Financial Travel Tip #1: Applying Everything in Moderation while Traveling
By theprofessionalhobo ~ November 5th, 2011. Filed under: Financial Travel Tips.
“Oh, what the hell. I’m on vacation! I deserve a treat,” are the famous last words of so many people when they travel, ultimately leading to a mountain of debt or a shortened time on the road if uttered too often. At the same time, maybe we do deserve it; even long-term or full-time travelers like me should splash out from time to time. What’s the point in traveling if you’re too miserly to actually experience your surroundings?
But where is the balance?
As long as it’s only occasional, splurging might be just fine. But there is such a thing as everything in moderation. Sometimes, you just have to buck up and have an uninspiring hostel meal, or buy the cheap beer (or – gasp – no beer at all) in order to stay on budget while traveling.
Here’s an entertaining look at how a group of fellow travelers I met in Hawaii managed their own travel budgets when we went out for a night on the town on Taco Tuesday.
Taco Tuesday, and the Art of Budgeting on Vacation
November 7th, 2011 at 9:33 am
I agree mderation is good when traveling long term…almost essential. We opted to not spend money on taxis and ate a lot of street food and cooked, which suited us fine and added to our enjoyment.
November 8th, 2011 at 8:16 am
@Shawn – And once you get into living a little more frugally (quite frankly, living a little more like the locals and a little less like tourists), it can actually deepen your experience! Even if you’re taking a short-term vacation and want to treat yourself, you don’t have to go overboard to have a good time and still come home with money in your pocket.