Those who love to travel know how expensive it can be. While nothing can replace the thrill of traveling to new places, experiencing new cultures, and tasting new foods, coming home to an empty bank account can sure be painful.
Use these 7 Budget Travel Tips to help you save money for your next travel.
Fly When It’s the Cheapest
Travel prices change all the time, but thanks to years of data and research, specific times of the year have been identified as cheaper to travel than others.
Research suggests that the best times to fly are the first few weeks of December, and the end of January through beginning of February.
Spend the least amount of money on your plane tickets by flying during these slower times of the year. See more tips on how to find the cheap flight: 6 Ways To Find A Cheap Flight
Fly Where It’s the Cheapest
Want to get away, but don’t care where to? Fly where it’s the cheapest. Save money for your next travel by using Google Flights.
Set your date parameters and choose the city you’ll be leaving and returning to. The map will be able to show you every city in the world and how much it will cost to get there.
At the top near the filters, you can even filter the flights by price. Looking to go somewhere for $200 or less? Google Flights will help you find those locations.
Note: Google Flights doesn’t include every airline – some are left out of the search, most notably Southwest Airlines.
Ditch the Hotel
To save money during your next holiday, try using other accommodations besides a hotel.
Check Airbnb, FlipKey, HomeAway, or 9flats. These websites offer unique room, house, apartment, or condo rentals. From solo travelers to large groups of vacationers, these are great, much cheaper, options as opposed to staying in a hotel.
Don’t Pack Light, Pack Smart
Instead of packing light to avoid expensive travel fees, pack smart. Start with lightweight luggage and bags that won’t take up the majority of your weight limit.
Why leave important items at home when you can take everything you need? By using packing cubes and organizing your belongings, you’ll be able to keep your weight low and avoid expensive overage fees.
Plan Your Commutes before You Leave
Each city has unique methods of travel. Some function only on metro busses, while others have their own subways. Bike rentals have become popular, and larger towns also have car sharing services.
Before you leave for your trip, research the cheapest method of travel in the city or town you’ll be visiting. Oftentimes, purchasing day or week-long train, bus, or subway tickets beforehand are cheaper than purchasing them when you arrive.
Are there any apps you’ll need to download to navigate your way around? Download them ahead of time to make sure you don’t get lost and end up paying for an expensive car ride back to your room.
Get an International Plan or Find the Wi-Fi
If you’ll be traveling outside of your current cellphone plan, check with your carrier to see if there’s an international or travel option. By making these changes before you leave, you’ll avoid hefty roaming and travel charges for calls, text messages, and data.
If you’ll still be able to use your phone plan but are afraid you’ll go over the data while searching for restaurants and ordering Ubers, check out where various Wi-Fi hotspots are before you leave. If you’re able to stop in a café to use their Wi-Fi for a few moments, you can avoid charges from using too much data.
BYOF (Bring Your Own Food)
Instead of paying insane amounts for fast food that’s been sitting under heat lamps for hours, bring your own food for traveling.
As long as the snacks and meals you plan to bring don’t contain liquid, gel, or a paste, you’ll be able to bring it on board the plane with you. 100-calorie snack packs, bags of nuts, cups of cereal, and fresh fruit such as apples or bananas are all great options.
If you plan to take food on board with you, make sure to check with TSA on what is and isn’t allowed.
Traveling doesn’t have to be as expensive as you think. By being creative and not succumbing to the travel industry’s ridiculous prices, you’ll be able to save money for your next travel. Follow these budget travel tips and you’ll be set for many trips to come.
