Top 10 Cheap Vacation Tips!

Resi Khola, Darjeeling, India

Are you looking for a cheap vacation idea that would not need you to make any compromises? Yes? Then, you are at the right page! After all, a cheap vacation is not a vacation if it is an outcome of any compromise. I will share a few tips on cheap vacations that would help you experience a complete vacation within your budget.

Here are my top 10 tips on planning cheap vacations:

1. Before you select your cheap vacation destination, gather adequate information and make proper plans. You can do this quite easily with the help of the Internet. A few hours on the internet gives you all the information that you generally need about a place and how to get there to spend your vacation. The clue is to plan everything so that you do not incur any unforeseen or un-budgeted expenses.
2. Select your destination based on its distance from where you stay and the season you are visiting in. My personal experience says that it is a great idea to visit a place when it is “off season” and almost everything is available at great discounts! To add to this bonus, you will get the entire destination free of noisy and nosy crowd. This adds color to your cheap vacation idea, doesn't it?
3. Next, look for cheap accommodations. The best options would be to find government guesthouses, tourist lodges, and other cheap hotels. Look up the government tourism Web sites to identify a place within your budget.Generally, the government guesthouses and tourism lodges do not rip you off and are decent places to stay in.
4. There are options that even the locals would offer accommodation at a much lower price than the normal rest houses. You would just need to do with the homely meals and not-so-nice-to-look-at blankets!
5. A good idea would be to check https://www.couchsurfing.org/ as well. You might just be able to arrange for free accommodation !
6. Check if there are modes of public transport available at your chosen destination. These are not only fun and cheap, but also a great way to interact with the locals and get a taste of the local culture. Maybe you are having a cheap vacation, but that doesn't stop you from enjoying to the fullest, does it? 
7. There would be occasions when you might need to take taxis or autos; so it is best to know the tariffs before hand and save yourself from being ripped off and throwing away the cheap vacation. Check out the tariffs for local taxis or autos and try to find out if you can share the transport with someone. This would make your travel costs lesser.
8. Make a list of the places to visit, the distance between places, and the things to see as well as the time required. Carry a local map so you are able to travel without being taken on a ride.
9. Plan your trip as per local transport and start early as you will beat the office rush and will get time to explore more.
10. The most important point is to know about the local food joints and prepare yourself to thrive on the local food. The more you save on food, the more you add to your cheap vacation extravaganza!

Once all these information is handy and you have the budget all sorted out…go ahead and enjoy your cheap vacation!