Creative, Cost Saving Tips in the US and Europe

We travellers are in very hard circumstances.  If we say nothing but what has been said before us, we are dull and have observed nothing.  If we tell anything new, we are laughed at as fabulous and romantic.
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu

I admit that I, as a whole, tend to advocate traveling to third world countries over the US and Europe. In my mind, they are cheaper, more comfortable, convenient, and more interesting than Western countries. However, I know that not everyone agrees and that the traveling in the US and Europe can be inexpensive and convenient if you are willing to do some research and travel in ways off the tried and true tourist routine.

I can?t offer specific advice (like go to such-and-such a restaurant) since I haven?t traveled that much in the US and Europe. Even if I had more experience, I?d hesitate to offer these type of recommendations because: (1) a lot of the time these restaurants, hotels, etc. are ?ruined? as soon as they become well known to the travel community and (2) there are hundreds of excellent guidebooks (see my reviews) that cover this territory much better than I can.

However over the years I have learned a lot of intriguing ways to save money in the US and Europe and offer this list to you to help get your juices flowing. I believe that once you are armed with an idea that sounds intriguing, you can do the research necessary to find the specific things you need at your destination. I also encourage you to use these tips to help you save money even in your own backyard.

NOTE: All the books listed in this tip sheet are available at amazon.com. 

• Call small local and regional theatres (not the home of blockbuster plays), movie festivals, conferences, fundraising and other events and ask them if they need ushers or volunteers. Many theaters and associations will give you a free (or almost free) ticket in exchange for your services. Some will even let a friend in free, as well. Generally, the only thing you need to be an usher is a white shirt (or blouse) and a black pair of pants (or skirt) (I have a friend in San Francisco who sees as many as two to three plays a week for free as an usher). It may be more difficult, however, to get free attendance at conference, unless you are associated with the association, etc., ahead of time. 
  
  
• Many young people will buy a used car and drive it around the country and sell it at the end of the trip for what they paid for it. You frequently see ads for these cars in hostels. You can also find booklets with hundreds of car ads for free (or a dollar or two) in almost liquor store in the USA. I am hesitant to try this because I have bad luck with cars. However, it seems like a good idea, for the mechanically inclined. 
  
  
• If you are a member of any multinational club (Toastmasters, Kiwanis, Lions, etc.) attend the meetings at your destination. The people are usually very friendly and may often invite you to dinner or even allow you to stay at their homes for free for awhile. 
  
  
• Even if you are not staying in hostel, stop by them on occasion. Hostels often have great inexpensive tours (I took a great full day tour of Oahu for $30 with one of the most knowledgeable guides I?ve ever seen through the Waikiki American Youth Hostel). They also have bulletin boards that often contain announcement for people to help share rides, ads for auto driveway firms and cheap bus tickets and are great places to pick up budget travel tips and companions. For more details, check out my article about hostelling. 
  
  
• In the USA, you can travel around the country without paying to rent a car through Auto Driveway companies. These companies have you deliver someone?s car to their home in another part of the country within a particular time frame. 
  
  
• You can buy passes for transportation within a given country, region, or part of Europe. While everyone knows about Eurrail passes (check out Rick Steve?s website  for details), fewer people realize that Amtrak?s pass in the US is great deal. Off season, you can travel around the US for as little as $400 a month (just beware that Amtrak, while comfortable, is not very punctual and the caf? car is expensive and not very good ? the cheese and crackers are not that expensive though). 
  
  
• You can also drive RVs across the USA by calling local dealerships. Five years ago, many retired people even made a living driving RVs across country based on the strategy outlined in book called $50,000 a Year Driving a RV Across Country. From what I hear, thanks to the book?s popularity however, this option is less available than before. 
  
  
• One of the best ways to save on expenses in Western countries and Mexico is camping. See Mike Church?s books: The Traveler?s Guide to European Camping and the Traveler?s Guide to Camping Baja for more details. Even though it is long out of print, I would also recommend getting a copy of the People Guide to RV Camping in Mexico as well. Some of the cheapest and best campsites in the USA are maintained by State Parks departments. So, I'd recommend checking out State Park website for more details.
  
  
• Do a bit of research for clues on how to find an inexpensive, comfortable hotel, restaurant, etc. (and conversely) what to avoid at your destination. For some reason, often these clues have a lot to do with the name of the establishment. In the USA, for years, the worst restaurants often had the words: Ye Olde in the title. Conversely, almost all Asian noodle houses in the US have cheap, tasty food. Newspapers often publish great insider guides to finding good restaurants for natives that divulge these clues. 
  
  
• Read newsletters and books designed for expatriates (or frequent travelers) at your destination, if you will be sticking around for awhile. In Paris, Adrienne Leeds newsletter?s: the Paris Insider is well respected for revealing these subtle clues. 
  
  
• Throughout Europe, Sandra Gustafson?s series Cheap Eats, Cheap Stays provides a great list of good, inexpensive places. Fortunately, while this series is popular, the places are not as deluged by tourists as places listed in popular guides like Lonely Planet and Let?s Go. 
  
  
• Check to find out if your destination has any coupon booklets available. Almost every community in the United States has a coupon booklet, often called a Passport, that allows you to get one free meal (if you another meal at regular price) for around $20. 
  
  
• Many cities have passes that will allow you to go to any of 100s of places (and often take public transportation) for one set fee for a particular time frame (In New York its $49 a day). 
  
  
• Most museums have one day a month (sometimes once a week) where admission is free (or substantially reduced). Many cities have a lot of free attractions and tours if you look. For example, San Francisco?s City Guides provides 30 free tours (most offered at least once a week). 
  
  
• Capital cities in Western countries (particularly London and Washington DC) have many free sights. One of my favorite things to do if I can find a cheap airfare (I live in California) is to visit Washington DC because the sightseeing is almost entirely free, the metro make almost everything easily accessible, and the hostels are cheap. I once spent four days in Washington DC for $130 including accommodations, meals, and sights! 
  
  
• One of the best books anywhere for finding a list of free things to do in the US and Europe is You Can Travel Free by Robert Kirk. Kirk lists over 50 free attractions in London and 100 in New York City (see my book review). 
  
  
• Try out large supermarkets (often at the bottom of department stores) and large, membership big box stores (like Price Club and Costco) for cheap (usually fairly tasty) eats. In the US, you can get a hot dog and soft drink at Costco for less than most fast food restaurants charge for the drink alone. Many extreme budget travelers even prowl these stores for free samples of food. I have met some people who even make whole meals out of these samples. I even once read a story of a man who traveled around Japan for a month and eat all his dinners and lunches from samples! 
  
  
• Join couchsurfing.com or globalfreeloaders.com and make arrangements to stay in someone?s house for free. Both these clubs are free and easy to join and have lots of hosts who would be happy to put you up for the night. All they really want is some companionship and an opportunity to learn a bit about you and your homeland! See my hospitality exchange tips for more details. 
  
  
• Send a letter (or visit) to the tourist office or chamber of commerce explaining that you are seeking really inexpensive travel options in your destination. Sometimes, they have some excellent discount brochures available. Be patient with this however, since many tourist offices are geared toward people with money only. In addition, be careful, sometimes people set up phony tourist bureaus which are really nothing more than a front for a business (you can avoid this problem by only visiting tourist office listed in a reputable guidebook like Lonely Planet or Let?s Go)
  
  
• If you are in the US and need to make money for a short term job, check out (it doesn?t matter that much if you are an RVer) Support Your RV Lifestyle: An Insider?s Guide to Working on the Road for some great earning ideas.
  
  
• Many Americans travel around the USA by boondocking, the practice of taking their RV around the country and parking it in areas that don?t require hookups. Through solar panels and other means you can survive without hookups. In some places like Niland California, small communities have formed for boondockers. You may want to check out the book: RV Boondocking Basics: A Guide for Living without Hookups for more information 
  
  
• A lot of Americans make money as mystery shoppers. Mystery shoppers visit stores, act as if they want to buy something, and report their observations about the experience back to the store. Experienced mystery shoppers sometimes receive free flights, accommodations, and other travel benefits. 
  
  
• Ask strangers at your destination for advice about good places to eat or sleep. The best people to ask are those who you find outside of the regular tourist zone. Talk to people on the plane and train before you arrive and ask for their recommendations. Make it clear that you have only a small budget. 
  
  
• If you see a class called Travel the World for Free (or Next to Nothing) offered at a community college or adult education center, take it. Every time, I?ve taken one of these classes (I?ve taken them from four of these classes from four different instructors) I?ve learned something new. 
  
  
• For useful tips about asking hotels for discounts, finding inexpensive airfare, using your home to generate money, and making money on the road, see my budget travel tips and my list of links and books about living, working, retiring, and studying abroad. You can also take my budget travel seminar or buy my handbook: How to Travel the World in Comfort for less than $50 a day.

• I (Paul Heller, the founder of the Big Blue Marble) have prepared hundreds of travel tips like these to help you plan and enjoy traveling like a local experiences. These tips have been gathered during my 25 years of traveling around the world. If you'd like more tips, please buy one of my inexpensive and informative publications.
• This website, the Big Blue Marble, also contains hundreds of links to other websites and book reviews designed to teach you how to travel-like-a-local inexpensively, safely, comfortably, meaningfully, and purposefully.
• Do you agree or disagree with any of these tips? Do you know any great tips that should be added? If so, send your comments to me and I'll post them on my blog