Tips for Enlightened Travel: Avoid Tourist Tendencies at All Costs!
When going on vacation, many people create a budget to control their spending during the trip. Later, most of them are shocked to discover they grossly underestimated their financial needs. The common thing heard from travelers is usually their sticker shock for prices in their chosen vacation spot.
Many chock it up to the area being expensive. This is often far from the truth. It is usually not the area, but rather the places they chose to spend their money because each exciting attraction was actually a tourist trap. Here are some tips travelers can use to avoid these so called tourist traps and stay on budget.
Avoid Over-Priced Lodging
One of the most common ways travelers break their budget is to spend more than originally planned on lodging. This typically happens when a vacationer forgets to include the many hidden fees some fancy resorts choose not to disclose during the reservation process. Avoid this issue by renting a vacation home.
Additional Tips
Use these tips to avoid to become an enlightened traveler:
- Try to blend in. This is the biggest mistake many travelers make. It’s obvious that the guy wearing the large camera, flowered shirt, and pointing at everything is probably not from that part of town. Depending on where you travel, many tourist-savvy vendors mark prices up to pad their pockets, and the traveler has no idea. This is an unfair, yet common practice, especially when out of the country.
- Avoid eating in chain restaurants. Dining out is expensive anyway, and while a chain may feel more familiar, the prices aren’t any lower than at home. Finding a local spot could prove to be a big money saver. Plus, the local feel will contribute to your fun and adventure during the trip, and you won’t look so “touristy.”
- Talk to a local instead of a concierge. Many concierge desks promote and suggest places that have made efforts to market themselves with the resort. While the suggestion may be a good one, it could also be manufactured to accommodate an agreement between the resort and vendor. This means you may not get the most cost-effective advice.
- Be smart. Many things can happen to people while they are on vacation because they look like easy targets. Think about your actions, and beyond trying to save money, think about how you would look to the common thief. Depending on where you are, there could be those who are waiting for the next group of travelers to come through. Try not to be so obvious about being a foreigner.
Use these tips during your next vacation to enjoy our stay, save money, and develop a clearer understanding of the area around you. You may even find that being an enlightened traveler is a great way to become part of the community where you are staying. These tips are good for the whole family, and could make a big difference during your next vacation.
Jessy is the lifestyle blogger for Dobovo, the free database of Kiev accommodation as well as other cities in Eastern Europe.
