How to travel on a budget?
The most common inquiry I encounter from individuals concerned about traveling, whether it’s for work or leisure, revolves around the topic of finances and their ability to travel on a budget.
I love a good bargain, especially when it comes to saving money when travelling!
Travelling is such a wonderful opportunity, and learning how to travel on a budget makes it more accessible to people.
I hear people telling me that they simply have no money to travel.
How should we address these challenges? Throughout the last few years the answers have been provided through email, tweet, and Facebook messages.
This estimation falls in line with popular recommendations that budget travelers can spend an average of $50 a day on the road, and allows additional budget for flights and vaccines.
(When traveling abroad)
Related: Travel Gear on Amazon?
For example: Because of Costa Rica‘s ability to be experienced all year round, travelers can enjoy a plethora of activities including surfing, snorkeling, kayaking, and stand-up paddle boarding. This is one of the best countries to visit for ones who like to travel on a budget and love the outdoors.
Costa Rica has quickly developed into the most popular budget destination to visit in Central America.
In addition, the country has a well-developed infrastructure and a wide range of tourist facilities, making it easy to find everything you need while you’re there.
Trip Ideas
Budget Destinations
Mulu, Borneo
Mulu National Park is located in the Malaysian section of Borneo (South East Asia) and is a UNESCO world heritage site due to its astounding caves and unique ecosystems.
- A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a landmark or area which is selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as having cultural, historical, scientific or other form of significance, and is legally protected by international treaties.
Being surrounded by jungle in every direction Mulu is an ideal location for travel on a budget adventures, and explorations and aren’t afraid of getting muddy!
People go to Mulu to simply get into nature and this means there are plenty of free and extremely affordable destination and activities for you to do such as; explore Deer and Lang Cave for $8USD, walk along one of the world’s longest canopy.
Planning for Family Travel On A Budget
Before booking, it is very important to plan well and prepare yourself for the event beforehand. So, do not overlook this step and make sure the money is used wisely.
Even better, many of these credit cards offer complimentary elite status.
Elite status can grant you perks such as free breakfast, room upgrades, free WiFi and late checkout. It’s a good idea to consider booking hotel rooms using points, especially for budget family travel.
Whether you’re going away for weeks or just a weekend, having a travel budget is more important than ever.
With widespread price rises, it’s also more challenging than ever. Setting a budget and sticking to it won’t be easy.
Might as well get started now.
Add your travel expenses and the number of people, and it comes up with a total and per-day vacation cost.
The calculator is useful for remembering items that are easy to overlook, like ground transportation and travel insurance.
But experts and travelers tell me the best way to determine how much to budget for your 2023 vacation is to look at past trips. How much did you budget for those? How much did you actually spend?
Tips for better travel budgeting
Start with a number, then pick a destination.
Avoid paying for expensive hotels and consider vacation rentals instead.
But if you do book enjoy hotel rooms remember: It’s a good idea to consider booking hotel rooms using points, especially for budget family travel.
Sometimes hotels charge more for additional people in your room, but these costs won’t translate to reward redemptions.
You’ll generally pay the same standard price as long as you can all safely occupy the room.
Keeping an eye on rates will allow you to jump on them and book when they drop.
A few places to check your budget accommodation
Cheap Flights/Domestic flights
Cruise ship
Package deal
Hotel Room
Cheapest Countries and European Cities
Western Europe
South Asia
South America
Southeast Asia
Travel Tips
You can bypass the traditional travel industry with sharing economy websites and gain access to locals using their own assets and skills to become small tourism companies with cheaper prices.
- Moreover, locals know where to find deals.
- They know which supermarket is cheapest, which stores offer the best sales, and where to find the hole-in-the-wall restaurants and bars with the tastiest food at the lowest prices.
- Talking directly to them gives you access to that knowledge.
In fact, we are doing this ourselves for one of our summer trips.
- Many countries, states, and cities have tourism bureaus. This is a great way to find cheaper prices for hotels and popular activities to save as much money.
Also, check out sites like Viator and Get Your Guide to get discounts on kid-friendly day excursions and tours.
Always ask if there are discounts available for students or youth as this is an easy way to save tons of cash as you travel around!
Museums, galleries, and other major tourist attractions usually have low cost (especially in Eastern Europe ). It never hurts to ask!
(There are also often discounts for senior travelers and veterans as well as always ask!)
Book at the right time
This bears repeating. Why? Because when you book and when you travel can make a huge difference on your travel budget.
This applies to flights and hotels.
Confused about when the “right time” to book will be? There are multiple free tools available online to help you.
A lot of people have the misconception that traveling on a budget is impossible.
I’m here to tell you that it’s not! There are so many ways to save money when planning your next vacation, and in this blog post I will be sharing some of these tips with you.
#1 Travel Hack
When we go to Maui , we often book at a Marriott Vacation Club, because it allows us to have all our meals in our room. These properties have grills on the property, in addition to kitchens, which saves enough money that if we have an additional cost somewhere, it doesn’t break our budget. A vacation rental may save you money on a family vacation on a budget.
Look into the free attractions in your upcoming trip – many offer free tours, too!
You’ll never know how much you can’t see in your own city until someone takes the time to show it all off.
What’s more interesting than a free tour?
There are many different attractions, such as free museums and historical landmarks that offer visitors educational insights into what life was like for our grandparents or great-grandparents growing up here decades ago!
Tourists should explore their destination’s free attractions, too! There are many tours available to take you through local history and culture.
Many cities offer free walking tours, and free museum days, and there are often many kid-friendly activities that are either free entry or very low cost.
You can find them in most major cities.
Things like hiking or going to the beach are free and can make a family vacation quite magical and make your travel on a budget easier.
Many cities offer free walking tour, and free museum days, and there are often many kid-friendly activities that are either free entry or very low cost.
Also, travel books like Lonely Planet can help you find free activities in a location. If you plan to do a few activities in a location, especially in a big city like Orlando.
Georgia Tbilisi , Georgia is one of the most affordable capital cities in Europe for tourists.
Free Things To Do/Travel On A Budget
A surplus of budget-friendly restaurants and cafes, free walking tours, and ticketless attractions (which range from a 4th-century fortress to contemporary art spaces) make Tbilisi perfect for cost-conscious travelers.
And that’s just the beginning of what this city has to offer.
So, there is not much you can waste money on in this city.
The perfect destination for the budget traveler that wants to explore
People often think that the best way to enjoy a city is by visiting mainstream sites like museums or other popular tourist traps.
But nothing could be further from the truth. In terms of sightseeing spots for less money are available simply ask the locals because these inexpensive options can give visitors an authentic experience instead .
Get creative on vacation with your food budget by cooking at home and using grocery store coupons
Oftentimes, all you need to do is get creative with your food budget and use grocery store coupons. You can also cook at home while on vacation instead of dining out every day for lunch!
Local food is a window into the culture, so dig deep and eat like the locals, asking the vendors questions and learning more about each country’s food peculiarities.
Local Attractions
Also, when traveling in Western countries, shop for groceries and prepare your own breakfast at the very least.
Bring your own food and snacks can save you more money.
You can often save a lot of money by skipping out on planned tours and working it yourself!
Use public transportation to get there, take your own picnic with you.
If needed buy the entry ticket when entering at tourist attractions in advance so that they don’t charge more than necessary or add an additional fee later.
This is common practice if visitors use online booking services such as Expedia for example who may not even know about these types of pricing restrictions beforehand.
Just be sure nobody overbooks them because this will result into their being canceled without notice once full capacity has been reached.
Pack light to avoid overpacking fees when checking luggage
Travel on a Budget: Pack light
When packing for a trip, it is important to remember always bring what you need and not more than that.
If there are items in your luggage already from previous trips which don’t belong with this one–pack them so as not get charged extra fees when checking baggage at the airport or other transportation hubs around the world!
Consider taking public transportation or renting a car if you’re traveling long distances
Travel on a budget/Public Transportation
If you’re looking to save spending money on your travels, consider taking public transportation or renting a car.
But there are so many other alternatives out there!
For instance…
- Travel hacking sites like Priceline can get travelers discounts at car rentals, hotels and restaurants while they reserve accommodations ahead of time. (it’s worth checking several different websites).
- Simply by using a travel credit card for regular spending on groceries, restaurants, and shopping I’ve been able to earn free flights and hotel stays — all by spending money I was going to spend anyway! Simply check the details of your credit card company.
Travel Hacking/Travel On A Budget
Use sites like Airbnb to find cheap accommodations in popular destinations.
So by watching where you visit and perhaps even doing a vacation rental somewhere for a month or two, you could really maximize your budget and experience a ton.
Airbnb is a great site to find cheap accommodations when you’re traveling. It’s also fun meeting other people who are visiting the same city!
Sometimes an affordable destination is sitting there right atop your bucket list. What better than asking some of the top travel bloggers their experiences on cheap destinations? Travel bloggers have the answers and the experiences to boot.
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