5 tips for saving money abroad
1. Eat where the locals eat. And shop where the locals shop. Skips the glitzy tourist traps and head to outdoor markets. You’ll save cash and get a great taste for the local flavor. Buy snacks from the grocery store to take along in your day pack.
2. Stay at hostels that include breakfast. Hostel Archi Rossi in Florence was a big winner for this reason - I loaded up every morning and coasted until late afternoon.
3. If your travels take you to urban areas, take advantage of the subway or bus system. Personally, I like to hoof it. Which costs free dollars.
4. Take photos instead of buying crap. Er, I mean, souvenirs. I sent photos to friends that I took specifically for them - which cost me a lot less than the tourist crud I’d otherwise have picked up. And it was more personal.
5. Know the exchange rate. This might sound like a no-brainer, but understanding what you’re really spending will help you keep costs low.
good advice. especially that last one. when i was in hungary back in april, that was the most confusing part of the whole trip: the exchange rate posted on the places to exchange money was one rate for buying and the other for selling, so on top of the exchange rate, we had to know whether we were buying us dollars or hungarian forint…. weird.
BTW - standing joke on the trip was currency-related. one of the guys called the hungarian currency “ferrets” instead of forints, and the polish currency “weasels” instead of whatever polish currency is called, so it was ferrets and weasels for 10 days.