Tesi Johnson, Gleaner Writer

The crowd reacts to Air Supply's Graham Russell during the music group's performance at the ninth Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival in Montego Bay, St. James, in January last year. - File

Every year Jamaica sees the staging of several music festivals, and each provides the opportunity for locals and tourists alike to enjoy some of the best music that Reggae country has to offer; usually sharing the stage with a few acclaimed international acts.

But, like most other forms of entertainment, these things cost money!

With careful planning, enjoying a local music festival - such as the month-end Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival - does not have to burn gaping holes through your pockets. Using your wits is the name of the game, and pre-empting all possible expenses can go a long way in proper budgeting.

LODGING

Room and board often account for a large chunk of any vacation budget. "Going to an all-inclusive resort is a smart way to control a budget. You'll know the entire cost of the trip in advance, and major expenses, from food to lodging to activities, are covered in one rate," says Susan Breslow Sardone, Travel Consultant and author of Your Vacation Travel Budget.

However, when the primary attraction is a series of parties and stage shows, your room is just a place to rest your head until you're ready to hit the road again.

One cost-saving option is to rent a villa and bunk up with friends. Also, if the event is held in a major town or city where you might have family or friends, then save yourself a bunch and stay with them. These things usually climax over a weekend, so you wouldn't be much of an inconvenience for too long. And that will probably slash your food budget too!

Note, if you choose to go the route of paid lodging, locals enjoy preferential rates in Jamaican hotels, as explained by Natalie Williams, a travel consultant with Chin Yee's Travel Agency. "The local rate is different from the tourist rate," she says, and goes on to point out that agencies often have deals with some hotels for concessionary rates. Therefore, develop a relationship with your travel agent so he/she may notify you when bargains arise.

FOOD

If you splurged and booked an all-inclusive resort, then food should not be a problem. Many others take the route of purchasing all their meals, and this often proves much cheaper than staying all-inclusive.

Rather than patronising the swanky 'name-brand' restaurants, just find a little tuck shop (remember, we're trying to save money here) and you can get a 'box food' of real Jamaican cooking for as little as $180. And it will be filling and satisfying!

Another option is to take along snacks or easy-to-prepare items, if you aren't against cooking while on vacation.

You will likely feel inclined to indulge in the roadside wares along the way, so factor costs such as spending on fish in Faith's Pen, roast yam and saltfish in Manchester, soup sold in the venue and the like, into your budget as well.

THE SHOW

Shows often have pre-sold prices and 'gate' prices, where the pre-sold tickets go at a lower rate than the gate tickets. It goes without saying that you should aim to get pre-sold tickets where possible.

Stage shows often have a VIP area just in front of the stage for which the tickets are more expensive. If you can't afford VIP, fret not; you can still have a VIP view of the artistes, without paying a VIP price. Just get to the show very early, and then you can get a spot right behind the more expensive VIP segment!

TRAVEL

Oftentimes, major shows offer a shuttle service from Kingston to the venue of the show. So if you are only going to enjoy one day of the festival, this saves you all the trouble of funding fuel, and servicing a vehicle, paying tolls and the like. Otherwise, car pooling is a good cost-saving measure, where all passengers in the vehicle contribute to fuel, tolls, etc.

Things like plane tickets, rent-a-car, etc., are unnecessary luxuries when trying to be thrifty.

LEISURE ACTIVITIES

Budget for leisure activities to occupy your 'downtime'. Tours, jet-skiing, visiting a pricey restaurant, and the like, may be considered. Again, local tour companies usually have preferential rates for Jamaicans

MISCELLANEOUS

The seemingly 'negligible' costs are those that add up to to make your trip more expensive than you would have liked. Parking at the venue, purchasing forgotten toiletries, buying memorabilia, tipping and such, are just a few of those 'negligible costs' that should be figured out before heading out for a festival, so you may set aside money for them.

EMERGENCIES

Of course, you can plan and plan, but unexpected expenses can still arise. Set aside a reserve of funds to take care of emergencies, if any.