Most people are looking for ways to save money on vacation while still having as much fun. Here are a few of our EASY ways to cut costs and control your budget EVERYDAY:
1) Find a hotel deal within your budget .............. look for deals that may include the Jamaican Room Tax and hotel service fees (collected and distributed to hotel employees who normally do not receive tips such as gardeners, maids, laundry people, and other "backroom employees) ............ these hidden taxes and fees normally run up to 20% of room rate plus $4 per bedroom per night Room Tax. Savings of 20% minimum
2) Stay at a hotel near where you spend the majority of your time. For example we are "beach people" so we stay the majority of the time at a beach hotel. Less transportation costs. Savings vary on how much you travel and what kind of transport you use.
3) Find a hotel that provides the extras you need or want the most. For example, free ice, clean beach towels every day, free breakfast, free refrigerator, free AC, etc... Save money and enjoy more at the same time.
4) Use your in-room refrig to the best of your ability. Case of beer from local store is $20-$24 US. Twenty for beers at $2US at a bar is $48 - do the math.
5) Like some special drinks that are hard to find or expensive. Like Gin/Vodka and tonic or seltzer ?............ bring a few bottles of tonic or seltzer. Like Bourbon? - pack a bottle or three of your favorite. Gimlets are your favorite - pack Rose's Lime Juice. Tequila on the rocks lights you fire - pack some tequila. Need a bloody mary to clear the fog in the morning - pack bloody mary mix and tomato juice. Like a nice olive or three in your sunset martini - pack a jar of olives ............. and vermouth. We pack ALL of the above.
6) Some hotel booking sites have discount cards included in their packages. For example negrilonestop.com has a card which gives you 10-15% discount at many places. That makes going out to a nicer place easier on the budget. We used it extensively in April. That is another 10% - 15 % savings.
7) Work the "happy hour" angle to your best advantage. Lots of places have discount food or drinks if you know where and when to look. For example White Sands has a "2 drinks for 1 price" special daily. Not exactly "buy one get one deal" but still a substantial savings over regular prices.
8) Find a way to cheaply convert your US dollars into Jamaican dollars and pay for most things in Jamaican dollars. ATM's charge a service charge which can vary but $5 US or more per transaction is not unheard of. Your bank may charge a ATM fee AND a foreign transaction fee which can run from zero to 15%. The exchange rate you get at a restaurant or bar will always be less then a Bank or Cambio. For example, beers on the beach can cost $150 to $400 Jamaican But you only have US dollars? They will charge you $1.50 to $4.00US. Might not seem like much, but with an exchange rate of $115 JA to $1US you just paid $230JA for a $200JA beer. Total those savings and it is a easy 15% - 25% savings just in simple currency management.
9) Stay longer. Airfare is a fixed cost and if you spread that cost over more days your cost per day is less. You don't save any money but you certainly will have more fun ! !
10) Fly on days when flights are cheaper. ITAsoftware.com has a great feature to show a 30 day calendar of flight costs. Some times moving ahead or back a day or two can save you $$$$$.
Originally Posted by goldilocks
