Budget Travel Tips: Drinking Abroad

Budget Travel – Drinking Abroad
Drinking too much. It happens to the best of us. Unfortunately, when you are living or traveling abroad, it can really strain your budget, and may even force you to change your travel plans. I have met dozens of people that have had to  alter their itinerary because they spent too much money partying. Some had to miss weekend excursions, some had to cancel parts of their trip, and some even had to find a job before they could afford to fly home. It is unfortunate, but it could have been prevented.

If you are preparing a trip, or are currently traveling, be sure to check out the four suggestions below. The first three are pretty basic, but the last is my personal secret. I have personally used these methods to save money while having a good time, and now you can too.

Tip #1 – Don’t Forget to Save Room for Alcohol in Your Budget!

If you have a budget, leave room for alcohol. Travelers are often so focused on transportation, dining, and lodging costs, they forget to set aside drinking money. As a result, people often spend money on alcohol that should really be used for entrance fees, transportation, lodging, and food.

If you don’t have a budget, try to make sure you have a rough idea of how much you can, or will, spend on booze. If you’re not careful, you might find your saving account empty in the first few weeks.  In addition, try to book lodging and transportation before you start traveling. If you have most of the major costs covered, you won’t have to worry about getting stuck on the street in a foreign country.

*Note: For this to work, you obviously need to follow your budget!

Tip # 2 – Research Bars and Clubs for Discounts

There are some pretty good budget travel guides and websites. Before you hit the town for the night, be sure to research bars and clubs. It is possible to find venues that are fun and cheap, but you have to work a bit harder to find them. Here are a couple of good resources:

Books

Rough Guides
Frommer’s

Website

Wiki Travel

*Notes: When looking through guidebooks and websites, it is important to remember that “cheaper” does not always mean “cheap”. It usually means “not as expensive as the place next door, but still pretty damn expensive”. If prices are not listed, you need to pay special attention to the source. If the guide book targets wealthier travelers, it is not going to be very useful in this situation.

Tip # 3 – Pre-game

If you are reading this, I probably don’t need to go into details. It is pretty simple – when you get back from your travels, grab some drinks from the store, and try to load up before you go out.

*Warning: this can actually make it harder to save money. Some people pre-game, and then suddenly don’t feel that 5+Euro beers are that expensive. If you cannot control how much you drink, it is actually not a good idea to lower your inhibitions before going to expensive bars.

Tip # 4 (AKA “The Secret”) – Drink at Convenience Stores!

If that sounds sketchy, it’s probably because you are all too accustomed to the United States open-container laws. However, most countries don’t have such silly laws, which means drinking in public is perfectly acceptable*. As a traveler, you should embrace this freedom, and use it to your advantage. Whether you are heading to a football match in Portugal, or a night-club in Hong Kong, drinking at convenience stores is the best way to save money.

The strategy is simple. When you are moving from bar to bar (or club to club), take a quick detour to the nearest 7-11, and buy some drinks.  You’ll find a similar selection, but you’ll spend anywhere from a third to a tenth of what you would pay at a bar/club.

Oh, and don’t worry, you wont be the only one doing this. Head over to a convenience store in any major bar district, and you will see other travelers doing the exact same thing. It is a great way to meet people, share travel stories, and possibly even find a date. I can honestly say that some of my most interesting conversations during my summer travels took place outside convenience stores.

So, if you can’t stick to a budget, don’t have one, or can’t control “drunk you”, just make sure you head to a convenience store for all your rounds.

*Before traveling, make sure to check the laws of each country you plan to visit.