c/budget-travel-hacks

5

cameron684•1d ago

I found a way to get hostels to hold beds without paying upfront

I was booking a trip to Portland last spring and got stuck because most hostels wanted a 10% deposit just to reserve a bed. I called three places and asked if they could hold it with just my credit card number instead of charging me. Two of them said yes, no problem. Saved about $40 in booking fees that I would have lost if plans changed. Has anyone else tried just calling instead of booking online and gotten a better deal?

34

brookerobinson•4d ago

Debate: is a $50 travel router worth it or just a waste of luggage space?

I went back and forth on this before a 2 week trip to Mexico City. Some people swear by travel routers for hotel wifi, but I spent $50 on a TP-Link one and honestly it worked great for splitting the signal. But my buddy says he just uses his phone hotspot and saved the cash for street tacos (which, fair point). The router was clutch for streaming on the hotel TV, but the hotel wifi was already fine without it. What do you all think - worth the $50 or should I just rely on my phone for everything?

2

rowan_butler93•4d ago

Got scammed by a bus ticket seller in Bangkok and it wrecked my whole trip

I was in Bangkok last March trying to get a bus from the Mo Chit station to Chiang Mai. Some guy in a fake uniform sold me a ticket for 800 baht, said it was the express with AC and snacks. Got on the bus and it was this beat up thing with no AC and a driver who chain smoked the whole way. Took 14 hours instead of 10 because we stopped at every village. Found out later the real price is like 400 baht if you buy from the official counter inside. Now I always check the terminal building first and never buy from anyone standing outside waving a clipboard. Has anyone else gotten tricked by these touts at bus stations?

6

elizabeth438•18d ago

Can we talk about the worst travel day I had in Chicago last fall

I landed at O'Hare at 6 PM on a Tuesday. My budget flight from Newark was $47 so no complaints there. But then the train to downtown stopped for 40 minutes. Then my $30/night hostel lost my reservation. Ended up sleeping at the airport on a bench until 4 AM. What's your worst single day on a cheap trip?

9

pat_park•19d ago

My buddy in Prague told me to stop using booking sites and I was wrong to ignore him

I always thought Kayak and Expedia were the way to go for hotels, but my friend Dave who lives in Prague kept saying you get way better deals calling hostels direct. Last month I tried it for a 3-night stay in Berlin and the place gave me 15% off for booking over the phone plus a free breakfast. Now I'm kicking myself for all the extra cash I wasted on those third-party fees over the last 2 years. Has anyone else had luck negotiating with hostels directly in Europe?

16

the_mary•19d ago

Unpopular opinion: Most people waste money on travel insurance for domestic trips

I noticed this last summer when my neighbor was planning a weekend drive to Nashville and bought full travel insurance for their $200 hotel. It got me thinking about my own habits. I used to buy insurance for every trip, even short ones under 500 miles. Then I realized my health insurance already covers me in the US and my credit card has rental car protection built in. For a 3 day trip to the Smoky Mountains last fall, I saved $65 by skipping the insurance and just putting the hotel on my card that offers cancellation coverage. The trick is reading your existing policies first before paying extra. Has anyone else found they can skip insurance on shorter trips without trouble?

16

matthewh28•22d ago

Vent: Hostel charged me extra for using the kitchen last weekend

Stayed at a place in Austin for 2 nights and they hit me with a $15 fee for cooking pasta in their kitchen. Said I used too much oil and had to pay a cleanup surcharge. Has anyone else run into bogus fees like this at hostels?

13

spencer_moore39•22d ago

Ran into a guy at a bus station in Boise who had a crazy money-saving trick

I was waiting for a Greyhound in Boise last winter and this older guy next to me pulled out a thermos of soup he made at his hostel. He said he saves about $40 a week by making meals in bulk and carrying them in stainless steel containers. Then he showed me his itinerary - he books flights on Tuesdays around 2am because that's when airlines drop their low prices. I asked if he ever got caught with the soup at security, and he just laughed and said "they never check food if it's in a thermos." Has anyone else tried booking flights at weird hours like that?

12

gray_schmidt8•23d ago

Had a hostel owner tear me a new one over my booking habits

I used to always book hostels last minute through those discount apps to save like $5 a night, but a guy in Prague flat out told me I was costing him money and making his job harder. He explained that walk-ins mess up their cleaning schedule and force them to hold rooms that could've been sold at full price. Now I'm wondering if I should just pay the $3-4 extra to book direct and stop being that guy.

15

thomas291•23d ago

Found out hostel loyalty programs actually save real money

I was booking a bed in Barcelona last month and decided to check the rates through a hostel chain's own website instead of Hostelworld. Turns out, directly booking with a loyalty program got me 15% off plus a free breakfast voucher. That saved me about $12 on a three night stay. Has anyone else tried stacking these discounts with other budget tricks?

8

the_dakota•24d ago

Hostel laundry hack backfired hard in Barcelona

I thought I was being smart using hotel shampoo to hand wash clothes in a hostel sink in Barcelona to save the 8 euro laundry fee. Figured it would be fine, soap is soap right? Wrong. That cheap shampoo left white streaks all over my dark jeans and they looked terrible. Had to wear them wet to the Sagrada Familia and got weird looks all day. Next time I am just paying for the damn laundry or bringing those travel detergent sheets. The stain never fully came out either, lesson learned the hard way. Anyone know a good spot wash product that actually works for sink laundry?

13

mark676•28d ago

Just got burned by a fake hostel booking in Barcelona last week

Booked a place through a third party site for 35 euros a night, showed up and the address was an abandoned apartment block. Anyone else had luck getting refunds from those sketchy booking aggregators?

18

paul_thompson67•29d ago

My best travel week ever was in a $18 hostel in Lisbon

Last spring I booked a week at this tiny hostel in the Alfama district for 18 bucks a night. The place had no AC, shared bathrooms, and the owner gave us free port wine every evening. Made friends with a guy from Australia who showed me a secret viewpoint that wasn't on any map. Has anyone else had a cheap hostel turn into a way better experience than a hotel?

29

the_miles•29d ago

I used to think hostels were only for college kids until I stayed at one in Lisbon at 45

Booked a private room at the Independente in Lisbon for 30 euros a night versus 110 for a basic hotel, and I got free walking tours, a communal kitchen, and met interesting people my own age. Has anyone else found a hostel that changed their mind about them?

20

river_scott•1mo ago

Used to book flights through Kayak, now I use Google Flights with price alerts

Spent years hunting deals on Kayak. Wasted hours clicking through sketchy third party sites. Then 6 months ago I tried Google Flights for a trip to Portland. Set alerts for three different dates. Snagged a round trip for $89 instead of the usual $180. Anyone else switch and get way better prices?

12

pat_park•1mo ago

Found a $5 bus ticket from Austin to San Antonio on a random Tuesday morning

Last month I needed to get from Austin down to San Antonio for a quick family visit. I checked the usual bus sites and saw prices around 25 bucks. Then I popped over to a small regional bus company I'd never heard of, just on a whim. Their website was basic and clunky, but they had a single 6 AM ticket left for 5 dollars. I grabbed it and ended up being the only passenger on the whole bus. The driver was super chill and even let me pick the music for the ride. Has anyone else found crazy deals by checking smaller, less popular bus lines?

23

hayden587•1mo ago

Realized I was booking flights wrong after a $250 mistake to Chicago

So last year I flew to Chicago for a wedding and paid $380 for a round trip. My buddy who lives there told me he flew home for $130 the same weekend. I compared our routes and he had booked two one-way tickets on different airlines instead of a round trip on one. I always thought round trips were cheaper but apparently mixing carriers can save you big if you check each leg separately. Anyone else found random tricks like this that go against the usual advice?

15

xenarobinson•1mo ago

Found a trick that saved me $200 on a flight to Denver last month

I was about to book a direct flight to Denver for $400 but got frustrated and tried searching for flights out of a smaller airport an hour away instead. Ended up paying $210 round trip from a regional airport I'd never used before. Has anyone else had luck skipping the big hubs for cheap tickets?

24

wesley139•1mo ago

Everyone raves about staying in hostels but my worst travel week ever was in one

I tried a hostel in Barcelona for 5 nights to save cash. First night, someone stole my sneakers from under the bunk. Second night, a guy snored so loud I got 2 hours of sleep. Third day, the shared fridge had moldy food stinking up the whole room. By day 4, I paid extra for a cheap hotel just to get a solid night's rest. Has anyone else had a hostel trip go completely sideways?

8

terry_bailey35•1mo ago

My hostel locker broke in Barcelona at 2am

I had all my cash and passport stuck inside at 3am in this tiny hostel near La Rambla, ended up using a bobby pin to jimmy the lock open after watching three YouTube tutorials on my phone, has anyone else had to break into their own stuff while traveling?

6

miller.avery•1mo ago

Found a free walking tour in Prague that was actually good (and how to tip right)

I was in Prague last month and figured I'd try one of those "free" walking tours you see advertised everywhere. Most of them are basically just long ads for restaurants, but I found one run by a local history student that was legit. He took us through the old Jewish Quarter and told stories about the Golem (which I'd never heard before). The trick for tipping, I learned from a Czech friend later, is to give around 300-400 koruna (about $12-16) per person if the guide was good. The guides rely on that money, so don't stiff them but don't overpay either. Has anyone else had luck with these tours in other cities?

25

the_ryan•1mo ago

Serious question, is a city pass ever worth it? My experience in Vienna was a total bust.

I bought the 72-hour Vienna Pass for 120 euros thinking I'd save a ton on museums and transport. The first day I rushed to three big museums just to 'get my money's worth' and was exhausted. The next two days I barely used it because the places I actually wanted to see, like a cool flea market and a local wine bar, weren't covered. I did the math and paying for two museums and a transit ticket separately would have cost me 45 euros. Has anyone else had a city pass flop or found one that actually worked?

15

nancy_davis•1mo ago

Showerthought: I bought a $40 city pass in Prague and it saved my whole trip

I was in Prague for four days and almost skipped the official city pass, thinking it was a tourist trap. I got it anyway and it covered my tram rides, entry to six museums, and even a river cruise. I saved over $100 compared to buying everything separately. Has anyone else found a city pass that was actually worth the money?

14

kelly_hill•1mo ago

I used to book a hotel for my whole trip, now I split my stay between two cheaper places

I did this in Lisbon last fall, spending 3 nights in a hostel downtown and 2 nights in a guesthouse a short train ride out. Has anyone else saved cash by not staying in one spot the whole time?

13

lee_bailey65•1mo ago

Question about airport lounge day passes

I paid $60 for one in Frankfurt last year and the place was so packed I couldn't even find a seat. What's a better way to kill a long layover without spending that much?