A Practical Guide to Budget Travel: 11 Tips That Go Beyond Hostels

Not only the wealthy can afford to travel. In addition, young people in their early twenties who are able to afford to stay in a series of hostels or use a series of backpacks are not the I've got your back if you're looking for practical and doable advice on how to travel on a budget. I honed my skills for inexpensive travel over many years, and I've barely had to give up any conveniences.  

Can I say that I have experienced hostel life? Absolutely It's not true that every single one of them is overcrowded and grimy.

However, since I now travel with my partner, I've found that hostels aren't always the most cost-effective option for us (since you pay per bed) and that private hostel rooms aren't always the cheapest option (since you pay for the entire room).

Over on my YouTube channel, I posted a series of six videos outlining some of the best ways to learn how to travel on a budget, with many of the tips being useful for those planning to go away for an extended period of time. This article, however, adds to that by providing an additional eleven suggestions for saving money while traveling.

Before visiting a new country or city, I always look into the availability of free walking tours. College students often lead these tours in exchange for tips. You'll get great recommendations for local restaurants and bars, as well as a deeper understanding of the city's history, on these tours.  

If you want to make the most of their suggestions and give your sightseeing opportunities some background, the best time to book free tours is at the start of your trip. If you'd like to tip them, you can (but should not feel obligated to) bring some cash.

There are those of us who enjoy the finer things in life, like staying in luxurious establishments where we are given the attention we deserve. Unfortunately, that does not always mean that our bank accounts reflect that greatness.

HotelTonight and Priceline's Express Deals are great options if you're looking for deeply discounted rates on three- to five-star hotels if you're traveling alone (or are willing to share a bed with a second person).  

The latter has allowed me to save up to 60% by using mystery booking techniques to stay at 4-5 star hotels (which turned out to be Viceroys, Westins, and W Hotels) in various cities. I also have a Booking Genius account (signing up is free) and use it to find deeply discounted hotel rates every Friday (typically 10–15 percent off). In my experience, these are the best methods for reducing hotel costs.  

There is no such thing as a truly cheap country to visit. To what extent you can afford to travel depends on a number of factors, including your home country's currency strength and the cost of living in the place you wish to visit.

Research daily cost estimates and currency exchange rates when deciding on a vacation spot. Choose destinations where the cost of food and local transportation is lower because that is where your travel budget will "mysteriously" disappear.

Working while traveling is possible. Also, a two-week vacation doesn't have to be taken all at once to waste your PTO.

You should register for business travel if your job requires it. For instance, if you learn about relevant trainings (or even conferences) that you can attend, you should suggest them to your manager so that you can participate.

If you want to get the most out of your travel budget while still maintaining a regular work schedule, schedule your business trips so that they begin on a Tuesday or Thursday and end on a Thursday. Your plane ticket is now fully paid for.

You're missing out on free or cheap trips if you use a credit card, shop online, or spend money on gas, travel, or dining without collecting rewards points.

You should be earning rewards on nearly all of your spending, and if you don't have the best travel credit cards, you can still use airline shopping portals to earn miles/points on purchases.  

To maximize my rewards from the airlines and hotels I frequent, I always make sure to charge all of my trips to my Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

Check it out during the off-season if you want to save money on your vacation.

During the off-season, temperatures tend to drop. Or maybe we get a little more rain than we have been It's not always true that traveling during the off-season is a bad idea.  

The benefits of traveling during the off season, however, are substantial, and include lower prices. There is little difference between low and high season in a city, other than the weather, so taking advantage of cheaper flights and hotels is a great idea.

Some small towns, especially those in rural areas or near beaches, may completely close down during the off season, so exercise caution if traveling there. Shoulder seasons are the best time to travel to these places because you can enjoy lower prices without the throngs of tourists.

A lot of people don't think about it, but your credit or debit card might not be the best option for your upcoming trip (unless you want to pay a lot of fees). When using your card, it's important to keep in mind the various fees that may be incurred. This is how to stay away from them:

• Choose a card that won't hit you with surprise fees when you're abroad (we recommend the travel credit cards from Chase, Bank of America, and Capital One).

• Take out money from an ATM that is associated with your bank (find out which foreign bank will not charge you to use their ATMs via your bank's website).

• Whenever possible, use the local currency when making a credit card purchase (letting your bank determine the best exchange rate).

8 - Start making trades for free stays and entertainment.

You may recall that in 2014 I used my professional skills as barter to stay at a yoga retreat in Costa Rica. WARNING: It was fantastic

HelpX was the website I resorted to. net to locate the possibility, but other resources are available for further exploration until you discover the ideal barter for you. In the above video, I give more details about how I was able to participate and which other barter sites are worth checking out.

Consider couchsurfing if you are a laid-back traveler who needs little more than a place to crash for a few days. While many low-cost backpackers opt to stay in hostels, there are some reasonably comfortable options out there.

Because it is more difficult to find a listing that accepts two people (couples travel), I do not typically use couch surfing. Many tourists, however, continue to do this without incident. If you're going to go couchsurfing, it's only natural that you use your best judgment.

Ten. If you need a place to stay, try house sitting.

My husband and I have a long list of successful house sitting experiences all over the world. I can't believe I wasted so much time before realizing the benefits of house sitting for someone else.  

There are both long-term and short-term house sitting opportunities available. There are house-sits that require nothing more than watering plants, and there are others that also require pet care. House sitting can basically cover all of your lodging costs if you can get there on your own (and are a responsible sitter who knows how to balance exploration with their responsibilities).

What are you doing, honey, if you haven't read my comprehensive guide to scoring low-cost airline tickets and other flight deals?

There is no reason to pay more than $500 for a flight, unless it is an emergency or you have very specific needs, because there are so many ways to find cheap airfare for your trip. In my opinion, $300 is the maximum acceptable amount to spend.  

I've used Fly.com as a starting point for my hunt for cheap airfare. for a long time, the "Today's Best Fares" on com If you want to know how to get cheap flights (and get many more suggestions for where to book them), check out my comprehensive guide.

Tell us about the "aha!" moments you had when you realized how to travel cheaply.

When I first started traveling, I didn't know any of these tips and tricks. I had to go on a longer quest to discover how to travel on a budget. Now that I've figured out how to travel affordably without sacrificing convenience, I'm determined to pass along my knowledge.  

xx, O