The biggest thing that comes in between your traveling dreams is your bleeding wallet. But, travel doesn’t have to be so expensive. The real purpose of traveling is to explore and embrace the unique experiences of different lands and cultures. And experiences don’t have to cost you an arm and a leg, until and unless you’re the Jonas brothers. You just need to know how to travel for cheap, and this will remove the shackles of your traveling spirit to set sail around the world.
Traveling doesn’t need to come up with fancy hotel stays and upscale restaurant dining; it can be fun-filled with lots of budget-friendly activities and tricks that save your wallet. How? You’ll learn in a couple of minutes. Just walk through the whole post.
A word about travel
Traveling is a must-needed activity for your mind. Being stuck in a regular job and repeating a schedule makes life boring. This is where a quick weekend getaway or planned week-long tour comes in handy to escape from the tiring lifestyle. It provides unforgettable experiences of the world’s most beautiful places and cultures.
And planning a trip to another part of the world shouldn’t be a teeth-gritting activity. By saving and making it affordable for your pocket, you can make your trip pleasurable. The approach to affordable travel is that there shouldn’t be any regrets to haunt you after the happy days.
Why is travelling costly?
It might have occurred to you that even a quick escape to the local tourist spot may cost you a fortune. Ever wondered why that is? This is because of the no-preplanning. And, let’s face it, you’re imagining living a fantasy that is out of your budget (for now). It is harsh but true. With all the enticing commercials that make you forget about rent and bills, you end up spending more than necessary on your trip. This is the most basic mistake that makes traveling an expensive evil.
Travel can become extravagant for any of the following reasons:
- No pre-planning
- Excessive shopping at tourist spots
- Spending on extravagant food.
- Expensive airline tickets.
These are just a few reasons to start. The expenses can add up depending on the different approaches you take to travel.
Tips on how to travel for cheap
To travel on a budget, you should look out for practises that fit your bank balance and don’t hurt your savings. It’s not all that complicated. You don’t have to grab a calculator and make calculations on every single purchase while you travel. You just need to upgrade your approach and follow these tips on how to travel for cheap.
Travel in the off-season
This is the most basic practise that can save you hundreds of dollars. Have you ever heard of the word “high season”? A hot season is literally the magnet that snatches more money from your wallet. Avoid travelling to a place during the high season because there are more people brimming during that time, which means the tour spot becomes thrice as expensive as compared to the cold season.
Pre-plan your trip during the time when fewer people visit the place. This way, the local hotels and restaurants are less expensive and you get a peaceful time to enjoy the nature and popular spots of the place.
Fly on Weekdays
Air travel during the weekends is a bad idea. This is because companies tend to charge more for weekend air travel than they do during weekdays. So, simply understand the principle, the busier it gets at the airport (which is mostly during weekends), the more it weighs on your pocket.
Try to plan your holidays and travel getaways during the weekdays when there is less traffic at the airport. You’ll be surprised at how much you can save by booking a flight on Tuesdays or Wednesdays. The same flight that was $500 can now be as low as $150-200. You can put these few hundred dollars towards other activities during your vacation.
Book your flight tickets in advance.
If you pre-plan your trip way in advance, then why are you hassling to book for the same at the last minute? Booking in advance can sort out the money-saving for you. Look up the cost of air travel two months in advance online, and then compare it to the cost for next week. You’ll know the difference here.
You can save hundreds of dollars on airfare alone if you book your ticket in advance. So, do compare the prices of both the options and hit the green button on the best one.
Compare prices
If you want to save money while traveling, get on board with some detective work. Scour the internet as much as possible and compare everything from airfare to hotels to restaurants. There are always options that give out the best deals with great hostility. For example, instead of choosing a popular company’s flight, go with the less popular one that offers cheap travel. Also, instead of booking an upscale hotel, look out for hotels with fewer reviews; they might turn out to be excellent and cheap alternatives.
Stay at budget hotels.
If you’re looking for a tight budget for your trip, expensive stays are not going to help you. There are numerous other accommodations that will cut your stay’s cost in half while also providing good quality. So, if you’re looking for a budget-friendly stay, you can look into Airbnb. The website offers you some of the budget apartments, houses, or hostels. You can save your money by booking an apartment if you’re traveling in a group. So, instead of paying $100 per night at a hotel, you can get the best accommodation price of as low as $30 per night.
Plan to stay more days
Instead of cramming your entire vacation into three days, try to stay for a longer period of time. Say, a couple of weeks. You’ll get a rich travel experience from this practice, and you’ll save more. How so? You’ll not be in any hurry to jump start your trip. You can explore regional food and culture and talk with people. And you can then get onboard with the activities that you think are worth exploring. This means that you’ll get the mindset to explore the location more instead of doing activities that are already available back home.
Book activities before time.
If you’re traveling, activities become mandatory tasks. Otherwise, what will remain of your trip experience if there are no activities? But, did you know you can even save some money by booking activities in advance? How? It’s simple; scroll through the official website of the place where you want to go and steal the deals on activities available on the internet. If you book in advance, there’s a possibility that, in some cases, you can get group discounts. So, plan ahead of time for the activities you want to do in your destination city or state.
Try cooking or eating at a local restaurant.
What good is your trip if you haven’t experienced the local life? Of course, expensive and shiny restaurants are an easy magnet for tourists. But if you want to get a real experience of a foreign country, city, or state, do what the locals do. Go to the local supermarket, grab some of the local food items, and prepare them. In this way, you’ll shoot two birds with one arrow. One, you’ll save a lot of money, and two, you’ll get a taste of local food.
If cooking yourself is not an option, then make sure to check the local eating outlets. These are the places to seize the real delicacies of the place’s culture. However, make sure you don’t eat at the local outlets and shops that are close to popular destinations. They’ll have high rates as compared to their counterparts.
Use public transportation.
This is another pro tip to control the meter of your spending. Using public transportation is the best way to save money because you pay half that price in comparison to paying for a cab. Therefore, try to travel on local buses as they’ll give you first-hand experience of the local culture and will make you save some extra bucks in your wallet.
Limit your spending.
Are you in the habit of shopping in a foreign place? Following the trend of buying souvenirs and stuff for your family is pleasing but money-draining. Even if you buy stuff from the tourist spots, it ends up in your drawers, collecting dust. Hence, it is the uttermost wastage of money. So, instead of buying souvenirs, collect as much experience of the place as possible and store it by clicking pictures. Remember that the value of materialistic items will eventually wear off, but a photo album will always remain precious.
Conclusion
Traveling can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. This article provides 10 tips that will help you travel for cheap. Follow these tips, and you’ll be able to travel to your dream destination without breaking the bank.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best affordable options for accommodation in a foreign country?
There are many options to choose from when you’re trying to save your wallet from getting hurt.
- Hostels
- Flats
- Houses for rent
- Cheap hotels
- Apartments for rent
How to save money for travel?
You can save money for your upcoming trip by cutting other expenses. For example, cut back on excessive shopping; put money in your travel jar every time you get paid; start saving at least six months prior to your travel plans.
Does booking activities in advance really make a difference in reducing costs?
Sometimes, yes, but other times, no. However, do check the dates and deals in advance. Some places do reduce the cost of the activities if you book in advance.
