Travel can be exciting. Travel Can be stressful. Travel can be life changing. But, in many ways, travel doesn’t need to be as expensive as many people think. Below are so top, money stretching tips to keep your adventures exciting and cost effective.
Getting Grub
Groceries
Always eating at restaurants will eat at your budget. If you have access to a kitchen then you can make your own food and save a bunch. For $20-$60 you can typically get enough food to last a week in most places in the world. If you want to get an idea of the cost of Food prices world-wide, checkout Numbeo.
Street Food
Street food is often a great, cheap alternative depending on where you’re at in the world and can be some of the best food you’ll eat. It lets you try local foods and get a local experience. Just use your best judgment as to what to try where.
Here’s a great article on where the best street food is: https://www.frommers.com/slideshows/818551-the-world-s-best-street-food-12-top-cities
Fast Food
While it’s not always the case, fast food could be straight-forward and cheap options for quick and easy eating. If you don’t mind eating at places like McDonald’s, then in some countries you will find they are a cheap option. This rule is mostly true in “Western” countries.
Where to stay: Accommodations
Work Exchange
While it’s a more unique decision, enrolling into a work exchange program can be the perfect setup for your situation. A work exchange job can help cover your accommodation costs and give you a different experience/perspective on the place you’re visiting. The Working Holiday Visa program allows citizens under 30 to work legally in different countries, restrictions/rules vary by country. Here are a few other work option programs: HelpX, WorkAway, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms
Hostels
Hostels can be great places to stay cheaply if you don’t mind that atmosphere. You can stay from $1/night in Siem Reap to $35/night in Paris but you can typically get a nice hostel for $15/night or less, unless it’s last minute on a busy day. Don’t forget earplugs and an eye shade! Check out these sites for more hostel information: HostelBookers, HostelWorld, Lonely Planet
Online B&Bs
The most famous being AirBNB, they are typically cheaper than hotels and you get to live like a local, and, more often than not, meet a local, too.
Overnight Transport
If your trip to your next destination is going to take 7+ hours, then why not book book an overnight trip and sleep on the train/bus/plane. It can save a nights accommodation.
Airport Sleeping
This can be a tough call, but sometimes can save you a lot if you find a flight that’s much cheaper but has a long layover. If you wan more info about this, checkout this site: Sleeping in Airports
Getting From Place to Place
Public Transport
Often the cheapest and closest to living like a local, public transport is a solid option for travel within a city. It’s best to check the prices for weekly and special tickets/cards as they often will save you money if you want to use the transit system often. Here’s a great resource to find pricing: Prices in 80 Worldwide Cities
Buses
While a part of public transportation, their are often private bus companies and more. They’re typically the cheapest option outside a city and go from anywhere to anywhere. You can usually look up and even book your bus tickets online. Here’s a few resources for bus related information: Greyhound, Megabus, Eurolines, Willer Express, MakeMyTrip
Budget Airlines
Budget airlines and budget carriers will often have extremely cheap flights. While not as popular in the US, in out countries, like South East Asia, you could sometimes get tickets as little as $10. Here are some resources for more info: AirAsia, RyanAir, JetStar, Spirit Airlines
Booking Tickets
When booking tickets, we suggest searching several different booking sites and book with the cheapest option. You could easily save yourself hundreds of dollars. Here is some fantastic information about booking things affordably: How to Be a Travel Hacker, How to Find a Cheap Flight, Guide to Airfare Search Engines
This method can be used for bus and train tickets as well as many routes have multiple carriers: Skyscanner, KAYAK, Rome2Rio
Bicycle or Scooter
If you’ll be sticking to a city for a while, a great option could be renting a bike or motorized scooter as many modern cities not have the available freely. The have scooter or bike sharing systems where you can find rows of bikes or scooters where you can pay, by credit card, and rent from 1 to 24 hours or more. You can learn more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bicycle_sharing_systems
If your going to be staying a while, you can even buy a used bike to get around the city.
Walking
The main and most basic method to get around any city is, of course, walking. It’s free, healthy and you get a great perspective of the city and it’s layout. If you plan to do this, make sure that you look up where the “bad areas” of a city are before going on a walk so you can avoid them, unless those areas are your goal.
Equipment and Gear
Clothing
Make sure that you wear comfortable and weather appropriate clothes. Jeans work just about anywhere, special travel clothes are often not needed, except maybe for socks and underwear. Here are some really great places to pick some up: SmartWool, Icebreaker
You can also look to pack less and buy new clothes at thrift shops or other stores if you get sick of the stuff that you’re carrying.
Backpack
If you go with a pack that’s small enough to be considered carry-on, you will save the $10-$50 fee for checking your bag. Check the specific airlines website for what dimensions they consider carry-on. This also cuts out waiting at baggage claim and the chances of dealing with a lost/stolen bag. Here are some great sites to check: Airline Baggage Limits, Osprey Packs, The North Face
Also, don’t forget your SpotMe Tag, SpotMe Strap and more!
SIM/Phone Card
If you have an unlocked phone, you can save a lot by buying a local SIM card for your phone and avoid getting involved with roaming charges. You’ll also have the benefit of having a local number. Some phone companies will unlock your phone if you tell them your going to be traveling. If you need to call outside the country you will likely need to dial a code before the number.
Money
Instead of using travelers checks, it’s normally best to use an ATM/debit card to withdrawal from ATM’s, which are everywhere. Look for the PLUS/Maestro symbols on ATM’s and the back of your cards. You’ll get a good rate and some cards don’t charge a fee for withdrawals abroad. Here is some information to learn more about your potential cards: TD All-Inclusive (Canadians), Charles Schwab & Capitol One 360 (Americans), CAXTONfx (Britain’s)
It’s also a good idea to make sure that you bring a credit card such as VISA or MasterCard for online bookings & emergencies. Currency exchange rates are based on several factors so don’t expect that the rate you get on xe.com will match what the ATM/bank gives you.
Visas
Visas will be required by some countries in the world to either visit or work. This depends on where your from, or more specifically which passport you hand the border guards. It’s often easy to get these in neighboring countries or at the border which can save a lot of money over getting them all in advance. Some countries require this be obtained before arriving at a border. You can learn more info about visas here: DoYouNeedVisa, Schengen Area, VisaHQ
Souvenirs
While it’s often best to avoid buying them altogether, but if you decide to buy a souvenir or something, consider shipping it home rather than carrying it as some countries have incredibly cheap post office shipping rates. Here you can find more information about countries’ post offices: Post Offices
Sightseeing/Activities
Tours and Guides
While there are companies that do “free” tours of cities, expect giving a tip at the end. Also, if you’re staying in a hostel, they may have a free tours or events during the week. You can find more information about them here: Free City Tour, NewEurope
Museums
Many museums have “free” days in which you typically pay what you want to have access to many parts of the museum. Here are some resources to learn more about museum free days: International Museum Day, Free Museum Day
Events/Meetings
Another option for something to do is visiting meet-ups or events. There are communities within cities that organize events or meetings for free. They are a great place to meet people and learn new things. You can learn more about them here: MeetUp, CouchSurfing Events
Health and Wellness
Insurance
It’s often best to check with your credit card company as they often may give you free flight/travel insurance just for using there card to book flights. Travel insurance is great to have if you can afford it. Your health insurance plan within your state or province can effect the price you pay and length your allowed to be insured with certain companies. You can learn more information about this here: WorldNomads, Travel CUTS
Vaccines
Do yourself a favor and make sure that you get the vaccines that you need to be safe. Certain countries do require you to be able to prove you’ve been vaccinated, typically for Yellow Fever. Certain health plans will give you free vaccines if you tell them where you are going. You can learn more about this here: CDC, Infectious Diseases
Amenities
While you often need to be a customer of the location providing these services, below are items sometimes available.
Internet
Many hostels, cafes and restaurants have free WiFi that you can either directly connect to or just ask for the password. Here’s a great resource to check wifi locations: Hotspot Locations
Restrooms
When nature calls, you need to go. You can find a free toilet just about anywhere in the world if you look hard enough. Sometimes they are amazing and sometime it’s just a hole. But it’s free. Here’s a funny resource to get more information: theBathroomDiaries
Free Travel
Camping
If you’re really in a pinch, you can look to pitch a tent somewhere sensible such as a park, either in or outside of the city. You can use Google Maps with satellite view to look for good spots. Watch out for local wildlife. Here’s a resource to learn more: Countries Where Camping Can Be Totally Free, Freedom to Roam
Do you have any additional tips to add? Please share in the comments!