Holidays are fantastic. They’re full of opportunities, the chance to relax and unwind and they can surprisingly, be inexpensive. However, when it comes to budgeting for a cheap holiday, we often sacrifice our comforts for the price, and this isn’t really the best way to go about things.
We have expectations when we go on holiday and there’s nothing worse than being disappointed when we land in our destination country and check out the hotel we booked. The last thing you’d want is to end up wasting your hard-earned money. Here are a couple of golden rules when it comes to enjoying a budget break –
Save money, but don’t go cheap
There’s a difference between going cheap and being frugal. Going cheap often refers to lowering the quality of your holiday just for the sake of saving money. This works in some cases, but you should be careful as well. There are many legitimate cheap holidays deals on the internet, but there are also lots of scams and services that will reduce the quality of your service drastically. When it comes down to it, always do your research before you purchase a holiday package or something similar.
Look up customer reviews for a travel agent before using them, check out the comments on a cheap airline before you purchase tickets and look at the social media messages on a hotel’s Facebook or Twitter before you book a room. It’s all about doing your research and ensuring that if you are going to save money, that you’re not going to drastically reduce the quality of your holiday.
Don’t bring everyone
Just because the holiday is cheaper, it doesn’t mean you need to get everyone to come. Invite close friends and family members and leave it at that. The more people you invite, the more stress you invite. Think about how difficult it would be to set up a holiday with a dozen or more people. Imagine the people that don’t show up, the delays that could happen while waiting for each other to pack, the logistical issues and so on.
Budget holidays are cheaper but it doesn’t mean that you have to give everyone an invitation. In fact, it’s perfectly fine to go on your own and ignore the comments you get when people complain that you didn’t invite them. Holidays don’t have to be massive group activities and a budget holiday can be enjoyed alone in any way that you want. In short, don’t buy into the idea that a budget holiday means everyone should hop on and join you–it’ll just make things harder.
Do your research
When you’re on a budget holiday, you need to think about how you can get the most for your money. Make sure you do plenty of research so you know where the best places to eat are at, what sights and sounds there are to indulge in, and also how you can get yourself cheaper accommodation. For instance, you may want to look at couchsurfing as an alternative to finding a hotel, or you could even consider camping. There are plenty of ways to get accommodation if you’re willing to work towards it.
Research always plays a big part when it comes to setting up a holiday, so check out different travel blogs to find fun new ways to get around the world. There will be hundreds, if not thousands, of recommendations for delicacies to eat, places to stay and things to see. The enjoyment you get from travelling all depends on how much fun you can squeeze out of everything you do, and the only place to find enjoyable activities and places to visit is from the experiences of other people.
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