Money Saving Tips: Spend Less on Your Natal Vacation

 

While food, store unhealthy accommodation and the general cost of living is noticeably lower in order _Rio_Grande_do_Norte” target=”_blank”>Natal compared to Brazil’s other major tourist destinations, others still find the cost of traveling to this city financially-challenging, especially if they need to go on a vacation with the entire family. If you are willing to follow these money saving tips and perform the necessary due diligence, then you can enjoy a nice and memorable vacation in Natal even on a shoestring budget.

Due Diligence

Plan your trip well in advance. These money saving tips are very important so let it stick to your memory like flypaper. Start by booking your flight to Natal well in advance to save on air fare. Travel agencies offer lower flight rates if you buy your plane tickets ahead of time, like a month or two in advance. Ask a travel agent for help if you’re not familiar with this.

Money saving tips on booking your accommodation. Most travellers get frustrated when, upon reaching their destination, they couldn’t find accommodation because all hotels are fully booked, especially during peak season. Booking a hotel in advance will spare you the inconvenience of running around town looking for a place to sleep. Some travel agencies offer a vacation package where air fare, accommodation and airport to hotel transport are included. Find out how to avail of this.

Anticipate the expenses that you will encounter in Natal and decide whether they are necessary expenses or not. Necessary vacation expenses include air fare, accommodation, food, transportation, sightseeing and getting around. You can include souvenir shopping if budget allows. Unnecessary expenses (per your budget) may include carousing at night, partying, gambling, and frivolous purchases. This can drain your pockets fast and cut your Natal vacation short.

Sleep on the Cheap: Look for Budget Accommodations

If you are just traveling alone or perhaps with a companion, it wouldn’t make sense to choose an accommodation that is too big, with too many unnecessary amenities, and therefore too expensive for you. If you’re not bringing your laptop, why pay extra for a room with Internet and Wi-Fi facilities?

If you’re up to it, there are numerous hotels and bed& breakfast around Natal that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. If you’re the adventurous type, you can even camp out on a tent in areas and beaches where it is allowed. This all depends on the amount of cash you are bringing and what sort of accommodation suits you.

Money-Saving Tips on Meals

A vacation is somehow incomplete if you’re not able to sample authentic cuisine in a local restaurant in Natal. This doesn’t mean, however, that you’re going to blow your vacation budget just on dining out alone. There are a lot of restaurants in the city and along the beaches where you can eat delicious meals at a very affordable price. Just stay clear of those fancy dining places in Ponta Negra and Via Costeira until you can bring a more substantial budget.

Unless you’ve planned for it, eating out for breakfast, lunch and dinner, especially with the entire family, can create a huge dent on your vacation money. Eating out is probably one of the biggest vacation expenses. A money-saving tip is to buy food from the local market and cook it yourself at your hotel or apartment. This may require some of your time and effort but you’ll be saving about two-thirds of what it costs you to eat out.

Travel Light, Try Backpacking

If you are traveling by yourself or with a companion, a real time and money saver is to go light and try backpacking. Find out first if your companion will agree to the idea. With backpacking, you not only travel light, but you also don’t have to worry about luggage check-in or overweight charges, quick access to your stuff, and no luggage will turn up missing. The only downside is limited packing and you have to carry everything by yourself. Of course, you need to be in good shape to do this.

Another advantage of backpacking is, since you’ve got everything with you, you can spend the night wherever you decide without having to go back to your hotel. There are a lot of places in Natal that accommodate backpackers at a much cheaper rate. You can also join other backpacking individuals and take advantage of group rates.

Get Up Close and Personal by Walking

The city of Natal is actually very small and you don’t really need a cab or a bus to go from one tourist attraction to another, that is if you are willing and have the stamina to travel on foot. Most interesting places in Natal are close to one another that you can reach them by walking. Think of it as a form of healthy exercise to keep you fit while on vacation. You will also be able to see things, places and people in more detail when you go on foot rather than ride a cab. You’re taking care of your health and saving some money while doing it.