We’ve all been there, spent money on things we didn’t need and went way over our budget. That’s why I decided to make a list on 15 bad travel spending habits and get travelers to think about ways to cut them. I’m guilty of some of the following but from traveling for many years I’ve come to realize my mistakes and have cut down on frivolous unnecessary spending.

1. Spending on tacky travel souvenirs

We’ve all done it; spent way too much money on crap while traveling because we feel we need to bring something back. I certainly had that mentality when I was younger but now that I travel often I rarely buy souvenirs and if I do they always means something. Souvenirs can be expensive and are not usually necessary. Pictures and the memory is what does it for me.

2. Not having a budget set out

If you’re planning to travel and you’re not setting a budget out, you could be in trouble. Travelers who don’t have a budget in place risk spending too much because there is no set limit in place. What you should do is to plan the excursions and follow travel websites like mine that give you a estimate of the daily budget you may spend. I recommend websites like Budget Your Trip and My Funky Travel.

3. Buying plane tickets at full price

This has arguably become one of the most expensive parts of traveling besides hotel room and remains a big reason people don’t travel. There are ways around it like using frequent flyer miles and waiting for deals to come around. My suggestion is that if you’re on a budget are always wondering why it’s hard to travel, learn to use frequent flyer miles and how to search for deals.

4. Eating out for every meal

This doesn’t apply to everywhere in the world but most notably in Europe where eating out is incredibly expensive and honestly not doable unless you have a very nice budget. My suggestion is to go to grocery stores, any restaurants away from tourist traps and lots of street food. There is no need to waste so much of your budget on food.

5. Buying expensive hotels rooms

I’ll admit that as of recent this has been a huge cost and I’m now regret buying such expensive hotel rooms. I’m not a hostel guy so when I start looking for hotels I automatically won’t get the cheapest places. This kind of thinking can get you in trouble because then you start reasoning with yourself to get higher costing rooms and suddenly you’re spending a ton on a hotel. Be cautious with this one.

6. The “I need the best” mentality

I also have a problem with this one and I know many of my travel friends also do too. Looking on website like TripAdvisor, where you can see highly rated hotel rooms, can become a problem when you start wanting the best. What you need to learn how to do is to cut back and drop the mentality that you always “need the best.” If it’s not in your budget, forget it.

7. Spending money on cheap tours rather than local tours

Don’t waste your money on tours that seem more sketchy or lower quality than tours that have gotten rave reviews. The reason is that local tours, or tours that really know what they are talking about, deserve every penny even if they are the more expensive option. They are the ones that spend in the local economy and know the area better than anyone.

8. Not spending the money on “once in a lifetime events”

Sometimes you have to fork over the money even if the activity is expensive and you should always have some left over cash for these types of events. You really must ask yourself how many chances will you get to come back to that place and how many times will you get to do something to decide if it’s worth spending on you.

9. Not using Tripadvisor or Yelp for finding worthwhile restaurants and activities

Literally these websites have saved me from a lot of heartache and a lot of uncertainty when doing things. If you’re on a limited time for your travels you really want to get the most for your money and these websites wipe away the uncertainty. You know what to expect. For some people this may sound too clinical and predictable but if the resource is there than why not?

10. Spending more money than you don’t have

This sounds simple to follow but it really isn’t and I’m guilty of doing this countless times. Just this past trip, in Europe, I spent money that I didn’t have and that was a huge mistake. In retrospect it’s better to stick with the budget and to not travel until you have the money in the first place. It’s a hard rule to follow but it’s better than being in debt.

11. Taxis are not always cheap, most of the time public transportation is

Sometimes taxis are the only option so that is understandable however in most major cities public transportation is usually always cheaper but also almost always slower. So what to do? This is a judgmental call but if you have time and can save money and actually feel safe doing it, use the public transportation.

12. Buying the cheapest doesn’t mean it will be the cheapest

So you bought the cheapest flight but it leaves or arrive in the middle of the night when public transportation isn’t running. Now you have to factor in a taxi that may be just as expensive if you took another flight. There are several types of these situations where the cheapest option doesn’t always mean it will be the cheapest in the end. Look at the bigger picture and always go with the most logical choice even if it’s more expensive.

13. Buying last-minute tickets on express trains

Western Europe in particular is pretty bad with this but train tickets are expensive if you buy them last-minute or on websites like Rail Europe. There is the option to do the Eurail Pass or buy your tickets early enough so you’re not paying expensive last-minute prices. This doesn’t include the little intercity trains which don’t need to be bought in advance.

14. Buying travel package deals because it’s easy

Researching and planning trips can be exhausting, I get it. And buying a package deal can be tempting but the downsides of package deals are if the deal is taken out of your hands and the price and the decisions are already set. That usually means you’re paying more because somebody is getting a commission and most of the time the quality of the trip then begins to lack.

15. Picking expensive countries when you don’t have the money

And one of the golden rules is don’t pick a country that is already expensive to begin with if you don’t have the money. Of course you can still travel cheaply in these types of countries but you’d be doing yourself a disservice because you’ll be missing out on a lot. The reality is that you just need a higher budget and accept that in many countries to have the experience you deserve having.

images by: espos