Rookie Traveler Budget Mistakes - Best Budget Travel Advice Ever

Good advice Mark! But I will add one on plane travel: Don’t hesitate to pay a little bit more for direct flight. The super deal with a long layover may seem great but there is two caveats: 1. You lose time for visiting 2. You will likely spend money during that layover, even a sandwich is expensive in a airport and more likely you will go to a sit down restaurant and have a drink to help spend that time. You could easily spend 100$ just there.

I think the best budget thing I've been doing this year is rebooking hotel rooms. Book the hotel room you want with free cancellation. Then when you see a better deal, or promo code, book it again and cancel the original booking. You get the same hotel, but for less money.

Part of a fun learning experience is going to a foreign supermarket. It was money saving, but such a unique way to see the every day life of another country.

my best tip is to book a hotel that allows you to do most sightseeing by foot instead of being stuck in the metro without seeing anything. Even if the hotel is more expensive then a hotel far from the center, what you save in transport and in stress of figuring out bus/metro routes in a place you go for the first time makes it worth it.

Traveling off peak time is a great tip. I traveled to Spain in October and indeed the weather was great and no lines to museums and other attractions. Thank you Mark for another great video.

I can recommend a budget friendly destination - Budapest, Hungary. Budapest reminds me a lot of Paris - the same look of the 5 story apartment buildings - the Danube going through the center rather than the Seine - beautiful Cathedrals - great food - excellent public transportation. In addition Budapest has thermal pools. But it's a fraction of the cost.

For the phone plan issue, I would recommend getting a local SIM card. In Italy I was able to purchase an Italian SIM Card for $30 for 15gb of data and that meant we had a local number to be able to contact local businesses. It was very convenient and then I was able to turn on my hotspot so my husband could just piggy back off my cellular data. It was cheaper than adding the international plan.

Lots of good advice! If you’re over 60 also look for senior discounts. They’re not as common in Europe as in the USA but they exist and can save you a lot. For example, trains in both France and Italy offer senior fares. In France it’s a minimum of 10% off as long as you book at least 1 day in advance. I’ve gotten as much as 50% off for senior tickets.

Love these tips: One thing I did during lunch was to watch where the construction workers were heading to eat in Germany and found a great little sausage stand.

The grocery stores are one of my most favorite parts of travel! Seeing the different brands, food types, and not knowing what half of what im getting is. Its the best! Not to mention a HUGE money savor! and you're really are eating like a true local! Most locals aren't eating at $30 a plate every day. They have the $3 box meal from the supermarket. Do the same. It adds so much to the experience!

I'm a solo traveler I will stay in hostel in Europe and highly recommend it for people who travel alone and want to meet fellow travelers to explore the local area but also allow you to explore alone. Review the reviews of the hostels before booking, and some have cheaper solo rooms compared to hotels. I'm going to Japan in March and plan to use railroads and bicycles as transportation.

If you don't require high end hotels, hostels are a great option. They are less expensive and there are many seasoned, budget conscious travelers at them who are usually more than happy to share "hacks" and advice. I've gotten so much valuable information and advice from fellow travelers at hostels, which isn't as easy to get at hotels. Also, many hostels organize group activities, which are fun. For those who don't care for staying in dorms or are travelling with a spouse or family, many hostels offer private rooms, similar to what you get in a hotel.

Great video, Mark! Thank you! I am learning the ropes through you and making notes for all my future travels. I just discovered that if I book separate one way flights instead of doing return flights when booking with airlines, it is often cheaper. I just saved over $200 doing this for my flight from Canada to London.

Excellent travel tips mostly for beginner travelers, but also as a reminder to expert travelers. Thanks Mark for making this video. It summarizes many tips all in one place. Now we can share it with friends and family, to help them save money and avoid disappointment.

Tip be aware of dress. Don't wear souvenir t shirts check how locals dress. You don't want to stand out as a tourist. Learn some basic phrases in the native language. Even just saying thank you in the native language is apprecuated. Do not assume English is spoken by everyone everywhere. Be familiar with local customs and holidays. Thumbs up PS Portugal is rated one of the safest countries on many sites. Thanks from NYC

For the public transportation it's always a good idea to see if there's a (multi)day pass. Most cities have those. It's cheaper than buying separate tickets for every ride and saves you time. Booking asap isn't always cheaper. Sometimes it's better to wait. Flight prices often fluctuate depending on popular demand. Booking on a saturday afternoon is probably going to be a bit pricier than on a monday morning.

Pro tip: Buy Marseille Soap Bar. They are made of olive oil from France, they can come in bar form, so they don’t need to go into your liquids bag for air travel and don’t spill. They smell nice, first of pure soap smell, then a little Olivey, not fake (personal preference there) and you can use it for clothes washing, body wash, hair, and hands. Everything!! Even sensitive skin

As a retired travel planner and hotelier, I find your content well researched and expertly presented. I had to smile the other day when you said Switzerland was the least friendly country, and on this video when you mention Switzerland as potentially breaking your budget. Why? After skiing in Davos back in the 80s when I was in my 20s, we booked a trip to the Alps for this June. It is expensive, but as you said in one video, knowing that going in will keep it fun. Thanks always for the great advice.

FamilyMart and 7-11 convenience stores were a lifesaver when I traveled to Japan. Not only affordable but you can find some really tasty and healthy snacks.

Just to add to data plan tip-be careful about having your data on when you haven’t done yet arrived in your destination. I was on a ferry from England to The Netherlands (at the time both in the EU) and so I left my data roaming on as it was included in my plan for the EU. Went to sleep and woke up to quite a big bill because somehow I’d picked up signal in international waters.