Lately, I’ve been completely underestimating my budget by 25-30%. Over the past year, prices have gone up a ridiculous amount. Sometimes, I might get a great deal on airfare, but the most significant cost of travelling is accommodation.
Extended stays and Trusted Housesitters can reduce your costs if you’re into slow travel and a more nomadic lifestyle. Unfortunately, that’s not always what we had planned.
Our recent trip around the Gaspé Peninsula cost us 25% more than I had initially determined. I should’ve known immediately when booking hotels. I knew this was in high season and had planned it at the last minute. By last minute, I mean many bookings occur 8 to 12 months in advance.
Here are some of the things I did to reduce the cost. Even then, it averaged $1000 per person per week. It doesn't seem that long ago (15 years, actually) that I budgeted the same amount for the four of us.
It turns out we stayed at Gites most of the time. These are bed-and-breakfast Quebec-style accommodations. They cost about the same, on average, $200 a night, but the standard of service and room quality was far superior. In addition, the breakfast was fantastic in every instance. Accommodation expenses accounted for 58% of all costs, with the restaurants accounting for 11%.
We saved about $25 by trying to get gas where it was cheaper. It’s hard to determine this in advance, but we filled up when we saw cheaper gas. Some apps can be used; unfortunately, in my experience, I don’t find these to be very accurate. I also chose gas stations where possible that provided points on my credit cards. The transportation of gas and the ferry was 9%.
Activities and sightseeing can add up, and I don’t think we did an outstanding job sometimes of judging what was worthwhile and what was not. The best advice came from our hosts at the various places where we stayed. It ended up being 6% of our actual expenses.
The most significant cost after accommodation is eating. We rarely went to restaurants and enjoyed having cheese, crackers, and Cuccia in our rooms at night. We ensured we had a cooler and ice pack to travel with our items. Many of the places we stayed at had a fridge and a microwave, not in the room but in a communal area, and those didn’t work. They were kind enough to let us use their fridge. Groceries were another 6% after the 11% mentioned above for restaurants.
Some of these savings may seem small, but they can add up. We took our Nespresso machine and even estimated a dollar capsule. We used 30 capsules, saving us $100 for having coffee out, believe it or not. Of course, we still spent $170 on nibbles with our cappuccino.
Speaking of microwaves, the corn was perfect this time of year, while it was a little bit late in the season at home. We would pick up corn on the cob on the side road and microwave it for two minutes, and it was perfect. At first, we didn’t buy any butter, but then we did, which made it even more perfect.
We also spent 5% on gifts and little collectibles for ourselves.
As for doing free things, I’d like to suggest three categories.
1. Churches
Well, some churches charge admission, but most don’t. I’m not critical of those who do since the maintenance and upkeep are phenomenal. We had three tours by locals, so we dropped some money in the donation box.
The church in Bonaventure was an unexpected delight. The inside contained an exhibition of miniature churches in the area, and the outside was stunning.
2. Museums
Many museums do cost money, which is surprising because some are free. One of the biggest and most pleasant surprises was seeing the free museum dedicated to La Bolduc in Newport.
La Bolduc, born Mary Travers in 1894, was a trailblazing figure in Canadian music and culture. Known as “The Queen of Canadian Folk Music,” she became a symbol of resilience and creativity during the Great Depression. Her often humorous and satirical songs reflected the struggles and joys of ordinary Québécois life, resonating deeply with people facing hard times.
She was a self-taught musician, mastering instruments like the accordion, harmonica, and jaw harp. Her distinctive style, blending traditional folk tunes with her unique brand of “surplusage” (a type of vocalization similar to yodelling), set her apart in the music scene. La Bolduc's lyrics, often laced with wit and sharp observations, tackled issues from poverty to social norms, making her a voice for the working class.
La Bolduc's spirit never wavered despite facing personal challenges, including poverty and health issues. She recorded over 300 songs, many of which became hits across Quebec. Her legacy lives on as a pioneer of Québécois folk music, and she is celebrated as a cultural icon who captured the heart and soul of her time.
Her story is about music and how one woman, with humour and grit, could make a lasting impact on Canada's cultural landscape.
3. Parks
We bought the national park pass, which covers half the cost of our three visits. Restigouche was under $5 each and absolutely fantastic. the annual pass will pay for itself when we visit the Maritimes next week.
We didn’t get the Quebec national parks pass this time as we would only use it twice. (Miguasha, in my view, was disappointing.)
We discovered a wonderful cafe in Chandler and a park on the Plage du Grand Pabos. (Not the Parc Du Bourg De Pabos, which costs money.)
There are many national and local parks where staying overnight may cost money, but just visiting for a day is free. The Port-Daniel Wildlife Reserve was a great visit. We stopped off along our route to check out the birdwatching.
We also had a lot of entertainment on the weekend, stopping at almost every garage sale and roadside store.
