Is There a ‘Golden Rule’ for Budget Travel?

Travel Blog  •  Eva Holland  •  01.29.09 | 4:45 PM ET

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There are seemingly endless lists of budget-travel tips out there, covering everything from landing five-star hotel rooms at four-star prices, to hitchhiking and couchsurfing advice. Whatever definition of “budget travel” they cater to, most have something useful to say—but still, the sheer volume and variety left me wondering: is there a way to boil all of this down to a single piece of advice, one that’s useful for everyone aiming to save their pennies on the road? In other words, putting aside all the lists of commandments, is there a golden rule for budget travel?

Here’s the closest thing I can come up with: Be informed.

Overpaying for a hotel room because you don’t realize cheaper, comparable options are available? Paying full fare for a bus ticket because you didn’t know about the three-day advance purchase discount? (Guilty!) Buying a la carte because you haven’t heard about those fabulous lunch menus? Or missing out on a multi-museum pass that would have saved you a fistful of dollars? Almost every avoidable expense on the road comes from a lack of information. The solution, in almost all cases, is more (and more in-depth) research, using everything from your standard-issue guidebook to the local tourist information office, online forums, web booking services and blogs.

That’s not to say that we should be planning everything in advance—only that we should do our best to know our options in advance. Almost every regrettable expense I’ve incurred in my travels, whether it was a predictably disappointing meal at a tourist-trap restaurant or a pricey cab ride when I could have taken a shuttle, can be chalked up to my preparation level. If you’re looking to mind your money on the road, you can never have too much information. And hey, the best part? These days, the research is free.


Eva Holland is co-editor of World Hum. She is a former associate editor at Up Here and Up Here Business magazines, and a contributor to Vela. She's based in Canada's Yukon territory.


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