Traveling to an international destination doesn’t necessarily mean spending too much. There are many smart options for you to to save, while still making your journey a worthwhile experience. When traveling to Spain, cutting costs generally require careful planning and research.
Discount and Privilege Cards and Other Similar Options
Once in Spain, take advantage of discount offers coming from your credit and privilege cards, travel agency, club and mileage memberships and even your hotel stay. Often times, you can get cheap or even free entries to museums and other tourist attractions in different Spanish cities through these options.
You can also purchase discount cards in Spain, which is quite beneficial to tourists wanting to do a lot and buy a lot during their travel. There are many museums in Spain that are free on certain days or at certain times of the day. This way, you can save more money, while still getting into as much attractions as you can.
Accommodations
Take advantage of mileage benefits from your frequent flyer program to avail of discounts for your hotel accommodations. Generally, you also gain points for more rewards by availing of these options. Try packaging any hotel and flight ticket through promotions of travel agencies or online travel sites. Compare these options with paying for them separately to see the most affordable deals you can get.
If you can, or unless you find really good bargains, avoid hotels located in the busier tourist areas in key cities as they are typically more expensive. You may also want to consider sharing accommodations in youth hostels or doing couchsurfing or home exchanges near the places you visit.
Transportation
Use rail passes when traveling long distances around Spain and nearby European countries. However, when traveling within short distances, you may find it cheaper to buy individual train tickets or take buses instead of buying a rail pass. If staying in Spain’s bigger cities, you can take advantage of cheap metro systems, especially in Madrid and Barcelona. As a basic guide. buses are usually much cheaper options. It is always best to do extensive research to check which modes of transport would best suit your travel itinerary.
For private transport options, avoid expensive car rentals, unless you have really big discounts to rival other significantly cheaper options. Also, consider the gas price and the expensive parking fees around Spain. A good alternative to a regular car rental is trying out a scooter or a GoCar, a two-seater, three-wheeled specialized scooter targeting tourists. For an even cheaper and more environment-friendly option, rent a bike. Barcelona and Madrid provide big selections of city bikes, mountain bikes, road bikes, hybrid bikes and even children’s bikes for both tourists and locals.
Tax-free Shopping
Many stores, especially in tourist locations, have display signs for tax-free shopping. Also, when buying something over 90 Euros in many participating stores, request for a “checque tax free,” which provides details on your purchase and the associated Spanish tax contributions for it. Before checking in for your flight back home, allow enough time for you to go to the “Oficinas de Desgravacion Fiscal” with your shopping documents to receive refund from your shopping. Request more information on your hotel or travel agency or simply research more on the web in order to maximize your savings when shopping in Spain.