Hi there, Mrs. 1500 today, asking about your favorite frugal travel tip. Mr. 1500 just got back from a road-trip to Chicago (pictures below) and he’s always looking for ways to travel on the cheap. But first, let’s recap last week’s answers with Mr. 1500.
Mr 1500 here. Last week I asked about what you do in a black swan situation. F0r the purposes of this post, I’ll define a black swan as a big, bad unexpected event that causes a major drop in the stock market. Examples would be the Great Depression or 9/11.
We will see more black swans. Warren Buffett’s greatest fear is a black swan in the form of another attack on the United States. I agree with Warren on this one, but that is a post for another day.
Done by Forty made me laugh out loud with his comment:
I’m actually rooting for this to happen, and the rough plan is to deploy some of the cash that’s in our “next home” bucket (50% cash, 30% bonds, 20% stocks) to buy index funds. I know it’s folly to time the market but, my dumb brain can’t be convinced otherwise.
Color me Frugal, I beg you to heed your own advice when the black swan comes! If you follow the herd, you end up buying high and selling low. That isn’t how it’s supposed to work:
We are young enough (30s) at this point that I think a black swan event would be distressing, but not to the point of making us want to sell equities.
Buck makes a very, very wise point. Buck correctly points out that no-one can call market highs or lows consistently:
When do you invest? Do you have any rules/thresholds?
Of course we’d all like to buy at the bottom of the valley, but the problem is you never know when that is going to be.
Mrs. PoP’s philosophy probably echoes mine the closest:
I’m not a gambler… I’m more of a stick to the plan with a bit of “bargain hunter” thrown in. So I guess this is my way of saying that I wouldn’t withdraw funds, but I don’t think I would stretch insanely to try and time a market. However, if stocks looked like a bargain and the schedule had me making another purchase before too long, I would probably go ahead and do it ahead of schedule.
Here is what I’ll do when that next swan bites us:
- I usually space my 401k contributions thoughout the year and only contribute enough to get my company match (I’m concentrating on after tax investments these days). However, if the market crashed, I’d up my contribution rate and also contribute beyond the full match amount.
- Similarly, I’d deploy some of my cash that is on the sidelines earlier than planned. It would go into index funds and Berkshire Hathaway.
OK, so now for today’s question, what is your favorite frugal travel tip?
A few years ago, Mr. 1500 didn’t bring his computer with him on a vacation, but we discovered that we forgot to clear the memory card before we left, leaving us with almost no room for pictures of our new trip. A new memory card would have been really expensive, but the local drugstore only charged $2.99 to burn everything to a DVD. Problem solved!
Way before smart phones, I had a cell phone with a fairly popular charger size, but I forgot my charger at home. I called down to the front desk to see if I could look through their lost and found to see if one would fit mine. I assured them that I would bring it back when I was finished with it. They assured me that no one would be back for their chargers, and I could keep it. Score! Not only did I get to charge my phone, I got a free extra charger! Another tip, loop your car keys through the charger and you won’t forget it at the hotel.
Last tip. When you are staying at a hotel that does not offer a continental breakfast (why would you?) bring instant oatmeal packets with you, and a plastic bowl and spoon. The in-room coffee maker makes hot water, and you have a fairly cheap breakfast.
OK, those are my favorite frugal travel tips. Now let’s hear yours.
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Jen @ Jen Spends says
Don’t assume price aggregators have the best prices for airline tickets–on more than one occasion I’ve found the lowest prices on an airline’s own website.
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1500 says
Good one. I don’t think I’ve ever noticed this.
Mrs PoP @ Planting Our Pennies says
Cheaper hotels often have more included amenities – think breakfast, Internet access, gym, pool, parking. All of those might be additional charges at the fancy hotels no matter what cut rate you found at hotels.com.
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1500 says
Wow, are you ever right here. I try to tell my Marriott/Hyatt loving friends all the time. Sleep Inn baby!
Alicia @ Financial Diffraction says
I always try to get a hotel with at least a mini fridge so I can have yogurts, and milk for my breakfasts and snacks (plus fruit). It saves a tonne rather than buying every meal out. I also try to save reward points for passes to fun events – airmiles here in Canada. It has saved a pretty penny over the years.
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1500 says
Good idea! Even if you can’t get the refrigerator, you can still improvise with the hotel ice machine too.
Tara says
Camping! Growing up in Dallas, TX with family on both coasts, our annual vacations always consisted of us driving either to California or New Jersey (with stops in Atlanta and NC). To save on sleeping costs on the way there, we’d always car camp in state parks. A Rand McNally Atlas always lists all the campsites along highways so that made the search easy. A good tent, sleeping bags, camping pads, and other necessities last a long while with proper care and for $20 a night or so for a campground, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than a fleabag motel! Plus, the bathrooms are probably guaranteed to be cleaner. 🙂
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1500 says
Right on! Plus, there is nothing like camping in the middle of nowhere and looking at the stars. One of my favorite places to camp was actually this place down in Texas: http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/enchanted-rock
SavvyFinancialLatina says
Enchanted rock is awesome! Beautiful place
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writing2reality says
Just travel just outside of the busy seasons to avoid higher prices, overcrowding, and the associated headaches. Same goes with flights. Book the flights that seem most inconvenient. If you don’t want to go on them, generally speaking neither does anyone else.
My last trip to Chicago was in early October when the tourists have already started to wane in number because of the “cold” at that time of year. I flew later on a Friday night after the business travelers left and enjoyed a spacious and relatively empty plane.
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Mrs. 1500 says
I haven’t flown on a relatively empty plane in so long. I miss them. What a treat that is. Nowadays, they pack them so full, there is almost always a chance to get bumped for a free flight. I think that is a great travel tip right there. If you have a car at the airport you are landing at, it doesn’t matter what time you get in. If someone is going to pick you up, call them ahead of time to make sure if you get bumped, it is ok.
Mrs Y says
We always try to eat at local places. Many times the best food is found in hole in the wall places. Yelp has been a good friend for us in locating those hidden treasures. Studying the menu and comments/reviews is helpful. We always bring instant oatmeal/breakfast bars if we happen to be in a hotel without free breakfast. When comes to booking the hotel, don’t assume booking on Expedia is the cheapest with their packages. Sometimes it is cheaper to just book directly through the hotel website. Finally, don’t forget to use the credit card that give you the most points/rewards and remember to sign up for hotel and airline rewards.
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Mrs. 1500 says
If you are not planning on buying a house soon, and don’t have credit card debt or can handle credit cards responsibly, sign up for all those cards. We have cards for two different airlines and two different hotel chains. We sign up for any rewards program we can get. Sometimes those rewards programs will give you bonus points just for signing up, even enough for a free night. YAY! Free stuff!
Green Money Stream says
Maybe this is cheating a little, but my husband travels a good amount for work so he is able to build up points at different hotel chains. So our best frugal travel trick is to use those points for free hotel stays when we travel. Even if you don’t travel for business, it’s a good idea to join the rewards programs for the hotels you stay in and you can start to rack up the points!
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1500 says
Right on! We don’t travel frequently, but still manage to get free nights often through the Choice Hotels chain.
anna says
This might not work for people with more sensitive stomachs, but I suggest exploring the food vendors on the street, or super divey places. You’ll get local cuisine at a fraction of the price than the main tourist areas, and usually only a couple blocks away from said tourist areas. I also bring Clif or protein bars to stretch out my meals so I’m only eating at breakfast and dinner.
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Mrs. 1500 says
Good point about Clif bars and protein bars. I like to supplement with a bag of baby carrots and a bunch of bananas purchased after I arrive. Add to that a packet of oatmeal, and you are only buying dinner.
Jane Savers @ Solving The Money Puzzle says
I don’t go away for vacations but I think that people waste money eating out on vacations when they could get some cheese, bread and fruit from the supermarket. I would rather spend my vacation dollars on seeing and doing than eating.
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1500 says
Agreed, unless it’s something unique to the area. For example, if I’m near the ocean, I’d probably have seafood once. However, the keyword is “once.” All other times, I’m scarfing down the free breakfast in the hotel common room and then eating light the rest of the day.
Mark D. says
To each their own. Eating IS the vacation for me. One of the things I look most forward to is to experience the food of the place I am going.
Mrs. 1500 says
I agree, Mark. I love fresh seafood, so when we are on vacation in a place with access to fresh seafood, I absolutely enjoy it. But I don’t want fish for breakfast. I like to have an inexpensive breakfast and then feel easier about spending a lot on lunch or dinner. I love Yelp and Trip Advisor to help me find local places that are awesome.
Mrs. 1500 says
Looks like I didn’t read Mr. 1500’s comment before I commented. But we are on the same page…
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This Life On Purpose says
Pack cutlery and a bowl so you can grocery shop and have a picnic. At the very least a pocket knife to cut a loaf of bread with cheese and deli meat.
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Mrs. 1500 says
Once in Hawaii, we bought a knife to cut up the fresh fruit they have there. Being the frugal person I am, I wanted to take the knife home with me. Security found it in my luggage… I feigned ignorance, but I think he saw through me.
Retire Before Dad says
1500,
About 10 years ago I spent 14 months traveling in Asia and South America on a shoestring budget. After 21 countries or so and 14 months it cost me around 10k total. I could go on about backpacking tips and how to save money while abroad on a daily basis. But my best tip on frugal travel is this: Go to a country that recently went through a financial crisis! I was visiting Argentina in 2002, just months after their crisis. Prices were totally out of wack. I was drinking 24 ounce beers for $.50 US. There were huge mega-buffets that were some of the best I have ever eaten at, for just $3. Accommodation and transportation were very cheap. I don’t know of any recent crises, but I know Iceland was recently cheaper after their problems, and parts of Asia are always good for a financial meltdown. The flight may be more, but its worth it to visit a country that is cheap as a whole. I wrote a post about my travels called Why I Don’t Read Travel Blogs a few weeks back.
-RBD
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Mrs. 1500 says
This is an awesome travel tip. Just make sure the country is safe for traveling…
Done by Forty says
Thanks for the mention and the cool photographs, too. I like your plan to increase 401k contributions during a dip…seems like a pretty sensible way to approach.
My favorite travel tip is to bring food. We brought a ton of snacks to Hawaii and were able to have snacks on our hikes, easy cheap breakfasts of granola bars or fruit on the beach. I’m fine paying for hotels and transportation because, well, what alternatives might you have. But food’s an easy place to get some of that money back.
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Mrs. 1500 says
This seems to be a theme. Mark D. wrote above that the local food is the best part of the trip for him, but even foodies can find ways to make this cost less. Like I said above, Yelp and Trip Advisor can help you find great local places that don’t cost a lot.
SavvyFinancialLatina says
I’m very creative with our travel plans. Always open to do things, and that’s how I end up budgeting frugally for our trips.
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Michelle @fitisthenewpoor says
New poster here- LOVE this blog. Anyways, we just discovered the awesomeness that is airbnb.com. We used it for our honeymoon to Paris and saved over $1k on hotel (compared to moderate rate hotels). Best part is that we had a full apartment with a kitchen to cook in.
The person renting her apartment to us, treated us like a hotel. She was on-call at all times for us, and she left us a ton of packets with tips and tricks as well as guidebooks for us to use. The checkout was later too, giving us the opportunity to use our late flight to our advantage! And at the end of the trip, you get your security deposit back which is extra nice!
We also travel a lot internationally, so one of our vest investments was a universal apple charger. Obviously, you should only get this if you have apple products, but when you’re moving from country to country, having to buy the different plugs can be a waste. And this cuts down on a lot of wires and mess in our carry on bags.
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1500 says
Hi Michelle and thanks for the kind comments!
We just booked our first airbnb stay for next year. We are going to a conference and all of the hotels in the area were $200+/night. We found something within walking distance on airbnb for $40! Score!!
Renee s says
My boyfriend and I just came back from a Chicago trip–many of these tips would have helped–but oh well! What really worked out for us though was taking the MegaBus. I was able to score 2 roundtrip tickets for a total of 6 dollars. The bus is not luxurious, but it had WiFi, a way to charge electronics and neither of us had to drive or pay tolls! It was glorious 🙂
Mrs. 1500 says
We absolutely LOVE the Megabus! For those who don’t know, Megabus is a bus service, like Greyhound, but if you buy your tickets in advance, you can get a seat for as little as $1. They only have about 5 seats at that price, then you pay slightly more and slightly more as the cheap seats sell out. No driving, no tolls and all that other stuff Renee mentioned. I forgot about Megabus, since they don’t service out here in Colorado yet. But we love it! When we sold our car, right before moving to CO, we recommended Megabus to the guy from across the country who bought the car from us. We just met him at the bus station, swapped cash for car keys, and were off.
Mom @ Three is Plenty says
Always go to the hotel’s/airline’s web page first – most have “lowest price guaranteed” options – so if you can find the room cheaper elsewhere, they’ll match it (and sometimes knock off more). matrix.itasoftware.com is the best airline search engine in existence (run by Google now).
Take advantage of any online services your airline offers – they’re generally cheaper than doing the same thing at the airport: checking bags, check-in, etc. Ask nicely for things and you might get them (room upgrade, seat upgrade, etc), above all, be polite – even if you’re steaming mad!
Know the airline’s phone numbers, if you get bumped from a flight, or a delay or cancellation, it’s usually faster to call the number than wait in line at customer service.
Be willing to stay a little further from your destination – example: staying in Staten Island to visit New York. Just pick a safe area. This is very helpful in areas that have good public transportation, if you’re driving, not so much.
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Cash Rebel says
My favorite frugal travel tip is using business trips wisely. For instance, I have to be in Florida this Friday for work. If I didn’t already have weekend plans in Chicago, I would have taken advantage of the weekend in a sunny location and flown home on Sunday.
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https://www.rebelmouse.com/redundantstripe30/benefits-of-airport-transfers--690245842.html says
Great post.
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