“Put everything you’re taking on the bed. Now put back half the clothes, and take twice the money.”
Good advice. I tried to follow it and still ended up bringing more clothes than I could possibly need. I didn’t bring much money, though, because one of my goals for this trip is to keep saving even while I’m traveling.
Saving for travel is relatively simple: You set up a targeted savings account and put a little money aside each week or each month. Setting a schedule and sticking to it is the key to saving for anything. Travel is no exception.
Saving while traveling is a bit more complicated. Even the most carefully-planned vacation is plagued with unexpected expenses. Over at I Will Teach You to Be Rich, Ramit Sethi suggests budgeting 20 percent more than you think a trip will cost to pay for sundry expenses along the way.
That’s a lot of dough. Where does it all go?
Taxes and fees. Many countries levy special taxes and fees on tourists. A little research can let you know what these will be, so you can plan ahead. To find local tax, toll and fee information, check the websites for each state or country you plan to visit, or talk to your travel agent. At the airport in Argentina, for example, we had to pay $140 per American citizen to enter the country. A fellow behind us in line hadn’t know about that fee, and was miserably explaining to the ticket agent that he didn’t have that much money on him and didn’t know what to do.
Unexpected needs. Baby Tylenol. Adapters to plug in our electronic gadgets. Groceries from the corner market. I knew we’d need something day to day on our trip, but I didn’t know what. It wouldn’t have made sense to travel with every possible thing I might need. These things were cheaply and readily available here, and would have taken up valuable space in a suitcase. Bringing cash to cover incidental needs made more sense than imagining every possible occurrence and packing ahead.
Impulse spending. Part of the joy of travel is seeing new things and having new experiences. Some of those may cost more than you’d expected. In our travels in Argentina, I’ve had the chance to visit Eva Peron’s grave, fall in love with a local winery, and take a river cruise. Better to budget in advance for museum tickets, scenic tours, and souvenir shopping than to find yourself pinching pennies halfway through your trip because you splurged at the beginning.
Emergencies. On our last visit to Argentina, my infant daughter caught a terrible ear infection and needed hospital care. Our insurance ultimately paid for her care, less our normal co-pay. But at the time, we had to pay out of pocket for everything here, and then chase down reimbursement for it through a maze of paperwork once we got home. Having a comfortable cushion of while traveling lets you handle real emergencies as they crop up.
There’s no doing away with all these expenses, but there are plenty of things you can do to keep your overall costs low. Here are some easy ways to save while traveling:
Be prepared. I mentioned planning to buy some small needful things, like infant Tylenol, while you travel. A little research on your destination can help you figure out what necessities are going to be cheaper where you’re traveling to, and which ones might cost a lot more. I planned to buy a fancy dress for the party I’m attending, because clothes are generally cheaper here. But I bought my husband a video camera before we left, because electronics cost quite a bit more in Buenos Aires than they do in Boston.
Travel with frugal companions. Just like your friends influence your spending at home, they can pressure you to spend or save on the road. I have a close friend I’ve traveled with several times during the past year. She’s more frugal than I am, and she’s great at checking my impulse to spend excessively just because I’m on the road.
