August is a big month for travel. People from around the world use the end of summer to take last minute vacations with their families before the school season begins and the cold weather returns. Europe practically shuts down as people take most of the month off to travel. So there is no better way to start off the month of August than with some great travel tips to make your vacation go a bit easier:
Flying
1. When booking flights, sometimes it is cheaper to fly into airports other than your final destination, and then take a train or bus. This is especially true during peak travel season or festivals. For my recent flight to Valencia, the cheapest flight was $700 (2 stops) as everyone is traveling there for La Tomatina. Even Ryanair was $200 to fly just from London. However, it was only $550 to fly into Madrid and then another $50 to take the train. Furthermore, I saved myself over 6 hours in layover time.
2. Always get behind business travelers when in security lines. Families have more stuff and move much slower. Frequent fliers know exactly how to move through that line quick and have everything ready even before they grab the x-ray machine tray.
3. Always find out what type of plane you are flying on. It will determine how nice the seats and amenities are, since not all planes are created equal. For example, American Airlines MD-80s have wi-fi installed, but as of right now, smaller Boeing planes do not. Newer versions of planes also tend to have more leg room and nicer seats.
Accommodation
4. If you like hotels, last minute deals on Priceline can get you rooms over 60% off the normal price.
5. When you check in to the hotel, ask for an upgrade. Tourism is very bad right now and you are much more likely to get free upgrades and goodies just by asking. They want to keep customers happy and have them go home recommending them to others. Use that to your advantage.
6. If you are traveling with 3-4 people, get a suite. Couches usually fold out into beds making that Priceline negotiated room even cheaper. Four of us split a King suite in Chicago for $50 each per night.
7. If you are in a city for a week or more, renting a furnished apartment can cheaper than a hotel. You can also use sites like Couchsurfing and Hospitality Club to stay with locals for free.
8. Most hostels offer private rooms that are cheaper than hotels. You will have your own bathroom, new sheets each day, free Wi-Fi, and sometimes even a T.V. In New York, my private hostel room was $90 per night. The closest one star hotel in the area (Central Park) cost $120 and did not include wi-fi (but probably some bed bugs.)
Tourism
9. Always visit the local tourist office. They usually have discount cards for major attractions and can let you know what deals are happening at that time.
10. While at the tourist office, take some of those advertisement brochures that offer discounts. Most of them (especially the maps) contain ads for discounted tours and meals.
11. Libraries, Starbucks, and most cafes have free wi-fi or internet.
12. Lunch time is the best time to visit historical sites. Tour groups always head to places in the early morning or late afternoon, but around 1 pm, they break for lunch, leaving much shorter lines for major attractions. Conversely, if you are an early riser, you can be the first one in line and also beat the wait time.
Eating
13. Never eat in a tourist area- the food will be half as good and twice the price. This is a simple enough tip, but one often forgotten by people.
14. Locals don’t eat out every night and neither should you. Visit the local supermarket to see what the local palate is like, and make your self some sandwiches or if you have a kitchen, a nice dinner.
15. Eat at expensive restaurants during lunch. Most restaurant offer lunch specials much cheaper than those on the normal dinner menu. Don’t know where to go? Don’t look in the guidebook. Ask a local.
When you plan your next holiday, remember some of these tips. Traveling doesn’t have to be a time consuming and expensive process. It should be easy, cheap, and, most importantly, fun.
Regarding tip #7, do you know of any websites that post apartment/condo rentals for people who will be staying in a city for a week or longer?
As always, thanks for the great suggestions!
JoAnna – I’ve used vrbo.com (vacation rental by owner) and have been very happy with them! I found renting a nice cottage in Santa Barbara, California for a weekend much cheaper (and nicer) then most of the motels in the area. And I am now renting a house at the Jersey Shore with my family the same way.
I live in NYC and was curious to see what is listed for the city. I found some really great brownstone apartments in the Village that were also cheaper than hotels, and would make anyone feel like a local! I think it is a great option for anyone and any length of stay.
My favorite tip: pack light! For a 10-day summer grad school course in Prague and Bratislava I brought only a carry-on suitcase and a large purse. Everyone else was bogged down with a bunch of stuff in huge suitcases they didn’t need. Traveling light is the only way to go. Unless of course you’re moving to Brussels…
Don’t worry- when I visit you in Brussels, I’ll have packed light
Packing light is a definite must, but also be sure to pack for comfort. Leave the fru fru clothing at home along with the high high heels.
@JoAnna I recommend http://www.vacationrentals.com/ they list by per night, weekly as well as monthly in all the major cities throughout the world.
Starbucks in most countries have free wifi, but in my experience in North America so far, you have to pay for wifi through AT&T. Anyone know if it’s free these days? It seems bizarre that every other cafe I have been into has free wifi except Starbucks, especially when it’s free in countries like Malaysia and China. It wasn’t free in Thailand when I was there, though.
Fortunately in New York there are plenty of independently-owned cafes that have free wifi that are cheaper and better than Starbucks.
If you get one of the Starbucks rechargeable cards (the gift card types) and register it online, you can get 2-hrs of free wifi a day. All you have to do is make one transaction (using, reloading, etc) a month to get the free hours. It may not allow you to spend the afternoon in the Starbucks, but two hours is a good amount of time for checking e-mails, uploading photos, Tweeting, and blogging. The wifi works with mobile devices too. I use my iTouch to access the web at Starbucks.
“Locals don’t eat every night.” Really? THAT’s how I’m mean to lose a few kg’s then: become a true local
Good tips here, Matt. One thing to note is that Starbucks doesn’t have free wifi everywhere. Here in New Zealand, where they’ve been canibalising an established coffee culture, they charge NZ$10/hour to use wifi, Aussie is also not free (and, as we all expect, they serve caffeinated sugar rather than coffee).
Sarcasm noted craig but most locals have kitchens and tend to cook some meals. However, I am sure some locals do eat out every night.
RE: Starbucks. That’s why I added Cafes too but in America, they just rolled out 2 hrs of free wi-fi. Also, we have a place called Panera Bread (sandwich chain) and they have free wi-fi.
Starbucks signed a contract regarding their WiFi in the U.S., which I believe is stuck for a few more years. However, you can find free WiFi in a cafe called the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, and occasionally McD’s has free WiFi. I believe the McD’s WiFi is just in certain cities because I ran into one that wanted to charge me, but it didn’t even have an outlet for me to plug in to.
I think Craig was pointing out that the word ‘out’ is missing from that sentance.
thanks dan. I fixed it.
Another tip: College cafeterias will often provide a regular restaurant meal in a foreign city for much less than most restaurants. When you see a university, look for food outlets. Beer tends to be cheaper too.
Hi Matt!
)
Great tips!
Just some notes:
on 3. I would never change a Boeing for an AA M-80, not even with free wi-fi…
on 4. and 6. sometimes it’s worth dealing directly with hotels; they may give you some personalized attention they don’t usually provide to what they name «allotment people»…
on 9. and 10. OK! But beware: discount cards could perfectly be the first step for tourist traps!
finally, on 14 «Locals don’t eat every night and neither should you», I’m with Craig…
Enjoy your travelling!
Also food in the tourist areas might just be bad. The only bad meal I have has in Italy was directly across from the Vatican. They were not relying on return visitors.
Totally. If you eat in Thailand, the worst food is in the backpacker area. Head two streets over and you get delicious local food.
These are all absolutely solid tips!! Thanks for cataloguing for us!
This is the great post i have scene so far related to the travel. I hope people wil love this and learn a lot from their.
I would recommend that you prepare your itinerary and produce it at the customs when requested. A friend of mine who’s visiting me in London was nearly barred from entry when she didn’t know which attractions she’ll be visiting. lol
good tips buddy anything to make travel to and from your destination more pleasurable is good news for sure
i have started to dislike flying more and more if only i could afford to fly all 3 of us business then maybe i would start to enjoy it again
It’s not my experience that “most” cafes have free WiFi but certainly some do. Great tips!
Lately, I’ve noticed a growing trend of free wifi where I have been going. Maybe I’m just getting lucky!
great tips! also, many museums, university cultural events and art institutes have free days or ARE free. just check around and you can score big!
>>Priceline can get you rooms over 60% off the normal price
I have never had luck booking cheap(er) accommodations (or flights) through big websites. I’ve always found better deals on the ground. In China, one of the major booking sites charges foreign tourists more than residents.
Great list, Matt. Thanks!
or simply look out for the best deals – there are quite a few flash sales happening in the recession. If you want to overland in Africa why not check them out tomorrow between 12 and 5pm bst – they’ll be offering 55% off the African Insight and 25 % off all their other overland tours. Here’s a great video to give you a taster of the Acacia overlanding experience: http://bit.ly/info/4DNDNy
My recommendation is to use ride sharing services when travelling! For example: http://www.lifttowoopwoop.com or http://online.ride-share.com/
Saves you money and you make great new friends!
Also, you can find ride sharing on classifieds sites (e.g. craigs list).
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travel
I’m sure I will be again
It is a very nice and good post. Keep up the good work.
Also if you’re going to eat and go out like a local check local websites for restaurant and booze offers.