What comes to your mind when you think about travelling? Is it splurging tonnes of money on a private cruise ship in Bali or taking a long road trip to visit your relatives in the countryside? If it is either of the two travel deals, there is much that you are missing out on. Travelling may be expensive, but you don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy yourself. At the same time, it does not have to be boring.
Do not get it wrong: there is nothing wrong with spending time with your relatives, but there are a lot of other places around the world you can explore.
Money should not trouble you if you want to travel. But how can you explore the world without wreaking havoc on your finances?
Some Globetrotter Secrets to Traveling on a Budget
Do not set your travel time and destination in stone
Learning to be flexible can save you a dime when you want to travel. Instead of having a fixed day of travel, you can search for cost-effective travel dates. By doing so, you can get the best flight deals when you choose a destination to travel to. You can also find the best travel destination deals if there is a specific month you want to travel.
Pay for your travel with credit card points.
Using a travel card during your trip may go a long way in helping you save. Some cards offer you redeemable points every time you use them. You can use such a card regularly during your travels to accumulate points you can eventually redeem for your airfare, hotels, and other expenses.
However, if you intend to use points to reduce your costs, you may have to save for a long time before your points become redeemable.
There are some reward programs with sign-up offers that allow you to redeem your air miles. An airline credit card may accumulate travel miles every time you fly anywhere. You can use the air miles to clear the cost of government-mandated taxes and fees when you travel.
Fly with a budget airline.
If you have plans to travel regionally, you may choose to use budget airlines. However, you have to be willing to sacrifice some comfort. The airlines still offer certain perks that you may opt to have, such as choosing whether you want a window or an aisle seat.
You can also sit with your travelling group if you have one. You may, however, have to cater to the costs for the perks. Remember to carry a light backpack if you travel on a budget airline. You may have to pay some bag fee if you are not careful.
Budget airlines have low prices because they don’t offer free extras like snacks and drinks on board. If you want something to eat, you will have to meet the cost
Split costs when travelling together with friends and family
You may dream of travelling worldwide solo to clear your mind as you enjoy nature. However, it works best if you can support yourself financially. Well, there are some ways you can cut costs, but that is something to speak of later.
When travelling as a group, sharing the cost is the best way to save on expenses. Book a hotel or rent a condo together. You don’t have to be shy about sharing a room or an entire home.
What matters most is that the cost is very manageable for everyone. Remember, when you book a hotel, you can only stay in a room with four people. Any more than that may require you to rent another. Depending on the car type, you can also travel in groups of four when you decide to use a cab.
Avoid roaming charges
You may want to communicate with your family and friends from home immediately when you get to your destination. When you make a long-distance call, you may have to pay very hefty roaming charges. You can save on the roaming charges by using applications such as Skype to communicate. You can also get a local SIM card that gives you cheaper communication rates if you want to use your cell phone. Additionally, social media can help you bridge the gap with friends and family worldwide. You can communicate on WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Gmail. You may, however, require a Wi-Fi connection.
If you are in a region where you cannot access a WI-FI connection, you can connect to the internet through a local cellular network. The charges are pretty low and friendly.
Avoid Paying for Tours
A tour is a great way to interact with new people and experience the new destination. However, some of them can be quite costly. When you visit a new city, try to source for companies that offer free tours and see if you can find any that may take place during your stay
You can find some sites online where you can get a list of some free tours in different cities around the world. If you are creative enough, you may get a local that needs to learn English to give you a free tour in exchange for a few lessons.
Use buses as much as you can
If you are travelling between two regions, you may as well use a coach rather than flying. The distance may be longer and of less comfort than on a plane, but it is way cheaper. What’s more, you will get to experience the countryside in a new place and interact with many new people.
When travelling between cities or towns, you can avoid the taxi and take the bus to save on costs. If there are no buses, you may ride a bicycle or walk to the city you visit. However, it would be best if you learnt the pedestrian rules of the city.
Before travelling to any new destination, you must acquire the various stations where you may pick up public means of transport. You can carry with you a map or make friends with Google Maps.
Have an alternative accommodation to a hotel
You can reside in numerous cost-friendly locations other than expensive hotels. Depending on your site, you can choose to camp outside.
It is a way to sleep that works best in places like the mountains and woods. Provided you have your camping gear, you only need to find a suitable camping ground; it is rather cheap to rent a space.
If you are taking a road trip, you may travel in a campervan. It is an effective means of travel and provides you with everything you will ever need, such as a place to sleep and cook. You can, therefore, save much on your travel. You may also choose to stay in hostels to save on costs. If you have never been to one, you may think it is an unclean place not suitable for staying.
However, over the years, hostels have transformed till now they can provide you with amenities similar to those you may find in hotels, such as a private bath, Wi-Fi, TV, and kitchen space. You can cook your meals and save yourself some money that you would have instead used to eat out.
Visit free attraction sites.
When you visit a new location, you may be overwhelmed by the number of incredible sites you want to visit. You may not, however, go to all of them, probably because of time, but mostly due to the charges. Moving around the country and accessing the different locations would cost you a lot.
You may opt to take advantage of the free attractions in the city you are in and boost your experiences. In different parts around the world, you can gain access to museums for free or get crazy discount offers that may be too good to refuse.
Volunteer abroad
You may consider travelling to a country you want to visit by finding a temporary job that allows you to work in the region. Many of these volunteer programs provide you with accommodation and meals in return for your help. You may get a discount if you have to pay for housing.
Final Thoughts
Travelling does come with many expenses. But we can ascertain from above that you can never be too poor to travel. No matter where in the world you want to go, you can get a good deal that will help you reach your destination while at the same time save you lots of money.
Remember always to create a budget and try to stick to it. If you want the best deal, you only need to make proper preparations several days before you travel. While you may want to save on every dime you have, do not forget to have a good time on your travel.
