Not all savings are worth it. Discover in this post how NOT to save on travel and don't waste time (or even money!) on your next adventure.
If you've read any other post here on the blog, you know that I'm a big fan of saving money. No matter the destination or the topic we're talking about, if I know any way to save, I'll share it and encourage all my readers to do the same.
Not only that, but before I even visit any new place, I'm already on the internet looking for neighborhoods that are good to stay in but cheaper, how to use public transportation so I don't have to worry about car rental insurance rates, and so it goes...
However, after a few years full of travel, I discovered that there are some savings that aren't worth it. Either because in the end, cheap is expensive and you end up paying much more than planned, or because, in fact, you save money but waste time and fail to enjoy it as you could, if you just invested a little more.
With that in mind, I decided to write this little guide about how NOT to save on travel, with tips on what you SHOULD NOT DO when visiting new destinations.
How not to save on travel – Tips on what NOT to do
Although I tried to address universal situations in this post, it is possible that for your specific case, some tips here are not relevant. Each case is different, but I recommend doing the math carefully to make sure that, in the end, the cheap deal won't turn out to be more expensive than planned. The only tip that I guarantee works for EVERYONE and that you should never, ever ignore is #1, which is at the top of this list precisely because it is the most important.
And of course, just to remind you: this post is also available on video!
Not taking out travel insurance
Many people believe that taking out travel insurance is not necessary, and that the chances of an accident or getting sick outside the country are small. The truth, however, is that if you have a medical emergency or even an unforeseen travel event, such as your flight being canceled, without travel insurance you will pay a lot of money to fix the situation.
Here on the blog there is already a post explaining about travel insurance, but I want to reiterate that andThis service is essential for international travel, both because it is mandatory for some countries, such as those within the Schengen Area in Europe, and because in some places the price of medical services is absurd. Here in this post I showed the values of the United States, one of the most expensive destinations in this regard, and where you can end up paying more than two thousand DOLLARS to get five points. And there's no discount for tourists, okay?
When taking out insurance, in case of any problem you can contact the insurance company through the app, and they will tell you how to proceed. In the case of medical care, most companies send you to a clinic or hospital and settle the bill FOR YOU, and you only need to worry about being treated and getting better.
In short, travel insurance is a SUPER NECESSARY expense, and even when I buy it and don't use it, I know that it would have helped me save a lot of money. If you still have questions, Here on this page I explained absolutely everything about insurance, I answered all the readers' questions and also showed which are the best companies to acquire this service.
Buy tickets with multiple connections
Another way to avoid saving on travel is to buy airline tickets with multiple connections. With the exception of those tickets that are a fare error and you can fly to a destination that normally costs R$4000 for R$1000, prefer direct flights or flights with at most one connection.
The truth is that for a saving of R$200 or R$300 does not pay spend 40 hours in transit instead of 12. What will happen is that you will arrive at your destination tired, jet-legged and having already lost one or even two entire days of travel, which are super precious especially for those who have few days of vacation.
If the fare difference is so big that you can only pay the price of the ticket with more connections, ok, the important thing is to travel. However, if you can invest a little more to spend less time in airports and flying, it more than makes up for the “no savings” (in quotes because you do save, but time and not money).
Staying in bad hotels because they are cheaper
There is a big difference between choosing simpler, but clean and comfortable accommodation and choosing a BAD place just because it is cheaper.
Places with bad reviews have this problem for a reason, and they can end up ruining your trip. Let's say the hotel is very noisy and you can't sleep, how can you enjoy the next few days? Or, let's say, you realize that the hotel isn't very safe, and your things end up being stolen? In both cases, you may need to leave that hotel and look for another one, which will certainly be more expensive as you will need new accommodation urgently.
There was a trip I took where I stayed in a hostel where the reviews were very divided, and I preferred to take a chance since the price was great. In the end, my bed had bed bugs (bedbugs) and luckily they didn't get into my NEW backpack, because I could have lost DAYS of traveling to deal with it and even brought an infestation home. Can you imagine the price of getting rid of it later? There's a clear example of how not to save on travel, hehe.
If your budget is tight, choose simple hotels with good reviews, to avoid future problems.
Stay in hotels further away because they are cheaper
This tip largely depends on the destination, but I wanted to include it as many travelers may not stop to think about this aspect when planning their trip. When choosing a hotel further away, remember that not only will you spend more time getting to the main tourist attractions, but you will also have to invest in public transport or car rental to get around.
So, do the math and see if what you'll spend on transportation (and time) really makes up for the difference between a hotel where you could do everything on foot (if that's a possibility). If the economy is advantageous, my recommendation is hotels that are up to 30 minutes away from the main tourist attractions, and that are close to bus stops or metro stations if you are going to use public transport. If you need to travel for an hour or two every day, however, it is worth choosing a closer hotel if that is possible within your budget.
As I already mentioned, it's worth remembering that this is a general tip, but there are destinations that have a great public transport system and unlimited passes like New York. In the case of NYC, staying in more remote neighborhoods like Brooklyn or Queens is not a problem and in just a few stations you are already in Manhattan and ready to sightsee. Orlando It's another destination where staying in more remote neighborhoods pays off, as you'll probably rent a car anyway, and the cheapest houses or hotels aren't that far away.
Use public transport instead of renting a car
Again, an economy that tends to depend on destination and type of trip. If you are traveling solo, for example, and your destination has a decent public transport system, it is extremely likely that it will be more worthwhile to use buses and subways instead of renting a car.
Now, if you're in a group, it pays to do the math to find out if public transport is really the best option.. Even if it is cheaper (and I realized that with the exception of unlimited passes, with groups of four or more people it is usually NOT cheaper), the loss of time or even freedom that you may have at your destination may not be ideal.
I'll give you an easy example: DISNEY. It's very easy to use UBER at Disney (no buses), there's even a place to drop off and pick up passengers in all the parks. It's very quiet, and can often be cheaper than renting a car. However, for 5 people or more, you already need two Ubers (when with a car, you could rent ONE for 5 people or more). Assuming 10 dollars to go and another 10 to return from the parks, that would be 40 dollars per day. If the group wants to go somewhere later, like dinner or shopping, it would be about 20 dollars more, which already gives the daily price of a car. With parking in the parks it is still a little cheaper to take an Uber, but it is so much faster and more comfortable to have a car and be able to go to different places and at any time, that the saving of 10 dollars a day, for example, is not worth it. in my opinion. You get much more out of having your own vehicle for the group and you can save money in other ways, as I taught in this post about how to save at Disney.
Of course, if it's a VERY big difference in price it's not worth it, but if it's just a few dollars and someone in the group is comfortable with driving, I'd say that overall driving is usually the best option. Just remember to include in your budget the price of car rental, gasoline and parking (at the hotel and other locations), as I taught in the budget post.
And there are the 5 main ways to how NOT to save on travel! Do you think there was anything missing from the list? Tell me in the comments!
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