7 Travel Hacks that nomads use to save a lot of money time and energy without sacrificing quality.
In today's post we share the best travel hacks and trips that actually work.
As you travel the world you discover travel hacks and tricks that work.
In today's post we'll share some travel hacks we've used ourselves as we traveled to 39+ countries.
This is a follow up of the previous post which you can find here: Best travel hacks that actually work
Let’s go!
Chapters:
How to get most bang for your bucks when booking accommodations
How to avoid the pain and stress that comes with tourists crowding your vacation
How to exchange money into local currency - Without paying costly conversion fees
How to Communicate in Different Languages Without WiFi
How to find where to go without WiFi
How to get most experience for your $
How to get the most bang for your bucks in tourist hotspots
How to get most bang for your bucks when booking accommodations
Short answer: Sunday and Monday nights can be 5 times cheaper than Friday and Saturday nights.
Sometimes you can negotiate better deals offline once you connect with locals. In our experience the best accommodations have always come from building relationships.
Here are a few marketplaces where you can connect with locals.
AirBnB
Local Facebook Groups
FB marketplace
How to avoid the pain and stress that comes with tourists crowding your vacation
Short answer: Travel off-season. Can’t? Then explore outside of the touristic hotspots.
Only reason it gets crowded is because the tourist agencies push the same destinations. It's sad to think how many beautiful hidden gems there are around the world that are unknown to most people. But don’t worry, you’re reading Spontaneous Backpackers newsletter. You know more hidden-gems than most. And if you don’t, go to previous episodes of this newsletter → found here.
How to exchange money into local currency - Without paying costly conversion fees
Short answer: Use internet banks like Wise or Revolut.
Banks, forex exchanges and airports are extremely good at hiding fees.
These institutions take your money without you even knowing what happened.
How?
Look at their fee structure. It's so sneaky majority of people have no idea what they're paying for.
To protect yourself use banks you trust. Only exchange currencies when you know the current exchange rate.
Here’s a simple 5-step process that most nomads do which you can too
Step 2: Transfer money to your new account
Step 3: Order your debit card before you go
Step 4: Test your card at home before you travel
Step 5: Refer friends and earn money with their partnership program.
This way you’ll have the best exchange rates in the world with minimal fees. Plus you can earn income depending on how many people you refer.
If you prefer to use a traditional bank you trust. Make sure you understand their fee structure abroad.
Sometimes traditional banks block your transactions while you’re abroad.
And they also might lock your cards without a warning.
Unfortunately the only way to open might be flying back home and prove its you using the card.
Costly mistake to learn the hard way.
How-To: Communicate in Different Languages Without WiFi?
Follow these 5 simple steps to communicate with locals anywhere on the planet.
Step: 1: Download Google Translate to your phone
Step 2: Download offline language package that you want to use
Step 3: Test it out before you turn off the internet connection
Step 4: Talk with locals by typing in your language what you want to translate. Then click the translate button so locals can read the text in their language.
Step 5: Repeat step 3 and 4. It becomes much easier with time.
How to find where to go without WiFi?
Short answer: Download the offline maps of where you’re going.
If you travel to a new place. You’ll get lost. But, at least you’ll know where in the world you’re lost if you have downloaded the offline maps.
Here’s a simple 3 step guide we recommend for all our travel buddies:
Step 1: Download Google Maps to your phone.
Step 2: Download your destination map in the app.
Step 3: Test this hack where you live before you go. Practice how to navigate without WiFi because it’s a bit different than having WiFi.
How to get most experience for your $
Short answer: Live like a local.
If locals can't afford living in the area you’re looking to explore. That tells you pretty much everything you need to know about how expensive it is to explore there.
Rent a place outside of the high traffic place and take a day tours to explore the expensive areas.
Which leads us to the next travel hack.
How to get the most bang for your bucks in tourist hotspots
Short version: Skip the tourist spots.
‘I want to see the Eiffel tower and the pyramids in Giza and the..’
We get it. They’re famous for a reason. Don’t worry we gotchu.
Here’s what to do:
Don’t book your tours online before you go. Most of the times you’re paying 80% or even more in fees to the travel agencies.
The tour guides are usually left with the small change only.
So here’s what to do instead to get the most bang for your bucks in tourist hotspots:
Before take off:
Book your trip using the travel flight hacks
Book the best rated accommodation for the best price
Connect with locals where you’re going by joining our travel community.
Once you arrive at your destination:
Don’t overlook connecting with locals wherever you go. Some of the craziest adventures we’ve been on have been with locals who want to show us their culture and history.
Connect with tour guides offline. Give them a heads up to make sure they can accommodate for you. Send an Email or WhatsApp with your details a few weeks before you get there.
Now that you’re paying straight to the tour guides. Neither of you are paying for heavy agency fees: Negotiate a good deal but pay fairly.
Quick Recap
Tl;Dr:
Most travel hacks come down to thinking outside of the box.
Saving money will cost you so much more time, money and effort to fix if you don’t know when, where and how to save.
The best travel hack is learning how to communicate with locals.
Because it opens up more doors than all the other travel hacks combined.
That’s a wrap! See you next week.
Whenever you're ready, here are 3 ways we can help you:
1. If you're looking for more in-depth places of where to go and why and who to connect with. We recommend starting out with this affordable course:
→ Travel Academy: Do you want to travel the world with only your backpack? Then Backpacker Academy is perfect for you.
2. Connect with travelers who are chatting in the Spontaneous Backpacker community
3. If you want peace of mind while traveling the world. → This is the Travel Insurance We Recommend ← By using our link you support Spontaneous Backpackers. Thanks!
Which one of these have you never heard of before but want to apply?