Do you ever regret going too cheap on a trip?
Posted by MiosesDeeken98@reddit | Shoestring | View on Reddit | 64 comments
Im on a trip right now trying to keep things as low cost as possible, and i had one of those moments yesterday where i walked like 20+ minutes just to avoid paying for a short ride. By the time i got there i was sweaty, tired, and honestly kind of annoyed at myself. Same thing with a couple attractions i skipped because of the entrance fee. At the time it felt like the right shoestring decision, but now i’m wondering if i’m just missing out on stuff i wont get another chance to see.
I get the whole point is stretching your budget, but where do you draw the line between being smart with money and just making the trip worse?
rosiefutures@reddit
Always.
felizpelotonne@reddit
All the time. Every time I book economy and I’m cramped in row 34 with the bathroom smells. Now that I’m older and have kids we so travel a certain way… but man I did my time with hostels and overnight buses. It’s part of the experience!!!!
WarmWindow2@reddit
had a guy on a flight, twas my ex and I, he was across the mid of the plane to us. I. swear. to. God. he had to have had a GI problem or something, I don't blame or shame him but he farted the most atrocious farts I have ever smelled in my life about every 5-10 minutes without fail. It was like being in a microwave with dead fish and rotten eggs lol. we had a good laugh about it but every time I fly i debate upgrading just because of that.
flatoutsask@reddit
They don’t fart in First Class?
Saharamiluv@reddit
guilty
MiosesDeeken98@reddit (OP)
The bathroom row is a different level of character building 😭 i feel like there’s a phase where you just accept all of it as part of the story, but i can also see how once youve done it enough you’re like okay ive proven my point lol. do you actually miss that phase at all or nah?
felizpelotonne@reddit
I do miss it! I was young and traveled the world kid free. Now that i have kids, trips are shorter and highly planned. I do miss the “this place is awesome, let’s stay another night” type vibe. Younger people on a budget have the most actual fun when traveling, imo. Not luxury stuffy shit that’s manufactured fun.
Safe_Statistician_72@reddit
Just waiting until your kids are grown and outbod the house and you have plenty of money and time to do whatever you want.
BikeInternational412@reddit
I am at this stage and let me tell you, it’s glorious.
number7child@reddit
I like the bathroom row because nobody is kicking your seat.
develop99@reddit
True but there's often someone grabbing the top of your seat as they wait in line for the bathroom
inailedyoursister@reddit
This is the circle of life.
morning_spark_79@reddit
That Chamonix example is exactly the kind of thing id beat myself up over later. Skipping an entrance fee bc youve "seen enough churches" and then regretting it hits close to home tho - i did the same with a castle in Portugal and still think about what the view from the top wouldve been. Its that "wont get another chance" feeling that makes the saved €15 feel pretty hollow.
_EmeraldEye_@reddit
Absolutely! I will never cheap out on a place to stay again! I had scary pest experiences in both Guadalajara, Mexico and San Francisco because I wanted to save money. Never ever again, just not worth it, I'd rather not even go
Getvaxed500@reddit
Make some adjustments as you go. Add a museum, skip a plated dinner. Have an overall comfort number selected. If you find lots of unexpected fun and are high by 10% you can live with it. That's how i plan our trips.
Traditional-Feed6282@reddit
Trip to Europe. Cheaped out on food while in Paris. Will forever regret it.
xXNiceMemeFriendXx@reddit
You were sweaty and tired after walking for 20+ minutes? That’s bizarre, part of travel for me is taking in your surroundings while walking.
Mysterious-Drama4743@reddit
have you never heard of a hot climate or something? perhaps a disability that limits or increases difficulty of physical activity? whats bizarre is your pathetically condescending comment
xXNiceMemeFriendXx@reddit
I’m sorry I didn’t contemplate a million excuses for not being able to walk twenty minutes. Nobody asked, boring.
Mysterious-Drama4743@reddit
youve never lived in a place where it feels hot just standing outside? nah you just wanted to be a condescending prick
rabidstoat@reddit
20 minutes in a hot and humid environment can leave me dripping wet even if I'm just standing there, doing nothing.
cIitaurus@reddit
it could’ve been hot for them and they could’ve possibly been carrying heavy things or walking up hills
which_objective@reddit
Yeah, 20 minutes in Singapore did me IN
FailFastandDieYoung@reddit
They might be in Bangkok walking in 37C haha
kiradotee@reddit
20 minutes. My walk to the shop is 20 minutes. 😂
unsavvylady@reddit
Will find more modest lodging to save money. I try not to cheap out on experiences if I likely won’t have another chance. I remember skipping out on overpriced chestnuts from a street vendor. Went and got storebought but it was not the same. Aometimes you want the experience. What is the point of going somewhere and not getting to enjoy yourself?
hun486@reddit
depending where you go. if there’s grab bike or uber motor, can consider taking these affordable rides for that distance. :)
Ok-Alternative-5175@reddit
Yep! Recently found a hostel in Houston for only $25 and received death threats from another tenant. Won't be making that mistake again
Tiny-Party2857@reddit
Yes, many times. Now I travel smarter. I take lyfts (or the equivalent in the cities I'm visiting) instead of getting blisters and exhausted. I pick safe neighborhoods over cheap. I try and eat healthier and not cheaper on trips too. Makes a difference with energy and staying healthy.
Forsaken_Insurance92@reddit
If I'm on a vacation, I don't skimp once I'm there. If I wanted to save money, I wouldn't go on the vacation. I would rather do "shoestring travel" vs "shoestring trips." Flights? Sure, I'll switch airlines, book cheaper seats, use points, etc. I'll book a cheaper rental car. Shorten my trip to make it cheaper (or sometimes extend it to make it cheaper). Once I'm where I'm going, though, I'm getting the nicest airbnb. I'm going to the restaurants I want to go to. The museums, theme parks, attractions I want to go to. I'm getting the souvenirs I want. If I saved $400 between the flights/car/whatever, I'm still saving money if I spend $200 on shit I want to do.
What's the point of going on a vacation if you're on reddit posting about missing out on things that are right there for you to do? If you feel like you're missing out on things you really want to do, is it actually worth it? You saved $600 on this trip, cool, but you still really want to go do X thing so 6 months or a year from now, you book another trip to the exact same place that costs $800 just so you can do that one thing you could've done for $40 while you were already there and technically saved nothing.
7thpostman@reddit
This. Skimp on getting there, don't skimp on being there.
NotAFishEnt@reddit
Generally in life, skimp on the things you don't care about so you can spend on the things you do care about
DangerousCapybara888@reddit
I draw the line when I turned 40. My back hurt in uncomfortable seats and hurt if I walk extensively and unnecessarily. If I could call a cab to save 10min, I will. If I can book a hotel closer to transportation, I will.
I’m not very keen on museums, so I still would be picky if the entrance fee is too much (more than $10), but if it was a good food experience I would splurge rather than eat bread and peanut butter to save a few bucks.
Redsquirreltree@reddit
A friend insisted we could find a cheaper sandwich in a high cost area.
We wasted a lot of vacation time looking for a cheaper sandwich.
None of them were cheaper.
The time was lost.
Pale_Brilliant_1629@reddit
My only shoestring regret so far is not purchasing an entrance pass to Sagrada Familia. I had “seen so many churches” that summer so I chose to save the $40
SunnyStuck154@reddit
Yes, booked very budget accommodation in South America after travelling through Asia. I’m not fussy, but that was a bad call.
GettingBy-Podcast@reddit
Walking is the best way to take in a new location. Sounds like a time management problem more than a need for a ride problem.
CaptainObvious110@reddit
absolutely, you get to go at your own pace and see angles of buildings you wouldn't get to see otherwise
ifoldsocksatmidnight@reddit
Yes. Every time.
In 2021, we traveled to Guatemala. We had booked an overnight backpacking trip to Acatenango, as part of the trip. The night before the hike, we stayed in a very nice, and affordable hotel. We should have left our stuff in that hotel and paid for an additional night despite us camping on the volcano for that night.
But we chose to save money by not paying for that hotel night and then the next day when we returned to Guatemala City, we checked into another hotel. It was absolutely terrible. We got to this hotel after one of the hardest hikes of our life and the hotel room was not ready for another two hours.
We were dusty, exhausted, and hungry. Once we got into the hotel, it was just kind of dingy, dark, and uncomfortable. The primary reason we’ve even booked this hotel was because there was a hot tub and we knew we would want to enjoy a hot tub after such a strenuous physical activity. Guess what? The hot tub was under repair.
Furthermore, out of desperation, I drink water out of one of their clay pot filters. I was assured that this water would not disrupt me. Well, after a bout of giardia, I will never be a cheapskate again. If we had just paid for two more additional nights at that previous hotel, we would’ve had a comfortable room to immediately get back to after the hike, we would’ve had bottled water ready for us, and maybe we would’ve missed the hot tub, but we would have been ok.
Mostly_Nohohon@reddit
I will look for cheaper flights but once I'm on vacation I'll spend what I need to in order to have a good time. After going to London my first time years ago and ended up at a hotel where the bed was a twin on wheel with a communal bathroom down the hall... I said never again.
I will walk depending on the weather but if it's hot as blazes out, no thanks. I take a ride. I'll skip and eat cheap on some meals but I'm also going to eat what I want and I will have a nicer place when I want it too.
The whole reason I watch my money in other places is so I can do nice things when visiting places I may never get back to.
NiagaraThistle@reddit
never once in 25 years.
My first trip to Europe was on $34 per day for 3 months. Even back then it was super cheap. My friends had the same overall budget as i did ($3500) and they flew home after 2 weeks with no money left.
My most recent trip to Europe was to Germany for 12 days during the UEFA Euros and i spent a toal of $3500 again. Both trips included RT airfare from the US, rail passes, a rental car, accommodations, food, beer, sightseeing, and tickets to soccer matches.
In fact in 25 years i don't think I've ever spent more than $3500 (per person) for a trip to Europe regardless if it was 3 months or 12 days.
And I always think "i could have done this for less."
antsam9@reddit
I flew on Spirit around trip once. Once.
I work too many full time hours to ever do that again.
I understand it works for some people, I'm too old, fat, ugly, sweaty, and cranky for it. I'd rather pay for a non spirit airline, my money is for me and not having to fly spirit is good for my own spirit. Every moment of that flight my mind kept repeating, I'm too employed for this and it wasn't worth saving 188 dollars.
Safe-Thanks6114@reddit
I was on a South American trip and did an overnight bus crossing the border from Ecuador to Peru. I got the cheapest bus instead of the Directo. The bus was hot and packed we made a stop before the transfer and I didn’t understand that’s where I was supposed to go in and get my exit stamp for my passport. We then waited like 3 hours in the middle of the night for the connecting bus. When it came it took us to customs and asked where my stamp was and I told them I didn’t have one. I had to take a taxi (a dune buggy actually) back to customs to get my exit stamp, then back to enter Peru and my bus was gone so I had to take an even more packed economy bus to Trujillo. I got there and it was early morning but bought 3 beers for a dollar and had tons of ceviche in the next couple days. Later I discovered VIP busses that were literally $20 more and like first class all the way with fully recline seats and meal service.
TLDR always take the directo when traversing international borders with limited language skills.
ksgif2@reddit
No, it's all practice for next time
Creative_Sentence807@reddit
my rough rule now is if i'd genuinely be bummed to leave without doing a certain thing, regardless of cost in the moment, it's worth paying for to avoid that eating feeling of regret when you leave!
External-Candy-929@reddit
When I get bedbugs, yeah.
oldmomlady3@reddit
Yes. My family (3 teenagers and my husband) take a long weekend trip each summer because it's all we can afford. We live in Michigan and usually try to find a place on or near a lake, which is challenging to say the least given our budget. Our AirBNB was cancelled on us like 2 months prior to our trip so the host could re-list for a higher price, so we were scrambling and came across this cottage on a different site that was a great price and right on a lake. Perfect! Except oops, the tiny cottage didn't have a/c and it was late July. The mattresses were so old and in total disrepair, we slept terribly. The owner came by to collect our remaining payment and stayed in the cottage for over an hour talking to us about his Christian faith. We learned the hard way that you get what you pay for when it comes to lodgings.
happybeagle2020@reddit
When I do it’s always in the transportation end. Like I could spend an extra $100 on a direct flight but I used to get the longer one with a stop to save a buck. Not only did I waste my time but sprinting through the Atalanta airport because even though my connection was on the same airline my gates were as far apart as they could be. Never again.
rentedlife@reddit
We have a practice - we don’t book high end places to stay (always nice though) as we are only sleeping there but we go all out on experiences. We try to travel comfortably but if it’s airfare - economy is fine.
nomore5tre55@reddit
yep. we booked a "this feels too affordable to be good" condo so we could be in the same area as friends of ours. hated it. leaky plumbing, musty dank smell, dirty carpet, gross tile floors.
If we would have just said "it's a vacation, don't skimp" we would have been a block away in a clean place and no one would have had issues breathing that lasted a few weeks after we got home and we wouldn't have had to steam clean our luggage
snackhappynappy@reddit
Make a list of priorities for your trip Splash on those then budget the rest Plain accomadation is fine, dirty isnt isn't have a line you won't cross Don't miss out on something great you will never get a chance to see again but also don't just do something you have no interest in because everyone on Instagram loves it
Osprenti@reddit
Walking for 20 minutes? Are you a ham beast? Walking for 2 hours should be easy for any fit human.
Peregrinebullet@reddit
Not really, but I am very honest with myself about what I can and cannot handle - I can endure a LOT of travel time and random zigzagging in a schedule if I've had a good sleep, for example. But if I don't sleep well, it ruins everything and my patience and sense of adventure just goes out the window.
So I will happily cheap out on transportation options or walk instead of get a ride. But I do not risk my sleep. I don't buy luxury, but I will choose a more expensive accomodations over a cheaper one without a second thought if the reviews about the beds and noise levels for the former are all positive.
But if I do have to take transport, being able to sit properly is a must for me, due to a chronic shoulder injury. I can't spent a long time with my arm above my head hanging onto a pole or hand hold. I can't be hunched or curled around my luggage or another person. If I do that, my shoulder will lock up or dislocate and I'll be in agonizing pain until I can reset it, soak in a hot bath and have a massage therapist work it out (I'm allergic to muscle relaxants and NSAIDs).
This actually has made me walk long distances with my bags because I've looked at the available bus or trains and seen they were super crowded, and went "nope, this is gonna trigger the injury" and just walked. I'll take lots of breaks, stop at cafes, etc.
This is also why I'm usually a pretty strict one-bagger.
WiolOno_@reddit
My personal opinion, budgeting on food is a good bet. One good meal is nice, but keep it affordable is my personal opinion.
But lodging, you wanna make sure that’s good and ideally close to where you’re gonna be. Or close to transit, cannot stress this enough.
My biggest regrets have been around lack of research actually. Not knowing enough about what I was getting into before going.
Jadedslave124@reddit
You could be sweaty and tired and broke also.
Highlight89@reddit
I only regret cheap seats on flights and nasty hotels. Once I’m there, expensive restaurants and experiences are nice, but not a “must”. I get just as much enjoyment on a budget.
number7child@reddit
I splurge on some meals.
prependix@reddit
I think this is a big part of traveling and getting to really understanding yourself cuz this question is so dependent on the person. For me, I mostly regret being cheap when it ended up taking away from other things I wanted to do, whether that's time or just killing my mood.
I used to book the cheapest lodging I could find. But after traveling for a while, I'll shell out for something that fits my broader itinerary a bit better. I've found the upfront pain from the cost ultimately feels better than the misery felt during my trip.
kireidinosaur@reddit
Lodging. That’s where I am always willing to splurge a bit. Too many bad hotel and motel experiences.
Adventurous-Tea-876@reddit
If walking for 20 minutes is that hard for you going cheap on a trip is the least of your problems!
Tombstone1810@reddit
Prioritize. I’d rather go do cool stuff, so I get a cheap place to stay so that I can. Decide your priorities before you book stuff. Figure out what’s most important to you and plan/budget around that. What’s the point in traveling if you’re not seeing the sights that you want to see or you’re missing out on unique experiences?
Euphoric_Evidence414@reddit
Lodging. Do your research. Lower-priced lodging can be a good bargain or a total nightmare. Learned that the hard way on my last road trip (no bedbugs thank God but the room was gross)
kiradotee@reddit
Sometimes yes sometimes not.
It's mainly to do with experiences. Sometimes it's absolutely worth it throwing money at those. But I remember being in Chamonix and it was I think 50 euro to see the top of the mountain. My friend went up but I felt like it's a bit too much for my budget.
But other times that I have spent the money, like 18 euro for a zip line in Georgia, worth every single penny. :)
MonMonOnTheMove@reddit
Don’t go against your instincts. If your brain says no then there’s no need to force it. I used to travel frugally in the past and now that I have a better income, I can enjoy the trips abit more without being stingy. Yet I still remember those beginning trips fondly and better