Living on a budget doesn’t mean that you can’t still tick a few things off of your bucket list. I mean, saving your extra cash for travel should be one of the benefits of a thrifty life, shouldn’t it?! Even so, there are savings to be made every time you travel and it IS possible to make a trip to an iconic destination, like the Niagara Falls much more affordable. Here’s how…
One of my reasons for living life on a budget is so that I have money leftover at the end of the month. This is either spent on experiences (days out, tickets for shows, fun with friends etc) or is saved for our future travel plans. I recently blogged about ways to travel the US without breaking the bank and I’m still stowing cash away for my US and Canada trip. The piggy bank is my friend!
So, if you’ve been frugal all month/year/decade, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t use the money you’ve saved to live out your budget list and visit a dream destination. Which is exactly why I’ve decided to blog about Niagara Falls today and share with you some tips for your budget bucket list trip…
STAY AT LEAST ONE NIGHT IN A SWANKY HOTEL
If you’re finally taking your dream trip, don’t let the fact that you are travelling on a limited budget lead to your completely dismissing the idea of staying somewhere wonderful for just a night or two. If you’re heading to Niagara Falls, the Marriott on the Falls is a five-star hotel that offers its guests the chance to stay in a room with a panoramic view of the actual waterfalls. That’s a once in a lifetime experience nobody should miss out on!
It’s a good idea to sign up for the newsletter of any of hotel chains you like the look of. That way if there is a promotion or discount available you will be one of the first to hear about it, giving you the chance to get in early and grab yourself a bargain.
BE PREPARED TO TRAVEL OUT OF SEASON
If you’re prepared to visit out of season, when the cost of accommodation is much lower, you will usually be able to afford to stay for longer or enjoy that extra-special night or two in a top-end hotel. November is a particularly good month to visit the waterfalls. It’s not likely to be warm and you may experience some rain and wind but, provided you dress appropriately, you can still have a great time.
You’ll find that most shops and hotels put up their festive decorations and lights very early so, if you go at the end of November the whole place will have started to take on a magical feel. However, you do need to check if all of the attractions you want to enjoy are still going to be open – plan ahead!
PLAN YOUR ITINERARY
If Niagara Falls is on your bucket list, there’s no harm in planning your itinerary ahead of time. Not only will this motivate you to save more for your trip, it’ll also allow you to take advantage of the area’s great public transport network and opens up the chance for you to pre-order your attraction tickets.
It is fairly easy to find and buy attraction packages online. These can save you a lot of money, but you should double-check the details to make sure this will actually be the case! The chances are you might not want to visit every single one of the attractions included in the package. So, before you book, go online and check the prices of the activities you definitely want to do. Then tot up the cost and, if the total is lower than the price of a package deal, just go ahead and buy the tickets individually. Make sure that you buy your package from a legitimate website. If you are visiting the Canada side of the Falls, try this site.
LOOK FOR FREE STUFF TO DO
There’s no need to spend a lot of money every single day. There are plenty of free things to do when you’re visiting Niagara Falls. For example, there are some lovely marked walking trails so, provided it is not too cold or wet, you can enjoy those and explore the area. Visiting Hershey’s Chocolate World and taking a stroll along Clifton Hill is a must-do. And lot of the winery tours are free, as is entry to the Niagara History Museum.
I’m very excited to travel to Canada in the future. Let me know your budget bucket list travel plans in the comments below. Seeing as I haven’t yet travelled to Niagara Falls, this blog post is by no means an exhaustive list of things to do while you’re there but, with a little extra research online, you’ll be able to uncover even more free things to enjoy during your stay when you tick Niagara Falls off your bucket list.
This blog post is a collaboration. The pink links in this post may indicate a collaborative link or information source.
