When you arrive in a new country usually you’ll want to check out the main tourist attractions. Museums, monuments, natural wonders, it’s all good, but it can be expensive. There are many ways to save and still see the best a place has to offer.
Travel Free Walking Tours
Many cities around the world now offer free walking tours. These are sometimes run by the local tourist office (which may have walking tours at a flat rate), but usually by private companies. The best I have used is Sandeman’s New Europe Tours, which is now operating in some locations outside of Europe as well. The only catch is that while these tours are advertised as free, the guides often expect a tip at the end. In my experience, the guides on such tours are excellent so I usually tip generously, and it still always works out to be far cheaper than doing the overly-touristy open top bus tours or similar.
Simply Google the city name followed by ‘free walking tour’ when you arrive, and the first result is usually the best one to go for. Check review aggregators like Trip Advisor for that city as well.
Free Museums For Travel
Often, especially in large cities around the world, several museums will be free to enter. London is a great example of this, where all public museums administered by the government are free. Many museums also have specific times of the day or week (or even sometimes a special day once a month) where entry is free, usually late in the afternoon or on special holidays. Sometimes this can be extremely specific, for instance the famous Louvre in Paris is free on the first Sunday of each month between October and March.
If you’re in one place for a while, it makes sense to research if and when the main museums offer free entry. In many countries, their ‘national museum’ is free to enter.
Travel Attraction And Discount Cards
Most cities in the world have discount cards which enable you to visit most attractions at a discounted rate or for free. They are usually managed by the local tourism office.
The catch is that these cards are quite expensive, and you can only justify using one if you visit loads of attractions in a short period of time. I’m the kind of person who can spend all day just at one museum so I can’t usually justify purchasing one of these cards, but many travellers really dig them. These cards are particularly useful in expensive countries like Norway where the Oslo Pass, for example, is solid value.
Travel Hostel Deals
Many hostels offer free walking tours, cheap (or free) pub crawls, wine tasting nights, pool nights, scooter/bike tours, safaris, attraction discounts and other awesome activities, so when you are booking a hostel, do some research and see if they offer any freebies or attraction discounts. Doing so can save you a lot of money with the added benefit of experiencing all these great attractions with a posse of fellow travelers from your hostel.
