Learn how to travel more for less and enjoy every moment! Discover simple money-saving tips to make your adventures unforgettable. Join me as we explore the world on a budget and create lasting memories.
How To Travel Cheap
I used 15 tips and tricks for my long-term and short-term travel. With these tips, travel on a budget becomes easy and effortless.
1. Get A Job While You’re Abroad
When you want to travel on a budget, the simplest thing to do is to make some money abroad.
You can either work as a waiter or waitress, work in hostels, or work as a dive instructor. Every diving spot we visited had people working there. The spots where you can dive are amazing, and often you will be in a tropical paradise. Not too bad.
It is entirely up to you if you want to do one of these options while you’re traveling. Just know that it’s not hard to find these jobs. Just ask around in the local community and there will be something for you to do.
2. Couchsurfing
Do you know the amazing website Couchsurfing? This is a website where people are offering their couches to strangers. You can send the people who are offering a couch (or another space in their home) a message, meaning that you can chat before you come by.
Both Couchsurfing hosts and the couch surfers have a profile where they tell something about themselves. You get a rating from the people who have stayed with you or the people who have hosted you.
3. Stay In Hostels
Another great way to travel on a budget is to stay in hostels. While hotels are amazing at times, they’re not the way to go if you want to travel on a budget.
4. Fly With Cheap Airlines
When you are flying with cheap airlines, this can save you a LOT of money on airfare. I flew for $250 from Copenhagen to Los Angeles a couple of years ago, and for $40 from Bogota to Cartagena (within Colombia).
A couple of tips to save money on flights include: compare flights on sites like Kayak or Skyscanner, be aware of additional fees, bring your own snacks & drinks, and check if you airport is close to the city.
For other tips and more details, check 9 Tips For Flying On A Budget.
5. Be Flexible With Your Departure & Return Date
You can save a lot of money when you are flexible with your departure and return date. How do you check that? Simply go to the website and check when the cheapest fares are.
Most of the time, traveling in the middle of the week will be the cheapest option. There are simply more people who want to fly on the weekends.
6. Travel During Low Season
Depending on the place you’re going to, avoid high season. Low season is a much more relaxed time to travel. There is more room in the hostels so you don’t need to book them in advance. Besides that, the prices are much lower as the demand is simply lower.
Be aware that you’re not traveling during the rainy season or hurricane season, it would be a waste if part of your holiday would be sitting inside because the weather outside is terrible.
7. Housesit During Vacation To Save Money
Want to travel even more low budget during your vacation? Watch someone’s house while they are away.
The concept of house-sitting is that you watch their homes, and their pets (if they have any), and you get access to free accommodation and a kitchen where you can cook. Some platforms to check out are Trusted Housesitters and House Carers.
8. Stay In Airbnbs
Many countries have a great Airbnb network. We noticed that traveling with three people, Airbnbs were often cheaper compared to hostels and hotels. How developed the Airbnb network is, depends highly on the country.
9. Ask For A Discount
The easiest way to get a discount is to just ask for it. When you’re traveling to Central America, Asia, or Africa, negotiating is very normal.
My tactic is simple. I check the hostels that are available online, choose one that fits my needs, and go there without booking anything. If the price they mention is higher than the price I saw online, I show them a screenshot and ask for a lower price than that.
10. Find Cheap Ways To Get Around
When you are traveling on a budget, buses, and trains are the way to go. Please avoid airplanes if you can, they are costly both for the environment and your wallet. Besides, you do not need to pay for accommodation if you’re traveling on an overnight bus or train. Win-win.
If you want to continue the frugal fun in your travels, here are 105 fun things you can do without spending money!
11. Hitchhike
What is even cheaper than taking the bus or the train? Right, hitchhiking. It is a relatively safe and common way to go around. In Central America, South America, Australia, and Eastern Europe it is very common.
12. Take Your Student ID
If you’ve recently graduated or your student card doesn’t have an expiration date on it, take it with you!
You will get discounts in many places, and you will save a ton of cash along the way.
13. Check Out The Free Walking Tours
In every major city in Europe, Central America, South America, and Australia, they are offering free walking tours. They offer tip-based tours where you can
These free walking tours are a great way to meet fellow travelers, make friends, and learn about the country you’re visiting. You will get to most of the sights in just 2-3 hours.
14. Do Groceries And Eat Out Less
One of the best money-saving tips is to go to the grocery store and not eat away everything.
Go to the local market and get all the different fruits, vegetables, and snacks that you want to try.
15. Make Money While You Travel
Ultimately what makes you able to travel on a budget is your choices. If you choose to spend a little time each day building up active income, managing your passive income, or doing some side hustles, you can make your travel last much longer.
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Founder of Spark Nomad, Radical FIRE, Journalist
Expertise: Personal finance and travel content
Education: Bachelor of Economics at Radboud University, Master in Finance at Radboud University, Minor in Economics at Chapman University.
Over 200 articles, essays, and short stories published across the web.
Experience: Marjolein Dilven is a journalist and founder of Radical FIRE, a personal finance platform, and Spark Nomad, a travel platform. Marjolein has a finance and economics background with a master’s in Finance. She has quit her job to travel the world, documenting her travels on Spark Nomad to help people plan their travels. Marjolein Dilven has written for publications like MSN, Associated Press, CNBC, Town News syndicate, and more.