Solo Travel Tips for Saving

Solo travel tips for saving: Check out these ways to save when you are on the go alone. Although more tour operators and river/ocean cruise lines are offering solo travel deals with low to no single supplements, they are limited in number. There are still ways to save:

Solo Travel Tips for Saving:

Tip 1:

Book as early as possible while those spaces are still available.

Solo Travel Tips for Saving:

Tip 2:

Take advantage of pre- and post-season solo travel deals during off-season or shoulder seasons.  Discounts in Europe can be up to 40-50% off even two weeks before the official summer season, for example, in our 5-star Croatia listing. Attractive price reductions also occur in Europe starting as early as Sept. depending upon location.

Solo Travel Tips for Saving:

Tip 3:

Before you leave home, research and plan an inexpensive way from the airport, especially abroad. If going to a familiar city, try to arrive in daytime. Getting to and from the airport: Every major capital seems to have expensive options for getting into the city center. Combined with the fact that airports often are 45 minutes outside the city, the best alternative for daylight arrivals may be a local train, subway or airport bus/van. In the south of France, I paid $2.00 for a commuter train ticket from the Nice airport to arrive within walking distance of my 5-star hotel. (The hotel pickup would have been $200!)

Solo Travel Tips for Saving:

Tip 4:

Meals are one of the biggest costs after airfare and lodging. Especially in remote locations, a resort meal plan may be cheaper than having to take additional transportation to find better prices.

Solo Travel Tips for Saving:

Tip 5:

On arrival, find the local mini-mart or better yet a full-service grocery and plan a series of picnics. (If you have a kitchen or refrigerator to store your purchases, that is the best savings.)

Solo Travel Tips for Saving:

Tip 6:

Interested in wine tasting or just a cocktail before dinner? Visit the local liquor store and make your own selections to save significantly every day.

Solo Travel Tips for Saving:

Tip 7:

Have your major meal at lunchtime at cafes and restaurants that have a lunch special.

Solo Travel Tips for Saving:

Tip 8:

Find restaurants that have an early set price for dinner.

Solo Travel Tips for Saving:

Tip 9:

Shopping:

Shopping for souvenirs or gifts to take home? Avoid gift shops and take a public bus to places where local residents shop. (I tried this in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The only challenge? The return bus apparently had a different route than the outbound bus.  I found myself excitedly shouting out for directions as the bus continued  further in the wrong direction.

Tip 10:

Watch out for credit card and ATM fees for international transactions. (Check out the rates before you leave home.)   Use a calculator to understand what you are paying in foreign currency. When traveling in exotic locations, it can be tempting to go clothes shopping to have something special popular at your destination.  Before spending the money, consider whether once home you will never have any place to wear something perfect in Hawaii but maybe not in Manhattan. (Think of all the comedy skits featuring men wearing outrageous “Hawaiian” shirts not strolling along Waikiki.)

One extra tip:  One of the ways to avoid a huge bill on return home? If you use your smartphone as a camera or receive an incoming call, check that your data plan has not jumped back on. Keep it in airplane mode absent an unlimited data plan. (I took only one quick snapshot in the Dominican Republican. The next thing I knew the data plan had switched on sending me best wishes from Santo Domingo for a good trip.)

Use our Single Traveler Tips for Saving. Don’t overlook these savings now even if you next trip is not coming up shortly.