Traveling is one of the unique delights of modern living. Even after a pandemic and rising inflation costs, it’s still more affordable than nearly any time in the past to explore the world and experience other cultures. Whether you prefer to travel with friends, family, or solo, it’s time to get back on the plane and see some new places.
As you consider where you’d like to visit, there are some things that you can do to make your money go further. After all, saving money on travel and lodging enables you to spend more on unique experiences at your destination. Such savings can also help you take even more vacations in the future. There are ways to save at each phase of your travel planning, so we’ll discuss a few of the most effective things you can do.
Planning Your Trip
One of the most significant ways to save money when traveling is to plan where and when you’ll go on vacation. It’s an open secret that plane tickets cost more when there are many travelers, including days around major holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas. The same thing happens for specific destinations, as they become hot spots at certain times of the year.
Depending on where you’d like to go, find out the off-peak travel seasons. The savings vary, but if a round-trip ticket to Brazil would cost you $800 during its peak season, you could spend half that by choosing an off-peak time. In general, peak times will correspond to when most people have time off, and the weather lines up perfectly. For destinations in the southern hemisphere, that is generally around December and January, while those in the northern hemisphere see a lot more travel between May and July.
Naturally, this has pros and cons, as you’ll run into fewer tourists and have lower prices at the destination, but you may not be able to experience the most attractive sites and activities. For example, you can save a lot of money visiting the UK during winter, but you’d better bring a warm coat and an umbrella.
Food and Lodging
Many accommodations in popular tourist destinations know their crowd. What’s more, these restaurants and hotels know that most travelers are looking for an easy solution and might not have the time or wherewithal to search for the best deals. Such accommodations may overcharge you or underdeliver compared to some neighboring hotels and restaurants, so you should expand your search beyond the first results on Google.
Sites such as TripAdvisor and Yelp! offer a lot of relevant information assembled by fellow travelers. Almost all these reviews are genuine and will help you find good places. Additionally, many of these reviews come from the locals who live in these communities, which may highlight hidden gems that don’t advertise much to tourists and are nearly invisible on the international stage.
You may also find good options by expanding your lodging options. You don’t need to book a room at an expensive hotel. Services such as Airbnb are international and have listings in nearly any country you want to visit. These listings vary in quality, so you need to take the time to look at reviews and compare locations. With some additional research, you can spend significantly less while securing more privacy in prime spots around the best cities in the world.
If you’re traveling solo, you can also save hundreds of dollars or more by staying in hostels. In this case, you trade away privacy to save money, but it may be worth the consideration if you don’t mind re-living the college dorm experience for a few days in Paris.
While we’re on the subject of lodging, you should also concentrate your travel on fewer destinations than take a “grand tour,” spending a day or two in each spot. You can save significantly on lodging by booking a week-long stay in a single location rather than visiting 3-4 different sites. You lose a little breadth, but you gain depth and save money while doing it.
Tips and Tricks
Honestly, just taking the time to consider the above can shave 25%-50% off the total cost of your vacation. Nevertheless, if you’re looking to save even more, here are a few more things you can do while traveling.
- Low-cost Attractions – Many cultural sites, historical sites, and museums charge very little for entry. Many are considered public services in various parts of the world so that they may be completely free. You can spend an entire day exploring a country’s history from its own perspective and learn far more than you could by visiting a shopping center.
- Off-the-Beat Shopping – Walking a block or two away from a central shopping area can help you find shops that offer just as good a selection as the big names while costing significantly less. Location is everything, so use that to your advantage and find businesses that are a little harder to access.
- Use the ATM – Currency exchange bureaus make money by facilitating these exchanges. Since they don’t make their cut obvious, they may have a minor transaction fee but make most of their profit in unfavorable exchange rates. You can quickly lose up to 10% of your money in a single exchange. Instead, your ATM card can function internationally at a much better rate. The banks determine these rates and cut out the most expensive middle-man, resulting in much more modest fees.
- Use Your Cell Phone – Most carriers allow you to expand your service internationally for a time, which can be much less expensive than renting a phone in that country. Even if the rates aren’t that good, you can rent a portable WiFi and carry that with you, using your cell phone on the WiFi network to bring up maps and conduct research while you’re on the road.
Traveling is a great experience and can genuinely enhance your life. Despite international travel’s reputation for being expensive, these methods can save you significant amounts of money and reduce the stress you experience when traveling. Ease your burden and enjoy your vacation simultaneously — do your research beforehand and avoid the tourist traps of the “easy answers” that often cost you much more money.
Christopher has traveled around North America, Europe, and Asia for more than two decades. Over time, he’s learned and practiced varying techniques to get the most out of each visit while keeping costs as low as possible.