Travel money - how not to overpay for vacation?

Wanting is enough to travel - this is the idealistic version, although some say it is possible. However, those who do not want to travel in extreme conditions, and simply care about a successful holiday, must take into account the expenses. It is worth securing funds for the trip in advance, and also think about how we will deal with currency exchange.

Holidays, especially those abroad, are costly - for many household budgets it is a significant expense. However, if we approach the topic deliberately, we can save hundreds or even thousands of zlotys in total. How it's possible?

The sooner the cheaper

First of all, it is worth remembering that prices in tourism are not the same throughout the year . Usually, the most expensive is July and August (only in mountain resorts may the winter months be more expensive). So if you can afford a vacation outside of vacation, consider going in May, June or September. Then you can count on good weather, warm water in the sea or lake, and at the same time you will pay less for a night at a campground, in a hotel or in a private apartment (e.g. from the Airbnb portal). Also, if you intend to rent a motorhome or caravan, you will guarantee a lower price per night in the off-season.

Exactly - since we are at the accommodation! Even if you rent a house, room or flat - the sooner you think about it, the better your chances of getting a good seat at a low price. Firstly, because special promotional offers are prepared for the first guests of the season, and secondly because the earlier you book, the greater the choice of offers you will have.

If you are flying on vacation, booking in advance can also save you significant amounts of money. It is best to buy air tickets approx. 3 months before departure - then the best promotions are organized. We should also remember that the earlier we book tickets (especially the cheaper ones), the greater the chance that we will not run out of them.

Thanks to advance planning, we will gain one more benefit. We will spread the costs related to travel over several months - we will cover some of the expenses in advance, and only some during the trip and while on vacation.

How to exchange currencies cheaply?

At this point, it is worth paying attention to the obvious fact that Poland is not in the Euro zone, so when traveling abroad, we will not avoid currency exchange. This is a problem for many people. Not everyone wants to order a currency card from the bank, especially if they go on a long vacation only once a year. Meanwhile, paying with a zloty card abroad may expose us to large bank fees (currency conversion and commission costs).

Fortunately, there is a way to do this, and it is Walutomat , the largest non-bank currency exchange in Europe. Thanks to Walutomat, it is possible to make currency transfers (currently to 33 countries) at a lower price than in banks. You can also make cheaper currency exchanges.

How to use these opportunities in connection with a vacation trip? First of all , book and pay for everything you can online . And you can do more: camping or other accommodation, ferry tickets, motorway vignettes, airline tickets. Nay! Because even tickets to museums, amusement parks and other tourist attractions can very often be ordered online in advance. Thanks to this, you can pay for a lot of things with a cheap transfer. To do this, you do not need to have a foreign currency account or a foreign currency card. You simply transfer the necessary funds to your Wallet in Walutomat and from there you make a cheap transfer to a foreign account. Currently, the first transfer is free - click here if you want to take advantage of the promotion .

You can also appreciate the benefits of Walutomat during your trip, but to make it possible, you will need a foreign currency account with an ATM card. Thanks to this, you will make a cheaper currency exchange between your account in PLN and, for example, Euro. Then, you can withdraw the above-mentioned funds at ATMs abroad. Of course, you can also pay by card (in shops or restaurants), but if you consider cash more secure, you can also use it without overpaying.

These are just a few of the ways your vacation can be cheaper. If you add up all the savings you will achieve thanks to earlier reservations and more favorable currency exchange, you may find that your vacation trip will cost you much less. If you know of other ways that you can save on vacation, write about them in the comment.