With the high cost of living and wages not reflecting this for many of us, travelling can only really be done on a budget and sometimes this can put us off taking the leap and booking a holiday. But if you are clued up and careful then travelling on a budget is definitely do-able.
Check out our top tips here:
1.Plan well
Although being spontaneous and jetting off somewhere new and fun sounds like heaven, if you’re on a budget it might not work for you. In order to get the the best and cheapest deals you need to plan well, how long can you afford to stay for, where are the best priced hotels, are there free things to do and so on. Planning wil save you an awful lot of money and stress when you finally arrive.
2.Travel out of season
Travelling out of season can literally cut your travelling costs in half so if you are travelling on a budget then definitely go down this route. Flights and accomodation are so, so much cheaper and even when you’ve arrived at your destination you’ll find things so much more affordable with different off season prices for tourist attractions, eating out and so on.
3.Be accommodation-savvy
Accommodation is going to one of the biggest of your costs for your trip and obviously prices vary hugely, spending less doesn’t mean you have to stay somewhere that isn’t nice, there are plenty of perfectly nice guest houses that hotels that don’t cost the earth. If you are travelling as family then Airbnb is a brilliant way to save money, if you book a whole house/apartment that has a kitchen then you can cook meals which will save you a load of money. It also means you can chill at ‘home’ some evenings rather than spending lots on going on.
4.Pack Well
Make sure to bring all of your essentials from home so that you aren’t eating into your spending money once you’re away. Buying suncream, shampoo, nappies and so on can really add up.
5.Book in advance
To get the very best deals its always wise to book in advance, you’ll be able to find the best flight deals, and can compare accommodation costs to pick the cheapest times to travel.
If you leave it to the last month before you want to go away and you are planning on flying then you’ll find the flight costs will have most likely risen steeply.
6.Eat sensibly
One of the biggest costs when you go away is eating out, you have to buy every single thing you eat if you are staying somewhere that isn’t self catering and this is expensive business.
It is lovely to have nice meals out of course, but be sparing with them, use the local supermarkets and buy picnic foods, find a gorgeous spot and eat alfresco without having spent a fortune.
Drinking alcohol is always costly too, choose the local drinks and find offers to keep prices down when travelling on a budget.
7.Earn while your holiday
There are ways to be smart and still earn whilst you are away. If you are lucky enough to be able to pick up work you can do online then just pack your computer and take the work with you, earning while you travel.
Some hostels will let people work for their accommodation so if you don’t have any family commitments and plan on being away for a while then why not use some of your time working and not paying a penny for where you stay.
If you really like the idea of earning while you holiday then why not work a ski season or teach English in a foriegn country.
8.Stay in hostels
Hostels do sometimes have a bad reputation, and yes some are real party places full of young travellors, but some are nothing like this.
You’ll find great hostels in fabulous locations that are geared up for everyone from the young, families and the old. Hostels are great because they usually have kitchen areas for food preparation, family rooms, great communal areas and you’ll find the other travellers super friendly and travel savvy with great tips and advice.
9.Save up frequent flyer miles
If you travel a lot, be it for work or for pleasure then try and remain loyal to a particular airline and make sure you join their reward scheme to earn frequent flyer points, after only a couple of flights you’ll find you’ve enough points to book a flight entirely free, now that can’t be bad!
10.Be flexible
One of the most important things when travelling on a budget, is to be flexible. Don’t have too many preconcieved ideas about what you want to do, go with the flow, if there are better, cheaper deals to be had elsewhere then move on, if someone tells you about a great free day out but you had other plans, drop them and take the advice. Sometimes the most amazing experience in life don’t cost a penny.
Don’t be afraid to travel on a budget, don’t miss out on life experience just because you are low on cash, travel can be done more cheaply than most people realise, just be realistic and plan well and you’ll enjoy travelling on a budget as much as any other holiday you’ve ever taken,
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