How to save money on food when traveling. By car to the sea: ways to save. Use inexpensive canteens or cook yourself

Do you want to have a good rest, and even save money? It turns out that this is not as difficult as it seems at first. So, we want to relax with comfort and pleasure, spending a minimum of money. What does that require?

The main cost item is accommodation and meals.
Let's start with accommodation. You can pick up a completely chic hotel at bargain prices if it is a new hotel. Usually, when opening a new hotel, the owners try not to raise prices in order to withstand competition, this usually happens with newcomers to the tourism business. the fact that in all new hotels prices will be underestimated is not worth it, you need to look and try. The price of a vacation will be lower at times if you book a vacation by making an advance payment in January or February. Your stay will be completely free if you fill your vacation with romance and pitch a tent, somewhere on the coast, away from the noise and bustle of the city, enjoying the clear azure sea. Note that rest in a tent on the beach of Anapa has nothing to do with such a rest in the forest or mountains. Five minutes drive and all the necessary infrastructure is in front of you: shops, cafes, the opportunity to take a shower. That is why, there is more romance than extreme. And how the guests of our site rested in a tent last summer, you can read in.

Now food. A trip with meals is much more expensive, so it would be very reasonable to eat on your own. Usually in private hotels, the owners provide a kitchen so that you can cook. When buying products in the market, do not hesitate to bargain. Start cutting the price in half, it looks stunning, but often the sellers, when they see how you are going to leave, are ready to throw you 40% of the cost, or even half. In the markets, after all, there is also competition and everything is in abundance. The second option is to find out where the wholesale market is located in the resort, the prices there will surprise you so pleasantly that it is even difficult to imagine in advance. The minimum cost for food is to bring a supply of food with you if you plan to go on vacation by car.

And about entertainment. It is clear that the attractions are not cheap, but sometimes they are completely free. If you choose to relax during a string of holidays traditionally celebrated at the resort, then your kids will ride the free rides quite often. In Anapa, such holidays are not uncommon. This is the day of the city or a series of festivals accompanied by mass festivities, fireworks, and exclusive tastings. Concerts of famous Russian bands during this period are held on an open stage in the central square of the city, completely free of charge. As you can see, you can reduce the cost of vacation almost to a minimum. The main thing is to plan your vacation correctly, having thoroughly studied the features of the resort you like in advance and, of course, relax with the same desire to get only pleasure from your vacation!

There is nothing difficult about making your trip on a budget. A little planning and knowing a few savings secrets is all it takes. Flights, hotels, visas, transportation, meals, communications - all of these items can be reduced with a little effort. MAKE-TRIP shares with you a dozen useful tips, how to travel cheap. Hurry to find out!

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1. Travel on your own!

The first (and most important) law: do not be afraid. It's simple, it's fun, it's cheap. Some people do not even imagine that it is possible to travel abroad without the involvement of agencies and other organizations - they believe that this is the only way to guarantee their safety. And in the end, they either get a boring rest, mostly in a supine position, or spend unimaginable amounts on more or less non-standard rest. Traveling alone is not only possible, but necessary! Only an independent trip can be considered a real journey, everything else is a tourist vacation. Everyone can organize a great trip for themselves, you just need to show a little independence. Look at ours in different countries and cities.

In our opinion, it is especially interesting to travel by car (personal or rented) - complete freedom of movement! If you are interested in this option, read our tips about. Traveling is amazing too!

2. Find the cheapest flights

The ability to find and book flights at the lowest price is the most needed skill for budget travel. The main rule to always remember is that the earlier a purchase is made, the more likely it is to find an attractively priced option. Ours will help you become a real master of finding the cheapest flights. It makes sense to keep track of the current ones on our website and see ours in a particular country or city.

Also, be sure to read about that - in this material we talked about the schemes of budgetary access to European countries through the Russian border. In addition, we advise you to find out about, which allow you to fly for amounts close to zero (buying tickets for 20/30/40 euros will not be a problem).

It is best to search for flights on the Skyscanner metasearch engine - it will find the best deals for you in any direction. This is a good assistant for independent travelers, as he searches for tickets among hundreds of airlines and does not take a single ruble commission from the buyer. The search engine makes it possible to view the cost of tickets to any country from all cities of Russia (or any other country) at once - a very convenient feature for budget travelers, it allows you to find an option at the best price.

(Photo by Rennett Stowe. Licensed cc by. www.flickr.com)

3. Make your own visas

Why resort to the help of an intermediary and pay him twice or three times as much for it? You do not turn to the help of agents if you want to buy something in a supermarket, and here you do not need to. After all, we are going to travel economically, and not to improve the welfare of strangers.

Find information on the Internet about the nearest consulate or visa application center of the desired country, collect all the required documents and go to them. Many people think that it is more reliable to do it through an agency, allegedly this way the probability of visa refusal is lower. This is a delusion, since the whole mission of these intermediaries is that they will take the documents to the consulate instead of you. Tips on how to prepare the right documents to improve your chances of getting a visa are easy to find on the Internet. Our site also has for a number of popular destinations.

4. Find and book your accommodation the right way

To make travel cheap, you need to find inexpensive accommodation. You can use the excellent metasearch engine Roomguru.ru and choose the right hotel according to your criteria and reasonable price. This resource compares prices among different booking agencies and finds the best deals. Large database of hotels, hostels, guest houses and so on. We recommend reading our tips on.

An alternative to hotels is a popular service for renting private accommodation Airbnb.ru. Try to find an apartment or house for your trip. It is much more comfortable and often cheaper (especially if you travel with a company or family). The service has a huge selection of unique accommodation (beautiful apartments, villas and even residential boats and castles!), accommodation in which will make your trip much more enjoyable and memorable.

And for those who generally want to live for free, the Couchsurfing resource is vital, where after registering and creating a personal profile, you can find people who are ready to host travelers. The network covers millions of users around the world.

(Photo by Phillip Pessar. Licensed cc by. www.flickr.com)

5. Travel light

Take only what you really need - do not burden yourself with excess luggage. As a result, there are a number of advantages: there is no need to wait a long time for baggage claim, there is no threat of losing it, you don’t have to pay for overweight (and with low-cost airlines in general, any baggage is always paid separately and can cost you up to hundreds of euros), and moving around the airport and in your destination will be much easier and more pleasant if you do not have to lug huge suitcases and bags with you. We even fly to Asia for semi-annual wintering with only one backpack per person.

Read also our tips on and formation. By the way, we recommend shopping on Aliexpress (we order camping equipment, equipment, and numerous accessories there) - it turns out to be much more profitable than shopping in regular stores. Pay attention to reviews to choose the best product. Another good store for sports and travel goods is Decathlon (where we bought a tent, hiking clothes and other equipment for trips to Altai and the Caucasus).

6. Find out about airport transfers in advance

Taxi is always the most expensive way to travel, it is much more profitable to use public transport: bus, metro, train. Read about all the possible options before departure - this way you will save a lot of money.

However, sometimes it is more convenient and cheaper to use an individual transfer - for example, when you are traveling with a large company and order a multi-seat car. For these cases, we can recommend a reliable service. Better yet, rent a car directly from the airport (you can find the best deal on Skyscanner Car Hire).

(Photo by martinak15. Licensed cc by. www.flickr.com)

7. Night move instead of hotel

Night travel by trains and buses will make travel cheaper. This is a good opportunity to save time and money on the hotel at the same time. It is better to take first class tickets - you will have to overpay a little, but then you will be comfortable and you will sleep well. It’s not so convenient to ride on buses, so it’s better not to overdo it and not plan daily night trips for yourself - your body will swear. However, in some places there are slipper buses, the peculiarity of which is recumbent soft shelves instead of standard chairs (we made night trips to these more than once). This is definitely a great option for a budget trip without losing comfort.

In Russia, it is also convenient to travel by train for short distances, picking up night crossings. For example, we traveled from St. Petersburg to Moscow, from Perm to Kazan - the journey took exactly one night, we slept well. There are many route options. You can find and book a train ticket at.

(Photo by Don McCullough. Licensed cc by. www.flickr.com)

8. Use discounts

Groupon gives you the opportunity to buy coupons with a significant discount on a variety of things and events: restaurants, shops, entertainment, attractions, outdoor activities, etc. If you are a student, a young teacher, or you are just under 30 years old, then it makes sense to get yourself a card ISIC, ITIC or IYTC. In Europe and North America, you can get good discounts on them in a variety of places - from cafes to museums.

9. Save on communication

Use Skype or Viber to communicate with Russia. Connect to local operators for local calls and 3G internet. By the way, Skype can also be used to call any landline and mobile phone numbers - these calls are paid, but inexpensive (for example, we used this opportunity to call from Vietnam to Russia and unblock a Sberbank card).

10. Use travel tickets

Find out about the ticket system for public transport. As a rule, there are many types of travel cards, depending on the mode of transport, validity period and travel zones. Think about what type of ticket is best for you. If you want to save money and decide to travel like a hare, keep in mind that in many countries (especially in Europe) fines for free riders are very high.

Also, many popular tourist cities have special museum cards, which provide discounts for visiting attractions and allow you to skip the lines.

11. Organize excursions yourself

It is always cheaper to get to the place you are interested in without the participation of agencies and guides, besides, you make your own visiting program - there is no need to adapt to a given schedule and rhythm.

(Photo by Moyan_Brenn. Licensed cc by. www.flickr.com)

12. Eat at local restaurants

Eat while traveling cheap and delicious at the same time! Tourist-oriented restaurants always jack up prices. And in places that the residents themselves prefer, you will find real national cuisine, minimum prices and the most delicious dishes. If you see a lot of local visitors in some restaurant or cafe, it means that the food is excellent there - feel free to come in too!

Follow these tips, read the site and travel on a budget!

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23.07.18 120 737 12

Maria Dolgopolova

analyzed user experience

Of course, it turned out that dear readers also have something to tell. We analyzed the user experience and came up with 7 steps that will allow you to come to total savings on food or just survive a difficult period.

We have slightly reduced and edited the comments of dear readers for ease of reading.

Review your inventory

Surely you sinned and bought more than you should. Look in the cabinets, there you will see unclaimed groceries. If you need to save on food, then the best solution is to finally use these stocks, and buy only inexpensive ingredients that will add color to your life. It is most correct to replenish stocks with goods on sale, if possible.

Alsu Saitbattalova, puts a five a month:

“I pull up to the salary in this way - I use what I have at home: cereals, vegetables, a piece of fish or a chicken wing. I buy only bread, I take something with me to work. So I manage not only to “reach out”, but also to postpone the top five. Of course, not every month, there are unforeseen expenses. And what I save for a dream is kept in a bank on a deposit.”

Increase the proportion of carbohydrates in the diet

Carbohydrates have been helping humanity in times of crisis for more than a century. Cereals, pasta, legumes, bread - all this and, most importantly, is stored for a long time.

Elena Krutova, lived for a month in Sochi for a couple of thousand:

“Just a month and a half ago, I ended up in Sochi with almost no money (1000 was on hand and an apartment that I paid for a month in advance). I could not go to work due to the fact that I also received an injury, I just had to enjoy the sea air in the absence of money. Friends helped. They sent money a little bit each, but since it was always embarrassing to ask for more, she survived on what she had, ate very modestly - in the morning oatmeal porridge with frying like cabbage soup (onions, carrots and spices). Buckwheat with browned onions, pearl barley. Everything is very tasty actually. I also really like yeast-free bread - I ate it in small pieces, washed down with water or herbal tea. Yes, of course, in the store I looked at pastries, and at cookies, and at canned food, and at other cheap products, but I dismissed everything at once, realizing that it would only harm me. For all the time of such a “meager” food, I never felt hungry. ”

Refuse ready-made food and semi-finished products

The closer the product is to use, the more resources and money the manufacturer has invested in it - all this affects the final price. So, washed carrots are more expensive than the Unwashed Russia variety, and uncut animals are much cheaper than lovingly packaged sirloins.

Natalya Golimbievskaya knows everything about the chicken:

“You can buy chicken. Cut into pieces and cook soups. One chicken for 150 rubles is enough for five days.”

Learn to cook

Follows from the previous point. Improving your culinary skills will save thousands of rubles and take up your free time - you no longer have to answer the question of which of the expensive entertainments to do on the weekend.

Ekaterina Ermolenko, knows how to bake:

Try the mono diet

Some products are cheaper than others and may be more popular in a given household. In extreme cases, such a diet can significantly reduce the costs and even the physical mass of consumers.

Svetlana Girshfeld advises frying:

“In principle, you can fry potatoes in the morning, afternoon and evening. 3 kg of potatoes - 100 rubles, plus the cheapest vegetable oil 45 rubles for an incomplete liter at a discount, enough for a week, probably.

Food is one of the main items of expenditure when we travel. Of course, when traveling, we want to try the national cuisine of a new country or some exotic dish. But this does not mean at all that during all the days of the trip we have to spend fabulous sums on food.

Many travelers certainly have their own habits and ways that help them save on food. We will share some of them with you today.

Always carry a bottle of water and something to eat

You should always have a bottle of water with you, especially if you are traveling to a country with a hot climate. Find out in advance whether it is safe to drink tap water in this country, and if so, then just always fill a bottle with water before you go somewhere.

It is also very important that you have something to eat with you: cookies, sandwiches, nuts… This way you will save yourself from having to stop at expensive cafes and restaurants.

In the warm season, you can go on a picnic with your supplies: fresh air and wonderful views will be a worthy alternative to the newfangled and famous cafes. :)

Compare prices at grocery stores

In your hometown, you probably know which supermarkets are luxury and sell everything at exorbitant prices, and which stores can buy the same products, but at a lower price. What prevents you from doing the same on vacation?

Explore the prices in stores, find where it is cheaper. A supermarket does not have to be located near where you are staying. If it is far away, it is even better: you will have an extra reason to take yourself out for a walk and find so many interesting and unusual places that you cannot read about in any guidebook.

If possible, cook on your own

Many people, even if they rent an apartment with a kitchen, do not cook on their own, but prefer to eat in some fast food cafe. They usually explain this like this: “Well, I’m on vacation, why on earth will I still cook!?”.

Yes, of course, rest is for that and rest, in order to relax for a while and not do everyday activities in the form of cooking, cleaning, etc. But do not forget that if you cook for yourself, then in two, or maybe even cut your food costs by a factor of three.

Make a daily meal plan

Many of us do this when we travel: we spend money right and left without even thinking about it. And if, for example, it’s not so pitiful to spend money on unusual and exciting excursions, the impressions of which will last a lifetime, then in the case of food, this is not always the case.

So, in order to save yourself from unnecessary spending on food, make yourself a spending plan: calculate the optimal amount, more than which try not to spend.

Avoid cafes / eateries / restaurants in crowded places

We all know this, but at the same time we still forget: near the sights that are popular among tourists, everything is exorbitantly expensive, especially food. Of course, in such places they will bring you the third, fifth and tenth, but only in the invoice you will not be able to count the number of zeros.

It’s better to eat normally and on a budget in a non-tourist place. You will definitely save money, and where it is tastier is still unknown.

If you save on food, then you will have more money that you can spend on interesting museums and galleries, excursions, souvenirs for loved ones, or you can simply bring more money from your trip home.

When traveling, the main items of expenditure are transport, hotel and food. In this article I will talk about how to save money while traveling on food without harming your health.

Buy food in supermarkets

If you have long walks around the city, and you don't know when you happen to eat, always carry some food and a bottle of water with you. Many cities in Europe have drinking fountains where water can be replenished for free. You can also take an empty water bottle with you to the airport so that you can fill it with water after security. As for food, I most often carry a banana, a chocolate bar, nuts for a light snack. If possible, I make sandwiches in advance.

If you decide to save money on a hotel, then there is a high probability that there will be no supermarkets nearby, and it will be difficult to buy food for the morning or evening. Therefore, when booking a hotel, look at the map where the nearest supermarkets will be, and what price category. For example, when we stayed at a hotel in Paris, we had an expensive Monop' supermarket nearby, the prices in it are an order of magnitude higher than in the Lidl supermarket, located at a distance of 100 from Monop', but the cost of groceries in Lidl is 30% -40% lower, however, the quality is worse :)) Therefore, compare prices for products.

If you are going to have a snack in a hotel, take a knife, a folding fork, a spoon, and a corkscrew with you. When traveling, they will always come in handy.

Cook Yourself

If you are going to a city or the sea for a long time, then as an option you can rent an apartment or a house and cook on your own. This prospect does not please someone, but frying fish or chicken with vegetables is not so long, well, you can also cook sausages or make pizza at the extreme.

Never rented an apartment and think it's difficult? Then I advise you to read the article "" Or you can use the reliable international Airbnb service (when you register, you will receive a discount from us in the amount of €29), where you can find good, clean, interesting apartments in any city in the world.

Budget your trip

Before the trip, calculate how much money you will spend on food during the day. For example, in the morning you eat at a hotel, in the afternoon you can get by with snacks, but in the evening it’s already essential to eat.

Do not eat in tourist places

Do not eat in tourist places and central squares. Prices there differ by 2 times from prices on neighboring streets. For example, in Prague I saw beer on one of the squares for 5 Euros, while its normal price is 1.3 Euros. In Europe, most restaurants at the entrance have a menu, and you can immediately ask the price. Pay attention to chicken dishes, they are usually much cheaper than beef or seafood.

fast food

Skeptics will say, why eat in fast food restaurants during the holidays? But there are several reasons for this: in any part of the world, if you go to a KFC cafe, Burger King or McDonald's, then you will not get sick. International restaurant chains usually open their establishments where there are a lot of people and tourists, so you do not have to look for a long and dreary place to eat and where there will be a free place. Another reason is cheapness and fast service, so if you are limited in time, you can safely eat in fast food restaurants, because, for example, in restaurants in Paris or Spain, you will only have to wait 30 minutes for a drink. :))

Business lunches around the world

Finally, before the trip, study the features of Business Lunches (set meals) of the country. Usually meals during lunch (approximately from 11.00 to 14.00) cost half as much as usual, plus they are prepared quickly, and these dishes are presented in a separate menu. Please note that in most countries the lunch menu is only available in the local language.