Looking for ways to travel on a budget?
Planning vacations on a budget is hard. Especially when you don’t know what to budget for or how much vacation should cost.
And I know travel gets expensive fast.
You start with the basics – airplane tickets, hotel, food, and activities. Then add on all the miscellaneous things. And before you know it, that dream vacation seems so far out of reach.
But we’ve traveled far and wide, all while managing our household budget, and I’ll teach you how to travel on a budget in Europe, in the US, or anywhere else!
So if you’ve already made your travel budget (the first part of this series) but want to get that “total” number down, then this post is for you.
We’ll share our secrets on how to cut travel costs and show you that planning vacations on a budget is totally possible!
Let’s get started.
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What are your travel goals?
First things first, let’s get some priorities in order.
Everyone has different wants and needs when they travel. Maybe you’re dying to fly first class or you refuse to stay in anything less than that super fancy 5 star hotel.
You need to figure out exactly what your “must haves” are and then eliminate everything else. Just joking! 😛
But seriously, think twice about what you really need to make your trip amazing -chances are it’s less than you think.
For example, here are some of the things that we prioritize when we travel.
- One really nice hotel during our trip
- One “fancy” restaurant in each place we visit (this can vary though)
- A few must-do activities for each of us
Everything else is flexible and we are able to play with our budget to accommodate our priorities.
On our upcoming trip to Paris, it was important to me to stay in a *nicer* hotel than in some of the other places. So we compromised on the other hotels we booked and paid a bit more for the Paris hotel.
The same went for Julien. He wanted to spend more days in Amsterdam than the other places, so we paid a little bit more for a later flight, but we were able to reduce costs elsewhere.
Knowing what you’re willing to compromise on is super important! Especially if you’re traveling with a partner. So grab a pen and paper and make a list – it will save you time & money.
And now…how to save money on travel costs!
Transportation Costs
1) Search & compare
Just because the one search engine has 5 flights from place A to place B doesn;t mean there aren’t more flights. Use multiple search engines or the actual airline website to cross-check.
2) Planes, trains, and automobiles
Don’t see any cheap flights? Sometimes a bus or train is just as nice and just as fast.
We use Goeuro.com to compare prices and see if a flight is really the cheapest option.
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3) Skip the airplane meals
We never ever buy the food on board the plane
Not only is it over-priced, but it’s not even that good.
And by fasting during the flight you can actually minimize your jetlag. You can read more about this in our 10 Travel Mistakes You’re Making post
4) Book Early
I cannot stress this enough! Book.Your.Flights.Early. Not only will you save money, but you can pay off everything early too and then relax!
5) Be flexible
This one is huge. We save so much money just by opeing up our travel dates. It’s so much easier to take one extra vacation day than to pay $200 extra per flight.
6) rent a car
Along the same lines, we like to rent a car and have the flexibility of going wherever we want on our trips.
And it’s usually cheaper than a train. Plus you get to stop for food anywhere, not just in big touristy (expensive) places where the train stops are.
Food Expenses
7) Don't eat where the tourists are
These places will be twice the cost and half as good.
And honestly it’s because they don’t have to impress the same people twice like local places do. Stick to places with lots of locals and no pictures on the menu if at all possible
8) Don't over tip
In a lot of places throughout Europe it’s unnecessary to tip waitstaff.
And I know that as Americans it’s super uncomfortable not to leave a tip, but trust me. Save yourself the 15% and just pay the bill. Especially if there’s already a service charge!
9) Street food and local markets
More than once we’ve found that the local street food was just as good (if not better) than a sit down restaurant.
Cheaper and saves you time.
Plus you can eat and people watch at the same time 😛
10) share meals
If you’re traveling with a partner, don’t be afraid to share meals.
Ask the waitstaff about the portion sizes. If they’re huge, don’t be ashamed to share one entree. It’s not like you have anywhere to store leftovers on vacation.
11) Snacks
We all get hangry sometimes and rush to look for food asap.
And we buy the first thing we find – usually overpriced food.
If you have some snacks with you, you can wait a bit longer to get to a nicer/better/cheaper restaurant before you starve.
Or not have to buy extra food at all.
Reducing Hotel Costs
12) Use hotels.com rewards
We book almost every hotel with hotels.com and then get 1 free night for every 10 nights. That’s like free money. Why wouldn’t you take advantage of that?
13) ask for an upgrade
Yes this really works!
When you’re checking in, ask if there are any upgrades available. Especially if it’s a special occasion.
The worst they can say is no. But if they say yes, then you could end up with a few freebies that make you trip just that much better.
The view from our upgraded room in Copenhagen!
14) Use Airbnb
if we can’t find a decent inexpensive hotel, we turn to Airbnb for a nice (cheap) place to stay. Get $40 off your stay through our link
Other Travel Expenses
15) don't pay foreign transation fees
These extra fees can be anywhere from 1-3% of your purchases and they really add up.
Look for a credit/debit card that doesn’t charge you to use your card abroad. We use the free Qapital app/bank account. And you can get $5 just by using this link
16) Skip the souvenirs
We usually don’t buy souvenirs during our trip if they’re going to take up valuable carry-on space.
Instead we bring back something edible to share with friends and family.
Good excuse for a dinner party, amiright?
17) skip the souvenirs part 2
Take photos instead.
Not only do they not occupy any space in your luggage, but you can print and frame them for your family/friends.
Just look at these amazing Venice shots or our Germany Photo Diary for some inspo!
18) research your destination
On every trip we take, we research how expensive things will be before we book the flights.
Not only does this help with our travel budget but we aren’t surprised by the costs when we get there (we’ve actually had this happen and it sucked)
19) travel light
Not only will you save yourself time and frustration, but you won’t have to pay baggage fees. For some traveling light tips and tricks, read our step by step guide for packing light
20) have a travel budget
Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, it’s important to know where your money is going before you spend it.
We’ve become self-proclaimed experts on budgeting for travel and share our secrets in this post
21) OTC Meds
If you think you’ll need any type of OTC meds on your trip, bring it with you.
I once got really sick in Copenhagen, and guess what…
I had no idea what any of the medications were – because not everything thats FDA approved in the USA is approved in Europe, and vice versa.
We ended up buying a bunch more stuff, just so we could Google it later. Save yourself the money and bring travel-sized OTC meds with you
22) Use city pass
If you plan on visiting a lot of museums or popular attrations in the US, buying a CityPass (or a city card type thing in other places) can save you money and help you bypass the lines
23) get a luggage scale
Don’t pay extra $ in baggage fees because you went over a few pounds. We always have this luggage scale on hand and it saves us from over-packing during our trip.
So there you have it, 23 ways to cut travel costs and save you hundreds!
It will take some practice, but by using these tricks you’ll be able to afford travel more often and do more on each trip.
And don’t forget to subscribe for access to our free travel resource library! It will help you plan your next trip like a pro and it only takes 5 seconds!
Happy travels!
– Veronica
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