You Don’t Need to Be Rich to Travel: 10 Ways I Travel More for Less
Traveling has gotten astronomically expensive lately. And you need to be rich to travel, you just need to be strategic.
I have always prided myself on being a budget shopper and trying to find the best deals - and I do the same with travel. No, that does not mean you need to slum it in hostels, eat protein bars for dinner, or not dress cute. You just need better planning.
For me, budget means figuring out where I can save money so I can spend on the things I actually care about.
So with a little strategy, some flexibility, (and my tips), you can stretch your money way further on trips — without missing out on incredible food, stays, and experiences.
Here’s your ultimate guide to traveling on a budget:
1) TRAVEL IN THE OFF SEASON
There are so many benefits to traveling in the off season and since my birthday perfectly falls on travel off-season (end of April), this is a tip I’m well familiar with. For most places, the shoulder seasons consist of April - May and Sept - Oct. You will always find better prices during this time since it’s not peak tourist travel.
Summer is the obvious travel month but I actually never travel during the summer (it’s so expensive).
Don’t be afraid to travel in the winter too. Depending on the destination, traveling during the winter can also save you a lot of money (and crowds).
2) BE STRATEGIC WITH FLIGHTS
Flights are the probably one of the biggest expenses of your trip. And flight prices are all about strategy.
For starters, I let the deal determine the destination.
I keep a running list of destinations in my phone of places I want to visit and see where I can fit them into my schedule. Then I start setting flight notifications on Google Flights. You can also use the ‘explore’ feature where you pick the length of the trip, the month, and search flight destinations based on flights. If you know where you want to go, set a flight notification. When the price drops, I book the flight. Don’t wait because I do this thing called procrastination sometimes and it always, always bites me in the ass when it comes to prices.
I also like using Skyscanner to find cheap flights. With Skyscanner, you can search flights across tons of airlines and booking sites and flexible destinations. It will tell you what destinations are cheapest for what month — it’s really helpful in planning where and when to go.
Don’t Ignore Positioning Flights
This is a a hack I have learned over the years. Sometimes flying directly from your home airport to your final destination is insanely expensive. So you can fly into another major nearby city for cheaper and then book a domestic flight. For example, if flights from Chicago to Estonia are really pricey. Get a flight to Finland and then ferry or fly over domestically.
The more you know :)
3) CHOOSE DESTINATIONS THAT ARE AFFORDABLE
I know, I know. You want to go to Greece and so do I! But sometimes, that comes with a price tag and there’s an entire world to see of places that can feel similar to Greece but without the big bill. So if I want to take multiple trips throughout the year, I have to also ask myself “how much is this going to cost?” And I have cancelled trips in the past because the costs were getting too high.
Cheap flight does not always equal cheap trip.
The best thing about traveling is that you can make your $1 go far compared to the U.S. I think the less touristy places are typically going to be more inexpensive. So I would just be realistic about how much you are going to spend once you get there and do your research.
I’ve personally found destinations in Central America, South America and parts of Eastern Europe to be beautiful but affordable. I encourage you to think outside the box. Check out all of my destinations here.
4) BUILD A TRAVEL FUND
This is my #1 tip so listen up!! And my best kept secret…
I have a separate account, kind of like a savings, called “travel fund". Every month, I contribute money automatically to the travel fund. I also do some housesitting throughout the year and all that money I make from that also goes into the travel fund. So when the time comes to pay for the flight upfront, I just take it from my travel fund.
Even you saved $100 a month. That becomes $1200 a year and you can most definitely travel somewhere on that!! And then it doesn’t feel like you have to pay for everything upfront.
If you listen to anything in this blog, listen to this tip.
5) DON’T SPLURGE ON THE HOTEL
The beautiful hotel is luxurious and pretty to look at. But when I’m paying for the trip myself?
Location > luxury.
I’d rather stay in a clean, safe hotel that’s walkable to everything than spend hundreds more per night on a five-star hotel. Especially when I’m only going to be there for sleeping.
And no, I’m not saying you need to stay in a dorm in a hostel. Hostels offer private rooms too! Which I have stayed in a lot and have had great experiences.
This is what I look for:
A central/walkable location
Good reviews — READ THEM!
Free breakfast (just another way to save $$)
Free cancellation if my plans aren’t 100% finalized
I use Booking.com a LOT for this because it’s easy to compare neighborhoods, prices and cancellation policies.
And if you really want to post on your Instagram that you’re at a luxury hotel? Go have a drink there. Problem solved :)
5) EAT LIKE A LOCAL
Food is one of the main reasons I travel, it’s so fun trying food around the world. So I’m not here to tell you to go to the grocery store and only eat that on your trip.
Could you save money that way? Yes. It’s a good option for breakfast and snacks. Then you can splurge on dinners.
When I say eat like a local, I mean try the street food vendors (through research, of course). It’s going to be cheaper without the tourist price tag. Also, choose a few restaurants that are must-eats and keep the rest more casual.
Eat at markets. This is a great way to make your $ go far too! So many great local markets in the world.
Consider Doing One Food Tour: I LOVE a food tour at the beginning of a trip because you’re basically getting an activity + several meals/tastings + local recommendations all at once.
Find Food Tours →
6) SKIP THE EXCURSIONS
I think it’s hard not to want to “see and do everything” when you’re traveling to a place you have never been and not sure if you’ll ever go back to. It creates this sense of urgency. Especially if you’re seeing all these experiences on social media.
But those excursions add up. You don’t need a tour to see every single sight a city has to offer.
You don’t need to do all of it.
I normally choose one or two experiences that I REALLY want to do and then leave room to explore on my own.
When I do want to book an activity, I like using GetYourGuide because I can compare tours, reviews and prices instead of booking the first excursion I find.
If you prefer a tour guide, another option is free walking tours.
They’re one of the easiest ways to learn the layout of a city, meet people if you’re solo and get recommendations from someone who actually lives there! Plus if you’re by yourself, a great way to have a built in photographer :)
They’re generally tip-based, so keep that in mind.
7) TAKE PUBLIC TRANSIT
I don’t know why public transit gets such a bad reputation here in the states. It’s a great tool and perk in pretty much anywhere else in the world.
You do not need to Uber/taxi everywhere!
Those taxi rides add up and it’s unnecessary when public transportation is so amazing all over the world. From first-hand experience, Germany, Prauge and Switzerland had some of the best/cleanest transportation I have ever seen.
In Barcelona, you can get a 3-day unlimited train pass for $13 USD.
One of my favorite apps is CityMapper (available in all cities) and it gives you step-by-step directions for that cities public transportation. This is great if you are bad with directions like me.
Also, walking is free. So get those steps in!
8) TRACK YOUR SPENDING
This is the tip I, myself, am very bad at. But if you don’t keep track of what you are spending each day, you are most likely to make impulse buys and those will add up. I am very guilty of this.
Carry cash on hand so you can keep track of your spending that day. And at the end of the day, do a little recon of how much you spent that day. You can also use apps like Wanderlog that have a budget feature so you can just enter it in yourself.
9) DON’T FORGET ABOUT POINTS/MILES
You do NOT have to be one of those travel-hacking points people who make traveling with points a sport. I personally find this overwhelming.
I work on a if you have it, use it policy.
To start, sign up for the free loyalty program for the airlines you regularly fly and the hotel brands you use. And if a travel credit card makes sense for your finances, points can help offset flights and hotels. It’s important that I say I would never recommend carrying credit card debt just to earn travel points.
I used to hoard points/miles for something specific. But now, I use it if it works in my favor. Have $200 in credit card points to redeem, use towards a flight. Another example is that I had American Airlines points so I used it for my domestic flights in Peru. That’s one less expense I didn’t have to pay.
Girl math.
10) COLLECT PHOTOS, NOT THINGS
Like I said before, I’m a girl who makes impulse buys…
You don’t need to bring everyone home a souvenir.
Pick one collectible that is easy, small, and lower priced to bring home with you each trip if that’s a valuable part of the experience for you. I like to pick something small like a ring, a postcard, or a coffee mug that is below ($30).
Or keep your tickets to the excursions you did go on as keepsakes!
How I Find Cheap Travel Deals:
If you’re trying to travel more without spending a fortune, these are the tools I use most often:
Flights: Google Flights + Skyscanner
Hotels: Booking.com
Tours & activities: GetYourGuide
Getting around: Citymapper
Travel planning: Wanderlog
And my biggest advice?
Don’t get caught up in specific places and timing.
Flexible destination + flexible dates + shoulder-season travel is basically the holy trinity of finding cheap travel deals.
Final Thoughts: You Don’t Have to Be Rich to Travel
Travel is expensive. Especially nowadays. Gone are the cheap backpacker days. Sad :(
I’m not interested in skipping every restaurant, staying somewhere I hate or saying no to every experience just so I can say I traveled for $37.
I want to actually enjoy the trip. And that means, traveling often which also means I’m a baller on a budget.
I’ll take the cheaper flight.
I’ll travel in the off-season.
I’ll stay at the cheap hotel.
I’ll take the train.
And then I’ll happily spend the money I saved on pasta and wine. EMPAHSIS ON THE WINE!
