Creative Ways to Travel on a Budget
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August 7, 2018
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August 28, 2018A few months back, I had the honor of speaking to a group of students at Grand Valley State University. My topic was “See the World, Be the World” and the speech focused on the beneficial power of travel. We laughed. We cried. And we learned. Ultimately, in sharing my own experiences, the goal was to inspire a younger generation to also take the travel plunge. Many students were encouraged; however, of all the questions that stood out to me most after speaking, there was one that has stuck with me ever since. An inquisitive student named Jalen reached out and asked:
How can I travel the world with limited funds?
Travel on a budget tip 1: Have flexible travel dates
When it comes to securing the best rate, it isn’t always about booking months and month in advance. What I’ve found to be a more important factor is flexibility of time. I’ve found the best strategy for this is to narrow down the exact month of travel and do a full month search. Skyscanner.com offers this feature and it’s usually my search engine of choice. I know we all want those weekend dates, but in being flexible you can sometimes save hundreds of dollars.
Travel on a budget tip 2: Seek budget accommodation
Alright. Alright. By now I know we’ve all either seen or heard of the movie Hostel…but trust me…IT’S NOT GOING TO BE LIKE THAT. These days you can even find luxury hostels and hostels that offer private rooms, like this particular one I stayed at in Costa Rica.
If you’re looking to save even more money, give couchsurfing.com a try. You’ll be hosted with a private room, free of charge. I admit, I was hesitant to try couchsurfing for a long time, but in Guatemala I finally gave it a shot and it did not disappoint! I had the opportunity to stay in a beautiful residential neighborhood in Antigua for an entire week. During that same duration accommodation could have easily cost several hundred of dollars!
Travel on a budget tip 3: Set a daily budget and stick to it
Depending on the country, I usually stick with a firm budget of $50/day. Some days I may spend less. Some days more. But by the end of the week everything usually balances out.
Travel on a budget tip 4: Book any group excursions or major outings in advance
Although I’m a huge advocate of hitting the ground running and finding the best deals in country, sometimes that can be easier said than done. For those instances I’ll usually book in advance online, which, in turn, produces one less expense to worry about regarding budget during travel.
Travel on a budget tip 5: Always have backup funds just in case
You never know when disaster may strike. Traveling won’t always be roses and smooth sailing. In the case of a lost wallet or, God-forbid, mugging…it’s best to be prepared. Take a spare wallet/credit card that you keep locked up in case of emergency for one of those extreme situations. Perfect example, I left my phone in a cab my very first day in Bogota. To make matter worse, I had a wallet phone case containing my ID and two credit cards. Fortunately, I had enough backup cash to last me the duration of my time in country. In case you’re wondering how I survived without a phone that entire time, you can check out the happy ending to that story here.
Travel on a budget tip 6: Travel during off-peak season
I don’t know about you, but when I visit a place I don’t necessarily want to be surrounded by thousands of tourists. If you’re willing to sacrifice perfect weather for pretty-darn-good weather, it can go a long way toward bringing all travel expenses involved down. When visiting Athens in winter, at one point, I stood alone atop the Acropolis. Travel during off-peak season and, no matter what your destination may be, stand alone atop your very own Acropolis and save money along the way!
Standing atop the Acropolis
In the comments below, share your favorite strategy for travel on a budget…either from the list above or your own personal experience!
40 Comments
Glad I came across your blog. I have an upcoming trip to Paris and Barcelona next year. I usually use Groupon to find deals but Skyscanner.com sounds like a great resource which I will start using. Thanks
You should definitely check it out. Along with some of the European budget airlines that make flying around Europe easy!
I love to travel, so these are super helpful tips for me. Will totally try some of them out!
Awesome…safe travels!
I couldnt agree with you more there. I too always travel in the off season to avoid the high prices and especially the crowds!
I don’t know which is worse sometimes during peak season…the crowds or the prices!
Traveling during off season is a great tip! Of course summer travel is ideal but you get better deals right before the major holidays and before the summer breaks!
Exactly…and there are also great deals after the holidays as well.
Lol literally every time I see hostels I think of the movie. I’m scared! Thank you for for the reassurance!!
Well now we both have our proof lol.
I have been looking for ways to travel on a budget especially with a family of 4. Thanks for the insight we will definitely be using these tips.
Well, hopefully you’ll be able to save some $$ next time your fam hits the road!
These are some great tips! I’d say my budget tip is to travel closer to home. Sometimes we miss out on travel gems in driving distance.
That’s a great point. I’ve started exploring close to home as well and it’s opened up a whole new world!
Great advice, the hostel you showed in the picture is the nicest hostel I’ve ever seen. I think the best tip you shared was to travel during off-peak times.
It was definitely a nice hostel. All of the single rooms featured local artwork and the panorama view from the top was incredible.
I don’t travel that often but when I do I’m all about staying on a budget. Down to the last dollar!
Same here. In fact, I’ll sometimes even budget my budget…just so I can splurge one day!
Backup funds really is essential when it comes to traveling. But I think the thing that has helped me with budgeting while traveling is being open to having many different dates where you can travel. That’s essential because you can find cheaper prices at different times.
I agree. Set dates can be really restrictive so that little bit of flexibility goes a long way.
This is the first time I’ve heard of Skyscanner.com. Thanks for informing us so we can save hundreds. And I liked the movie Hostel — just don’t want to want to be tortured by locals!
Funny story about Hostel. I made the mistake of watching it right before my first trip to Eastern Europe…I skipped going to Slovakia because of that movie lol.
These are great tips. Most of them I put into practice already.
Feel free to add to the list if you have any creative ways I haven’t suggested!
Budget constraint is the major factor which needs to keep on mind while planning a trip. These are some creative ways to hold on a check on budget
You’re right. And one has to be careful not to over/under budget.
What an awesome post this is. You provided some great tips on travelling on a budget and I am sure these will really help a lot of people out
Thank you. I hope so too!
Very beneficial tips for first time travelers. I travel a lot and also use these tips a lot in my real life as they help to keep costs at minimum.
As a fellow traveler, do you have any other ways to keep costs at a minimum that I haven’t suggested?
These are all great tips. If I want a quick and cheap weekend away I tend to be open with where i fly and find cheap flights, then using booking.com I find any deals on accomodation x
I’m pretty open with location as well. My main goal is to try a new place I’ve never been!
I’m not the younger generation, but I totally appreciate these tips. I have also pinned this to my travel board so it can continue to help the masses.
Young or old, economically friendly travel is always a good thing 🙂
Thank you for the pin!!
‘Travelling during off-peak seasons!’ That has seriously worked for me and helps me save a lot of cash when I’m travelling since I’m not the type who can stick to a daily budget especially when I come across something I’d want to bring home.
Yes! And the beauty is that even in off-peak season the sites, sound and food are all still the same for the most part!
I will be checking Skyscanner out. Expense is the main thing that keeps me from traveling as much as I’d like. Great tips!
Definitely give it a shot…I’ve found some amazing deals on there!
I haven’t seen your blog’s in a while but glad to see them again lol. I’m headed on a short vacation on Friday and you’ve gotten me some great tips. I’m gonna try and stick to $50 a day but it’s gonna be hard lol.
Thank you for the welcome back 🙂
And I hope you enjoyed your vacation this past weekend. Where did you end up going…and the bigger question…did you stick to the $50 budget?