How to plan a budget vacation abroad: life hacks. Lisbon Budget Travel Lifehack Since you are here…

I wonder if there is at least one person on earth who, to the question "Do you like to travel?" answer with a firm "NO"? I don't think such people exist. After all, how great and interesting it is to visit the most beautiful and unique corners of our planet, to meet and chat with people, to taste national cuisine! Travels is real science. After all, it is there that we acquire some specific skills and abilities, make our discoveries and enrich ourselves with knowledge.

And in order for the science of travel to be easy, you need to know some tricks and tricks - - that experienced travelers resort to. Today we want to introduce some of them.

MAGIC WORDS

"Hi, I'm the creator of Lonely Planet" or "Hi, I'm a Discovery journalist"- these magical words have a magical effect on the clerks of small hotels, restaurants and museums. And as an upgrade, you get a great room, a delicious free meal, free entry (well, or entry out of line).

CHEAP AND NON-BANAL SOUVENIRS

Being abroad and not bringing a souvenir from there - it does not happen. The most interesting and cheap gifts for yourself and friends you can buy on flea markets or in antique shops. So, for example, if a beer glass "Hoegarden" in Brussels costs 10-19 euros, then on the market its price is only 0.5 euros. And very often, residents of European cities put unnecessary things or household items outside the gates of their homes. Take and carry them with you as much as you can, absolutely free.

SOUVENIRS FOR A THIRD OF THE PRICE

Anyone who has been to Paris or Barcelona knows perfectly well how dark-skinned "businessmen" earn there. Souvenirs they are three to four times cheaper than in souvenir shops. You know that every 10 minutes they are chased by the police. You can start bargaining with such a seller, knocking down the price. As soon as he notices the appearance of a policeman, he will immediately bring the price down to a minimum in order to at least earn something. It happens that the price of a thing was originally about 40 euros, and when a policeman "raid" you get it for five.

WE ALWAYS TRAVEL WITH DRY SHOES

Traveling in wet weather, or under the rain, you can get your feet wet and get sick, ruining your vacation. A simple way to avoid this will help: buy sanitary pads and fix them on the insole with the absorbent surface up. Replace them when wet.

1 EURO PER HRYVNA

This life hack is very old among experienced travelers. It consists in the fact that many European machines perfectly accept our hryvnia, or rather 50 kopecks, instead of 1 euro. So, in places where vending machines are installed, you can easily buy water or a chocolate bar.

BONUSES FROM THE HOTEL

This theme works great too. It is practiced by young traveling couples. When booking a hotel room, indicate that you are newlyweds and that you have a honeymoon at this time(no one checks the authenticity of marriage registration). And how are you bonus, you can get a good room, fruit or champagne or some other surprise from the establishment. A trifle, but nice

SAVE ON HOUSING

In Europe, only the rich can book accommodation in the center. You know what the prices are. Housing will be cheaper not in the center, but on the outskirts of the city. If you look at the map, it will seem to you that it is very far away. But in fact it is 20-25 minutes walk. The advantage of such areas will be inexpensive shops and cafes with delicious national cuisine.

MUSEUM HACK

First. If you plan to visit a museum in advance, go to its website and see what days entrance to this museum will be free. Perhaps it will coincide with your trip. Second. Walking around the museum and not thinking anything about what is in it and why, this is stupid, you need a guide here. Or an audio guide. On the second, you can save: download the audio guide to your gadget and save about 5 euros. They can be found in the free app on iTunes and Google Play. Third. Ask the exiting visitors of the museum for a ticket - you will get there for free.

FREE ENTERTAINMENT

Help will come here the Internet. You can google "Paris pour 0 euro" or any other city. On special blogs or portals you can find any information about free events in the town.

FREE BREAKFAST, LUNCH OR DINNER

It is very easy to get it in countries where English/German (and given that you speak it well) is at a low level. In cafes, usually located further away from the center, ask for an English menu. It is verified that 89% of a hundred in such a menu will make a mistake. Offer your services for correct translation, so to speak, correct the menu. You can even offer to translate into Russian, Ukrainian or other languages that you know. The better the menu, the more sales. This is also a fact. And as a thank you for your work, the cafe administration will definitely will thank and will offer free complex.

RESTAURANT SCAM

Don't eat on the "restaurant" streets and don't fall for their "10 Euro Lunch" trick. This will not be on the menu for sure, at least lunch will cost 30 euros. There is one more rule of the bartender: we multiply the price by the number of people (i.e. if there are three of you, and you ordered one large dish, its cost will triple). Take an interest in such, at first glance, a trifle.

RESTAURANT HACK

Is it possible have breakfast or lunch good food in a good place not expensive? Yes. It's for breakfast and lunch! The local population is used to visiting restaurants, mainly in the evening, for dinner. And in order to attract a visitor, the restaurant administration makes a morning discount on food up to 40-50%. Be smart and you will never go hungry.

TOILET HACK

Traveler Rule #1: if you come across a free toilet along the way, use the option to "go" even if you don't feel like it. Another opportunity may not present itself (who knows when you will come across another free toilet!)

UNLIMITED INTERNET IN EUROPE

There are many "guides" on how to properly apply makeup, quickly hook up the right guy or decorate your home beautifully. Do you know about some life hacks used by tourists that will help you travel cheaper and more comfortably?

Buy on Tuesday. Airfare pricing has a weekly cycle. Everything that is not sold out over the weekend and needs to be sold is thrown away at a discount on Monday, if this did not bring success, then on the night of Monday to Tuesday, "price wars" and forced sales begin. The conclusion is that buying tickets from midnight to 15-00 on Tuesday is the most profitable.
"1 passenger". If you are flying with a family or just a large company, look for tickets for one person. Airline websites will try to sell a higher class ticket if you enter 2 or more people into the search bar. The difference in price is not always obvious as you only see the total for all tickets and you may miss the fact that one or two tickets are higher class at a higher price. Type "1 passenger" into the search bar. Find out the minimum price and then make sure that the cost of each ticket is exactly that.
GateGuru app will tell you everything about all airports in the world: where are the ATMs, what shops are there in Duty free, where you can have a bite to eat or relax.

Museums. Almost every museum has a free visit day, which can be found on the website. On such a day, it is better to come to the opening to avoid queues.
Buy incognito. If you went to the site just to look at the ticket for the desired date, you liked it and you went for a payment card - in 15 minutes it will become more expensive. It's not that all the tickets are sold out - it's just that the airline already knows that you came in, were interested in this ticket, it is very necessary and, probably, you are ready to pay more. All this can be avoided if you search for tickets in incognito browser mode. So you will not leave traces on the Internet, and the airline will not know who "came" to it for tickets.
Fix it. If you travel and are on a budget, correct the mistakes in the menu of a local restaurant. Usually you will be gladly treated to a delicious lunch.
Save on luggage. Pour liquid into 100 ml bottles, roll up clothes, buy a foldable travel bag. It will take up little space in your backpack, and on the way back you can bring numerous purchases in it.

Save on housing. Stay at low cost accommodations found on AirBnB.com and free accommodations at couchsurfers. You can get to know them at CouchSurfing.com or BeWelcome.org. Be ready to talk a lot and stock up on souvenirs.
Take photos all documents and upload them to Dropbox.com. So they will be available from any device connected to the Internet.
Free wi-fi at the airport will provide a combination of ?.jpg after the address of any site. Access points can be found in the Wi-Fi Finder app, and passwords can be found in FourSquare.

Air travel

Bilet.ru - a site with the ability to book a flight and receive a reservation by mail without payment.
The bank of last-minute tours and charters is located on the tourdom website, the "exchange" section, and last-minute tours are on tourstanok.
RTW tickets from the three airline alliances do not include the company's low-cost airline. Therefore, the circumnavigation will be significantly more expensive.
Access to business lounges at 600 airports in the world (120 countries) with a Priority Pass card. Shower, snacks for free.
Discount of 500 rubles for any air ticket / hotel using the promo code VLADIMIR9813 on the onetwotrip website.
Get a free Aeroflot flight ticket by collecting miles for reviews on tripadvisor.
Do not drink coffee before and during the flight. It will only increase the panic and palpitations.
The GateGuru app will tell you everything about the world's airports. Where are the ATMs, what shops are there in Duty Free.
Drinks on board the aircraft, if it is not a low-cost airline, are not limited. You can ask for two glasses of juice and then another for dessert. In low-cost airlines, you can always get plain water for free.
Food wrap is cheaper than luggage wrapping services at the airport.

Safety

Rename contacts of relatives/important friends to English on your phone. If something happens to you, the doctors or the police will be able to figure out who to call. "Mom", "Dad" is more understandable for an English-speaking employee of the Ministry of Emergency Situations than "mom" and "dad".
Take out an annual insurance that includes all countries of the world and a period of stay abroad of 90 days. Wherever you suddenly break loose, you will always be protected.
Upload scans of all important documents to Google Drive. If you lose the originals, you can print at least copies in any Internet cafe in the world.
Take 3-5 bank cards with you and keep them in different places. If you lose your main card or have it stolen from you, calmly block it, transfer money to the second card and continue your journey.
Make yourself a "cover" letter in English/Spanish with a seal (you can type or fake) and your passport photo. Write who you are, where you are going and why you are good. In any situation with the police, this will greatly simplify your life.
Do you want to be left behind by street barkers in all countries of the world? Learn the phrase "I'm here for work" in the local language, and voila - you will quickly lose interest.
When renting a car / motorcycle, take a photo of all scratches and flaws on the phone right in front of the owner.
Download the mobile application from the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia. By pressing the SOS button in the application, your GPS coordinates will be sent to both rescuers and SMS to your friends' phones.
Take a wide range of medicines with you in the first aid kit. You never know what will happen to you.
Take an external battery pack with you when you travel. Then you will always stay in touch, even if there is no electricity near you for a whole week.

Leisure

Almost all museums in the world have free admission days. Get to know them and put reminders on your calendar.
If you are in transit through or, do not forget to sign up for free sightseeing tours.
What to see in a new city? Read the articles on the Internet "City in 1 Day" - they already contain the most important and interesting places.
Food spotting is a mobile application that allows you to see what a dish looks like and portion sizes before placing an order.
Excursions from a tour operator are 2-3 times more expensive, and are carried out by the same companies with which street agencies cooperate.
The best offline travel guide is the Triposo app.
Get up with the dawn. Then you will see the sights without huge crowds of tourists and enjoy their grandeur, and not the noise of children and the conversations of guides.
Buying tickets for excursions/attractions via the Internet is a sure way to save an average of 10% of the cost and avoid queues.
Make a route for visiting interesting places and sights one after another, so that it is convenient to see them sequentially, and not winding from one end of the city to the other and back.
Go to a couchsurfer hangout or go to a popular hostel - both there and there you can find new acquaintances, as well as ways to have fun in the evening or the next day.

Movement

When hitchhiking in Europe / America, you can use signs with the inscription of the nearest city. This will speed up your movement. But if there are many villages between foreign cities, and even more so in Russia, it is better to vote without a sign.
Try to buy tickets for night buses/trains/flights. This will save you a lot of money on housing.
From any airport in the world can be reached economically by bus, not by taxi. Look on Google for which bus companies run to the city center and where to look for a stop.
Free guidebooks and city maps are available at many hotels at the reception or at individual counters. The more stars - the more chances to get them for free.
Best offline maps - maps.me.
All metros of the world in one MetrO application.
In Russian Railways compartment cars, choose 37th and 38th seats. Then in the compartment you will have only two seats instead of four.
The Rome2Rio app will help you plan your travel itinerary and give you options on how to get to your destination, how long it will take and how much it will cost.
When traveling around Russia, Yandex.Transport will show you when your bus arrives. When traveling around the world, Google Maps will come to the rescue with its bus schedule.
Sign up for promotions from your favorite airlines to be the first to know about big sales and make real savings. That's how you can buy a ticket for $1.

Accommodation

In hostels, you can arrange to spend the night in exchange for cleaning or other help.
Get 8 nights in Bulgaria for free - just participate in the loyalty program from ayda.ru
The cheapest place in the Maldives is Maafushi Island. 3 star hotel for $48. And there are similar places in all resorts. Spend more time preparing and you will be rewarded.
The cheapest cities in Europe: Bucharest, Warsaw.
Participate in loyalty programs of various hotel chains. Free nights and a free upgrade to a deluxe room are nice bonuses.
Housing on 2-3 lines from the beach costs 2-3 times cheaper than on the first line. Walking to the beach is not only economical, but also good for your health. And if this is not a popular hotel, but housing from a private owner, then it will even be 4 times cheaper. Just walk around the city looking for "Room for rent" signs.
If you have a place to rent, you can make great money on AirBnb, get money immediately on your card in dollars during your trip. It's convenient and profitable.
If you are traveling to a warm country, do not take a tent with you. Take a modern hammock. It weighs 100 grams, and for its garter you need any two points of support at a distance of 2 to 5 meters. And the awning, which weighs exactly the same, will save from the rain.
When choosing between an 8- and 10-bed room in a hostel, prefer the more expensive option - a 6-bed room. It is almost always empty, because those who save are usually settled in a 10-bed room. And so there is a chance to be in the room alone.
When using couchsurfing, look for appointments 2-3 weeks in advance, no later. Because the average response time is 4-5 days, and in order for you to accurately find an entry, you need to start looking for it three weeks before the trip.

Other

Participate in all competitions where travel is played. I have already won three trips.
Buy an inflatable neck pillow. It will take up much less space in your luggage than its balloon-filled counterpart.
Do not take gadgets (including a mouse) on batteries with you. This is the additional weight of the batteries, and if these are batteries, you will also have to take the charger with you. Take a universal technique that is charged from usb.
You can take part in the Rio de Janeiro carnival by simply buying a costume from special companies. And to participate is not to look from the outside. These are completely different emotions.
The best offline translator is the Yandex Translator app. The best online translator is google translate. Translates both your speech in real time and inscriptions from a photo.
In supermarkets in America, Thailand, Hong Kong and other countries, 2 hours before closing, discounts of up to 50% on perishable products are arranged. Eat discounted delicacies.
There is free Wi-Fi all over the world in libraries and universities, not just McDonald's.
Take things with you that you don't mind throwing away. In any country you want to buy something new. And so - throw away the old thing, and a new one will take its place. Your back will thank you.
Use Groupon. It is available in 40 countries around the world.
If you left home for a long time, for example, to travel around the world for three months, then upon your return you can recalculate for utility services. All you need is a boarding pass/ticket.
All currency rates in one Currency app. It is very convenient and helps not to get into money when a Vietnamese taxi driver asks you for 3,000,000 dong, and you, looking at the application, understand that he is cheating you and the trip should only cost 300,000 dong.
Don't forget about Tax Free if you buy electronics.
Create a blog/website. The VKontakte group is also good, but you won’t get far on it. This is a great place to earn money.
Install the Clashot app to earn income from mobile photography.
Use the Gransjoy travel delivery service to boost your karma and maybe earn some money along the way.

The school year is coming to an end, and all the parents I know are counting down the days until the holidays start. Here is soon desired freedom! And although many have long planned vacations and summer trips, there are still those who have not fully decided. And since the exchange rate has fallen significantly, you can dream about abroad ...

Last summer, for the first time in our lives, we made a trip abroad with the whole family, with four children. Not a beach holiday, without your own car and without the possibility of renting it there, a full two-week trip with visits to various attractions (in two countries). I was the initiator, organizer and brain of the whole enterprise, and naturally, during and after the trip, I noted all the pros and cons for the future. And mentally compiled a list of useful life hacks. Perhaps, for those who want to travel with children, but are afraid of not being able to cope with independent planning, my observations will come in handy.

So, our trip was conceived as introducing children to another country, the goal was to visit both cultural and natural sites. And to be honest, I really wanted to see Bastei in Czech-Saxon Switzerland with my own eyes. Prague was also an obligatory point of visit, it is impossible not to show such a fairy tale to children. Under these two objects, the whole trip was imprisoned. The route was as follows: Berlin - Dresden - Teplice - Prague - Berlin. I’ll say right away about the financial part: subjectively, it was very expensive for us, objectively, it was two times cheaper than the cheapest tour (if we count the Czech Republic, Germany would have cost even more). Our trip lasted two weeks, and we saw much more than the usual excursion program.

If any organization is not for you and you have a lot of money, you can safely finish reading right now. Because the trip required a lot of mental strength and organizational actions from me, both in order to save as much as possible, and in order to make it interesting and yet comfortable. True, all actions were performed without leaving home, using the Internet. Finding information, tickets, lodging, scheduling - it's all here on the computer. I did it gradually, for about six months, but now I understand that the same thing can be repeated a month before the trip. Probably even faster, if only we're lucky with the tickets. Especially if you are not eight people, but three or four, for example.

So, first-transport.

In our case, Berlin was chosen as the point of arrival and departure, where you can get for little money and without transfers. From Berlin it was possible to get to the points we needed quickly enough by train. And then my task was to find railway tickets from point A to point B and C, the most convenient and cheapest. It is better to buy them on the "native" site, and not through intermediary firms.

For example, Deutsche Bahn is quite convenient, the main thing is to have a bank card with which you can pay for everything via the Web. True, there are tricks here - before buying tickets, it is worth exploring the various modes of transport in the countries you visit. This will save a lot of money and make the trip easier and more enjoyable. On the Internet you can find any information, from the schedule of pleasure steamers to the price of tickets in any season and the cost of tickets of preferential categories. And in Russian.

Life hack first - it is better to move around on "sitting" trains. The distances are short, the trains are comfortable, and the cost of tickets is an order of magnitude cheaper. Moreover, a direct transfer on such a train can be cheaper than with transfers from an electric train to an electric train. And sometimes the bus turns out to be even cheaper and more convenient, the main thing is to find the necessary information. For example, when we had to move from Germany to the Czech Republic, the local suburban bus turned out to be much more convenient, faster and cheaper than traveling by train.

Life hack second- learn in advance how the cars on the trains are numbered. Our first experience was tough - not finding our car, we boarded the last one and made our way to our seats for a third of the trip. Because in the aisles of all the carriages there were the same suffering foreigners, making their way into their compartments. And all this with suitcases, backpacks and children. Well, and more - be sure to book a place, even though it's extra money. Otherwise, you will look for free ones, and for a family with children and luggage, this is very inconvenient.

Life hack third- in Europe, there are family and group day tickets almost everywhere, it is much cheaper than paying for travel for each family member. Within the same country, but in different cities (and regions), they may differ. For example, in one city this is a ticket for two adults and all children under 14, and in another - only for three children. Plus, there are group tickets within the region, sometimes even extending to several modes of transport and to neighboring countries.

For example, in the region of Bohemian-Saxon Switzerland there is a Labe-Elbe day ticket, which makes it possible to move within a large area in a group of up to five people using all modes of transport. By the way, there are similar family tickets in museums, zoos and other places. And all this can be found out in advance, at home, just by typing the desired query in the search.

Second, housing and everything connected with it. For example, we acutely felt the disadvantages of locating the housing we rented at transit points. It was a great apartment, in a nice location, but too far from the train station.

Life hack first- if you pass through some points in transit, stopping there for no more than two or three days, you need to look for accommodation as close to the station as possible. Because it’s easy to get to the desired sightseeing object without things from anywhere in the city (especially for a Muscovite who is used to huge distances), and dragging with all the things and children from the station and to the station in today-tomorrow-the day after tomorrow mode is much more unpleasant and difficult.

Life hack second- when booking an apartment, be sure to find out the details and do not buy into the view from the window, especially at transit points. You will spend the night there for a night or two, being away from home for most of the day, which means that the main thing is the availability of all the amenities you need. We did not bother to inquire about the presence of a washing machine (we were sure that it was always there) and severely regretted it. Eight people in the heat with two moves in five days, with limited items - and no washing machine! Can you imagine...

Life hack third- it is necessary to agree with the owners on the transfer of keys as precisely as possible so as not to sit under the door. From our experience, I realized that renting apartments from the owners is much more convenient and profitable than living in hotels. At least because of the washing machine and the kitchen. Well, the savings are significant, especially when there are a lot of you.

The third is nutrition.

Life hack first- check which shops and cafes are located near the rented accommodation. A large supermarket nearby is very helpful and saves a lot of money. If you have a developed program and you know which cities you intend to visit, you can look for reviews and recommendations from travelers in advance at home about places where you should have breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Life hack second- just don't laugh - if you are traveling with children, or you yourself have some special food preferences or diet, and you care about what you eat, take a small supply with you. For example, oatmeal was very useful to us - there is always a good healthy breakfast at hand. Also cocoa and tea.

The fourth is the excursion program. This is where you have to be ready for anything. I distributed our big exits (departure) at once for the whole trip. But, of course, unforeseen circumstances happened, and everything did not work out as planned.

Life hack first- a clear choice of objects that you want to see will give a solid skeleton to your trip. Be sure to find out in advance what days and hours it works, whether it is possible to get there without a tour. Of course, unforeseen circumstances still happen. For example, we stayed for a couple of days in Berlin in order to see a panda at the zoo, but it turned out that a couple of months ago she died. So well calculated the strength and time to visit all the beauties of Czech Switzerland - and she met us with a thunderstorm and a downpour.

Life hack second- choose routes based on the physical capabilities of the weakest participant in the trip. And think over the possibilities of recreation during the excursion and sightseeing. There are always surprises - we, for example, unexpectedly ended up in a magical museum of nativity scenes, although we did not plan it. And it was very helpful not only for the weakest participant.

Life hack third- you can always share! This is especially true for those who have children with a large age difference or with different interests. For example, to develop a route, part of which they all pass together, and then one of the adults with the kids goes to rest, and the rest continue the journey. True, it may turn out that someone will be envious. For example, we split up in Dresden - I went with the elders to the Dresden Art Gallery at their insistence, and dad and the younger ones went to the children's railway and to the zoo. As a result, I was envious - they stroked the lemurs!

And fifth-your strength. Do not overestimate yourself, leave time for rest between excursions. I, with my irrepressible thirst to see as much as possible, slightly tortured my companions. And even a day of "rest" managed to turn into a climb to the local mountain. Still, we must remember that any family trip should be primarily a vacation, and it is impossible to see everything. And the main thing on such a trip is peace and joy, and not whining and swearing from fatigue. As you-know-who said, “less is better.”

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Even those who only go out of the house to the nearest store for bread know that booking tickets early can save a lot. Fortunately, you do not need to spend days on airline websites to catch the long-awaited discount. Aviasales, for example, thought of everything for us a long time ago. It is enough to subscribe to the desired city or country in order to receive an email notification about a reduction in ticket prices.

On Google Play and the App Store, you can download applications that will help you keep track of prices, for example, and others.

Use stopovers

Stopover (stopover) - a free stop at a transit point with the ability to stay in the city for a day or more. For example, if you are flying in North America, you can make a stopover from four hours, in Central America - from six hours. If you fly to Thailand via Sri Lanka, you can stay in Colombo for up to three days. The best part is that the cost of tickets does not change. You can't see the whole of Rio de Janeiro in five hours, but you can get a general idea of the city.

Information about possible stopovers is contained in the fare description (fare conditions, fare rules, tariff rules). If a stopover is allowed, tell the airline that you want to stay in the transfer city.

Ticket aggregator sites will also help. If you are dealing with Aviasales, look for this link:

In order not to get into trouble, first study the cost of tickets separately and taking into account different days of departure and arrival.

On the airline website, look for Multiple destinations - these are the same stopovers. If the fare includes a stopover, the airline issues a visa, provides a hotel and a transfer. If the stopover is longer than 24 hours, luggage must be collected and taken with you.

By the way, in many cities of the world there are special communities in which local amateur guides hang out in anticipation of stopover tourists. Google and Facebook are here to help.

Choose seats on the plane in advance

Anyone who has flown knows how important it is to choose the right seat in the cabin. Especially if it's a flight to the other end of the world. When planning a trip, study the layout of the aircraft cabin in advance. There are enough sites that allow you to do this, for example Seatguru or Samolety. It is enough to know the flight number and type of aircraft. This is how, for example, the filling of the Airbus A320 from the Aeroflot fleet looks like:

If you experience weakness and nausea on board an aircraft, choose seats in the bow, closer to the wings.

Take oatmeal on the go

Have you discovered a healthy lifestyle and the delights of proper nutrition? Vacation and flight is not a reason to change the regime. This trick was suggested to us by experienced stewards and old-timers on a diet. Take a zip-lock bag and fill it with a handful (or any other desired amount) of any filling. Nuts and dried fruits will do. Everything! On the plane, ask for a cup of boiling water to dilute a healthy breakfast in it.

Use essential oils for motion sickness

Nausea and motion sickness on an airplane? Grab a bottle of peppermint oil and sniff it every time you feel weak. If the airline has strict rules about liquids, put some oil on a handkerchief.

Join a group

Don't dare to travel alone? And you don't need to. Become part of a group of tourists, including both professional guides and amateurs like you. For a relatively small amount, you will acquire fellow travelers and improve your English in a relaxed atmosphere. There are many tourist groups, such as Flash Pack, Travendly, Interpid.

Use bags and baskets for storage

enabea.com

When traveling, a foldable laundry basket is useful: you can store dirty things in it. A bag for washing delicate items will also be useful. You can put in it what will go to the wash at home. A large zip-lock bag makes it easy to carry wet items, such as a swimsuit that you swam in a few hours before your flight.

Take a face spray on the plane

Moisturizing facial spray with a natural composition and in a permitted mini format will maintain the hydrobalance of the skin and save it from dryness. Pay attention to the composition: it should not contain parabens, sulfates and other harmful ingredients. Note to ladies: if you take a fabric face mask with a fashionable panda pattern on board, you can take care of your skin and have a lot of fun with your fellow travelers.

Get functional clothes

Functional and very light jacket, which can be easily rolled up and put into a special weightless case, does not take up much space and is useful in case of early departure, late landing or when flying from one climate zone to another.

Book your lunches in advance

Are you planning to travel to the USA? Pay attention to the Grab application. It will help you to pre-select and order lunch or a cup of coffee in the restaurants closest to the desired terminal at most airports in the country.

Pay Wi-Fi in advance

Some airlines, such as JetBlue and Virgin America, do not provide free Wi-Fi on board. Check this point and pay for Internet access in advance. Before the trip, it’s a good idea to study the Wi-Fi map: which airports on the planet provide passengers with Internet access.

Ask for free

Many airlines have a wide range of free perks for passengers. You may not know about it unless you ask a direct question. Toys, puzzles and crayons for kids, wet wipes, cookies and juices - feel free to ask, it's free.

It's hard to believe, but some airlines (Air Canada, Etihad Airways, KLM) continue to serve economy class passengers with free alcoholic drinks during international flights. Yes, you just have to ask again.

Rent a car

In many countries, it is easier and cheaper to rent a car than to travel by public transport or taxi. In Google Play and App Store you will find car rental apps in different cities and countries.

Find out more about the country of destination

Knowledge of cultural traditions will help save on trifles. Find out before your trip how much it is customary to leave a tip, whether you need to pay for drinking water in restaurants, and what time the food is cheapest in local markets.

Use a single tourist card

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A single card will help you save a lot on city routes. For example, for 48 euros you can buy a two-day “pass” for 50 Parisian museums. An Italian Firenzecard costs 72 euros. This is 72 hours of inspection of 72 museums of the country.

Look for free attractions

Each city has free attractions and entertainment. In New York City, enthusiastic guides provide free tours, including walking tours. In Madrid, on Sundays, admission to museums is free. In Amsterdam, volunteers arrange study tours around the city.

What tricks help you save money and travel comfortably? Share in the comments.