9 Tips to Find Cheap Transportation While Traveling

Finding cheap transportation is not easy when oil prices are going up globally. It hurts when you see a huge chunk of money going to pay for flight tickets, fuel, taxis, and rental vehicles. Those on a shoestring budget feel sad because more than 50 percent of their travel budget goes in transportation costs. To avoid the problem, get a grasp on the subject with these travel tips. Find cheap transportation and reduce your overall travel expenditure.

Use Google Flights to find cheap transportation deals

The service is called Google Flights and it helps you find the best deals on flights worldwide. More importantly, this service has a price tracking feature available. If you are planning to travel after a month or 3 months, pick dates, choose a flight, and enable price tracking. As soon as the price goes down, you will receive an email. It helps you make a decision and book tickets when airfare is low.

Google Flights helps you see the pricing structure for the coming weeks and months. It can help you plan your tour accordingly as you can see in which months airfare is low. The service is good especially when your intended tour date is still quite far. But you can also use this service to find last-minute flight deals.

Take local transport

If you want to save money then do it with all your heart. Forget private taxis, luxury tourist buses, and private coaches. Do what locals do and take local trains and buses. If the places on your list are well connected with local train or buses, try to get rail passes. It may be easier to hire a taxi that picks you from the hotel and drops you exactly where you want to be. But it’s much cheaper and more fun when you figure out how the local transportation system works.

Most people ditch this idea because they don’t know when and which train to catch from where. It may take some time to learn through maps but it’s fun. You don’t have to learn the railway or bus system of the entire city or country, read about the places on your list.

Stay away from commissioned middlemen

Hotel staff, taxi drivers, and travel agencies may recommend you many things. Don’t fall into their trap. Most of them are middlemen working for businesses. These people arrange deals between you and the original service provider. They get a commission for each deal and they take money from both the parties. Do your own research, speak to the service provider directly, and cut the need for working with third-party agents.

If a recommendation comes from your hotel staff or a local taxi driver, check everything before you accept the offer. Managing everything in a new place looks challenging. It’s may not look easy to you but remember that this is why tourists are easy targets for agents and brokers. If you’re in doubt, ask local families for their recommendations. Usually, residents don’t have such partnership deals and they can actually help you find cheap transportation.

Travel light

As much as possible, travel light and carry less weight. Adventurers often pay more for carrying extra luggage. For example, if you’re on a biking tour, compare the costs of renting a bike and bringing your own. The same applies to other travel accessories and travel gears as well. Don’t carry what you can easily find on rent. Security deposits may look like a big commitment, but this fear can be overcome by finding a trustworthy rental store.

There’s no point in carrying a lot of weight and pay extra money in the name of handling charges. By traveling with your expensive bikes and other travel accessories, you put your assets at risk of damage and loss. You may not gain anything other than the satisfaction of riding your own bike at a dream destination.

Go off-season

There’s no better way to find cheap transportation than off-season traveling. Keep weather and climate conditions in mind and if everything looks perfect, move out. Make sure that you can get there without any problem. Choose off-season travel to save money on transportation. For cheap transportation in Thailand, choose summer. May and June are the best months to find deals on flight tickets, local transportation, and hotels.

A trip to England in winter can also be a good idea. In some areas, particularly in the south, you won’t see bad weather. On top of that, you can enjoy less crowded places and cheap transport facility. For off-season travel, always keep safety as your first priority.

Buy a vehicle and resell it

Few people do this and in some cases, this is one of the best ways to explore a destination. People who are on vacation for a month or long do this often as it is a great cheap transportation idea. If you’re considering a vehicle purchase, make sure buying a new one because you may not want to get a used vehicle repaired every now and then.

Buy a new vehicle and resell it when your tour ends. It may look difficult to sell a vehicle after your trip. So before starting your journey, join groups on social media and share your plans. If you’re lucky, you can get a potential buyer even before your tour ends. Or you can also discuss your plans with the dealer at the time of buying. Some dealers may offer you a buy-back option. Check driving license and permit costs before making this decision.

Choose hotel location wisely

The location of your hotel can play a major role in determining how much you’ll pay for transportation. Choose hotels located in the center of the city. If you can find any cheap hotel deals, choose a location which is close to the market and places you want to see.

Choose a property which is strategically located. That way you can ensure that everything you’re going to need is within walking distance. You can easily avoid paying extra for transportation if you are choosing a hotel smartly.

Book a tour package if it’s cheaper

Sometimes it’s better to book a tour package. Independent sightseeing has its own advantages, but it should not be a rule for all your tour plans. When you don’t follow a schedule, things start getting out of control. Without a plan, you end up paying more for transportation. Missing the last bus from a remote area leaves you with no other choice than booking a private taxi.

Booking a tour might turn out to be the best way to find cheap transportation if the places are located far away. If there’s no other option than booking an expensive private taxi tour, try tour package to keep the costs low.

Avoid transportation scams

Transportation scams are common these days, particularly in the developing world. Imposters and fake travel agencies attract tourists looking for cheap transportation deals. They charge tourists and provide poor services. Fake travel agents change the deal in the last moment and leave tourists with no choice. Fake tickets, luggage porter scams, and taxi scams are common.

Avoid paying extra money to anyone promising extra facilities. Blatant overcharging can happen anywhere and tourists are the easy targets for such organized scams. Trust your guts and don’t trust what others say.

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About the Author: Mikkie

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