8 Budget Travel Tips 2021
Do you love traveling? In this article, we reveal some hidden tips and tricks that can show you how to travel on a budget, and save a lot more money. Read on!
How to buy less and travel more
Chances are you have either totally canceled or cut short a trip, due to expenses, at least once in your lifetime.
People love to travel. According to statista.com, leisure travel is the largest sector of the tourism industry presently. What if we told you that there are ways to have more trips and visit more cities while spending less money?
Do we have your attention? Good. Let’s get into it.
Take Advantage of Your Destination’s Off-Peak Season
Yes, you probably want to visit Malta at Christmas, to see the sights and immerse yourself in the Maltese culture. But do you really have to, especially when you are trying to travel on a low budget?
Speaking of budget travel tips here is one for you; trips are more expensive during the peak seasons. In fact, all prices go up by almost 50%: hotel fees, airline fares, and the general lifestyle in the city during the peak seasons. So travel during off-seasons, and not tourist peaks, to make use of reductions in hotel prices, discounted flights, and more.
Other things like flying during mid-week, flying on the actual event day (since most people should have booked by then), and taking cheap routes, can also help you.
Researching public information published by travel agencies will give you better insights, and tell you when it’s best to travel.
Try Different Payment Methods
It’s time to get rid of your archaic mindset of making travel transactions with only credit and debit cards.
Ever heard of cryptocurrencies?
More travel agencies are accepting cryptocurrencies for travel, and that is an advantage you should make use of.
First, because cryptocurrencies are intangible currencies, you do not have to deal with unstable foreign exchange rates and transaction fees.
What’s more, by becoming an expert trader in cryptocurrencies, you can also make some extra money in addition to saving.
Hop on the cryptocurrency trend, and save some money while traveling.
Sign up for Discounts and Deals
There are always travel deals that can be taken advantage of. Some of the deals come with mind-blowing discounts that come in handy when you are trying to travel cheaply.
By signing up for these, you can save some extra money.
However, you must be careful to use only reliable agencies to avoid being scammed and losing money instead. Also, ensure that you properly check the deal you are being offered, to see that it is actually more cost-effective than your original plan.
Save at the Airport
Most times, you spend almost a quarter of your entire trip expenses at the airport. There are little habits you can pick up, which can reduce your expenditure. For instance:
- Buy less, travel more: Reduce your buying of snacks and all the other stuff you could have packed from the house.
- Have a friend or family drop you off and pick you up, that way you don’t have to worry about extra money for airport taxi trips.
- Reduce the amount of baggage you carry. Most flights now charge extra fees for heavy baggage. If you can, pack lightly.
By the time you remove the costs of all these, there will be a difference.
Play With Re-targeting
Pay attention, this is a classified secret. There is something called re-targeting. It is when sites and businesses target specific individuals with enticing deals and discounts, for showing some sort of interest in their products and services.
Visit the websites you want to use for your travel deals and start filling in your information. When you get to the payment part, cancel. The ad tracker will assume you backed off due to lack of money, and for the next couple of days, they will begin to push hot deals and might offer you a personal discount to ensure that you complete your purchase. Many of them can be worth it.
Stay Loyal to a Company
Usually, companies reward loyalty among customers. If you consistently use a particular company for your flight dealings, in no time, your customer loyalty points start compiling, and will eventually pay off.
Also, part of staying loyal to your flight agency is following them up socially. By engaging and being active on your agency’s social media pages, you can catch their attention, and increase your chances of being rewarded. In addition, most of these pages put up discounts and carry out giveaways often on their social media pages, and by following up, you get to see and participate in them.
Save on Accommodation
Now, a huge consideration when traveling is accommodation. Do you plan to stay with a relative, hostels, or hotels? Well, a lot of hotels are cheaper when paid for ahead of time, although most times, deals like that are non-refundable.
If you are certain of a trip, a good step will be to book your hotel stay in advance. Also, booking directly from the hotel’s website can give you some cents off.
Again, you can try house rentals, as this might be cheaper, especially if it is a lengthy stay you plan to have. You can also try Airbnb, house sitting, and if you are feeling a bit adventurous and daring, you can try couch surfing or overnight traveling.
Save Money on Food
Food is the biggest expenditure people make while traveling. According to the U.S Travel industry impact, the total amount of money spent on traveling in 2019, equated to $1.1 Trillion, with the highest amount; $278.9 Billion, allocated to food.
Another research conducted by WYSE Travel Confederation showed that about 37% of travelers were more likely to spend on food and drink experience.
Indeed, you can’t blame anyone for wanting to eat food, since it is a necessity. However, while you are encouraged to try out multiple delicacies while on a trip, to further strengthen your cultural knowledge of the location, if you are trying to travel on a budget, you should watch it. Some tips help, such as:
- Book a rental apartment that comes with a kitchen. This way you can do your own cooking, and minimize expenses greatly.
- Try out hostels.
- Choose local grocery shops over hotel in-built stores when trying to stock up on supplies.
- Choose a hotel that includes free breakfast in the package. That way, you have less to spend on.
- Simply opt for lower-cost meals.
Transportation
If you are traveling, chances are you do not intend to stay locked in your hostel, hotel, Airbnb, or wherever you are accommodated, from start to finish. You need to explore, and transportation, if mismanaged, can affect your plan to travel cheaply.
A smart way to handle this is to use public transportation. Yes, it is not always very convenient, but on the brighter side, it offers a few advantages. Some of the advantages are:
- You will get to meet more people (which can be very handy in a new city).
- You can have time to watch and explore instead of focusing on the road.
- It is actually faster (bus-only lanes), giving you more time for other activities.
- Most importantly in this context, it is the cheapest option.
So, while it might not be the most convenient way, it really has its benefits. Also, you can opt for private transportation interchangeably.
Choose your Activities Carefully
It is not difficult to forget all about your plans to travel on a low budget when you get drowned in activities. This is why it is always a great idea to plan your activities. Without a plan, anything is acceptable, and you can lose money easily this way. Here are some ways you can reduce your spending on activities:
- Avoid expensive tours: You can get creative with apps and online guides to help you find your way around.
- Check for discounts before you go for the activity: Most activities offer slashed prices for several groups, you just might be included in a group and get a discount.
- Look for free activities: There are tons of things you do not have to pay for. You can do your research, or ask the locals, and choose those options instead.
You do not have to be economical to a fault on a trip. We are just saying that you do not have to spend so much money, to have so much fun. These budget travel tips we have provided can help you save some money while you travel, giving you a travel more and spend less experience.
Remember to always get your information regarding hostels, hotels, discounts, travel agencies, and flights from reliable sources, and always double-check.
Okay, let’s go tick more countries off our checklist!
Oct 09, 2015
