Good advice Mark! But I will add one on plane travel: Don’t hesitate to pay a little bit more for direct flight. The super deal with a long layover may seem great but there is two caveats: 1. You lose time for visiting 2. You will likely spend money during that layover, even a sandwich is expensive in a airport and more likely you will go to a sit down restaurant and have a drink to help spend that time. You could easily spend 100$ just there.

I think the best budget thing I've been doing this year is rebooking hotel rooms. Book the hotel room you want with free cancellation. Then when you see a better deal, or promo code, book it again and cancel the original booking. You get the same hotel, but for less money.

Part of a fun learning experience is going to a foreign supermarket. It was money saving, but such a unique way to see the every day life of another country.

my best tip is to book a hotel that allows you to do most sightseeing by foot instead of being stuck in the metro without seeing anything. Even if the hotel is more expensive then a hotel far from the center, what you save in transport and in stress of figuring out bus/metro routes in a place you go for the first time makes it worth it.

I would add a caveat for buying a plane ticket from site other than the airline directly. It might save you 5-10 dollars, but if something goes wrong with the flight, you will have to fix it through the site you bought it from and that can take forever. You can get assistance more quickly directly from the airline if you buy direct.

I can recommend a budget friendly destination - Budapest, Hungary. Budapest reminds me a lot of Paris - the same look of the 5 story apartment buildings - the Danube going through the center rather than the Seine - beautiful Cathedrals - great food - excellent public transportation. In addition Budapest has thermal pools. But it's a fraction of the cost.

Love these tips: One thing I did during lunch was to watch where the construction workers were heading to eat in Germany and found a great little sausage stand.

Hey Mark! So the incognito trick might not really be worth it because the point of sale (PoS in revenue mgmt terms) remains the same; it doesn't think you're in a different location. So afaik, prices don't inflate because you keep seeing them. They are always controlled by us in revenue management where we handle inventory. A VPN could perhaps help to buy from a different PoS. I work in a BA short-haul where there are just two points of sale (UK and the Rest of Europe) so there's not much difference between the two in terms of fares as the willingness to pay is roughly the same, but it can differ in the rest of world scenario. The faster the lower fares sell (always look out for the selling class when you book a ticket; this is just a single letter such as K, L, etc., and is different from your cabin, which is economy, business, etc). Each of these classes is stacked in the form of a ladder (increasing classes at the top of the ladder, the topmost being fully flexible), and we just open and close classes to reduce/increase fares. In the inventory, the system jumps to the higher classes by closing the lower ones depending on how much demand we've forecasted in each fare class (the lowest open class at the time is the fare you see on the website). This is what eventually inflates the fares. We could always intervene and open a lower class if the demand for a flight slows down (these last-minute deals are due to this), closer to departure, and reduce the fare. A full flight, or a 90-100% load factor for the routes we manage is almost as important as maximizing revenue for us. Demand and supply. :) Low-cost carriers are only low-cost when it's low season haha. Trust me, we have easyjet and Wizz Air as our competitors lol. Also, 1 pound fares dont include carrier-imposed fees and taxes, which make up the major component of what you pay anyways. Hope you are well!

Traveling off peak time is a great tip. I traveled to Spain in October and indeed the weather was great and no lines to museums and other attractions. Thank you Mark for another great video.

For the phone plan issue, I would recommend getting a local SIM card. In Italy I was able to purchase an Italian SIM Card for $30 for 15gb of data and that meant we had a local number to be able to contact local businesses. It was very convenient and then I was able to turn on my hotspot so my husband could just piggy back off my cellular data. It was cheaper than adding the international plan.

Great video! I'll add one more - when booking hotels/airbnbs, don't look at just the price of the room, but also the location. If you book a cheaper hotel that's outside the main area you want to explore, you'll have to pay to get there and back each day, and that might wind up costing more than if you'd booked a more expensive hotel/airbnb in the main area you want to explore; plus you'll spend time traveling there and back!

Just to add to data plan tip-be careful about having your data on when you haven’t done yet arrived in your destination. I was on a ferry from England to The Netherlands (at the time both in the EU) and so I left my data roaming on as it was included in my plan for the EU. Went to sleep and woke up to quite a big bill because somehow I’d picked up signal in international waters.

For International travel, I book through an Agency. When the airline decides to change your flight without your consent (or even knowledge), the Agency will have more clout to fix the situation.

If you don't require high end hotels, hostels are a great option. They are less expensive and there are many seasoned, budget conscious travelers at them who are usually more than happy to share "hacks" and advice. I've gotten so much valuable information and advice from fellow travelers at hostels, which isn't as easy to get at hotels. Also, many hostels organize group activities, which are fun. For those who don't care for staying in dorms or are travelling with a spouse or family, many hostels offer private rooms, similar to what you get in a hotel.

Lots of good advice! If you’re over 60 also look for senior discounts. They’re not as common in Europe as in the USA but they exist and can save you a lot. For example, trains in both France and Italy offer senior fares. In France it’s a minimum of 10% off as long as you book at least 1 day in advance. I’ve gotten as much as 50% off for senior tickets.

I always get a local sim card for my cell phone from the first stop in Europe I go. For like 10-20 Euros you can have a local number and enough data for a 3 week trip using Google maps every day and I use wifi in accommodations at night. It also usually works fine without roaming fees in most every country you may go through.

Good tips as always! Thank you

Great tips

FamilyMart and 7-11 convenience stores were a lifesaver when I traveled to Japan. Not only affordable but you can find some really tasty and healthy snacks.

I love how you keep it real. You’re speaking to the people ! Thank you

Great things to consider, thanks so much 😊

Great video, great info! Not a minute wasted, thank you so much!

Great info, Mark. Safe travels.

I couchsurf and yes it can save a ton of money. That said be a good guest. Me and a friend stayed in Denver 5 days. Our host was up to see if we got back we were so quiet he didn't realize we were home. We also treated him to a baseball game. If it wasn't for him just coming back from being out of town we would have gone whitewater rafting. Tip if you stay with family or friends do something unique with them. Staycation is always fun from a couchsurfer and one of the main reasons why.

Great travel tips. I'm planning to travel this year so this was good timing for me.

Thanks for the video Wolter!

Thank you for making this video😊

Great tips always!

Thanks Mark, great advice. Stay blessed! ✈️

Excellent advice!

Very useful thank you

Great advice all around

For the public transportation it's always a good idea to see if there's a (multi)day pass. Most cities have those. It's cheaper than buying separate tickets for every ride and saves you time. Booking asap isn't always cheaper. Sometimes it's better to wait. Flight prices often fluctuate depending on popular demand. Booking on a saturday afternoon is probably going to be a bit pricier than on a monday morning.

Very good video, thank you!

Thank you! I really enjoy and appreciate your tips!

Great job Mark! Some good advice for the rookie and experienced traveler.

Super interesting! Thanks 👍

The best travel tips always! Thanks Wolters World.

This was so helpful! Thank you

VERY helpful tips thank you so much!

Great Video. Thank you for posting.

great video and advice as always 👍🏻

Great video Great reminder for even season travelers.

Very good advice,,,Thank you.

Your videos are always useful but this is one of the best. A ton of excellent advice! Thanks

Great advice, thank you. Wish I’d known this years ago.

You are awesome, thanks for all those amazing tips

Mark, thanks for the great information you share! Other people’s experiences are so helpful. Keep up the great videos!

Wow really great tips, thanks so much

Great video Mark, love you channel, greatings from Costa Rica

Great video! Going on my first trip abroad soon, so this will be very helpful.

Your vids are my favorite go-to vids now. Keep up the great work & keep them coming, please!

Excellent video with lots of good information. Thank you 😊

Thanks again, and again, and again for all your wonderful infos and inspos you posted on KZfaq. It seems like I can never have enough of these, especially when I haven't been traveling for quite some time now despite all the destinations I've been eyeing for years.

SO happy to see you back in my favorite city! Spot-on tips as always! I always go (on the first morning) to a store of some international celphone company and buy a SIM CARD for that country, (in Lisbon it was only 20 Euros and good for a month) and then have them insert it in my phone (their eyesight is better than mine! ), keeping my chip taped to the inside of my case for back home, and then I have phone service for anything, anywhere, not just where there is Free WiFi. Being able to call an Uber anywhere, anytime is a big plus, especially in Lisbon where Uber is super cheap, and good for chatting with the driver and getting local tips and recommendations for food and activities. We travel a lot (at least 3 international trips per year) especially as we get older and know we won't always be able to walk as much as before, and we bought a ONE YEAR travel insurance policy. It covers all our travel to wherever for any trip up to 30 days. About $400 per person.

Thanks for this video! So many things I would’ve never even thought of.

Good info, thanks for the video!

Great video and awesome tips!

Fantastic guidelines we live by for our full Time travel but learned a couple new tricks. Your full of info, thanks for sharing 🙏

Great advice...when we travel as a family, we always go for self contained accommodation. Then we do some grocery shopping to make sure we always have breakfast in. then alternate between - lunch out and dinner in, or flip that, make a packed lunch and dinner out.

I did all these suggestions, thanks to you guys! Paris and Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School was a blast last year and I had no issues!

I love this type of content, Mark, which is applicable to different destinations! Thanks for this one

Thanks for the reminders.!!

As a retired travel planner and hotelier, I find your content well researched and expertly presented. I had to smile the other day when you said Switzerland was the least friendly country, and on this video when you mention Switzerland as potentially breaking your budget. Why? After skiing in Davos back in the 80s when I was in my 20s, we booked a trip to the Alps for this June. It is expensive, but as you said in one video, knowing that going in will keep it fun. Thanks always for the great advice.

You're great! Cheers!

These are all super solid tips! I've travelled a lot but didn't know the tip about accepting the exchange rate at the ATM. Thanks!

Great vid super info

Great video, so much travel wisdom. A great start here video for travelers.

*Accommodation* : Don't discount staying hostels. I stayed in many, many YHA hostels around the globe. Many now have private rooms. They were all very clean, and a great way to get ideas for things to do. If you're a solo traveller, it's a great way to meet people to do activities with. Even if you are choosing to stay in a hotel/ apartment, visiting a hostel is a great way of getting information of things to do. They are always very plugged in to what is going on. Also a great place to organise tours as they do this all the time.

all great advice, good Sir. Cheers !

Such great advice! I've learnt some of this through my years of traveling, but the rest of it after we followed your advice on other videos. Keep it up, Mark! I love watching your videos and how you incorporate your family into it. Thanks for keeping it real and spreading the wealth of knowledge.

Awesome advice!!

For meals.. we research supermarkets and purchase items for breakfast and make sandwiches in our hotel room. We also look for cooked meals in the supermarkets. At the hotel we boil water and let it cool by morning and bottle for the day. We also make our coffee and tea in the room and walk with.

Great advice, as always. ☀️

These are great tips that I often apply. It is amazing how frequent travelers don't do their research or get to know these points programs in & out!

I am an experienced traveller and this video had stuff that I hadn't even considered - thanks for the video!

Awesome video! I appreciate the tips! Thank you!

Very informative. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

Love your videos! They always make me happy and excited to go somewhere. Still too nervous to bring our little one on trips with us, but your family videos give us confidence to seriously consider it.

Thanks for information ❤🌹

Thank you!

Another thing that saves money, and maybe this is obvious, is not buying souvenirs. If I do it's something I can use, it's small for space, and is under a dollar amount depending on my budget. Especially in touristy areas it can be ridiculously expensive. Thanks for these budget tips. I'm hoping to start traveling international in the next year or so.

Thank you for this video. Great information 👍👍

Haven't see you in a while. Good to see you in my feed again :)

Thanks Walter that was beautiful

I'm a solo traveler I will stay in hostel in Europe and highly recommend it for people who travel alone and want to meet fellow travelers to explore the local area but also allow you to explore alone. Review the reviews of the hostels before booking, and some have cheaper solo rooms compared to hotels. I'm going to Japan in March and plan to use railroads and bicycles as transportation.

Amazing Tipps!! 👌👌👌😍 Thank you very much for sharing, Wolter!! Greetings from Barcelona 👍❤☺🇪🇸

Wolter, long time no see, I always watching your videos, all great and a lot of info. we learn a lot from you. Thank you

Thanks for some great tips.

My advise on the transportation stuff: If you travel by car in the Netherlands always use the P+R sites at the outskirts of cities. For example in Utrecht a day ticket for parking at one costs about €6 which includes a free local public transport day pass for 5 people. One hour of street parking in the city center will cost you €6.46 (Or € 46,55 for a day).

Excellent video!

Always a joy. Surprisingly learned several tips I'd never thought of before. Thank you

great general advice

Excellent tips. Thank you.

Nice tips. Ive traveled a lot. Still, i learned some great tips here.thx

Almost at one million subs thumbs up great tips

Great tips Mark! We travel mostly in the USA, but we have Amtrak Rewards, Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy and use them often. We did a cross country road trip a few years ago and stayed a LOT of free nights! Safe travels and keep in touch.

Excellent travel tips mostly for beginner travelers, but also as a reminder to expert travelers. Thanks Mark for making this video. It summarizes many tips all in one place. Now we can share it with friends and family, to help them save money and avoid disappointment.

Hey Mark, great video and awesome advice

Once again, great tips Mark! I always do the research on our travel destinations to find the best value while traveling. We always use public transport. Also also, if the destination offers a city pass, we grab it for the savings.