The cost of living has led to thousands of people tightening their belts and saving money wherever they can, but that doesn’t mean a well-planned and tight-budgeted trip isn’t on the cards. Traveling with a small budget puts up more hurdles, but they’re not impossible to manage, if you know how.
Plan in Advance
Planning is the key to any travel adventure, especially when you’re sticking to a tight budget. During the planning phase, it’s essential to map out everything including dates, locations, tickets, and accommodations. As well as this, you should explore your destination for less traveled restaurants and malls, which will allow you to benefit from cheaper prices and get a feel for the culture. Instead of dining in fancy restaurants, consider street stalls and night bazaars, which will use fresh food at lower prices.
Look for Secondary Locations
If you’re traveling to a tourist-heavy destination, like Thailand, look for areas outside of the main cities. For example, you can visit Chiang Mai instead of Bangkok or Phuket. You will have a culture-rich experience where the weather is much cooler and the attractions different. When you’re looking for somewhere to stay, explore off-beat motels that provide low-cost meal options. Just because you’re setting up in a secondary location, it doesn’t mean you can’t visit a larger city. Therefore, we recommend looking into the available transportation options.
Search for Offers
Planning gives you the advantage of searching for deals, which will let you save on travel services and much more. For example, some airlines release discounted tickets six months from departure. If you’re able to save money on travel and accommodation, you’ll have more flexibility when it comes to having a good time.
Have Travel Insurance
Travel insurance comes at an extra cost, but you need to see it as an essential asset. If you have an accident or get caught up in an emergency, your travel insurance will reduce costs in the future. The best travel insurance will cover travel, medical costs, and lost luggage – and it’s not usually too expensive.
Hostel Vs. Homestay Vs. Hotel
Finding a hotel at a discounted price can be difficult, especially when you’re setting off in the midst of peak season. Fortunately, there are plenty of alternatives including Homestays, which are fantastic for backpackers. However, if you’d rather keep your group together, there are plenty of hostels. Yes, you will have to share facilities with other people, but it will save you a fortune.
Travel Off-Peak
Unless you’re traveling with children and have to work your plans around school holidays, we recommend steering clear of peak times. However, you need to carry out some research into your chosen destination because peak season doesn’t always fall at the same time. By planning to travel off-peak, you’ll avoid price hikes and enormous crowds of tourists.
Search Flights Using Private Browsing
When you’re searching for ticket prices online, you’ll find the price fluctuates after a while. By using mandatory cookies, flight search websites can track your movements, meaning they know when you return to check. However, if you use private browsing, you can search as much as you like without facing the same price fluctuations.
Travel and Work
If you’re in a position to travel for an extended period, consider finding temporary work in your destination, which will allow you to earn additional spending money. However, you will need to look into visa requirements for your destination.
Having a tight budget doesn’t have to mean giving up on your dreams of traveling; you just have to plan your holiday carefully.
