How To Travel Cheap: My Six Tips
- Michaela Cricchio
- May 26, 2020
- 5 min read
Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, travel isn’t really an option for most of us. Even for me, as an expat living in South Korea. I am banned from entering most countries throughout Asia at the moment. Despite this crappy situation, I wanted to change this idea that travel is expensive and impossible. There is this notion that only rich people can afford to have a picnic at the Eiffel Tower or ride a camel in Dubai.
I want this post to be helpful for any reader, not just the ones who can travel abroad. Whether you’re driving to another state, cross country, or taking that 18 hour flight Thailand, I have what you’re looking for.
Plan Your Trip:
This one is a little harder for me to do because I tend to be the spontaneous, go with the flow type on vacation. Sometimes the best things that happen are unplanned. For the sake of cheap travel, planning can help create your ideal budget and help you stick to it. I’m not saying you have to meticulously plan every single hour of your trip. But it does help to pick out a few places that you definitely don’t want to miss. This can be monuments, museums, parks, UNESCO World Heritage Sites, etc. The one thing I always avoid is the tourist traps, because they just suck up your money. And they’re also a huge waste of time. Instead, try to search for things that are free. Skip the museum tours if you can unless, it’s necessary. Explore on your own and find low-cost activities outdoors because those are typically the cheapest ways to enjoy your travels.
Food:
Food takes up 50% or more of your travel budget, and we all know it can be super expensive. If my accommodations have a kitchen, I will normally cook most of my meals there. Then I use the last night of the trip to go all out and have a lavish dinner. It saved me a lot of money when I went to Toronto. If you’re a frugal person, I recommend surviving off of ramen and other cheap grocery stores items. But if you’re in a different country, street food is your best friend if you want to go out to eat without breaking your budget. Street food runs super cheap in places like Central America and Asia. You can get a decent sized meal to hold you over for less than $4. If you are driving from state to state, I suggest packing a picnic in your car. Take a cooler, fill it with drinks, sandwiches, and other snacks. Doing this has saved me from making multiple trips to the convenience store throughout my road trips.
How to Find Cheap Flights:
I understand why people think buying plane tickets is the worst part of planning any trip domestic or abroad. The best time to buy tickets abroad is 3-4 months before the trip (Europe and Asia). Refrain from buying tickets even a month before you plan to go, the extra fees will rack up. The best days to fly are generally Tuesdays and Wednesdays. When I’m buying plane tickets I avoid going to the official site of airlines such as Delta, American Airlines, United etc. Airlines love to jack up the prices and there are so many taxes on top of that. Instead, I suggest looking at these third party websites:
Cheap Flights: Find Cheap Airline Tickets & Flight Deals | Skyscanner (I use this one the most, highly recommend it)
StudentUniverse: Cheap Student Flights, Hotels & Travel Deals (This one is geared towards students, you must provide the name of your university. If you already graduated, they don’t verify you as far as I know.)
The sites I provided above do all the dirty work for you, by simultaneously comparing every airline to find the best price. Another piece of advice that I want to add is the whole baggage situation. Airlines charge between $30-$50 for your bags. Here’s my thing, unless you’re going somewhere for more than a month, please save yourself the hassle and pack a carry on. Seriously you are going to save quite a bit bringing a bag that can fit into the overhead compartment. One tip on how to pack for trips if you are one of those people who needs options, do a capsule wardrobe. This means that you can make multiple outfits with every piece of clothing that you pack. That’s how I’ve done it with almost all of my travels. I will gladly avoid paying those annoying fees at all costs.
Accommodations:
If you don’t need a fancy hotel to enjoy your trip, there are two ways that you can avoid it. When I travel, all I need is a clean, safe place to sleep and that’s it. I’m not at my destination to spend time at the accommodations, I’m there to explore. The first way you can avoid overpriced hotels in any place is by renting an https://www.airbnb.com/. This is great for groups as well so that you can split the cost easily. I rented a room in a house when I went to Toronto which brought my trip cost down so much. Another way to bring trip costs down is by booking a https://www.hostelworld.com/. I recommend this is you’re in your 20’s or are a solo traveler. It’s such a cost effective option to get a decent place to rest your head at night. Hostels are also a great way to meet people from all over the world. Many hostels create communities whether you are staying for a couple of days or a couple of months.
Transportation:
This is often a big one no matter where you go in the world. Getting around fast and efficiently is important to consider and make the most of your time. On trips, I rely heavily on public transportation and my feet. Many countries have a way to purchase a train pass for any given period from 3 days to one month. Purchasing something like this can save a lot instead of having to buy a new ticket every single time you ride. I tend to avoid using Uber or taxi services as much as I possibly can. But all of that really depends on where you are going. As for road trips, we all know gas prices can be ridiculous depending on what state you’re in. Both of my old cars had close to 30 mpg, so I could easily make it to other states like the Carolina's or Florida on 2 tanks of gas. But I know if you don’t have a fuel efficient car this is a problem. If you are traveling with a group in one car, you can split the cost of gas and have everyone contribute their share evenly.
Off-Seasons:
I know going to Jamaica or Europe is so tempting during the summer. But trust me, picking which season you travel can actually make a difference in the price you pay. For Europe, the off season is November- March, Asia is April-July, South America is January-March, and Africa is April-September. Stick to the off seasons for any destination and you’re almost guaranteed more reasonable prices.
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