I'm still getting used to normal sleep after my trip. Since Japan is 14 hours ahead of Philadelphia, my body clock was really mixed up last week.

However, I'm taking it easy and giving myself time to get back to normal.

Even though I've talked about dealing with jet lag before, I want to find a way to stop it from being a problem at all.

So I have some new ideas I want to try out.

And of course, I'll tell you what works best.

Many try to find the best prices for accommodation.

And I get it because hotels or Airbnbs can be one of your largest expenses on a trip.

However, I don't want you to fall into a common trap.

The biggest mistake when trying to save money is booking accommodations too far from your planned activities.

Booking too far away has its own issues like:

More Expensive

The extra transportation costs from Uber rides or other transit options often exceed any savings on cheaper lodging. A single roundtrip Uber ride can easily cost over $50, and with two roundtrips per day, you're spending over $100 daily on transportation alone. This money would be better spent on staying closer to your destination.

Loss of Time

Time is your most precious commodity when traveling —this applies to life in general too, but that's another topic. Booking accommodations far away means longer travel times for everything you want to do. Even waiting for an Uber can eat up time. By the way, have you noticed Uber wait times seem longer these days?

Increased Complexity The farther you are from your activities, the more likely things can go wrong. Travel delays are common—metro delays happen frequently, especially in the States, and traffic jams or accidents can disrupt your plans. And let's not forget the mistakes we make during travel, like waking up a little later or getting lost. Therefore, staying at a location that is too far away decreases your margin for error.

More Physically Draining Let's face it—travel itself is exhausting, so a distant location makes your entire trip more tiring. For example, a 40-minute trip to reach your destination can drain your energy and limit your capacity to enjoy activities throughout the day. If you need a quick nap to recharge, it's much harder when you're far from where everything is happening.

Boring Every location is different, but areas far from attractions are often cheaper for a reason—they typically lack things to do. While you might save money on lodging, you'll likely find yourself cut off from restaurants, stores, and activities.

That said, you can still find affordable places to stay. Remember that locals don't pay tourist prices, so budget-friendly areas exist. Just be careful—if a price looks suspiciously low compared to everything else in the area, there's probably a catch.

However, staying in a city center isn't always ideal either—it can feel touristy and overpriced.

So in the end, it's all about striking the right balance between value and cost. Let me know what you think.

Keep traveling, 

Andrew

Would you rather pay more to stay close to the attractions, or save money by staying a bit farther away?