Budget travel is a hot topic among the travellers. Everyone wants to travel without spending much money, but this does not mean always camping and cooking meals. Budget travel is a smart way of travelling while enjoying the authentic experiences that each destination offers. Travelling on a budget doesn’t mean you will have a stressful trip and dirty accommodation but planning it to have a beautiful experience.
We are fans of budget travel and we are planning to continue to travel this way. We had so much fun on budget trips vs costly ones. Our trip to Corfu is one of our favourites even though we spend half of the money compared to our trip to Baleares for example. We appreciate and feel better about travelling this way for a lot of reasons that we found out from our 5 years of travelling together.
To help like-minded travellers, we are writing this blog post on budget travel with the best hints from our experience.
Plan ahead
I know that sometimes you are not sure if booking months ahead for a trip is the best thing to do. Maybe you have something pending or that friend coming with you changed his/her mind etc. Well, almost nothing is sure in life but you have to do it. Planning ahead of time from one year to six months not only saves you a lot of money but also provides you with a stress-free situation before your trip.
Everything from airline tickets to accommodation increases the prices if you let it in at the last minute. A huge problem that arises when you don’t plan ahead of time is availability. Some destinations with a limited number of accommodations or a huge number of tourists can not offer a service anymore. Then you end up paying much more in another place or even worse cancelling everything. Plan ahead of time and you are ready to fully enjoy your travel experience.
Travel overnight
The cheapest tickets for aeroplanes, buses or trains are overnight. Unfortunately, it is not the best time to travel but that way you save some money. Economy classes on aeroplanes are not a great place to sleep but sleeper trains are a good deal to be at your destination the next day and relax. This kind of accommodation is offered only in main cities or urban areas and if your hometown or destination is not a big city then you need an extra mean of transport to make the connection. In general, we think is worth it to book the ticket overnight because the price is double during the day.
Travel off-season
This hint is our favourite one. Why not travel off-season? You are going to miss so many advantages of not choosing this time of the year for your next travel adventure. Off-season, especially shoulder season is the perfect time to explore your bucket list places. For sure it saves you a ton of money and is a top hint on budget travel. The requirements in the travel industry tend to decrease outside the main season and the prices of almost all services, are reduced.
Another reason is weather conditions. What if is not perfect weather? Now with global warming, the weather is much more unstable and you have a high chance to have great weather in the Mediterranean in October. I just can’t stress it enough. Try to travel in one year in the high season and the next year in the shoulder season in the same region. Compare your trip for both times and the results will lead you to always travel off-season.
Buy travel insurance
Although travel insurance increases the cost of your trip, booking it is the best way to avoid high medical bills in a foreign country in case of an accident. And we know those bills are with many zeros from behind. Your camera or phone can be stolen also and this one is not so rare. Why not have peace of mind and take your coverage from health insurance rather than pay yourself these costly gear? You can be a lucky person and these things do not happen to you but you never know and better be prepared.
Pack light
Travel teaches you to be practical. Exploring a city, hiking or just laying on a beach, whatever activity you will do on your trip, sneakers are perfect. Necessary things first and then if there’s enough room in your backpack for the rest that’s fine. Remember you are going to explore and enjoy the destination not making a parade in the middle of the city. A great hint to spare space when packing is to take with you universal clothes that combine, for example, jeans, lino trousers, and T-shirts in neutral colours like white, grey, black and beige. Sports clothes are a great choice too. They are very comfortable and dry fast. You can move around much more easily and most importantly, reducing another bag will save you money.
Explore budget-friendly countries
This planet is so huge and you have limitless possibilities for your next journey. Some countries are just too pricey for you right now. Well, be flexible and choose another one. There are great countries to visit on a budget on every continent. Do your research and book that ticket. What I find great about budget-friendly countries is most of them turn out way better than my expectations.
Visit off-the-beaten-path places
Off-the-beaten-track destinations are a great choice to avoid spending money as crazy when travelling. The requests from tourists are low and the services cost way less than popular destinations. This kind of place offers excitement for something new, unseen before on the internet. Plus you receive an authentic experience with the locals because they are not used to tourists and are more than happy to talk and help you. A big gain is the food, cheap and amazing local food. What to look further? Also, the crowds of people are completely non-existent. I assume your next summer vacation is not Santorini :).
Move around with public transportation
I completely agree with the fact that not all countries have a good network of public transportation but for the ones that have, use it. Don’t think twice. You want to explore as much as possible your next destination and transportation costs are inevitable. Then think smart. Use public transport such as trains, buses, boats or whatever it is. Check on the city website or ask the tourist information office for offers and discounts on tickets. Look for countries or cities with special offers on transportation. For example, Germany has launched 49 Euro ticket since May 2023 for residents and tourists. You will move around cheaper and don’t have to worry about the parking.
Sometimes saving money while travelling is easier than you think. Research and read articles from experienced travellers and your trip will be much better.
