After months of hard work and disciplined saving, it feels good rewarding yourself with a big travel adventure. You have researched the top travel destination and chosen the best places you wish to visit. However, the problem is that you want to stay within the budget, but also have a great experience. Do not worry, because, in this guide, we share secrets on how to travel to top countries in your budget. It is normal for everyone to worry about every penny that is spent either on travel or shopping. However, traveling on a budget does not mean that you should deny yourself the finest things. So how do you travel the top countries without leaving a hole in your pocket? Check out these budget travel tips.
1. Flexibility for Travel Dates
Flexibility on the travel dates allows one to save hundreds of dollars on the flight and hotel bookings. You will find that flights are cheaper if you choose traveling on Tuesdays as opposed to Sunday evening or Monday morning. On the other hand, traveling during the school holidays might be expensive compared to traveling when the students are busy at the colleges and the universities.
Therefore, shop around and compare the dates when the flights seem to be cheaper. By traveling on an off-season date, you can even get the business class flight at the same price as the economy class. This works best if you book even weeks before the planned travel date.
Therefore, booking on the dates when the flights are less busy with fewer people traveling. However, you might find that the flights make several stops as they combine travelers who are using one route to fill the plane. In that regard, be sure to check the PNR status flight so that you can enjoy the trip.
2. Go Incognito When Searching Flights and Booking where to Stay
If you are searching for flights online, it is advisable that you do so using an incognito window. The incognito window allows some privacy by hiding the browsing history and the web cache. Thus, websites are not able to track the previous offers, meaning you will get fresh deals. Remember that flights charge differently from day to another and so if you are using the incognito mode, the browser will not expose the previous offers. This also applies to other bookings and online car rentals.
3. Combine the Bookings to Get a Discount
Booking a hotel at the same time as the flight can help you save some money. Combined booking comes with discount saving travelers a lot of money. Even for those who love to find the accommodation on arrival to the travel destination, you can save some cash by booking the first two nights while booking the flights. This allows you to find cheaper deals while having a great experience at otherwise expensive hotels. In addition, booking the rental vehicle at the same time as the hotel gets you additional discounts.
4. Choose Travel Destinations Wisely
The places you travel to will have a huge impact on your travel budget. For instance, traveling to the top developing countries is cheaper compared to traveling to hot travel destinations like Paris. Most travelers want to tour the Middle East and Asian countries. These are beautiful destinations with an amazing experience and you can travel there on a budget.
5. Find Cheaper Places to Stay
Accommodation takes a huge amount of traveler’s budget. In fact, when traveling to top countries, one is more likely to spend more than half of the travel budget on expensive accommodation. Did you know that you could find good accommodation at even a quarter of your travel budget? Upon arrival at the chosen destination, you might want to stay at the hotel for just one night and find a cheaper alternative just within. For instance, Airbnb accommodation can be cheaper compared to a three-star hotel. Alternatively, you can stay in hostels or shared accommodation plans. In most instances, you will find that the locals will be so happy to have your business, offering you cheaper accommodation.
If you enjoy traveling, staying at a hotel and waking up at 10.00AM does not make sense. Instead, travel around to see what the world has to offer. Part of traveling involves exploring different alternatives. Live together with the locals and have fun together, rather than stay with other guests in hotels and fancy restaurants.
6. Cut on alcohol
While traveling, alcohol can take a huge amount of the travel budget if you do not cut down. A night out now and then offers a great experience, but then if you are drinking more than while you are at home, you will end up spending all the money on alcohol. In addition, if you love your drink more than the travel experience, you end up having little money to explore the fancy places. Travel is usually so much fun while you are sober compared to traveling while nursing hangovers.
7. Public Transport will Save your Money
We all like to Uber, but trust me when traveling to foreign countries, an Uber driver will take advantage of the “tourist” and end up overcharging you. Rather than hire Uber, catch public transport and save hundreds of dollars. You can catch the Uber ride from the airport to the hotel, but when traveling around, the local bus or the train will help you save on transport. In addition, while sharing the bus or train with locals, it is a great opportunity to learn more about the place.
8. Dine at the Restaurants where Locals Eat
Tourist hotels sell expensive meals. Do you know that you can get the same meals at the local restaurants? The locals know the restaurants that sell nice and cheaper foods. If you find a restaurant that is frequented by crowds, then it is a guarantee that they sell nice food. Instead of paying a double price at the tourist hotels, eat where the locals wine and dine.
The above travel tips will help you to stay on budget. Other than spending three-quarters of your travel budget on food and accommodation, you can stay longer by choosing these budget travel tips. Eat where the locals frequent, find cheaper accommodation and use public transport instead of a private tax. That way, you shall travel on a budget.