There are things commonly practiced by tourists but it doesn’t mean you should follow them, especially on what we consider as expensive cities.
1. Eating ‘tourist-style’
When you visit a certain country for a vacation or even work-related visits, one of the most common experiences that many travellers want to have is to experience authentic food from that country. Thus food costs usually takes up the biggest chunk of your travelling expenses. When touring around the city your vacationing, you’ll soon find out that there are certain areas where tourists like yourself visits often. However, these certain areas cannot assure you that everything in there is foods that are unique to the city. Good, genuine restaurants who offer unique or exotic foods of the city are often found far away from these areas. As you move further away from these certain areas, foods get more special and authentic.
2. Bus Tours vs. Walking
One of the most common options of tourists is taking the bus tour where they can travel around the city faster and also get to see some of the tourist destinations of the city within a day. However, during these tours, you’ll only get a couple of seconds to admire and really soak in the view of the place. If you are planning to travel to a big city, it is better to concentrate your travel budget to the smaller areas of the city. You can walk around the neighbourhood and learn its role in the history of the city and meet more people this way at the same time sample real homemade and authentic dishes of the city free.
3. The Cruise Option
During cruise trips, it is fairly common for the ship to have an itinerary of where to go and the duration of the stay. In between these mini brakes, tourists can stroll around the cities that the ship docks to and take pictures while buying authentic snack and souvenirs with them. The good thing about going in a cruise ship is you don’t have to spend a lot of money when it comes to food and lounging. The food that is going to be served in the cruise is already paid for on the ship and is always made sure to be authentic and fresh.
4. College and University Areas
In some places in Europe, like London, they rent out the empty dormitory rooms during the summer. It may not be the fanciest of hotels but it would be likely that these dormitories would be well-connected to public transportation and also affordable dining. It would be very smart for you to find out the neighbourhoods in an expensive city that host colleges and universities as it also means that there would be a wide selection of inexpensive restaurants in the area not targeting tourist but to the students. In addition to this, within these areas, you could find a few eateries that rank as one of the most interesting in the city.
5. City Passes
City passes might not be the most inexpensive thing in an expensive city but it could get you entrance to some of the city’s main attractions without the hassle of getting in line.
6. Shopping for affordable rooms
Before travelling to an expensive city, make sure to do your research first, they may be difficult to find but it doesn’t mean that it is impossible. Check for hostels that offer private rooms or consult a bidding site like Priceline. Try to look for locals who are renting vacation apartments on sites like VRBO and Airbnb.com.
7. Ground Transportation
Don’t be afraid to take the trains when travelling. It is better to limit using taxicabs when it is an emergency rather than taking it every day. Trains get you to further places in a more reasonable price.
8. Abbreviating visits.
Get as much experience out of the trip as possible. Don’t skip off destinations just because it doesn’t come in the budget. Instead of skipping try and take the best options when travelling and make decisions that would make your stay comfortable and enjoyable.
