If your plan is to go beyond your place of lodging – which it probably will be – you’ll need to consider outside transportation.

These are a matter of taste and what is most important to you in the area of convenience and price. You may like having your own car to be able to go where you please when you please, but that can be expensive.

Following are some other options you may can consider in terms of how to chose your own suitable transportation.

Rental Cars

If you do want to rent a car, then here are a couple of things to keep in mind.

When procuring a rental car, get the smallest one that your family can fit into comfortably. There’s no need to spend extra money on luxury when an economy car will still get you to where you need to go.

You’ll have to decide on whether or not you want to buy the rental insurance offered by the company. I won’t tell you one way or another because there are advantages and disadvantages either way.

If you are comfortable with driving and feel you can be careful enough to avoid any accidents then waive the insurance. You may want to check with your own auto insurance plan before you leave, you want to see if you are covered under that policy or not while you’re operating a rental car.

However, the fact is accidents can and do happen despite our best efforts, so keep in mind of that. Any of you who’ve seen the movie, “Meet The Fockers”, you know what I’m talking about!

If you want to take the chance and waive that insurance, remember - if there any damages find toward to the rental car, all the expenses will come out of your own pocket. Often time, the cost for this insurance is relatively minimal, so it might be worth peace of mind – at the very least to go ahead and initial that line.

Rental car agencies vary widely in price and offer a great opportunity for negotiating. You can save hundreds of dollars by checking the various locations in a town. It is much cheaper to pick up a car away from the airport.

If you work for a company that has a corporate account with certain agencies, they often honor the discount rates when you travel for leisure. Check all discounts offered for AAA, AARP and weekend rentals etc. They have lots of room to negotiate, so just keep asking what discounts you could qualify for.

You can use discounts offered in the entertainment book. When you pick up your vehicle, many companies will upgrade you to a much nicer car for the same rate if you learn to ask with a nice smile.

Check out the people behind the counter, and wait for one that appears to be more friendly and easier to work with.

Hotel Courtesy Vans

Many hotels provide courtesy vans for their guests to use when staying at their hotel. This is a great if it is available. Each hotel is different about their policies regarding use of their vans, so you should check with the front desk upon check-in to see what theirs is.

You just need to inform the front desk that you’ll need a van to go to, say, to a local restaurant, normally they will waiting outside the lobby for you to take you to your destination. At that time, you can probably let the driver know what time you want to be picked up and they will return to bring you back to the hotel.

However, hotel courtesy vans ARE NOT taxi cabs. They are a service provided by the hotel for the convenience of their guests, so they should be used wisely. Don’t inviting 15 people you met at a bar to come along for the ride and then asking the van to drop them off in 15 different places! It is not working in that way.

Some hotels have set times for departure from the hotel and set drop-off points that are pre-determined around the location where you are staying. In this case, they almost operate like a bus service. So be there on time and you get a ride – if you’re late, call a cab!

The best part about these courtesy vans is that they are free to use as long as you are a guest at the hotel. This certainly is a great way to save money on vacation!

Local Buses

The other transportation you can utilize is the local bus service of the city you are staying in. The advantage is it’s cheap! The disadvange is that it can take quite awhile for you to get to your destination.

Taxicabs

Taxicabs are expensive – bottom line. But sometimes, they are a necessarily “evil” when you are traveling. If you do have a schedule you are trying to stick to, they can be a lifesaver getting you to the place on time, or the restaurant who frowns on people late for their reservations.

The key to taking taxicabs is to tell the driver up front where you are going and ask what the estimated fare will be. If it’s within your budget, hop in! If it’s not, you’ll need to figure out another way to get to your destination. It’s the plain and simple truth!

And cabs are probably most expensive in tropical or luxury locations. I know one couple on a Hawaiian cruise who got off at one of the islands and caught a taxicab to go parasailing. It ended up costing them a small fortune for a one-way ride, the worst thing is they only find out it was too windy to parasail afterward, and they had to eat the same exorbitant fare on the way back to the ship.

So find out in advance and have a backup plan, for just in case.

Other Transportation

If you’re on an island or in a resort town, you may want to consider bicycles or scooters for your transportation needs. They can often be rented for a small amount of money, at the same time, you get the satisfaction of getting some exercise along with the local flavor as well!

And, of course, you can always “hoof it”. However, I recommend this only if your destination is close enough to walk to.

So now, you know your destination and have booked your flight. You know which hotel works best for you and have mapped out the different ways to visit the places you want to see. What else needs to be addressed in the budget? Food!

Stay with me, how to eat well on a travel budget is on the way soon …

Popularity: 22%