Here's how you can save your travel cost

Travelling veterans would often tell you tales of how they scanned cities and tourist destinations with nothing but a few rupees in their pockets! Well, intelligent planning, and no frills attached travelling can actually make this possible.

If you are an avid traveler, who loves to set out on exploratory visits every now and then, you would know how it pinches the pockets even if it is pleasing to the soul. However, if you follow a few basic rules of the game, you can minimize your expenses and get the maximum value for your buck.

Kapil Goswamy, CMD at Bigbreaks has listed a few money saving tips for the travelers:

# Book your trip early: It is common knowledge that the later you book your tickets - airline, hotels - the more you are expected to be charged. It is therefore advisable to chart out your travel plans early and book your visits a few months in advance. This will allow you to save on airline and train tickets as also help you get a more affordable hotel which might be taken if you book late. Best idea is to look at the calendar at the onset of every year and book your trips then and there.

# Research well: Don't embark on a trip blindly; make sure you research well about the destination and make a list of 'To Do' items on the trip. This will help you save both time and money while on the trip, and allow you to make the best of your visit. Often, we embark on a trip without knowing much about the destination, and end up cramming too many things into the itinerary once we reach there.

# Check for interesting local destinations: We often tend to yearn to travel abroad when there are plenty of exciting and unexplored destinations in India to see. Limit your foreign visits to once in a while and spend more vacations travelling within India where there is no dearth of splendid tourist spots. If you are a beach lover, and have already visited Goa, look for Kerala, Pondicherry and Orissa; if you are a mountain person, and have already seen most north Indian hill stations, head south for a different hilly experience in Munnar, Ooty etc.

# Look for cheaper destinations: If you want to travel abroad with a limited budget, look for countries where the currency is cheaper. There are so many beautiful and exotic places in the world that have a lower currency value than Indian rupee such as Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia etc.

# Take public transport: This is another way to save a lot of money while travelling. We often tend to believe that public transport would cause inconvenience as compared to travelling on taxis and personal transport. However, with a little research and checking, one can rely on public transport and save a lot of money. Using buses, local trains etc also allow travelers to get a closer glimpse of a destination, and offer a more fulfilling experience.

# Avoid tourist hotspots while eating and shopping: Wherever you go, make sure you check a few locals and ask them about the right places to eat and shop. Usually, markets and eating centres that are frequented by tourists tend to charge exorbitantly as sellers here take advantage of the visitors' lack of local knowledge. Wherever you go, always shop and eat like locals do; not like tourists. This will help you save money on food and souvenirs.

# Book with a travel agent: Booking with an experienced travel agency will allow you pack more experiences into your limited budget. Travel agents have much experience and in-depth knowledge of tourist destinations needed to design the best packages for you, while customizing the experiences according to your budget and other requirements.

-ANI