Most people mistakenly think that you need a lot of money to
travel, or that vacations are simply too expensive and lavish.
This is a good example of a wrongful assumption. Traveling
'light' so to speak, with limited cash, combined with a positive
attitude and a deep personal commitment, persistence and
resourcefulness is possible.
Simply put, planning pays and travel budgets save money. Taking
the extra time to review sources at your disposal prior to,
during and after your trip encourages a hands-on, pro-active
approach to traveling and vacationing in general.
Most of us want to focus on having a good time and ensuring that
a couple of the smaller details are taken care of. Taking
advantage of saving opportunities and discounts, limited offers
and utilizing tips and tricks from frequent travelers seem to be
the keys to travel success.
Lessons learned will serve us all well when taking our next
trip, whether to the campgrounds, some exotic tropical paradise
or both!
There are various useful information and travel sources to
assist you in this money-saving undertaking for traveling on a
budget:
Web-pages and online providers who specialize in hot deals for
vacation package bargains,
Travel websites brokerages and discount fare operators,
Airline carriers and websites with last minute fares and seat
sales,
Travel specialist portals like priceline.com where taking
advantage of overnight flight flights, empty seats and multiple
connections and other ways to save money while traveling the
globe, is a mastered art of comparison-shopping and the budget
travelers paradise so to speak.
Printed material, budget travel magazines (like Arthur Frommer's
Budget Travel Magazine and Bestfares magazine, free with
membership to Bestfares (
www.bestfares.com) and books, other
e-zines online, offering industry and insider travel tips,
student and backpacking tips, and even specific destination
guidebooks.
Other specific budget-travel, industry-related publications and
resources like: "First-Time: Around the World," by Doug Lansky
(published by "Rough Guides") or "The Travel Detective: How to
Get the Best Service and the Best Deals from Airlines, Hotels,
Cruise Ships, and Car Rental Agencies," by Peter Greenberg
(Random House)or the ever-handy: "The Traveler's Handbook,"
published by Globe Pequot Press.
Various customized, targeted guidebooks like, "Let's Go,"
guidebooks by and for students, are ideal for backpacking and
exploring Europe for example. "Lonely Planet," guidebooks to
remote and or popular destinations of choice, with lots of
valuable information for both upscale and budget travelers.
Travel Word-of-mouth from regular travelers, colleagues, family
and friends who travel frequently often share great insights. We
cannot discount these value-adding insights.
Coupons and special vouchers, Family discounts and specials,
online, limited-time internet-bargains.
Condominium or developers, resort, time-share Promotions.
Sales-pitch pop-up windows, Camping (sites and cabins, bring own
linens and towels), tourist boards and information centers, and
many more...
Setting up a quick quote or cost-analysis for your planned
journey, a rough travel expense account or budgeting outline to
get started, is always a good idea to give your dreams some
wings.
At the very least, you will have an idea and some kind of
baseline and starting point. Initially though, forget all about
expensive restaurants, business class flights and luxury car
rentals and all you might have to sacrifice or cannot have on
your budget, at least for now.
About the author:
About the author:
Maliboo DeReyna is a freelance publisher based
in San Diego, California. He publishes articles and reports in
various ezines and runs the information portal
Airline Ticket
Center.
