- Making your own food for lunch and long train journeys can save a lot of money. It will probably taste much better than the stale cheese sandwiches which pass for food on British Rail.
- You could save money on holiday by taking part in holiday exchange CouchSurfing.com Also enables you to experience the real local culture rather than a sanitized hotel experience
- Try to get travel insurance as part of a bank account. By upgrading my Halifax bank account they were willing to offer free travel insurance. Travel insurance is highly recommended given how expensive foreign medical treatment could be.
- For the regular commuter it will be advisable to get a season ticket which will offer big savings. Note it is possible to get a loan specifically for a season ticket. It will still be cheaper even with interest payments.
- The bike is the cheapest and most efficient mode of transport, especially for short journeys, you can also avoid parking charges and park wherever you want (within reason of course)
- Look at The Beauty in Your Own country. My fellow countrymen always seem keen to fly off to distant parts of the world. But, they often ignore the chance to visit beautiful places in their own country. True, we might have just a little bit more rain in England, the weather isn’t quite as hot as the Caribbean; but, you will be saving money on your airfares
- Look to share car journeys with others. Splitting the cost will make a big saving given the price of petrol.
- Book in advance. The savings on a train ticket can be quite considerable for booking 12 weeks in advance. Airflights may vary depending on demand; but are usually cheaper if bought in advance.
- Book Late. The next best alternative to booking a long time in advance is booking last minute and having a degree of flexibility in when and where you travel.
- Buy Packages. Often it is cheaper if you buy a package holiday and bundle all the car hire e.t.c onto the same deal. Buying things separately will make things alot more expensive.
- Sign up for email special offers. If you are a frequent flyer, it is definitely advisable to sign up for email updates. It makes it much easier to find out when airlines are offering special deals. This can often save me £100 on a flight to New York. I get regular emails from Virgin, American and British Airways; it is surprising how one company is usually offering a special deal when I want to fly.
- Search Online for all the cheapest deals. Make sure you make the most of price comparison sites; but don’t just limit your searches to one company.
- Try Haggling for lower prices. If you arrange your own holiday, try asking for a price reduction. You can do this by email. If you book in advance and have various options you may be able to save 10-20% per nights.
- Don’t get ripped off by local taxi firms. On landing at a foreign airport make sure you don’t get into the first taxi that comes along. Before travelling agree on a price, if you leave it to the end of a journey you could face a nasty shock.
- Drive Slower. Cutting speed when driving can save petrol because the engine is more efficient. The AA reckon that travelling at 70mph rather than 80mph can get an extra 20 miles from the car.
- Travel at Unsociable Hours. Prices of airflights will vary enourmously depending on when you travel. Saturdays and Fridays will be more expensive. If you travel in the evening or morning or come back on a monday morning you will save alot of money
- Travel off the beaten path to find non touristy places and restaurants which don’t charge a tourist premium
- Try camping or Youth Hostels or cheap hotel chains.
- Look for special deals in newspapers and magazines
- Go on a walking holiday with tent. Only cost food.
20 Tips for Saving Money on Travel
March 4th, 2008 | frugality-
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