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You are planning a trip!! How exciting!
But you’re wondering how to afford travel or how to save money when travelling? It all starts with planning your trip. Let’s make sure you’re saving the most money from the beginning.
I’m a weirdo so planning a trip is only slightly less fun than the trip itself 😉
- Related Post: How to Save Money when Travelling
- Related Post: How to Find Cheap Lodging
Just because we are on a budget, doesn’t mean we can’t travel! I budget to travel more and not stress about it.
Learn how you can travel on budget too! Also, if you want a free travel budget template for google sheets, click here.
Table of Contents
How to get Cheaper Flights
There is nothing more satisfying than scoring an amazing flight deal! Cutting down the price of your flight can save you thousands of dollars. Finding cheap or discounted flights is a must.
So you’re wondering how to get cheaper flights? Well, there are several things you can do:
- Be Flexible with Dates
Dates should NOT be the first thing you are deciding on, do some research first, figure out when everyone goes and DON’T go then. You are more likely to find cheaper flights without having your dates set in stone already.
Typically flying over the weekend can be more expensive so finding flights on weekdays should be the go to.
- Track Flight with Google Flights
When you know where and when you want to go, you can follow along with the price via google tracked flights. They will send you an email when there has been a change in price. This way you’ll know when cheap flights are an option for your destination.
- Use a Service to Find the Flight for You
There are many free services out there that will send you flight deals. My favorites are Scott’s Cheap Flights and FareDrop. All you have to do is sign up and you will get amazing flight deals delivered right to your inbox.
Scott’s Cheap Flights has a FREE option as well! So make sure to take advantage of it!
I’m writing an ENTIRE POST dedicated to finding cheap flights, so be on the lookout for that! Consider signing up to my email list to get notified about my newest posts!
Peak Season
Peak season means the majority of travelers are visiting during that time. Peak season does not always mean the best time to go. The biggest peak season is around the holidays and the summer months, simply because kids are out of school and parents want to take a vacation with them.
If you can get around those peak seasons everything about your trip will be instantly cheaper. Peak season charge surges trickle down to everything! I would consider this one of the most important details when figuring out when to travel.
Always Travel with a Carry-On
This might not seem like a big deal. But, if you’re traveling in Europe and plan to take several different plane rides, you can expect to pay upwards of 30 dollars each time you check a bag. These fees will add up extremely quickly.
I once had to pay 50 dollars to check a bag and I promised myself I would never pay to check a bag again..
Make sure you know your airline’s luggage policy and plan accordingly.
Additionally, depending on where you’re traveling, a lot of accommodations may not have an elevator. As a general rule of thumb, I wouldn’t take anything you can’t carry yourself.
Find Cheap Accommodations
I have an ENTIRE post dedicated to finding cheap lodging. For a more in depth, step by step guide to finding the best deals on accommodations read this post!
Any travel destination is going to have all types of accommodations at any price point. Scope out your options depending on what price you are hoping to pay.
- Airbnb
- Hostel
- Couchsurfing
- Trusted Housesitters
- Hotel
If you’re from the US, consider a hostel. There seems to be a stigma about hostels, but they are really great places to stay and can save you a lot of money!
Check out Hostelworld to find hostels in your location and read reviews!
Stay in a Central Location
Staying in a central location will save you from having to get a taxi, lyft or some other sort of public transit.
Central location will most likely allow you to walk to your destination and make your trip much easier.
If you do have to travel a far distance or need a car service you can also check out Blablacar. Blablacar connects you to a driver going in the same direction you want to go. This way, you can share the cost of the trip rather than paying for it individually.
Cell Phone costs
Depending on your phone plan, you may be surprised how expensive it is to use your phone abroad. I use T-Mobile which offers FREE 3G for most countries, and I specifically switched phone plans to have this option.
If you are going to be abroad for a while, I would recommend getting a prepaid sim card when you arrive. These can be fairly cheap and will guarantee you will have service when you need it.
If you don’t want to change your phone plan (understandably) or your sim card, you can also wifi hunt. Most accommodations will offer free wifi as well as many restaurants. If you’re going this route I would make sure to have a good VPN, a map downloaded for wherever you are and save the phone number for your accommodations (you know, just in case).
Is There a City Pass?
A Lot of cities offer city passes. But what is a city pass? A city pass is a one time purchase “ticket” that gives you access to the biggest attractions in that city.
For example, when I was in Cusco, Peru we bought a city pass. Every different attraction and museum had an entrance fee of 5 -10 dollars, however with the city pass, we paid 40 dollars and were able to get into all the attractions we wanted.
Just make sure the city pass offers attractions you ACTUALLY want to go to. If you hate museums and don’t plan on going to museums, don’t buy a city pass that lets you into all the city’s museums for cheaper. You aren’t going to use it!
Credit / Debit cards
There is SO MUCH to say about credit cards. But this is not that blog post. So we’re going to keep it simple.
Don’t use a DEBIT CARD.
You should use a travel credit card for all of your travel expenses. Then, you can use your rewards points to get free (or cheap) flights and hotels.
If you are still using a debit card, stop. Right now!! There is nothing in it for you. Wouldn’t it be significantly better to know all your necessary purchases are helping you fund your next vacation?
There are so many great travel credit cards and you should be using one of them if you’re a frequent traveler! These credit cards can give you a crazy amount of points when used for travel expenses.
Not to mention, the sign up bonus for some of these credit cards can be worth upwards of $1,000. That would mean a free $1,000 given to you for travel!
There are way too many details to dive into when choosing a travel credit card. I would suggest checking out these posts from NerdWallet and The Points Guy to find the best travel credit card for you!
I personally have three travel credit cards: Chase Sapphire Reserve, Capital One Venture, and the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless.
Things to know about your credit card before traveling (if you don’t have a travel credit card).
If you don’t have a travel credit card, there are a couple things worth looking into before you leave for your trip:
- One: Does your credit card have foreign transaction fees?
These fees are so easily avoided!! So make sure to consider which cards you’re bringing before you go!
If you’re a big traveler I’d recommend looking into the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Capital One Venture, there are a lot of perks (like airport lounges) and can help you get FREE flights using points.
- Two: Does your debit card have a fee for withdrawing money from a foreign bank?
My bank (cough cough rhymes with Mells Targo) charges my debit card 5 dollars every time I withdraw from an ATM abroad.
I would recommend looking into Charles Schwab for a debit card option that reimburse foreign fees.
Final Thoughts
Everyone should be able to afford travel.
Hopefully these budget travel tips help you travel more! Remember, just because we are on a budget, doesn’t mean we can’t travel! I’m going to repeat that over and over!
We can all learn to travel on budget! Learn from my mistakes and travel cheaper.
What is your next travel destination? Let me know in the comments!
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If you are looking for ways to save $ while planning that dream trip, check out this great post!