What I’ve found during my multiple cross-country road trips is: (1) They are always more fun than I anticipated they’d be; (2) It’s easy to be frugal if you stick to a budget; (3) The trips rarely go as planned. Spring is almost here, so now is the time to start planning your late spring/summer adventures. Here are some tips for making the most out of your road trip.
Trip Planning
Have Paris’ notoriously high lodging and food costs prevented you from planning a trip to the City of Lights? There are plenty of ways to plan a cost-effective trip to Paris. Since Lodging can be one of the major components of one’s budget, the key to planning a reasonably priced trip to Paris is avoiding the well-known or touristy areas.
Whether we’re talking about airfare or cab fare, transportation costs can eat up a large part of one’s travel budget. Of course, western Europe is known for its highly accessible and inexpensive public transportation systems. But we’ve got plenty of bragging rights in the U.S., too. If you’re looking to cut down on transportation costs once you reach your destination, check out these ten best U.S. cities for public transportation. You may be surprised by some of them!
Volunteer tourism consists of spending part or all of one’s travel time engaging in some sort of volunteer work. I know people who go on volunteer trips themselves (without the support of an organization), but most volunteer tourism is done through specific organizations or companies that have the contacts and resources to accomplish what needs to be accomplished.
We’re already well into February already and those of us who live in chilly winter climates (or even those who don’t) are craving a spring break getaway. However, many spring break trips quickly add up, leaving our savings accounts depleted (or our credit card balances unreasonably high) for the rest of the spring and summer. But that doesn’t mean you should abstain from your well-deserved escape, it just means you need to think creatively (and frugally). To get you started, here are some ideas for spring break trips that won’t break the bank.
Here are some suggestions of books and magazines that will guide you along your journey as a frugal traveler. All of these titles are available on Amazon.com.
Many of the posts on this site focus on frugal travel tips or ways to save money at certain destinations. The aim of this post is a bit different: to help frugal travelers identify certain a philosophy/philosophies can guide their overall travel habits (including trip planning, trip enjoyment, and trip sharing). Many portions of these three philosophies also pertain to life in general. Enjoy!
Recently, a friend who spent a year WWOOFing through Europe told me about a unique transportation option he chose to use during his time in France, Peugeot’s “buy back” program. A decidedly frugal traveler, he had researched several rental options before determining that Auto Europe’s Peugeot “Buy Back” Program (i.e. literally buying a brand new Peugeot to use during his time in France) would suit his needs the best. Sound intriguing? Read on.
Here are some ideas for financing your next trip while remaining financially solvent.
