Monday’s Money Saving Tips – bring your own booze!!
Are you a traveller who likes a drink? I certainly am – no better way to relax on the road than knocking back a beer watching the world go by. But alcohol isn’t always cheap, so as backpackers the best option is to bring your own booze or to takeaway alcohol!! It may be called:
– “grabbing a few tinnies from the bottle shop” in Australia
– “grabbing a six pack from the offy” in England
– “getting a carryout” in Northern Ireland
And in essence this is how we as travellers save money and still enjoy our beer. No irony in the fact I’m typing this while holding a tin of San Miguel!
Bringing my own booze to my laptop while updating my travel blog and saving a load of money in the meantime!
How much money can you save by bringing your own booze? Quite a lot more than you would believe! Quick case study I just carried out especially for the blog:
Hong Kong –
Price comparison in Hong Kong just shows the results, almost 1/6 th of the price if you buy your booze from a local shop!
My Local pub – cheapest single pint on Happy Hour is 38 HKD, cheapest single bottle on Happy Hour is 25 HKD
My Local 7 11 shop – cheapest single 500 ml tin of beer at all times is 6.5 HKD, cheapest single bottle of beer at all times is 6 HKD
That’s a saving of about a sixth and that’s not even counting multi packs or the fact that I’ve quoted happy hour prices for the local pub.
Of course there are pros and cons of buying takeaway booze and bringing your own, and here they are (Bear in mind, if money wasn’t an issue I would probably drink in a pub everytime!! But I’m a budget traveller and I need to try and save money in many different ways):
Pros of bringing your own booze:
– It’s cheaper
– It makes for a different experience
– You can drink it anywhere you want (within reason or laws!)
– You can buy in bulk and stock up for a few days
– You meet similar types of people who also are on a budget and are drinking down the park
– Mega party time if you get enough people (see picture below!!):
Takeaway alcohol gives you memorable spontaneous nights of fun. Just one of many parties from my travels. An awesome night in Sydney, AUSTRALIA!
Cons of bringing your own booze:
– No pub atmosphere
– Harder to keep it cold
– No direct toilet access (slightly worse for ladies)!
– More secure to leave a bag with bar staff etc.
– Less likely to catch live football
Takeaway Booze! Enjoying a great night of Bintang beer with my mate Rodrigo in Jakarta in INDONESIA!
I’ll end this post with a mini-rant – cheapskate travellers who steal other people’s drink. It’s just not on! Met a Swiss guy like that in Jakarta in Indonesia, wish I had asked for his e-mail address and facebook details to name and shame him on here.
Yes, I know this is a short and sweet post today, been having laptop and server issues which I’m trying to address now!! The joys of a lifestyle of travel continue!
If you prefer to read more alcohol stories, I’d say follow my awesome Thirsty Thursday stories which are ongoing. I’ve a few crazy booze related tales (including how I once missed a flight) to come and will get them up at some point. In the meantime there was of course that time I smuggled drugs through Argentina (by accident). Get yourself a beer!
