How to Save Money During Your Family Vacations
by Jejeizahfaye on 23/05/09 at 11:19 am
Some smart ways to save during your family vacations.
- Limit eating at restaurants. You don’t have to eat at the hotel’s buffet breakfast meal. Bring bread, a bottle of peanut butter or spreadable cheese, fruit, milk, and juice to eat in your hotel room.
- Lower your standards. You don’t have to go to five-star hotels. You can also stay in affordable but equally comfortable rest house or cottages. You can also opt to buy day trip tickets to five-star hotels just to be able to use their facilities.
- Buy your drinks somewhere else. Buying soda or juices in a restaurant or hotels can cost you five times more than its retail price. The added cost to your bill will jack up everything else, like taxes and service charge, so limit your drinks to water. No need to buy mineral water if the establishment filters its water.
- Stock the mini bar. Hotels have mini-refrigerators which they fill with soda, water, juices, chocolates. So, if you are tempted to consume any of these, make sure to replace them with the exact item purchased from the grocery store before you check out.
- It’s all in the timing. Hotels in the city are usually cheaper on weekends, while hotels in weekend resorts are cheaper on weekdays. Always ask the place you’re staying if they have any promotions or special deals at a particular time.
- Negotiate. Always ask for more, whether it’s an extra (or free) breakfast, an upgrade, free entrance to other amenities, or a discount. Get everything you can for your money. Just ask, there is no harm in trying.
- Avoid the tourist spots. If you need to buy souvenirs, go to the less populated malls, supermarkets, stalls, kiosks.
- Fill your tank while you’re in the city. The farther you are from the city, the more expensive gas gets. Leave the city with a full tank to avoid filling up with more expensive gas. If you’re in the provinces, try filing up with the lesser-known gas stations that sell them a few cents cheaper.
- Be sure to avail of free maps. You can check this out from the city’s tourism office. You can also avail of other relevant information about the town that you’re visiting.
- You can have fun in your neighborhood. Be sure to check out nearby museums, theme parks, resorts. Who knows, you might find a place where you don’t have to spend much money, as compared to going out of town.
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One Comment
Lori Felix
May 24th, 2009
good tips here-just a note, often the mini-bars have sensors and if you move an item, you might get charged and then have to dispute the bill. You can call ahead and ask that the mini-bar be emptied for your visit, or check with the front desk before you attempt to move or replace an item.
I wrote a recent article called Top Ten Driving Tips for the Road Warrior and listed some sites to dine free with your kids-you can access it at http://www.morewithlesstoday.com.
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