globetrotter secrets to traveling on a budget

globetrotter secrets to traveling on a budget

What comes to mind when you think about traveling? Is it splurging tons of money on a private cruise ship in Bali, or taking a lone road trip to visit your relatives in the countryside? If it is either of the two, then there is much that you are missing out on.

Traveling might be costly, but you do not have to break the bank to have a good time. At the same time, it does not have to be boring. Do not get it wrong: there is nothing with spending time with your relatives, but there is a lot of other places around the world you can choose to explore.

Money should not trouble you if you want to travel. But how can you explore the world without wreaking havoc to your finances? Here are some globetrotter secrets to traveling on a budget.

Do not set your travel time and destination on stone

Learning to be flexible can save you a dime when you want to travel. Instead of having a fixed day of travel, you can search for cost effective travel dates. By doing so, you can get the best flight deals when you choose a destination to travel to.

You can as well find the best travel destination deals if there is a specific month you want to travel.

Pay your travel with credit card points

Using a travel card during your trip may go a long way to helping you save. Some cards offer you redeemable points every time you use them. You can use such a card regularly during your travels to accumulate points that you can eventually redeem for your airfare, hotels, and other expenses.

However, if you intend to use points to reduce your costs, you may have to save for a long time before your points become redeemable.

There are some reward programs with sign up offers that allow you to redeem your air miles. An airline credit card may accumulate travel miles every time you fly anywhere in the world. You can use the air miles to clear the cost of government-mandated taxes and fees when you travel.

Fly with a Budget airline

If you have plans to travel regionally, you may choose to use budget airlines. However, you have to be willing to sacrifice some comfort. The airlines still offer certain perks that you may opt to have, such as choosing whether you want a window or an aisle seat.

You can also choose to sit together with your traveling group if you have one. You may, however, have to cater to the costs for the perks. Remember to carry a light backpack if you choose to travel in a budget airline. You may have to pay some bag fee if you are not careful.

One of the reasons budget airlines have friendly prices is because they forego complimentary extras such as inflight snacks and drinks. If you want something to eat, you will have to meet the cost.

Split costs when traveling together with friends and family

You may dream of going for a solo trip around the world to clear your mind as you enjoy nature. However, it works best if you can support yourself financially. Well, there are some ways you can cut on costs, but that is something to speak of later.

When traveling as a group, the best way to save on the expenses is by sharing the cost. Book a hotel or rent a condo together. You don’t have to be shy about sharing a room or an entire home.

What matters most is that the cost is very manageable for everyone. Remember, when you book a hotel, you can only stay in a room with four people. Any more than that may require you to rent another. As well, you can travel in groups of four when you decide to use a cab depending on the car type.

Avoid roaming charges

You may want to communicate with your family and friends from home immediately you get to your destination. When you make a long-distance call, you may have to pay very hefty roaming charges. You can save on the roaming charges by using applications such as skype to communicate. You can as well get a local sim card that gives you cheaper communication rates if you want to talk with another local.

Additionally, social media ca help you bridge the gap with friends and family from all over the world. You can communicate on platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and Gmail. You may however require a WI-FI connection.

If you are in a region where you cannot access a WI-FI connection, you can connect to the internet through a local cellular network. The charges are pretty low and friendly.

Avoid Paying for Tours

A tour is a great way to interact with new people and have an immersive experience of the new destination. However, some of them can be quite costly. When you visit a new city, try to source for companies that offer free tours and see if you can find any that is planned to happen.

You can find some sites online where you can get a list of some free tours that are set to happen in different cities around the world. If you are creative enough, you may as well get a local that needs to learn English to give you a free tour in exchange for a few lessons.

Use buses as much as you can

If you are travelling between two regions, you may as well use a bus rather than flying. The distance may be longer and of less comfort as on a plane, but it is way cheaper. What’s more, you will get to experience the countryside in a new place and get to interact with a lot of new people.

When travelling between cities or towns, you can choose to avoid the taxi and take the bus as well to save on costs. If there are no buses, you can choose to ride a bicycle or talk a walk to the city you are visiting. It is however dependent on the pedestrian rules of the city.

Before you can travel to any new destination, it is important that you acquit yourself with the various stations where you may pick up public means of transport. You can carry with you a map or make friends with google maps.

Have an alternative accommodation to a hotel

There are numerous other cost friendly locations you can choose to reside in other than an expensive hotel. Depending on your location, you can choose to camp outside. It is an accommodation method best suited for locations that are deep in the mountains and woods. Provided you have your own camping gear, you only need to find a suitable camping ground of which they are not expensive to rent space.

If you are taking a road trip, you may opt to travel in a campervan. Not only is it an effective means of travel, but it also provides you with everything you will ever need such as a place to sleep and cook. You can therefore save much on your travel.

You may as well choose to stay in hostels to save on your costs. If you have never been to one, you may think it is an unkempt place not suitable for stay. However, along the years, hostels have transformed till now they are able to provide you with amenities similar to those you may find in hotels such as a private bath, WI-FI, TV and a kitchen space. You can therefore cook your own meals and save yourself some money that you would have rather used to eat from out.

Visit free Attraction sites

When you visit a new location you may be overwhelmed by the number of incredible sites you want to travel. You may not however travel to all of them, probably because of time, but mostly due to the charge. It would cost you a lot to travel around the country and access the different locations. You may opt to take advantage of the free attractions in the city you are in and boost your experiences. In different parts around the world, you can gain access to the museums for free or get crazy discount offers that may be too good to refuse.

Volunteer abroad

You may consider travelling to a country that you want to visit by finding a temporary job that allows you to work in the region. Many of these volunteer programs provide you with accommodation and meals in return for your help.

If you have to pay for accommodation, the amount is much discounted.

Travelling does come with numerous expenses. But one thing we can ascertain from above, is that you can never be too poor to travel. No matter where in the world you want to go, you can get a good deal that will help you reach your destination while at the same time save you lots of money. Remember to always create a budget and try everything you can to stick to it. If you want to get the beast deal, you only need to make proper preparations several days before you travel. While you may want to find every way you can save on cost, do not forget to have a good time in your travel.