Are you dying to see the world, but your bank account can’t afford it? There’s dozens of ways to start traveling on a budget if you get creative, whether you’re just trying to see the United States, or the whole world. The key is to stay flexible – you may be dying to walk the Seine in Paris, but right now, your best option may be to visit Spain. And that’s not a bad thing – some of the best adventures are the ones we don’t expect!
Getting There
The first step to traveling on a budget is getting there – and this is really the part that’s going to dictate where you go and when. Now, you could sign up for a discount travel membership or go searching for a deal on Expedia, but the absolute best option?
My sister was a travel agent for 30 years, and she’s even impressed by deals she’s seen there.
What you do is plug in the airport or city you want to leave from, and the dates you want to travel (and if you’re flexible on when, you can let the search engine know that, too!). Leave the destination empty or just put in a continent.
What will come up is a map with good flight deals marked. You can zoom out to see the whole globe, or zoom in to go continent by continent (I recommend that – you get to see even more great deals that way!).
After scooting around the map and setting the dates to be flexible, I found a non-stop flight from New York to Oslo for just $443!
Other Tips
Also, try to travel in the off-season. Orlando is most popular in the summer, but if you go in September, it’s just as warm but the prices can be a lot less!
You also don’t have to fly into where you want to actually visit. If you find a really great deal into Germany, remember that you can easily catch a train and continue on to Paris. Just aim for near where you want to be and look at other transport options that are available.
Where To Stay
You made it to a super cool place, but now you’re going to spend all of your money on hotels or AirBNBs? No. Hotels are an option, especially if you look for deals on Google Hotels (I’m not sponsored by Google, they just have some useful and free tools). However, there’s more options if you aren’t seeing a great deal.
Volunteer Vacations
Check out platforms like Workaway and HelpStay. Essentially, you get to stay in someone’s home or guesthouse in exchange for a few hours of help. This can be a few hours a week or a few hours a day, and sometimes comes with food, tours of the local area, and other benefits. Plus, some of the stays can be really interesting on their own! This one in India just asks for language exchange and help cooking the meals, while this one in Bolivia lets you spend your days helping rescued animals like monkeys, oncillas, and jaguars!
Sitting
Another option to look at is house- or pet-sitting. In exchange for caring for a family’s pets, you can stay in their home in a cool destination. You’ll find available gigs on community sites like Nomador, and there are options all over the world!
Couchsurfing
I like my space, but if you’re okay living in close quarters with others, head over to Couchsurfing. People open up their homes to travelers, allowing them to stay in their guest room or even, yes, on the couch. If you’re planning on spending most of your time out and exploring, this can be a great way to visit new places, and you may even get a built-in friend at the same time!
Camping/RVing
This works best if you’re staying relatively close to home (like the same country). I RV with my daughter every year – we bought one about 7 years ago, and have loved getting to travel the country without having to change hotels every few days (or pay for them!). We bought, but you can rent an RV as well.
If you’re a nature lover, you can even just camp! Grab a tent and find a campground. You can drive into nearby cities to explore, but at night, sleep in peace under the stars. There’s no reason to indulge in a fancy room when you’re spending most of your time out. Traveling on a budget is all about prioritizing – and accommodations? Low priority.
Where To Go
Some places are easier to visit when you’re traveling on a budget. A week in New York City, not counting getting there or the accommodations, can get very expensive, especially if you’re making the most of it! It may even be cheaper overall to fly to a different continent, when you factor in eating, visiting attractions, and picking up souvenirs.
Southeast Asia is commonly known to be budget-friendly. Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Thailand are all popular destinations and visitors often spend $30 or less a day – including a hotel or hostel! If you’re feeling a bit European, avoid France and Switzerland. Instead, head to Georgia, the Balkan peninsula, or Eastern Europe, where you’ll find a number of inexpensive cities.
How To Get Around
One way to keep your travel budget under control – make sure you go to cities that are either walkable or have excellent public transportation. Taking cabs every time you go out will have the money just pouring out of your wallet.
Italy has amazing public transportation. In nearly every city – big ones like Milan and little ones like Ostuni – there’s a bus system. The bigger ones also have a Metro Underground. Then, there’s the InterCity trains that criss-cross the country. You can take one to just about any other city.
Pro-Tip: When changing cities by train, take an overnight whenever possible. They can be very comfortable, and you can save yourself hotel costs for a night.
But even more than public transportation, pack comfortable shoes and walk as much as possible. It’s inexpensive and it’s the best way to stumble across hidden gems. You might not see the best hole-in-the-wall restaurant when you fly past on the bus.
What To Eat
It may be tempting to hit all the best restaurants, but by doing so, you’re missing out on the best part of travel! Street food is far less expensive and a better representation of a country’s culture and cuisine. Whether it’s sufflaqe in Greece or Khao Kao Moo in Thailand, you can eat well, try new dishes, and not break the bank.
Stop by a grocery store for bottles of water and snacks when you arrive. Doing this instead of stopping at cafes every time you get thirsty is a huge money-saver. It’s not to say you never stop at a café, but do so because it seems like a fun place to stop, instead of because you’re desperately thirsty.
Finally, it’s okay to go out to a nice restaurant! We all deserve nice things, nice experiences. Instead of going to the fancy and flashy restaurant right by the biggest tourist attraction in town, though, walk a couple of blocks away and find a little spot inhabited by locals. Tourist restaurants have tourist prices – and the quality of the food is likely to suffer. The place the locals go, though… It’ll be reasonably priced and the food is likely phenomenal.