How to Save Money on Transportation Costs While Traveling

For travelers looking to stretch their vacation dollars, cutting back on transportation costs may be the easiest way to do just that. We’ve partnered with RideGuru to bring you the best money-saving tips for international and local transportation.

Save Money on Transportation While Traveling

Compare prices beforehand

Comparing the cost of an Uber, Lyft, or local taxi doesn’t require multiple apps or standing in the cold for 5 minutes. RideGuru – available in over 70 countries – is the comparison site for all rideshare and taxi services, and even allows you to request your ride straight from the website. Forget jumping from app to app looking for the quickest and cheapest ride – a quick check on RideGuru’s website will save you time and money in seconds.

“Many times travelers can save even more money on taxi and rideshare rides with student or senior discounts. If you are unsure of the promotions in your area try asking one of the “Gurus” in the RideGuru forum.

Carpool

In major cities, many taxi services like UberPOOL offer ridesharing or carpooling services; take advantage of these! By sharing a ride with other passengers, you can save around 20-40% on your ride fare. Chatting with locals or other travelers is just a bonus!

Utilize buses and trains

Large cities in the U.S. are consistently rated among the worst public transportation systems in the world, so it should be no surprise that most Americans have no idea how to navigate public transit. Nevertheless, don’t let this intimidate you from using buses or trains in other countries!

Western European countries are known for exceptionally efficient and organized public transportation – a great cost-effective alternative to traditional taxis or flying from country to country. Eurail passes are widely popular among tourists visiting multiple bordering European countries, although there are multiple reputable railway systems running through each continent.

Budget tip: Travel at night and sleep on the bus or train to save money on hotel accommodations and have more time to experience your destination city, rather than wasting precious daylight hours traveling from location to location.

Bike

Contrary to popular belief, Amsterdam and Copenhagen are not the only cities where cycling is a popular mode of transportation. Save yourself some money, get around like the locals, and rent a bike! Not only is this much cheaper than other alternatives, but getting to experience your surroundings on two wheels is probably the most personal way to see a new city. Here are some of the top bike-friendly tourism cities around the world:

• Copenhagen, Denmark
• Amsterdam, the Netherlands
• Bordeaux, France
• Seville, Spain
• Barcelona, Spain
• Berlin, Germany
• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Dublin, Ireland
• Vienna, Austria
• Paris, France
• Hamburg, Germany
• Montreal, Canada

Rent a car

If you plan on staying in any certain location longer than a week, it may be wise to spend a little more upfront on a rental car rather than racking up costs from many taxi rides. Rental cars are particularly useful in more rural settings where public transportation may not be well-established, but be aware of how and where you rent.

Airport car rental locations have highly inflated prices, so use RideGuru to hail a ride downtown for cheaper prices on your rental. Remember: should you choose to rent a car overseas, choose a compact car rather than a full-size sedan. The luxury or comfort of a larger car may be tempting, but narrow one-way roads and small parking spaces will make you thankful you went smaller!

Forget “recommendations”

When in doubt, you may think to ask the friendly hotel concierge for their recommendation on how to get to your destination. Think twice before doing this; they may be getting kickback from the cab company they’re recommending, ultimately costing you more out-of-pocket. Airports have similar agreements as well, so cut out the commissioned middle-man and do your own research!

RideGuru shows you exactly how much money a taxi company’s driver takes away from each ride, so you can choose a ridehail option with a high driver payout rather than one with more company profit.

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This article was made possible in partnership with RideGuru. As always, all opinions are our own.