Even as an experienced traveller - it is always so hard to tell if you are getting a good price or not! Do you guys have any tips/apps or anything that helps you while in destination?
2 Likes
I have the same problem! Would love to hear everyone’s tips and tricks 
Funny story is that we fell for a scam when we travelled to Thailand and noticed this once we got to the destination we wanted to head to. We found a really nice taxi driver around our hotel who was giving us amazing advise and decided to take him up on his offer to take us to a great location for a cruise down Chao Phraya River to visit the temples along the way. When we got to the port, we noticed how EXPENSIVE the river cruise was and that we could have taken a local ferry for much much less. It was a great experience nonetheless, but a good lesson learned too!
2 Likes
This might not be the advice you are looking for, but I do a lot of research before I go! In places just like this- forums and travel communities. I get an idea of the approximate cost of things, general exchange rate compared to my home currency, so I have a clear idea of what things cost. I also use the help of locals- when staying in a hostel or guest house, I ask the host what a good price for basic things like a meal or a taxi should cost, that way you get the insight from a local!
2 Likes
I’ve definitely been caught in a few tourist hustles before 
But it’s usually nothing too bad, like I have to get a shoe polish or pay a bit extra for something, or get taken to a shop where I have no interest in buying anything and have to firmly decline and leave, or buy something cheap.
The thing is, I think it really depends where you travel, as different countries, or even cities, have there own creative ways to get a bit of extra cash from you!
I only have some general advice:
- If your’e taking a taxi from anywhere - always agree on the price upfront - if you can look in advance what an average price is so you can tell somewhat if it is reasonable. (A lot of airports will have a set price for taxis these days)
- Always haggle (if that is the culture) and haggle again, as you would be surprised how much lower you can get something. (Once in Delhi a guy followed us up and down this shopping street trying to sell me a mini bongo that I didn’t want. Eventually he dropped the price so low, 10X less than he asked, I just bought it from him bc it was so cheap and gave it to someone as a souvenir )
- If someone wants to take you to their cousins shop, their families hotel or whatever it might be - decline! Unless you want to go and help them out.
- Be firm, it’s hard in some places - but you will get some people who are pushy, it’s just the way it is, so you learn to be firm in your ‘No thank you’s’ - say no at least 3 times!
- Know the currency conversion > have a rough idea in your head - like 1 of these is 10 of those - so you can roughly gage if something seems overly expensive for what it is. If it is still cheap to you - don’t even worry about paying more than it might be worth locally.
- Most important - don’t be too distrusting as there are a lot of genuinely kind people out there who are trying to be nice (and I have mistaken people for wanting money when they in fact didn’t before, which was way worse!)
If you’re on a tour you should be fine and listen and ask the local guide for advice, they might know any local tricks. For anything more serious, definitely check your local government advice on the specific country as they often list what to look out for.
Where are you travelling @micatravels - if I have been there I can tell you what I know!
2 Likes
It happens to be the best of us. I had a recent incident in Sri Lanka.
If you travel with a group tour, always ask your tour guide for help on what to look out for and even local customs like haggling.
I feel the biggest scams are always around local markets as they sometimes want to charge different prices for tourists, so just be aware on that front. Know the customs, if it is a culture to haggle and lower the price or not. And always carry local currency as with USD or EUR they sometimes increase the price a lot.
And the second one is around transport. I agree with @ck_explorer1000 , always agree on the price beforehand to avoid uncomfortable situations.
2 Likes