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Traveling is a blast. It is a great way to see the world and get away from home for a little bit. Packing can also be expensive and stressful if you are not used to it. There are ways to minimize stress and keep costs down. Flexibility is the key to ensuring low stress levels and lower costs.
When people plan trips, they often choose the place and the dates they want to. There is nothing wrong with this. The problem is if your dates are set in stone, you will not get a great deal on flights. This means you have a cap on how much you can save. Airfare is one of the most expensive parts of traveling, and if you do not have the flexibility to travel according to cheap airfare, you will have a hard time saving money. Being flexible with your dates means you can save a significant amount of money. Having a date range is the best option. You can use flight comparison sites like Momondo or Google Flights to see what the best price options.
Pack light. If you can fit all of your items into a personal bag and carry on, you can save some decent money by not checking a bag. This can be a little difficult, and not everyone wants to do it, but there is less to keep track of during your travels. Keeping the quantity of your luggage to a minimum also means you will avoid baggage charges in taxis and other transportation. These small price tags do add up. Packing can be hard because you never know exactly the weather or what you’ll need if certain things come up. Pack the essentials and don’t worry about the rest. People tend to overpack anyways, so save yourself the money.
Food is an expensive part of a trip because everyone has to eat. Traveling for the food is becoming a huge part of tourism, and there is nothing wrong with that. If you’re staying in a place with a kitchen, stop by a grocery store. Having just breakfast at your resting place everyday can save some serious money. If you were to have breakfast and lunch in instead of out the savings are enormous. You don’t have to eat in all the time, but even a few meals can make a huge difference.
Rideshares are a great way of getting around your destination without having to rent a car. There are often several options and companies offer different riding options. If you’re flexible with pick up locations and times to avoid surge pricing you can cut transportation costs significantly. Use RideGuru to figure out the best rideshare fare at your destination to help save money.
Flexibility is so important when traveling. Not only is it a good mindset to keep stress down and the little traveling inconveniences from getting to you, it also helps make the trip more affordable by leaning into the cheapest airfares and options.