful.
I won’t go super-cheap on hotel/location, but I also hate luxury hotels where I’ll feel out of place. As a solo female traveller, I prefer a nice clean chain hotel. Motel One are an excellent choice in Europe - good locations, reliably clean and nice to stay in. In London, Premier Inns.
I don’t mind smallish rooms if it’s a double bed. But sadly I’ve had too many cases of tiny “quirky” single rooms in attics or basements of “traditional” hotels and a couple of examples of over-solicitous borderline creepy service. So I go modern, chain, impersonal, reliable. Location must be central. There must be a private bathroom, a decent TV and coffee making facilities in the room. In-room fridge is a bonus.
Flight-wise, I had a business class flight for the first time using a friend’s points a few years ago and it was wonderful, but I cannot justify the cost so I suck it up and go economy and get an aisle seat, unless the price difference is relatively small. I see the journey as just a way to get where I’m going, something to be endured, rather than part of the holiday.
I will spend on admission fees but not tour guides. I will always spend money to go on a boat trip where appropriate. One or two nice meals but generally happy with cafés or even snacks in my hotel room.
As I've gotten older, I'm now more into burn rate than I am to a travel budget. In an earlier time, I spent 2 weeks a month on the road flying 80-100 flights a year resulting in my need for comfort, be it hotel rooms or on airplanes.
Because most of my stays are in the 5-night range, I do want space to stretch out, and that would include an upholstered side chair with ottoman, if possible.
Ever since airlines went to high-density seating in economy, that is no longer a consideration, now it's mostly business and/or premium economy.
I don't need a TV or sketchy wifi in the room; I purchase data SIM cards for both my phone and my pad and go from there.
Eating, I'm mostly on the hunt for just good, simple food. I rarely dine upscale because more often than not, I have been disappointed with the most disappointment coming from Michelin star eateries. Always enjoy a great bauernfrühstück, or a simple schnitzel with bratkartoffeln, or a bowl of penne carbonara with guanciale, or a steaming bowl of minestrone, or a burger and fries at the Walker Burger in Piacenza.
I absolutely need legroom on those long flights to Europe from the Pacific NW. I’ve flown business-class to Europe several times, but never paid for it because I used points from my previous job which required a lot of traveling and therefore amassed a good quantity of airline and hotel points. Now that I’m retired and paying myself, I always fly economy comfort on those long flights to Europe. I find it impossible to sleep on airplanes, so the advantage a seat that reclines completely to flat does not benefit me in terms of ability to sleep.. And I nearly always fly direct from my homebase in Portland to Europe, rather than connecting stateside. My logic is that if I get delayed and miss my flight to my ultimate destination, there is generally another flight available if I am in Europe already, whereas if I am stuck in some connecting airport in the US I may need to wait until at least the next day to catch a connecting flight. This has proven true on several occasions when I was able to arrange a different connecting flight from Amsterdam because of delays on my initial flight from Portland.
In terms of saving money, I have stayed on points in major hotel chains because it was free, but did not enjoy the fact that the hotels lack local character. So, if I’m paying myself, I usually book an Airbnb where I can save money by preparing some of my own meals and can also enjoy the opportunity to find learn about local sites by conferring with my Airbnb host.
The strangest thing I’ve done to save money for European trips is to participate in the local food innovation center taste tests. It’s a center that assists entrepreneurs who are hoping to open a new food business. Volunteers are chosen based on criteria determined by the food innovation center, and taste test different food products to give opinions and ratings. The most enjoyable of those food test was Pinot noir, which earned me $100 for two separate evenings of wine sampling. Probably the least enjoyable was tasting alternative meat products, none of which I enjoyed.
I once worked in quality control tasting skinless peas, 12 hours a day.
Well played, James !!!!
Enjoyed reading all the responses from fellow forum friends. One thing I learned from my recent trips is what PAM says above "I don’t skimp on taxis from/to the airport or back and forth to the train station."
What is one cost you will not skimp on when traveling?
Hmm, I don't splash out on anything, but neither do I really skimp, per se. I definitely will do whatever it takes NOT to fly in a middle seat and I will never, ever buy basic economy, so there's that. I upgraded to Premium Select on my last flight to Europe, and I may be ruined for main cabin now....
What is one thing you go cheap on to save money while traveling?
Since i often travel solo, I almost always stay in a hotel or Air BnB with a kitchen and I buy groceries instead of eating restaurant meals. I do that even if I'm not solo, but less often. It saves a lot of money and I enjoy shopping at foreign grocery stores. It's interesting to see what they have on the shelves, and shopping and cooking gives me that "temporary local" feeling. I also rarely take taxis because I love public transportation, and that saves money too. I don't buy tchotchkes; I might buy a book, a small piece of local art or jewelry. Sometimes I'll buy a coffee mug - I have one from Berlin with a picture of John F. Kennedy and the caption "Ich bin ein Berliner." I love having my morning coffee from it.
What is the oddest thing you sold or did to save money for a trip?
Nothing odd, but for a few years I worked a part-time job at my kids' high school as a long-term sub and called my dinky hourly pay my 'travel money'. That job went away with the pandemic, but now I have much better paying work anyway and more flexibility to travel.
Hmm. The older I get, the more mid-range I get in nearly all categories. We fly coach but I’m more particular about travel times and layovers than I used to be (gone are the days of taking a red eye and heading straight to work for the day). We try to find the cheapest Airbnb we can in a good location (as long as it’s not sketchy looking). Most of our meals are pretty mid-range. I do try to be careful in other spending- I don't spend a ton on clothes and cars. Saving for travel is the priority over some of that other spending. Not sure I’ve ever done anything crazy to save but when I was in my 20’s, I was known to travel with almost no money. It stresses me out now to think what I did - flying cross country with about $10.
No, she means Carol. And Jim. Maybe Barbara, or "Babs" as I call her.
Also, thumbs up a hotel or VRBO that has a kitchen so you can have breakfast and maybe another meal there and save $$.
I don’t skimp on safety, so I will pay extra, if needed, for a hotel in the historical center of the city. And ditto on the private bathroom. Also, I track anticipated expenses ahead of time for upcoming trips and create a pie chart as part of the Excel spreadsheet. If the wedge for the “Activity” category was too small of an overall percentage, I searched on-line for extra events to make the trip more special. That’s when I started adding activities like ballets, music concerts, pastry classes, etc. to trips.
This one mentioned by Pam is interesting and brought back the one bad memory of my last trip.
"I don’t skimp on taxis from/to the airport or back and forth to the train station."
I (or we) usually always just use public transportation when it’s available or walk to the train station. The one city during my last trip in France where I thought I would take a taxi back to the train station was awful! I had reserved the taxi the night before I was leaving Rouen with the very nice hotel where I was staying. I reminded them the next morning before breakfast, and I was early standing outside to wait…..and wait….and wait. After asking a couple of times again at the desk, they said the taxi didn’t want to come for just one person when they could get longer rides with more people - ugh! So, I had to RUN through the streets up to the train station, just making it in time for my train. I might like to take a taxi for a few upcoming cities, but that experience unfortunately makes me hesitate.
I guess I am cheap on transportation! LOL! I do walk a lot or ride a tram or bus, and I purchase train tickets a month ahead for extra savings. We have never rented a car in Europe during the dozen trips.
The oddest thing we did to save money for a trip was volunteer to stay overnight in Queens, NY. The JFK-to-Seattle flight one year was overbooked, so we volunteered to be bumped when the amount offered became a $1000 AMEX card for each of us. Delta paid our hotel, and we happily put the $2000 towards our next trip!
@periscope yes what Pam said... I quoted Carol in another post and it must have been in my head!
I wish they would bring the tagging function on this forum so we can @@ each other.
once I forgot to checkin to a Southwest flight and it was full. they gave me $1K! good old days (8 years ago). plus hotel. I happily accepted the bump to the next morning flight and made an excuse at work.
What is one cost you will not skimp on when traveling? ... getting form Point A to Point B ... I'll try to find the least expensive means of transport without sacrificing time since that is more limited than the $$$ ... but if you have to pay the price for the time savings, it's well spent.
What is one thing you go cheap on to save money while traveling? ... food ... if breakfast is included, then great ... if not, a quick stop at a grocery store or backerei / patisserie / pastelería is in order ... lunch is also usually something we've picked up at a grocery store (bread/roll, meats/cheese, fruit, etc...) that we'll pack with us or will eat late so we can combine lunch and dinner ... some nights dinner is our food splurge but not every night (those would be something like a quick pizza slice in Italy).
What is the oddest thing you sold or did to save money for a trip? ... I deal craps or blackjack at casino parties and bartend at private parties ... all my pay (and any tips) go into a separate vacation fund ... been doing this for almost 25 years now and it's funded several trips.
We don't skimp on airfare. I don't like flights that have too many connections. We chose premium economy seats.
We do use our "points" to help offset the cost of hotels if we chose a hotel that is above our budget.
I love the comments about not buying new cars/trucks/campers etc in order to afford travel..... totally our choice as well. We have a modest home and although we do have a nice sound system (I guess that's my husbands thing) we didn't blow the budget on it. Our newest car is 6 years old.
Good questions and I bet people's answers change over the years as their travel and life experience grows.
Now that I am a senior citizen, I only fly business class on the flights to and from Europe. Being able to stretch out and lie flat saves my back on those long flights. That is my one big expense that I am willing to make because I can travel very cheaply on the whole. As a younger traveller though, I was in economy! Once in Europe, if I need to fly, I can fly cheaply and usually use Ryanair or Easy Jet, because the flights are shorter. I do lots of research before trips and have always been able to find very reasonable budget friendly small B&Bs or smaller hotels or use my credit card points for hotels. I always travel second class on trains. I rarely eat expensive meals. I buy very few souvenirs. I usually use public transportation, (busses and trains) BUT I will splurge on a driver or a local daytrip tour if it helps to uncomplicate things and get me to a place I really want to see that would be harder for me to get to on my own. I rarely use a taxi. I don't rent cars. I travel light. I make all arrangements myself. I often admire organized tours and the experiences they offer and the value of a good guide and have been tempted to go on one but then I tell myself I can do it so much cheaper on my own.
Won’t skimp on:
1. Comfort of getting there…my version of first class. That being said, my comfort is not another’s comfort. I always take the day flight to London Heathrow. I sit in economy in an aisle seat near the front of my class of seats, but plan in the future to sit in premium economy, as I have before on occasion and prefer it, especially after recent bad behavior by flyers. I then book a room at Heathrow Sofitel for a good night’s sleep. The next morning, late morning, I fly to my European destination. Now that I have moved further from the airport in the US, I will sleep at a Logan airport hotel the night before my European flight, which leaves at 8:00 or 9:00 in the morning depending on the time of year. Love room service at the Sofitel as well! I will arrive rested and relaxed and feel like I am on vacation the minute I lock my door.
2. Lately, or once, ordered car service to my hotel (solo in Greece). That might become more common in the future when solo as my H has not been won over to that luxury.
What is the thing I go cheap on:
1. I don’t need a fancy hotel and in fact I don’t care if it is en-suite ( I find non-en-suite hotels have cleaner bathrooms, in fact). What I do make sure of is that the hotel is well located and I read as many reviews as possible to make sure the mattresses are good and safety, particularly when solo, is a non-issue.
2. Restaurant food and no liquor. I/We will eat a big, healthy breakfast, preferably at the hotel, snack mid-day, and stop in the grocery store at the end of the day for sandwich and/or salad for a relaxing evening in our hotel room or park…unless it is Italy. Also, public transportation the entire stay.
What is the oddest thing you did or sold to save money: I can’t think of a thing. I spend money on memories, not things in my daily life.
I don’t really go cheap or go expensive. I try to keep everything at a reasonable level so nothing extravagant but I’m not penny pinching either. But within my “moderation” some things I pay more attention to.
Lodging- I don't stay at the ritz but I need AC and clean accommodations with private bath.
Also flying- I'll pay more for overseas flight not to be squished together.
Cheap is definitely using public transit. There have only been a few times I've used taxis-in Turkey and in Madrid where the fares were cheap. Usually I take the bus or train from the airport to lodgings. I also try to buy train tickets and other tickets early to save some money.
Also, I usually go to the local grocery store for ready made food, fruit and wine/beer. So much cheaper and I love looking at the different products in other countries.
