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Travel budget management

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The recession is here and we all have to think more about reducing travel costs!

Much more than before. You will have to cut all unnecessary activities, for instance even bring food with you to avoid spending a lot of cash in restaurants.

The budget of a traveler

Examine this pie chart and understand the proportions of the various categories of expenses.

We calculated the expenses had on several trips. Either long-haul or short-haul, the proportions are quite similar. We have not included numbers, but rather created a visual scheme to help you understand the "weight" of certain services in a traveler's budget.

Transportation and accommodation occupies between 65 and 75 % in most trips with the airplane.

You can take measures to spend less on flight fares, hotel reservations, but pretty much it's up to what deals you will find...

The big deal can be done by drastically cutting the pink, orange and grey slices. Meaning: spend less on things like food, soap, shampoo, beer, discos, museums, etc.

Better managing your travel budget

As mentioned above, transportation and flight costs are less susceptible to drastical reductions. Let's see how you can make economies on the whole trip by reducing certain services

Transportation: flight, taxis, rental cars, bus, subway, etc.

- in some cases renting a car can reduce expenses, in other cases it increases; make sure you only rent if it is cheaper than other means of transport

- try the low cost airlines whenever possible, but on long-haul flights few of them operate

- for low cost airlines make sure you book in advance, but if you fly with a conventional carrier, then check the last minute offers, they can cost you up to 75 % less than the normally published fares when paid in advance

- subways and other rail networks are more expensive than buses, but cheaper than taxis; our advice: avoid taxis whenever possible, take rail as often as possible, but if costs run high, substitute rail/subway with buses or trams

- buy weekly or other passes for public transportation, this will help you spare time and money: less waiting in lines, less cost per trip

- pack smartly, bring light items, take light bags, otherwise the airline will charge you; especially in the case of low cost airlines this is a problem

Accommodation: hotel room reservation & booking fees, hidden additional fees at hotels, etc.

- if you buy accommodation from specialized intermediary portals, such as HotelClub.net, then you will pay heavy booking and cancellation fees

- if you book from major travel agents, such as Hotwire.com, LastMinuteTravel.com or others, then you will most likely just pay the services and in many cases even benefit of discounts!

- many hotels have minibars, drinks, snacks available already in the room; these will cost you in most cases and their price is more than double their normal price, so don't eat or drink from a hotel!

- stay only as many nights as possible; leave 1 day at the beginning and another one at the end for resting and accommodating

- some hotels will charge you for using internet service and watching TV; avoid these unnecessary services

Alimentation, hygiene: food, drinks, perfumes, etc.

- food and drink costs a lot more on a trip than at home, this is due to the fact that the traveler: eats junk food, goes to restaurants, buys expensive local delicacies, ritually drinks beer with friends and if the prices are in local currency, it is difficult to tell whether it's worth paying that much

- take food with you in small and light packages in order to spend as little as possible

- take a water heater and make tea every morning and every night in order to substitute hot soup

- hygiene is also costly if you're naive; avoid bringing or buying expensive and large quantity shampoo, soap, perfume, etc.; stick exclusively to what and how much is necessary on the trip

Leisure, entertainment: museum entrance fees, exhibition entrance fees, clubs, discos, entertainment parks, theatre, etc.   

- never spend on what you can also have at home!

- only visit the most important local attractions!

- don't forget about the free attractions; the best things in life are free: take a walk on the main roads taking photos, go somewhere high to admire the panorama...

- avoid bars, pubs, clubs, discos and other entertainment centers, if your purpose is not to have fun, but to visit travel attractions!

Other expenses: travel insurance, etc.

- travel insurance is necessary, this is an additional expense and the more dangerous the place you travel to and the more your trip lasts, the more it will cost

- products, such as souvenirs, postcards are in this category, it is your choice how important they are for you; buy none and eliminate a portion of about 3-7 % of your travel expenses (estimation based on average travel souvenir and postcard purchases)