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Viewing Toronto, Canada: Traveling on a BudgetToronto, Canada: Traveling on a Budget
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I recently made a trip from Buffalo to Toronto to attend a convention. I made it a goal to spend as little as possible on this trip. However, I still wanted to have a great time. There are several ways to cut travel costs. Here is how I did it. By Martin Mlodozeniec I recently made a trip from Buffalo to Toronto to attend a convention. I made it a goal to spend as little as possible on this trip. However, I still wanted to have a great time. There are several ways to cut travel costs. Some main costs that I wanted to cut were lodging, car rental and transportation, food and beverage, currency exchange, entertainment, and cigarettes and alcohol. I wanted to stay as close to the Convention Center as possible. The hotels in that area charge from $150 to $300 per night. I could not justify spending that much, since I did not plan to be there except to sleep. When you stay at a hotel, you have additional costs such as tips to bellhops, cleaning staff, etc. I stayed at a hostel close to the Convention Center for around $29 per night. A hostel is a dormitory. Everyone was friendly at the hostel. I had an opportunity to meet new people. The bathroom was a shared bathroom, but very clean. It was a good experience and saved me considerable travel expenses. I could have driven to Toronto from Buffalo. However, there would be gas expenses, tolls, and parking fees. Parking is expensive in Toronto. The streets in Toronto are also congested with pedestrians, cars, bikes, and streetcars. I decided to take the Greyhound to Toronto for $32. Since I was close to the center of downtown, I was able to walk. I saved money by not taking a taxi from the bus station. However, if you are going to walk from the bus station to the hostel, you should take luggage with a shoulder strap and wheels. I could have taken the streetcar or subway around Toronto during my stay. However, I needed the exercise, and walked everywhere. (You should make sure you have comfortable shoes if you plan on walking.) Food costs can be expensive when you are traveling. It can be costly to go to restaurants. I ate at the Convention Center one day. I brought power bars with me for snacks. I took advantage of the free pancake breakfast in the morning at the hostel, and I could have purchased food at the grocery store across the street. The hostel had a kitchen that I could have used. However, I ate mostly from the street vendors. Their food was cheap, good, and convenient. If I wanted dessert for a low cost, there were Mr. Softy ice cream trucks all over the place. In order to save on beverages, I carried a collapsible bottle. I simply filled this up with tap water when I was thirsty. When you travel to a foreign country, there is always a foreign currency conversion cost. I wanted to minimize this cost. I lost a penny in conversion exchanging it at the hostel instead of the bank, but it was more convenient. I used a credit card to make my purchases whenever I had the opportunity. I called the credit card companies before I left to ask them about their currency conversion policies. The best one I could find was a card with a 2% conversion cost. However, this was much more affordable than going to the Toronto and Buffalo banks to exchange money. For entertainment, I went to Eaton Centre, the Hockey Hall of Fame, and China Town. It does not cost anything to walk around Eaton Centre or China Town. In addition, you can eat at a discount in China town. The Hockey Hall of Fame was relatively inexpensive. I spent about 6 hours there, and I had my picture taken with The Stanley Cup. It is very expensive to smoke or drink alcohol when you go to Toronto. It cost me $5.50 for a draft pint of beer at the hostel bar. I was informed by a Toronto resident that it is the normal bar price. I heard that cigarettes go for around $12 per pack. I do not know what the duty is on tobacco and alcohol. However, you may want to consider bringing them with you on your trip to Canada. I spent 3 days in Toronto. I had a great time and did not go broke doing so. Just because you travel on a budget does not mean that you cannot have fun! I look forward to going back to Toronto for the Film Festival. About the Author: Affordable Travel - http://www.vacationthoughts.com - http://www.premierwebtravel.com - http://www.lowraterooms.com. Article source: 111 Travel Directory: Triple1.com (triple one dot com) More free articles: 1st Rate Articles - 1stRateArticles.com |
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