We've all been there. We scrape our hard-earned cash together to book a holiday and then kick back and wait for that special day to come around, putting a few pennies on the side for souvenirs, ice creams, and the odd cold beer in the evening.
But if you're one of those people (like me) who never takes enough spending money and who can never be bothered to calculate exchange rates, you'll probably find a large hole in your pocket and a hefty credit card bill by the end of your trip. If I had a penny (a Euro, or even a Kuna) for every time I'd overspent on meals or day trips, I'd probably have enough to book an extra holiday this year.
However, there is hope yet. I recently came across Thomas Cook’s Holiday Budget Calculator. It's a handy little tool that's available on the website. It works out the amount of spending money you'll need based on your destination, local exchange rates, and what sort of costs you're likely to incur while you're away.
Start by selecting your holiday destination and choosing a holiday (don't worry, you don't have to go through the whole booking process). Then based on your choice of destination, you can find out the average cost of holiday essentials like a bottle of beer, souvenirs and day trips, along with how many times you intend to buy them.
The end result is based on various eventualities like the average local cost of living and exchange rates, and should give you a fair idea of how much spending money you'll need in popular tourist locations.
It's easy to use and it's pretty intuitive too. It's not just designed for people who intend to book through Thomas Cook, anyone can use it, plus there's a link to order Travel Money. This is another handy tool that offers instant exchange rates based on how much you want to convert. It's commission-free and over 50 different currencies are available, so even if you're not booking a Thomas Cook holiday you can still make the most of their currency exchange tool.
I think they're both useful and in today's economy, the calculator app is bound to be a hit with budget-conscious holidaymakers. I'll certainly use it when I'm planning my next trip and, who knows, with those savings perhaps I can book an extra holiday this year after all...
For people who love to travel on a budget, an ultra-mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet can be a lifesaver. Whether it's for finding the best domestic travel insurance offer or checking out the cheapest hotel rates on the Internet, there's bound to be an app for all of your travel needs.
So what are you waiting for? Grab your smartphone and check out this list of of some of the best must-have apps for travelers:
Skype
Do you want to be able to stay in touch with your loved ones back home but hate the idea of paying outrageous cellphone rates? Then make sure to download the ever popular Skype on your mobile device. No need to use your cellphone provider's expensive international plans - this VoIP app lets people make cheap calls to anyone, anywhere! IMs and Skype-to-Skype video/voice calls are free, while a paid Premium account gets you unlimited international and group calls.
Google Translate
Throw away those bulky phrasebooks and language guides! Now you can communicate like a local with Google Translate. The app supports at least 70 languages. Though the translations might not always be one-hundred percent accurate, it's more than enough to get you through common everyday scenarios like asking for directions or saying "thank you" in the vernacular.
Airbnb
For backpackers and tourists on a super strict budget, Airbnb is a very essential tool. The app allows people to search for affordable accommodations wherever they are. From regular hotel rooms to overnight apartments, Airbnb has got you covered. It's a great app for people who want a new kind of traveling experience (since most of the accommodations offered by the Airbnb community are from locals who are renting out spaces in their own homes) and save money at the same time.
Google Maps
Another helpful offering from Google, Google Maps is hands down the best map application that anyone could ever possibly download on their device. The route planner feature is particularly useful, especially for travelers - imagine getting extensive driving, cycling, walking and public transportation directions with just a click of a button. Whether it's the streets of New York or the jungles of Timbuktu, you'll never get lost again with Google Maps by your side.
TripAdvisor
Honest and unbiased reviews by travelers, for travelers. TripAdvisor is a travel companion you should never leave home without. The app, which provides instant integrated access to the TripAdvisor online community, lets users rate and review hotels, restaurants, malls, and other tourist attractions. Want to check out the highest rated places in your area? Then let TripAdvisor do its magic and get your money's worth for every destination that you'll visit!
Gate Guru
Traveling entails a lot of time spent inside and around airports. Save precious time and money with gate Gate Guru - the best airport guide you can carry around your pocket. Receive flight information such as departure times, weather reports, and real time flight status updates on-the-go. Got a four-hour layover? Gate Guru can come up with some of the best airport eats and stores you can shop around in while waiting for your next flight.
AwardWallet
Keep track of your frequent flyer miles with AwardWallet! This handy app helps you stay up to date with the various loyalty and rewards programs that you are subscribed to. AwardWallet is well-suited for frequent travelers and for people who like to join travel clubs.
About the Author: This article was written by Alex Pierce. I am a travel-holic, adventure hunting and adrenaline lover. I am building my career as a travel journalist as I can’t imagine any other activity the will enrich my life at a greater extent. Huge part of the travelling experience is to meet people and exchange different views, so please share your comments below this article I would be glad to come back to you asap.
Well, you’ve worked hard all year and now you finally have a couple of weeks to spend on holiday! That’s the good part. The more difficult part is actually deciding where you’re going to spend your vacation time. Should you check out a beach? Maybe you’re more of the scenic type and want to check out a snow-covered mountain range. Whatever type of destination you have in mind, you should pause for a minute before purchasing a package.
For the budget-wise travelers out there, it’s all about finding the best deals before you take a vacation. To that end, you should definitely check out some various coupon codes and vouchers to see if you can save big on your next trip. You never know when you’ll find a low cost holidays discount code that can save you upwards of 50% off of your trip.
Here are five of the best reasons that you should think about searching for coupons before taking your holiday.
1: Saving a lot of Money
Yeah, this one is obviously a no-brainer. Using a coupon can save you a lot of money. It might not seem like you spend that much on a vacation until you realize just how much you save by using the right type of coupon. With airfare, hotels, different supplies, transportation, food, and a slew of other costs, vacations can drain your bank account easily.
2: Uncovering New Destinations
When you’re on the hunt for different ways to save on a vacation, you’ll undoubtedly uncover new destinations that you hadn’t heard about previously. So not only can you save a ton by using something like an on the beach voucher code, but you can also find some vacation inspiration.
3: Two-for-One Deals
If you’re thinking about bringing a friend with you on your vacation, this is usually a surefire way to ring up a larger bill. However, you might be able to find a two-for-one deal on airfare, your hotel stay, fine dining, and other aspects of your trip.
4: Better Hotels
Planning a vacation on a budget usually means that you have to sacrifice some areas of your trip, like the hotel you’re staying in. To keep things in the black, you’re probably going to book a stay in a shoddy hotel without room service and without a view. But if you get your hands on the right voucher—try MyVoucherCodes for some nice ones—you can pay the same rate for a great hotel that you’ll pay for that bottom-rung hotel.
5: Family-Oriented Packages
If you’re interested in taking your entire family on a vacation, then you already know that you can expect to spend a lot of money on your trip. Using a voucher is the best way out there to ensure that you’re receiving the savings you deserve. You can find family packages where kids get to stay for free, and you may even find some great deals on restaurants, amusement parks, etc.
No matter where you’re planning on visiting, you should be able to save some money as long as you’re putting the effort in. Always be on the lookout for different coupons you can use. The grocery store isn’t the only place you can save with a coupon.
About the Author: Talia Williams is a travel enthusiast with a passion for traveling frugal. She is an expert in finding the best discounts and vouchers online in order to save during her travels. She has travelled through Europe, lived in England, Spain and Japan. Her aims are to visit South America and the beautiful landscapes of Canada.
I love to travel, but I am incapable of taking a trip without becoming completely insolvent. There’s something about the freedom that adventure brings that seduces the money right out of my wallet. I’m sure a lot of that also has to do with the fact that I’m not a big planner. The whole ceremony of planning wears me out, so I prefer taking care of the big stuff upfront (like selecting the destination) and just winging the rest as I go. Admittedly, my travel style is a bit on the feral side. So how do I manage to successfully travel at all AND have money for souvenirs? Mobile apps. They enable my travel style while helping me save money on gas, hotels, and restaurants.
If ever there was a favorite buddy to travel with, Gas Buddy would be it. I tend to only notice that I need to look for a gas station when my car is running on just fumes. As a result, I usually get stuck settling on gas stations with the highest prices. While Gas Buddy doesn’t tell me when I need to get gas, it will tell me where the nearest gas stations are and which ones have the best gas prices. The coolest feature of Gas Buddy is that gas prices are uploaded (in real time!) by other Gas Buddy users, so you can be sure you’re getting the best deal. Gas Buddy is free and is available for download on Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry mobile devices (including Rim’s newly released BlackBerryDakota).HotelPal
While this mobile app is free, it’s only available for download on Androidand iPhone mobile devices (sorry BlackBerry users!). I like this travel app because when I get too tired to keep driving, I can quickly search for the best price on available hotel rooms in my area. In addition to seeing a list of real time prices, the app also provides you with full screen images of hotel rooms as well as a description of the hotel’s amenities. Let’s face it, I love a cheap room rate, but not if it means I’ll be sleeping in a room that resembles the filming location of the movie Psycho. HotelPal features chain hotels, boutique inns, and privately owned local motels. 
When I start to hear my stomach grumble, that’s when I turn to Meal Ticket. This app lets you search for restaurant coupons and special deals by area. It provides you with a list of coupons as well as user submitted reviews for local eateries (sort of like a built in Yelp). The best part is that you can show the waiter the coupon right from your phone – no printer required. This app is free and currently available for download only on Android and iPhone mobile devices, but it will soon be available for all major mobile platforms, including BlackBerry and Symbian. One last thing to keep in mind…Meal Ticket is still in its infancy, so its active locations are limited (but not for long!) to Idaho, Oregon and Washington.Do you have some tech savvy ways to save money on travel? Share them with us in the comments section!
About the Author: Lyndsey Rabon is a freelance writer for the Prepaid Reviews site, a site that provides information about prepaid phones coupled with over 17,000 consumer reviews of 30+ service providers such as Straight Talk. She is a technology enthusiast with a special interest in mobile apps.
You are on a trip, smartphone or tablet in hand, looking for some local fun; but you don't want to spend a fortune. No worries, there are countless local deal aggregators ready to offer you great entertainment discounts, be it for dinner, massage, spa, fish pedicure, skydiving, surfing or concert tickets.
The good part of the daily deals sites
Groupon, LivingSocial and Travelzoo are some of the most popular of the daily deals sites and they provide vouchers for 50% discounts or more to bargain-seeking travelers. The three of them have some great apps that will help you find the local deals that suit your interests best, as they detect your location and send local offers straight to you phone. These apps are also eco-friendly; you don't have to print your voucher, therefore you don't use paper. You can display the voucher on your smartphone's screen and show it to the vendor.
The Groupon app will provide you with walking and driving directions and the LivingSocial app with driving directions only. Travelzoo will let you rely on your scouting skills.
The bad part of the daily deals sites
These local deals sites usually feature a limited number of entertainment options per day and some of them are for travelers who would spend a longer period of time at their destination or locals only (ie. cooking classes or salsa lessons), but between all the daily deals sites available it's likely you won't have any problems finding a bargain for that day.On the other hand, you have to read the fine print carefully, because some of the vouchers are redeemable only in a few days time and you might have moved to your next destination in the meantime. Other times it is a challenge to redeem the voucher immediately, as you have to call and make a reservation and the place might be already fully booked by the time you do so. One way to go around the redemption-timing issue is by shopping for bargains before you get to your destination.
The Groupon Now app comes to rescue as it shows you only the deals that are redeemable that day and that day only. And if you don't make it in time to use your voucher, Groupon will automatically refund you the money to your credit card.
The evil part of the daily deals sites
Deal aggregators are available in almost all major cities in most civilized countries. However, sometimes you have to check for the local ones, and they might not be in English or they might not have an app.
And there's even more to these daily deal site. Lots of them, like Groupon Getaways, Overstock's Vacations, Trippo, LivingSocial, and Yuupon sell discount vouchers for hotels, cruises and holiday packages to some of the most picturesque locations, preying on the spontaneous traveler. However, while some deals deliver genuine discounts, if you shop around you might find out that sometimes deals aren't as deeply discounted as advertised. Also, don't forget that you have to call the hotel or travel agency yourself to reserve the room or package and they are subject to availability.
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