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6 Practical Tips For a Budget-Savvy Trip to Puerto Rico

A Food Fun travel Guest Post

Dreaming about visiting those lush greeneries, high-rising mountains, luxurious casinos, or cascading waterfalls in Puerto Rico must be exciting. But availing a tour of this amazing tourist spot may sound overwhelming. 

Trust us, it’s not much of an impossible task to pack your baggage for a lovely low-cost trip to Puerto Rico, nor is it going to break the bank in the process. 

If you’re smart enough and follow some expert guidelines, you can surely make it happen. Long story short, we’ve rounded up six practical tips for a budget-savvy trip to Puerto Rico if you’re planning your next adventure. 

So, let’s dive into those wonderful tips to make your next trip to Puerto Rico a vivid experience.  

  • Research the Attractive Places in Puerto Rico Before Leaving

Before even making the packing list for Puerto Rico, you must research the most significant places on this Caribbean Island. 

Exciting places like Bioluminescent Bay, El Yunque Rainforest, San Juan, Condado Lagoon, etc., include a long list of fun activities that have been the center of attraction for millions of tourists. 

However, when researching, you must find out the activities, foods, and accommodations that prove to be cost-effective. 

Noting down all the required information before going to a new place always helps reduce unforeseen mistakes and surprises. 

Scour through the online blogs, vlogs, and resource materials, so you can be equipped with ample information to make the right plan, including itinerary, cost, and places. 

  • Plan Traveling There Off-Peak Season

If you ask any seasoned traveler, they’ll tell you to make the trip to Puerto Rico during the off-peak season if you really care about your budget. 

One of the biggest mistakes many travelers make is to make a trip to somewhere in its peak season while spending the very last dime from their pockets to return home. 

However, to make your journey worry-free, book your flight to PR between June and November, which is typically the off-season in Puerto Rico. Since it’s not the holiday season, it will save you a significant amount of money, considering the prices of everything are lower around this time. 

A round-trip to PR might cost you $100-$130 by air, depending on the places you’re leaving from in the US. All the same, you’ll find this airfare reasonable and budget-savvy. 

  • Take a Travel Buddy with You 

If you’re a lone ranger type of person, the idea of taking someone with you on your trip may not seem very charming. Nonetheless, getting accompanied by someone sensible on your trip only increases the fun in all aspects. 

First off, Puerto Rico is a vibrant and happening place where going alone may not suit the idea of having fun. Apart from the brief journeys to the destination and back home, you’ll definitely need someone to back you up regarding expenses and activities. 

Benefits you can gain by taking someone are:

  • Shared costs of air tickets, hotels, meals, activities, and other subsistence 
  • Fun traveling together while sharing thoughts and experiences  
  • A secured trip by watching each other’s back
  • Easier to find new places while arranging hotels and meals 
  • Sharing traveling gear and essentials to keep the budget low 
  • Planning the must-do’s on each road trip 

In short, you’re not only sharing your costs while heading to Puerto Rico with one of your friends, families, or colleagues; you’re actually doubling the excitement and fun together. 

  • Have a Free Activities List 

We won’t blame you if the heading has raised your eyebrows. But there are indeed several things in Puerto Rico you can do for free. Other activities might not be free but will cost you very little. 

If you want to be ahead of your game in searching for the best free activities in Puerto Rico, talk to a local travel planner after reaching there. It’s because finding out those places and activities will be tricky and time-consuming. 

The free activities you can do on this fun island are:

  • Hitting the amazing beaches that are spread throughout the PR
  • Exploring the lush greeneries, waterfalls, and wildlife in the PR rainforest; especially over two hundred unique bird species
  • Checking out historical places like Old San Juan, El Morro, Paseo, de la Princesa, Raices Fountain, La Fortaleza, etc. 
  • Loitering around the towns like San Germain, Ponce, Cabo Rojo, Castillo San Cristobal, and many others. 

If your exploration guts aren’t satisfied enough with these amazing places, you may also ask the locals for more intriguing and fun places to visit. 

  • Research the Local Tasty Yet Cheaper Meals 

One of the common interests of tourists while going to any place in the world is to taste the local meals and cuisines. But going to a local restaurant and ordering anything without pre-research may cost you way more than you expect. 

However, you can reduce the risk by planning your meals in family-owned bakeries and small budget-savvy hotels in Puerto Rico. Also, dining in the quiet and small restaurants throughout the island will make your food experience unforgettable. 

Since locals make and eat these dishes in those off-the-beaten-path food courts, you and your travel partner will enjoy the gourmet of their recipes like you have never before.  

  • Consider a Cross-Country Car Ride 

If you don’t want to spend everything you’ve saved so far by acting thrifty in Puerto Rico, don’t hop on taxis or public transportation to make it to the long distances. 

Taxis are very expensive while public transports aren’t very comfortable. Hence, the best policy here is to rent a cross-country car which might cost you around $20-$30 a day. 

Instead of renting a car by yourself, ask your local trip planner to do the job for you. It will be smart and cost-effective as such a deal can not only take you to many distant places in Puerto Rico but give you a ride from the airport to the hotel and back. 

However, it needs no telling that you must follow the mandatory rules and safety tips while driving the rental car across the highways. 

Final Words

These are the six pro tips you can use when planning to make a budget-savvy trip to Puerto Rico. You’ll surely find them helpful if you can implement them as per your budget, goals, and the number of people going on this journey. 

Apart from the above tips, you may also ask someone who might be familiar to you and, at the same time, a local to Puerto Rico island. This will be one of the best moves in making a safe and low-cost trip to Puerto Rico. 

To end with, we should share that you must keep some emergency medicines along with your trip essentials just in case.