How to Save Money on Your Next USA Trip?

You don’t travel to save money, isn’t it? All of us travel to enjoy a new place and experience all its sights, sounds and smell. So the phrase ‘save money’ in the title necessarily inclines towards ‘avoiding misuse’. If you are travelling to the USA for the first time and there end up spending all that is there on your card, you will be in a big soup. Therefore, planning is of pertinent importance. But that also implies that you cannot afford to be penny wise pound foolish. Saving money on a foreign trip implies careful planning of finances so that you can make the best use of the money during the trip.

Planning all aspects of the travel is the key towards having a fulfilling trip without the feeling of being bankrupt at the end of the trip. So, here are some of the tips that can come handy.

1. Currency conversion

Check the USD exchange rates at a few local conversion centres based on your research over the internet. You need to be very careful about the exchange rates for currencies whose value is more than your currency so that you don’t end up losing much of your money.

2. Split the currency in different places

It is always safe to split the foreign currency in different bags during your US visit just in case you lose some of the currency in the milieu of multiple things. Also, if you are travelling in a group, you can divide the foreign currency among all your travel partners. It’s a sort of backup plan.

3. Get a good travel insurance

The benefits of a travel insurance policy are innumerable. Travel insurance policy is a must as it functions not only as a monetary support, but a mental support during the travel because you know that in any emergency, you can fall back on the travel insurance. Though travelling is often associated with fun and pleasure, you never know when misfortunes strike and disrupt your journey. What if you lose your passport, luggage, or meet with an accident? In all these situations, you might have to incur heavy expenses. But if you have smart travel insurance for the USA, you don’t need to worry about all these expenses. The policy acts as the fort against potential financial crises and thus plays an imperative role in keeping your holiday spirits intact.

4. Keep your bank informed about your foreign trip

This is the one thing that very few travellers do. It is important to visit the bank personally, find out who can help you should the need arises during a crisis while you are on vacation abroad. It might happen that you may not be able to connect to the customer care number provided at the back of the card at the time of need.

5. Keep a no-foreign-transaction-fee credit or debit card handy

Do research about credit and debit cards that do not charge a heavy premium for overseas financial transactions. This step can bring down the extra fee that you might end up paying while using your normal credit and debit card. Just enquire about the countries that these credit and debit cards cover.

6. Avoid booking Chain Hotels

The chain hotels are extremely expensive, and there is no point in spending a fortune staying in these hotels. There are plenty of websites that offer staying options that are cheaper and total value for money. Also, there are plenty of well-furnished condominiums that are available and extremely suited for family vacations.

7. Research for flights during weekdays for great deals

Flying midweek has been always economical and that too when they are not direct flights but connecting ones. So be flexible with travel days. There are plenty of websites that offer great deals on airfares. Just check and bag the best deal.

8. Get complete details on car rentals

Car rental services are very popular abroad and if you are planning to travel between different states in the US, do a quick research on the car rental plans. A carefully chosen car rental service can really bring down your travel expenses to a great extent. Some car rentals have coupon codes, do research over the internet and use that for added discounts.

9. Avail free tour facility wherever possible

Free city tours and heritage walks are offered as a part of an initiative to boost the tourism industry of a country. Don’t get tired looking for deals. These free tours end up being very interesting to the tourists.

10. Shop from duty-free shops

Well, if you don’t enjoy shopping, you will save money. But if you love buying for your loved ones, do try out the duty-free section of the airport for discounted buys.

11. Eat local stuff

If you are travelling to the USA, check out the food trucks for the entirely new culinary experience and that too at a price that doesn’t hurt your pocket. Venturing into luxury restaurants doesn’t make good sense. Also check out the local market for fresh local produce.

All these tips might look too much to keep in mind, but it is not once you start implementing. It is fun actually when a whole family travels together, scouts for discounts and then go for grocery shopping at the local market.