I remember few years back when we used to travel every holiday. We are five members. My sister was still young and my mother carried her. My father used to carry my brother. So fare was only paid for three people. Nowadays we pay for each member but we travel before the holiday begins because the fare prices are low. We also know that prices are high in months of December and so it is better to travel in the last week of November. When I go to school, I know the fare is cheaper between 6:00 am and 8:00 am and so I go early. How do you save on fare?
Well, I believe one way you could save money traveling is to simply travel lightly. Don't pack more than you need just pack enough for the vacation. Another is possibly bring your own snacks and lunches for the road just to make sure you won't have to pull over for a meal. Another way to save on fare is maybe travel on train, tickets are pretty affordable.
I have really never traveled on a train though I heard it is cheaper. You are right about carrying food. We used to get in a hotel and eat when the bus stops. The price were higher because they know passengers have no option but to pay and eat. Now I will consider carrying food.
I agree that traveling together as a whole family is costly. To avoid incurring the huge amounts of fare we travel before the holiday days or even after the holidays because when we travel during the holiday we pay double the prices charged. We also carry our own food to reduce on the cost of buying on the way as we travel along.
Like you, we also travel during offseason because it is really cheap and during offseason, airlines have an amazing promo flights and not only the airlines but the hotel rates as well. We only bring things that we really need and no more extra baggage. We do not eat in the expensive restaurant we usually go to their public market instead because there is a lot of delicious cheap food in there. Another thing is that, before we go to place for the first time, I do a research on google about transportation, restaurants, and cheap hotels near to the tourist spot. In this way, you know where to go or what to do on how to save money when traveling.
At the earliest sign of the holiday season, the Ngata family starts travel preparations. Matatus are very intent on charging travellers a lot of money as fare immediately the season begins. It only gets worse as the we go further into the holiday season. Apart from traveling before the prices hike, we also avoid traveling to very many places. As much as it is appealing to visit some of these places we dream of going to during the holiday, it is imporatnt to consider the fare. I think it is better to visit these places before or after the holidays. Taking note of the hours when prices are lower and higher is another good move.
If you have children or students at home, you might save some money on the ticket, because children and students only need half the ticket price. but it's hard to save in terms of eating and living , for eating and living, any suggestions ?
When we went to Singapore last year with my sister-in-law and her husband, we always took a taxi in roaming the city. It is just slightly expensive than taking the bus or train since there were 4 of us. But during our trip to the same place last week, we had to take the train or bus because there were only 2 of us. Whenever possible, we avoid taking the taxi for it is naturally more expensive than the bus or train.
If part of the traveling family includes children, I would definitely save a lot. This is because children pay half the price of adults, in my region. Sometimes, adults do carry the children in order to spare the chair for another traveler. Fare is normally calculated per chair but not per person. In the past before traffic rules became strict, people would stand in the vehicle so as to evade paying fare in full(in my country).
Well travelling as a family can be quite expensive regardless of how you look at it but you can take certain measures to spend less.
Travel and the cashback sites need to be properly adjusted for the discount. If they can be managed then surely it can give you some level of cashback. And that can be good for the earning some money back on the people who join for the travel. That;s what I have found out while travelling with family members. It may not be easy all the time though.
