15 Tips for Cheap Travel: #1) Ask What’s Fixed and What’s Flexible
Summer is quickly approaching which means it’s time to plan that annual summer vacation. In order to help you plan the cheapest vacation possible I will be posting “15 tips for Cheap Travel.” This is the first post in the series and over the next 3 weeks I will post advice about everything from “How to Buy a Cheap Ticket” to “Minimizing Expenses while Away.” You can navigate the rest of the series by going to the 15 Tips for Cheap Travel Index.
The first, and most important step to traveling cheaply is to ask yourself “What’s fixed and What’s flexible?” You should consider which of your traveling options are already set in stone (e.g. destination) and which of your options are able to be changed (e.g. when you would go).
Take out a piece of paper and make two columns– one labeled “Fixed” and one labeled “Flexible.” As you go through the following list put each category into the column that it best fixed. The more categories you can put in the “Flexible” column the cheaper your trip can be.
Fixed/Flexible questions to ask yourself:
- Destination: Is there someplace you must go? Or are you just looking for a general vacation? Is there a specific region or the country or world you want to visit? Is there a hobby/activity you are looking for (e.g. lay on the beach, go golfing, visit art museums, see Gothic architecture, etc.)? The more flexible you are with your destination the cheaper you will be able to travel.
- When: In travel it’s all about timing. Do you have a set week or month you want to travel? Do you have to leave on a weekend or can you leave during the week? If you are flexible in terms of when you can and want to travel you will be able to get better deals on everything from tickets to hotels to sightseeing. Also, if you are planning a trip for a year from now compared to a trip this weekend, it will make a difference in the cost.
- Length: How much time can you spend on this trip? This includes travel time to and from the destination, not just the time there. A longer trip may cost you more in hotel and meal bills, but may get you a cheaper airfare.
- Form of Transportation: Do you have to take a plane to get to your destination? Or is a bus or train or boat an option? If you are able to get to your vacation spot by multiple methods you will likely get a better ticket price.
- Style: Do you have to travel in style or can you rough it a little bit? Obviously, if you can rough it a little bit by staying in hostels or even camping the cost of your trip will go down.
- Number of People: Is it just you? You and a friend? Your whole family? Sometimes traveling with more people can be cheaper because you can share hotel/hostel rooms, meals, and even certain transportation or museum passes. But, if you travel with others your cheap traveling style may not be what they had in mind– possibly influencing you to spend more than you had planned.
- Budget: How much can you spend? What set amount have you worked into your budget for this trip? This should actually be a fixed amount that you can’t go above.
All of these options interrelate; if you have one option that’s fixed, it may dictate that another option is also fixed. For example, if you only have 3 days for a trip you probably won’t want to drive 8 hours each way to get to your destination. Or if you only have $200 you probably won’t be able to fly to Europe for two weeks.
Remember to be as flexible as you can– within reason. After all, it’s supposed to be a vacation and you don’t want to sell yourself short by being too cheap.
As we go through this series I will discuss the different travel tips in terms of fixed vs. flexible. So, it’s important to think through these different options first as they matter in planning the rest of your travels.
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[...] 15 Tips for Cheap Travel: #1) Ask What’s Fixed and What’s Flexible [...]
[...] 15 Tips for Cheap Travel: #1) Ask What’s Fixed and What’s Flexible [...]
[...] There are two times in your vacation/travel planning process that you should consider your budget. First, as mentioned in the post about decision making, you should think about it before you even begin to plan your trip. The broad question to consider here is: How much can I spend? That is, how much can I afford to spend and how much am I willing to spend? (You may be able to afford to spend $10,000 but only want to spend $1,000 or you may want to spend $10,000 but can only afford $1,000.) [...]
[...] As part of your travel plans you now you have a destination, transportation, lodging and a budget. But, what are you going to do once you’re there? [...]
[...] Ask What’s Fixed and What’s Flexible [...]
in my opinion if yo are really looking for cheap travel you should take services from travel agent of that particular country to which you are planning to travel. This will reduce the cost of services by almost 30-40%.