Has budget travel changed?

10 *lambskin - give us a few examples of your 'Queen of Cheap' claim, please.
I always try cutting corners and saving a penny or two where I can.
I'm intrigued at what you might have to offer us all.
I thank you.

Travel on the cheap requires a lot of planning before you leave. Monitoring exchange rates, avoiding expensive countries and lowering standards of hotels and dining are a must. Take local transport out of the airport rather than a taxi. Many airport employyes take a bus to/from work. Or if not available-walk out of the airport to the main road and catch a taxi there. We are a family so we avoid bars, discos and clubs with overpriced drinks and cover charges. We buy our booze and drink it in the room. We have been known to skip breakfast and wait to eat lunch. Lunch is cheaper than dinner so for 'splurge meals' we opt to do so at lunch. Buying snacks and beverages before you get on a bus or train saves money. We will wash clothes ourselves-either in the room, at the hostel or if we can find a laundrymat. We avoid package tours and try to take public transportation. Downloading subway, bus and train maps and schedules in advance makes sightseeing easy. Use locals for your tour guide-ask them where is their favorite place to eat, a good place to shop and if a certain place is worth a visit. I always ask how much something should cost that typically does not have a fixed price such as a taxi to a certain place. Museum and theater prices have exploded-so try to find freebie days or reduced price tickets. Stay at cheap places and hang out at the expensive places with ammenities. Ask the concerige the cost of the use of the pool, sauna, work out room etc for a few hours. Find travelers with similiar destinations to share costs. Sometimes you can share a taxi to a place that combined is the same or cheaper than the bus and more direct and comfortable. Keep shopping to a minimum. Know what is made locally and what the deals are-i.e. pearls in Shanghai, silver in Thailand and carpets in Pakistan. Find out what the items cost at home and then use that as a gage. I have been to Turkey twice and despite my attempts, I have never left with a carpet. I could buy it at home cheaper witha return policy and no duty. On the otherhand, I have left Dubai laden with carpets.

We pay extreme attention to budget, otherwise we wouldn't be able to travel. Coincidentally, salt is sometimes on the packing list, depending on the nature of the trip.

Each trip has its own tweaks. Last year in Peru-Bolivia, nothing was pre-booked. For Norway next month, you bet your booties I've pre booked every night, all less than 100USD for the two of us--hostels, fjord-side cabins, BnB. I've also snapped up discount pre-paid train tickets. We'll be taking several pounds of nuts, which tend to be expensive there. We will cook most of our meals in the kitchens at our accommodations.

The hikes among the fjords will be free. :)