Traveling on a shoe-string budget is one experiment that any type of traveler would like to carry out. Many times, we get carried away with the stories about the glitz & glory of a particular city/destination. Take the example of the city of Los Angeles which we associate with the Universal Studios, Hollywood, Disneyland Park, etc. The matter of the fact is that there is another angle of Los Angeles that needs to be explored since that is where you would witness a lot of excitement.
If you are planning to holiday in Los Angeles, you may want to keep the costs to the minimum without sacrificing comfort. There are several areas where you can save if you plan & smartly execute your trip, some of them are mentioned below:
Accommodation and Parking
You may be from Los Angeles & want to take a break from your normal routine or plan to holiday with your friends who have arrived from another city/country; parking is one area where you can save money. Opting for a budget hotel might have a downside as the parking rates in the hotel might be high and that would nullify your savings.
The high parking rule cannot be generalized for every hotel hence; you need to be smart in selecting the right hotel for accommodation. You could choose to park your car at LAX airport since there are short-term and long-term parking options are available. Short-term parking in the airport is normally preferred by people who want to park their vehicles for a few hours but usually no longer. This can be a good option if you’re looking for things to do near LA airport for a couple of hours or if you’re picking up / dropping people at the airport.
In case you want to park for a longer/extended duration of time, you should choose long-term parking at the LAX airport. There are onsite and offsite options available for long-term parking. Long term LAX parking rates are $12/day at the Economy Public Parking Lot C. The rate for parking at all Central Terminal parking areas is $30/day. A more economical option is offsite parking which is around $8-$10/day. You can pre-book the best parking slots by using way.com so that you do not struggle in finding the right parking slot.
Finding the ideal hotel is always a priority when you travel to any place but many times, you need to also evaluate the options available for accommodation from a different perspective.
Food and eating out
Depending on the lunch & dinner arrangements in your hotel, you may either choose to eat at the hotel or have a budget meal for lunch/dinner. Many restaurants offer complimentary breakfast and you may not be willing to skip those complementary offerings. If you are traveling on a shoe-string budget, such small savings will also help. Planning the trip well in advance will help you in selecting the best hotel for accommodation and shortlisting economical restaurants for eating out.
Los Angeles Restaurant Week is celebrated across the city from July 12 to July 26. During that time, many restaurants offer fixed-price meals at discounted prices. If you are not adamant on your travel dates, just check if you could plan your trip when Los Angeles Restaurant Week is being celebrated.
Budget Shopping
There are lots of places around LAX airport where you can do budget shopping. Along with branded items; malls like Howard Hughes Promenade, Westfield Culver City, Plaza El Segundo, etc. also have non-branded items at a reasonable price. Since these malls are close to LAX airport, you could park your car at the airport and enjoy shopping with your co-travelers.
There are other areas like cheap airfare, opting rented cars, etc. where you could save money when traveling but the tips mentioned above can be used to save more while traveling!
