Even if you don’t have a lot of savings, you can travel the world on a budget without breaking the bank. Over the years of my travels, I have discovered the art of budget travel and learned many budget maintenance techniques. Today, I am going to share some of the most productive budget budget travel tips that I use myself. So, stick around to learn more and become a master budget traveler.
Six Budget Travel Tips:
Create a detailed plan:
Many young travelers have the misconception that being spontaneous is the way to travel. Now, this can be a viable technique if you have a lot of money to spare, but if you are traveling on a budget, it is always better to have a detailed plan.
Planning all the details of your trip before you leave allows you to make a rough estimate of how much money you will need. Apart from determining your complete itinerary, you should make arrangements for accommodation before you leave.
In the planning phase, you will also need to plan your budget. Start by allocating separate funds for separate elements of your trip, like food, accommodation, commuting, and enjoyment. You should also keep some extra funds in case of problems.
To travel more conveniently and affordably, keep your luggage light and easy to carry. Otherwise, you may end up spending some extra money on things like airline baggage fees. The best thing to do is to use a backpack.
Download the right traveling apps:
You can’t call yourself a budget traveler unless you have all the essential travel apps on your phone. These apps can help you find cheap accommodation and flights, and they can make traveling a lot easier for you. Here is a list of some necessary travel apps that you need to have on your phone:
Hopper
This innovative app is excellent for finding the best flights to your destination. Not only does this app find you the cheapest flights available, but its algorithm can also predict how the prices of certain flights will change over time. You can also book a flight directly through the hopper app.
Hopper is available on the App Store on on Google Play.
Trivago
Trivago is perfect for finding the most reasonably priced hotel rooms. iOS Android
Tripit
Tripit is one of the best traveling apps out there; you can use it to organize your travel itinerary and do a lot of other useful stuff. iOS Android
Airbnb
Airbnb is another essential app that every traveler needs to have. You should put your own home or apartment on Airbnb to make money while traveling. iOS Android
Google Translate
Of course, if you are going to a country where people don’t speak your language, Google Translate will come in handy. Even though the translations aren’t super accurate all the time, it will get you by and help you a lot. iOS Android
Google maps
It is almost impossible to travel without Google Maps. It is essential for navigation. iOS Android
A budget tracking app
Keeping track of your expenses on an app can help you stick to it.
Budget travel tips for accomodation:
Your accommodation is one of the most significant expenses while you are traveling. Hotel rooms can cost a lot, and you aren’t going to be staying indoors for a long time, so what’s the point of paying so much money for them? You should try to find cheap, and if possible, even free accommodation when you are traveling.
You can check out couchsurfing websites like Couchsurfing.com. This platform attracts visitors from all over the world. You can look for hosts who have registered on this app and send them a request. If they accept your application, you have a free space to stay while you travel.
Though it can be useful, you can’t find CouchSurfing hosts everywhere.
Another option is to look for a traveler’s hostel. These hostels are very affordable, and you can meet travelers from all over the world there. Staying at a traveler’s hostel is a great way to save some money.
Live like a local:
One of the essential budget travel tips that I can give you is that you should act like a local if you want to save money. It means that you should use the local transport instead of hiring a taxi or calling an Uber. You should buy your groceries in competitive markets.
Don’t splurge on unnecessary souvenirs. Also, when you are shopping, haggle with the shopkeepers and vendors to bring down the price and make sure that you aren’t paying any extra “travelers tax” on the price.
Start Vlogging:
When you are traveling on a budget, you should always be on the lookout for ways to make money while you are on the go. In my opinion, one of the best ways to make a decent amount of money is by creating a travel vlog.
These days many people are making vlogs of their travel experiences and turning their travel vlogging into a full-time job. Vlogging can potentially be a significant source of income for travelers.
So, invest in a good quality camera and start recording your travel experiences. Now, I’m not going to lie, making money from your vlogs won’t be super easy, especially in the beginning. You will need to be patient, and above all, you will need to produce quality content.
This post on Cameraseals describes the type of cameras that YouTubers use.
Save money on food:
Another significant expense that you need to save on while traveling is the food. Instead of dining at expensive restaurants, you should check out the local street food as well, which is usually more delicious and authentic to the culture.
Of course, you can’t live off street food all the time; so, you should also try to cook your food. Buy some fresh produce from the local markets and make some food in the kitchen of your hostel. It is a very effective way to save a significant amount of money.
So, here were some of my best budget travel tips . I hope you find them useful and have a lot of fun on your next trip.
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Great tips! I’ve always wanted to do vlogging but I am kinda shy to do it. Maybe one day!
Yeah, I like messing around with video, but I don’t necessarily putting my face and voice on things. I plan to do more video posts in the future…I just may not be in them as much as possible! ?