Save on Travel to Tourist Attractions

• Before you book any train or transport tickets for your tourist travel do your research online first because some of them have peculiar price structures. For example it is much cheaper (almost half price) to book a train ticket for the channel tunnel (the chunnel) from London to Paris as a return ticket instead of a one way ticket (provided that the return date was more than 2 days from the departure date). This anomaly occurs because they offer a discount to people staying in the destination city for more than 2 nights, so, to save money, book a return ticket and simply throw it away when you reach either London or Paris.
• Most places of interest such as museums and other tourist attractions will offer you a cheaper entry fee if you commit to be a visitor by booking your tickets online directly with them before you leave home.
• You can save money on tourist travel overseas if you are a student, senior citizen or belong to certain professional organisations. For example journalists can get discounts on some gallery and museum entry fees. So always make sure that you carry your student card, senior citizens card or ID from any relevant industry body.
• Some tourist attractions and museums have special days where entry is free or significantly reduced. For example in Paris there is free entry on the first Sunday of the month to the Louvre and the Picasso Museum. Also in New York the Bronx Zoo has a 'pay what you can afford' day on Wednesday.
• A lot of major cities nowadays have a free or often inexpensive tour bus that will take you around most of the major sights in the city. These tour buses will let you see a lot of different attractions in a very short time, as well as generally having a running commentary about each site and its historic importance.
• If you can help it you should always refrain from using the currency exchange offices at major tourist travel destinations because they are almost certaining going to rip you off as far as the exchange rate goes.
• If you are hiring a car and visiting tourist attractions make sure that you do your research about vehicle access and parking first, as some major tourist attractions, for example in Italy, have restricted vehicle access around major tourist attractions in order to promote better pedestrian access and reduce polution. The last thing that you need on your overseas holidays in a parking fine or infringement notice.
• If you want to get a good photo as some once in a lifetime tourist attractions, such as the Taj Mahal, it is often best to stay overnight nearby and then visit the place on a couple of different occasions. Preferrably once in the morning and once again in the evening to get a different perspective on the monument or attraction.