Blogs and influencers would have you believe that you can only have an amazing vacation if you spend lavishly and overpay for overhyped experiences. In reality, you can likely pull off the best trip of your life on a shoestring budget. Follow these seven tips to do more for much less.
1. Avoid Peak Travel Times
Travel tends to follow a pattern. More people will fly on weekends and visit destinations during seasons when they’re most popular. Take advantage of that! Sure, taking that red-eye flight on a Wednesday isn’t ideal, but that 30% discount means it’s an easy sacrifice to make.
Want to save even more on airfare and lodging? Then pick the shoulder season. Hotels will gladly let you book rooms for up to half off when they’re half empty. The weather might not be as tame, but not having to battle your way through crowds wherever you go more than makes up for it.
2. Leverage Price Tracking
While not as impactful as flying midweek or in October, price tracking can still net you some savings even during peak season. Prices fluctuate – conventions get cancelled, flights fill up slowly, and airlines undercut each other on busy routes. You couldn’t possibly keep track of all this manually, and you don’t have to.
Download a few price tracking apps and have them notify you of deals and flash sales. Pulling the trigger means you’ll need to be flexible with vacation times, but you can still save a pretty penny without much involvement or sacrifice.
3. Pick Smaller Airports
Large travel hubs charge airlines more than local airports, and you end up paying part of the cost. For example, just flying into London’s Gatwick airport instead of Heathrow can cost almost a fifth less for short-haul flights and 10% less for long-haul ones. Provided an alternative exists, and you don’t mind taking a bit longer to reach your accommodations, this simple switch is well worth it.
4. Consider Alternative Hosts
There’s nothing wrong with spending your vacation at yet another hotel chain. They feel familiar, but you’re likely overpaying for the brand and possibly subpar service. The good news is that slumming it in a hostel with 25 other people isn’t the only penny-pinching alternative anymore.
Hosts around the world are offering cheap stays in creative ways. Some will want you to house sit since they’re going on vacation, too. Others might offer room and board on a farm with low prices and hearty meals if you agree to pitch in for a couple of hours each day. Either way, thinking outside the accommodation box may make your vacation both cheaper and more memorable.
5. Take Advantage of Wi-Fi (Safely)
Some people don’t even consider that data plans work differently abroad until the roaming charges in next month’s bill give them a heart attack. Getting a local sim is also an option, but you lose access to your number and have to keep the original tiny one safe.
Thankfully, Wi-Fi is everywhere nowadays. While that’s convenient for letting you use messaging apps and post on social media, it can also be dangerous. Public Wi-Fi in tourist-heavy areas is easy to clone or monitor if you’re not taking precautions. Simply activating a dependable VPN should do the trick.
VPNs encrypt the connection, preventing snooping and info theft. With the fastest VPN from a reliable service, you get all the benefits plus the speed, as VPNs are notorious for slowing down connection speeds.
6. Save on Transport Costs
US tourists regularly overspend on taxis and Uber rides abroad since they’re not as familiar with public transport. Europe, East and Southeast Asia, and most major cities around the world have sprawling, safe public transport that will get you where you need to go in time and without breaking the bank.
You might need that Uber when going back to your room at 4 AM after a bender, but public transport has got you covered otherwise. Plus, you can save even more by buying day cards or tourist passes.
7. Do Free Things
If you’ve fallen into the travel and lifestyle rabbit hole, you might be thinking that every worthwhile travel experience has to cost money. In fact, some of the most interesting and meaningful things you can do are free, provided you do your research and are there at the right time.
If you’re in a metropolis, especially during summer, chances are there’s an intriguing festival or three going on. You can visit world-class museums for free or next to nothing, and many religious buildings will open their doors as well. You can always visit the local marketplace and check out the colorful characters there, take in a free walking tour, or relax in a park or at a well-maintained public waterfront.
