Ten Signs of a Budget Traveler

Money Saving Tips

Budget travelers are not willing to pay exorbitant airline baggage fees. They also want to be light on their feet as they search for cheap hotels or take advantage of public transportation. Multiple bags create mobility problems and label you as a "tourist." That label might make you the target of a scam or crime. Someone with one well-packed bag who looks in control is more likely to find bargains and less likely to find trouble.

It has been said that the best things in life are free. Trite though it may sound, travelers find this bit of wisdom to be true. Take Europe as an example. There are plenty of memorable and free things to do in Europe. The traveler who spends hours in line for a view of Paris from atop the Eiffel Tower sees a view comparable to those who visit Sacre Coeur for free and admire the overlook near the entrance. There are plenty of free attractions that will give you lasting memories, and others for which you'll pay that are less memorable.

Trains take you to the heart of a city, but at a variety of prices. Some allow you to give away a measure of comfort in exchange for a lower price. Some lines sell passes that make multiple trips possible at one low price. Passes are not always the cheapest way to travel by train, but a little homework and itinerary planning will tell you which option is best. Find out if train travel makes sense for your next trip.

After you've seen the free attractions, there are still bound to be many places on your travel wish list that involve admission fees. In big cities, those charges add up quickly, and some on a budget must skip things they'd like to see to save money. But in many cities, passes are available that enable entry into dozens of attractions for one price. The passes are good for a limited time, but they save money and time waiting in long ticket lines.

Some budget travelers are tempted to jump right into Priceline's travel auctions and make their bids without reading the fine print. That's usually a mistake. Priceline purchases are non-refundable and come with strings attached. But if you learn how avoid overbidding and you're willing to take a small risk, Priceline can save you lots of money. So can other online bidding at other auction sites such as Hotwire.com, eBay.com and Skyauction.com.

Would you dare go to Paris in January? For those who want to spend time shopping or browsing the Louvre, does it really matter that it's dark and cold outside? In return for less-than-perfect weather, you can enjoy some incredible airfare savings and even a few discounts on hotels. That's one key budget benefit of traveling in the off season. Here's another: the slower pace of the off season often leads to more in-depth discussions with people about their city or locale. They actually have time to do it!

Airlines overbook their flights as a matter of economic necessity. In the current economic environment, they simply cannot afford to take off with empty seats. When every ticketed passenger shows up at the gate, someone must be "bumped" from the flight. In this situation, airline employees must ask for volunteers before they deny seating to a ticketed passenger. The reward for volunteering can be vouchers for free travel in the future. Find out more about how being bumped from a flight voluntarily can reward you for flexible travel plans.

Gasoline prices rise and fall, but the need to get the most from each tankful never changes. Sometimes, it's better to leave the car in the garage. A few simple techniques can eliminate the need to drive so much. If you must get behind the wheel, check out a few tips for getting better gas mileage.

Travel writer Tim Leffel has written a book called The World's Cheapest Destinations. As the title implies, Leffel says itineraries can become far less expensive when you choose places that don't cost very much. These places might not make up your entire itinerary, but adding a few can moderate costs. Examples? There are mid-sized European cities where you can see a lot of attractions for less. Other European bargains involve places just now being discovered. There are similar locales in the Eastern Caribbean. You can also find destinations that are cheaper in certain seasons.

The ride can be jostling and noisy. But if you can spend the night on a train, you almost always save money over the price of a hotel room, and you wake up in your next destination without spending valuable vacation time sitting in a train car. Sleeping in airports can be even more difficult, and clearly is not recommended in all locations. But there are travelers average in the no-cost option of sleeping in an airport as a way of lowering the overall cost of their trips. There are Web sites that help them achieve this goal.