Summer is the perfect time for a family holiday. But traveling in this peak season will cost you quite a lot. You will have to spend a ton of money on air tickets, luggage fees, hotel rooms, taxis and maybe a rental car before you really enjoy the trip. However, once you arrive, you don’t necessarily waste more money on travel and vacation activities. Here are 9 free and interesting ideas for the whole family to have the best memories for the trip.
1. Specific planning, proactive costs
Plan your vacation at least 1-3 months before departure to book the best flight, hotel prices. You should make a detailed plan table with destinations, accommodation, dining … At this time, you will actively book, tour, meals, and spend as much as allowed. To know the information, you need to refer to the Internet, from the people you have experienced, travel agencies, online travel websites … If you buy a tour, when paying early, you can discount and receive many attractive gifts. The more detailed your plan is, the more places you’ll discover at an all-time low cost. However, not all people know the way to create their journey economical, especially in holiday seasons. the most effective method is finding as many incentives and promotions as possible. Airlines, hotels, restaurants … often lower prices or offer preferential rates quite early, from some months to half a year ahead. So, what you wish is to schedule very soon to be ready to own the foremost attractive incentives.
2. Avoid eating in tourist areas
If you pay close attention, you will notice that food prices often increase unreasonably for restaurants in the tourist area, and the quality of service there is not necessarily good.
Normally, if you just go out of the tourist area of 1-2 km you will find fresh food and much more affordable.
3. Consider the cost of souvenirs
Many people have a habit of buying souvenirs to bring to relatives and friends after long trips. But the souvenir shops always make your wallet more wasteful and do not have much practical meaning. Instead, local specialties are a much more interesting option.
You should not waste valuable time resting in souvenir shops, let your family experience every moment and enjoy the fun.
4. Buy a hotel voucher
If you want to travel independently to save money, buying hotel vouchers is an advantage. These vouchers will help you stay in high-class hotels, enjoy good service but cheaper rates from 10 – 40%. These vouchers are even cheaper than prices on online booking sites.
The units that sell this voucher are mostly 4-star and 5-star hotels and resorts, often sold as 2-day-1-night, 3-day-2-night or 4-day-3-night vouchers, with airport transfers, Free breakfast …Find out more about budgeting, unique ways to make money, get travel coupon codes for essential things, and money-saving hacks to save money while traveling the world more efficiently, for longer, and possibly more enjoyable.
5. Avoid exchanging currencies at airports and hotels
Each country will use a certain currency, so they need to learn the most economical ways to exchange money before traveling. There are cases where domestic currency exchange will be more beneficial, but also many countries offer higher exchange rates when exchanging money in their country. Therefore, please consult the money exchange information in the country you plan to travel to find ways to save money.
On the other hand, many people have a habit of exchanging currencies at the airport immediately after landing or at hotel accommodation. However, it is not a good idea, because the money changers there have a very high commission strategy. Instead go to the city center, when comparing different prices you will get the best exchange rate.
6. Choose low season tourist season
For beaches, islands, June – July (or occasion like Christmas, New Year) are tourist peaks. Therefore, the price of rooms, restaurants, and tickets to these destinations is often very high … To save costs, you can choose to go to the beach in August, September when not really entering the rainy or cold season.
If you go in June, high mountains are also not a bad choice. You also do not have to squeeze with the crowd of tourists, avoiding the situation of price squeeze, storks, rowing in tourist areas.
7. Instead of staying at a hotel, choose a homestay
Homestay is currently a “hot” option for tourists. Living with a local resident not only helps to cut costs compared to staying at a hotel, but it also helps to make new friends. In the process of eating, staying, and participating in local activities, you will make your vacation meaningful and truly memorable.
8. Attend free live music concerts
Many bars, pubs, and even restaurants will invite a band or performer to play music on certain nights of the week to increase sales. These music activities are paid by the venue owner and you do not have to pay a penny other than buying drinks yourself.
The easiest way to find free live music is Google “free live music near me” and you will get a list of results. You can also ask locals if they know of places where live music is performed.
9. Playgroup games
We are so engrossed with work, news, social media, pay bills, and other stresses of life that we are so busy that we don’t spend a lot of time on family fun. When you go on vacation, you are relaxing both physically and mentally from those distractions.
So why not spend a few hours connecting with simple games like a seahorse, cards, a comedy … The games at the parks are also quite cheap and if you have children hide and seek is always a fascinating game.
Many people think that self-sufficient travel will be more economical than booking tour packages, but it is not! Especially at peak occasions, holidays, when everywhere is full of people and prices skyrocket, instead of going online to “review” destinations, places to eat; “Thrilled” to watch the plane ticket, book a hotel room and face many expenses incurred … if you buy a tour, you just leisurely hit the road because everything has a travel agency to handle.
