Big City, Small Budget...money saving ideas for your next trip

The family and I were away for a few weeks in my hometown and I did not get to creating any posts, I was taking a "blogcation" I guess.

 It is crazy to think I was a tourist in my own hometown of Chicago this summer but the kids are of the age to visit these fun places.

The key however was not to spend much money doing it, or at least try not to.
I believe the following  tips will serve anyone well as they venture out sightseeing in a city not their own.

Hotel:

1) Location, Location:

list all the attractions you are interested in seeing and map them out.  If they are in a general location pick a hotel that you won't spend hrs in the car or money in cabs.  

2)IF traveling with a family look for hotels that offer breakfast.  We stayed at the Embassy Suites because my husband had Hilton reward points.  They offer a happy hour as well, so mommy was able to unwind with a beverage and the kids thought they were being spoiled by drinking Shirley temples...

3) Research the best hotels for children and always look online for deals b/f booking.  The second hotel we stayed at offered several amenities for children.  When we got there they were not forthcoming so I had to call down to get them.  We were given children's robes, a sweet treat every afternoon, board games, crayons etc.

Attractions:

1)Look online for discount tickets for any of the attractions you are interested in.  Chicago and many other cities offer Go Cards or City Cards that have various levels of attractions to purchase at a discount.  As well as other discounts.  My daughter was able to get a free American Girl Doll photo with a $20 purchase.  We knew we were going to buy something there so this was a bonus.  The picture retailed at $24.

2) Look at your memberships you have in your own city to museums and see if they have reciprocal relationships to the museums at your destination.  It may be worth joining just for that trip.  My science museum membership cost 75 dollars, to go into one museum in Chicago it was $50 but we got into it free with our Richmond membership.  Plus we had 3 other spots we could go.

3)Many museums have free days as well.  Look online at each attraction to find this information out.  It may be a little more crowded but you can't beat the price.

4) Restaurants also have deals.  I happened to look up the address to a restaurant we were interested in and they had a website.  Discovered they offered a recession dinner deal.

5) Also look on line for free concerts, festivals and firework shows available in many cities over the summer.

Transportation:

1) If the weather and city location allows use the cheapest means of transportation, your legs.  You really can take in all the sights, smells and scenes of the town you are visiting. Plus you might discover something you would otherwise miss in a cab.

But look online to see if the transit authority of that city offers daily or weekly passes.  It may be worth it.

Wherever your travels take you, be sure and take lots of pictures and don't feel bad about being a tourist!!!

Love to hear any of your travel tips