Value is using resources wisely to maximize enjoyment and benefits. It is easy to get overly enthusiastic about optimization. Trying to save money, weight, suitcase space, etc. can make one lose sight of getting the most enjoyment out of your trip. I save money where I can, but sometimes you get a lot of enjoyment for a little extra.
Hotel Extras
Sometimes the extras included make it worth spending more.
An example from recent travel: I stayed at a 5 star hotel near the hotel in Qindao airport, because the price included being picked up at the airport and breakfast (a “very good breakfast” per bookings.com). There were cheaper options. Our flight got in after mid-night, since our total travel time getting there was about 20 hours it was very nice to be met. Not having a taxi driver be my first attempt at Chinese in six months was worth a lot!
And it is lovely there and it has soft beds (many Chinese hotels do not). It made a gentle landing for us. Definitely a good value!
Flight
I don’t always do this, but for long flights, I will upgrade to comfort plus to get more space. This is particularly true if I am traveling solo and the basic flight is inexpensive.The last time I didn’t the overhead space was all full by the time I got on and I was very cramped for 11 hours.
Tours
Another luxury that I occasionally spring for is a tour. I consider it worthwhile when the area is unfamiliar and hard to navigate.
I hired a private English speaking guide when traveling to Xi’an with my father. We would never have managed to see as much using taxis and/or public transportation. Nor could we have gotten our questions answered (Dad is a bit hard of hearing). I climbed up the Great Goose Pagoda because our guide could stay with Dad and take him to see things on the lower level.
In Buenos Aires we had a guide and driver for three of us for a half day tour. That got us familiar with the layout of the city and made sure we saw several of the main points. After that we made our own way about but the overview was very helpful and Hector realized that my dad was into things nautical so he tailored our tour in that direction. He also kept his eye on dad, who sometimes wanders off to look at cranes or wrecked boats, so I could look around in peace.
Also in Buenos Aires we took a small group tour by boat up to Tigre, in the Parana Delta. While it would have been possible to do that trip independently the package was well done, and saved a good deal of figuring out and arranging, we had someone to explain what we were seeing and make sure we (Dad) didn’t get lost, and it included a yummy lunch.
These tours and guides made our experiences much better than if we had saved the money and tried to manage on our own.