Travelling is such an exciting way to spend your free time. Opening your horizons to new experiences and cultures is a great way to reinvigorate your body and mind. But we all are aware of how expensive traveling can be. I know for me personally, it has put me off in the past when looking to book some trips over the fear of not being able to afford to do everything I would want to do while traveling. Therefore, today I am going to give you some of my best tips to save money while traveling.
Savings Plan
Creating a concrete plan for your money is important. You will struggle to make any meaningful progress if you do not structure how you spend and save your money. For those who have not got a structured savings plan, starting with an assessment of your finances is a good place to start. Ask yourself, what are your needs versus your wants while traveling? Start saving early, even by making the smallest changes to your spending habits. Start using coupons (such as via links like https://www.raise.com/coupons/ebay) to purchase items that you need. Start a piggy bank. All of these things you can get used to doing when you are no longer traveling, too! Spending a night in a five-star hotel will be enjoyable but it will reduce the likelihood of being able to continue your adventures if your budget does not allow for it. Additionally, you can get a travel reward card to save money while travelling. But what is it actually? A travel reward card offers you to earn rewards that you can use during your journey. If lucky, you can even score a complimentary night’s stay at your favorite hotel or get a free airline ticket. Moreover, a travel reward card can come with bountiful benefits to leverage your traveling dreams. If you wish to get more information regarding this, you might want to read various blog posts found on the internet.
Besides that, having the right amount of money with you when traveling is critical. So, before you set out, make sure that you have saved enough money through a consistent savings plan. Setting achievable goals based on your financial situation will help keep you on track with your saving targets. For example, you could set aside 10% of your paycheque everything month to work towards that final goal you hplanned for. Create meaningful milestones along the way to keep you motivated.
Be a Flexible Flyer
If you are on a loose schedule, you can save a lot of money on flights if you do your research. If you investigate taking the empty flights at typically more awkward times of the day you will save a lot of money. No one likes getting on a plane at 6 am on a Tuesday but if you do you could end up with huge savings that could found more time on the road. This is a great option for backpackers like me that regularly look for ways to keep themselves adventuring onwards.
You can further increase the savings if you plan your big trip around the holiday off-seasons. Flight prices will naturally be higher around May to September so avoid those months if you are looking to save some money. Going to warmer places in the months that are typically colder can help you avoid winter if you prefer hot weather as well. So, it is a win-win. Personally, I love to dodge winter by traveling throughout the festive season, when it is often cheaper than the peak summer holiday months.
Shop Around for Activities
When traveling, it is easy to be pulled into the most popular attractions in that area you are exploring. While there is nothing wrong with going to popular attractions, they often cost more to see or participate in. So, do your research on activities in the area you are traveling to when you are on the road. Once you have a list ready, look around on the web for the best and most affordable options. For instance, if you’re interested in visiting a spa for a massage, you can search “Massage Therapist Near Me“, and list down your options to find the one most suitable to your needs and budget. You could, similarly, do the same for an activity like going for a hike or festival.
Being smart about what you go and do and see. Many tourist-friendly cities offer tourism cards. These cards can be a great option for those who are looking to save some money while they are visiting various attractions in the city. They can often include free entry to top attractions, discounts at some restaurants and shops, free transport, and even free guidebooks. This sounds great on paper but again make sure you add up how much all that stuff you want to do would cost next to a tourist card. Sometimes it can be fantastic value for money but if you are not going to take advantage of most of its benefits then it is probably worth passing on.
Accommodation
Big fancy hotels are lovely to spent time in, sure, but your budget will hate you for it. Decide to make use of shared accommodation with different travelers. Many cities provide cheap group accommodation so do your research into how you could save the most money. It might work out cheaper to get transport into the city center from accommodation outside of the heart of the city. If you have a loose schedule this is a fantastic way to help your money go a bit further than it otherwise would. How I often think about it is, which would I rather? Do I want to see 6 amazing countries or 1 because that is the difference expensive accommodation can make for serial travelers?
To summarize, there is a lot you can do to keep your expenditure down while exploring the world. Make sure you know how much you can spend at any point and be strict with it. If you spent to much in some areas, you would really struggle in others to experience everything you set out to do. Shopping around for cheap or free activities opens your budget and being a flexible flyer can open up even more possibilities.