In these tough times, it's all the more important to have your holidays planned out. You cannot rob yourself of a holiday. You need your stress buster time. However, you can also make it all the more affordable. You don’t have to be extravagant to enjoy your holiday. By planning ahead and keeping your eyes and ears open, you can save money on city breaks and cut away the guilt that comes along with you after the holidays. Take a look at our tips and you will be amazed at how easily you can get your city breaks for less.
Free activities
Do some research for your destination and you’ll discover plenty of free or cheap activities. Consider strolling in the local parks and have a picnic, find out what museums are free or grab a coffee and do some people watching. Some towns offer free walking tours run by knowledgeable locals: use this opportunity to get your own personal history lesson and to be taken to less touristy spots.
Save money on food
Some European restaurants offer a menu’ of the day option for lunch: it’s cheaper than what you would pay for dinner so you might as well enjoy the local food for less.
If the weather is nice and you feel like enjoying fresh air, why not buying some produce from the local market or supermarket? You can then choose a nice park or somewhere with a view of the city and eat to your heart’s content.
Save on Your Overseas Spending Card
Don't let inflated exchange rates bog down your holiday spirit. Avoid the fee that banks charge on your card for foreign exchange by getting a specialist card. This ways, you can access to the lowest exchange rates. Cards like the Halifax Clarity credit card does not charge anything for foreign exchange in any country. To gain access to this card, it needs to be applied at least three weeks in advance. Get one for yourself just for overseas trips.
Data-Free Sat Nav App
Your smartphone can actually be used to save you some money for a change. The Navmii is available for free for just about all platforms, including Windows Store, PlayStore, Blackberry and iPhone. It comes with pre-loaded local maps, route planning, mileage tracking and hazard reporting in real time. The bonus here is that once you have downloaded it on to your phone, you do not need to have online access to use it since all the information is stored offline on your phone.
Fly For Free on Your Card
Credit card companies are always looking for new customers and they offer an exciting range of free goodies to entice them. This is a great opportunity if you're planning a trip as the gifts include free flights around Europe and other destinations. You don't get a paid ticket just by applying for the card, of course. All you need to do to get your free flight is spend the bare minimum and make sure you repay in full to avoid unnecessary charges.
Switch Off Your 4G and Data Roaming
Frequent travellers might have experienced how your smart phone can completely ruin the whole holiday effect. Do not under any circumstance use your phone data when overseas. Your mobile service provider will charge you whatever they feel like when you use access the internet on your phone. To avoid this make sure you switch off your phone or put it in Airplane Mode. You will have access to plenty of free Wi-Fi hotspots when you are abroad. Utilise them to the maximum. You could also try switching to a special data roaming package when you're abroad or use an entirely different Sim card.
Get "Packaged" Flights
The normal flight charge to some destinations can be exorbitantly high. However, if you check on travel sites, you will always find a hotel-flight combination deal that offers the flight ticket at a very low price. When you think a flight is too costly, check for package deals and buy for the cheapest air ticket. You can later cancel the hotel reservation if you don’t need it.
Book your Parking in Advance
Parking charges provide immense revenue for airports. Don't just show up at the airport, park your car and leave. By booking your parking space in advance, you stand to save money, even if you book it on the same day.
Go Further Out to Book Your Hotel
Booking your hotel wisely is one way to make cheap city breaks possible. Hotels, even the shabby ones, cost more when they are in close proximity to the airport or situated in the centre of town. You can get much better deals on hotels by opting for the ones that are even slightly remote or outside the main town limits. For just five extra minutes in a taxi, you could save hundreds of dollars in hotel charges.
These tips must have certainly given you a basic idea of how to city breaks on the cheap. A little research makes for a lot of joy.