Aspiring travellers may wish they could visit their dream destinations but may sometimes be held back by concerns for how much it will all cost. Whether you have a healthy budget or are low on funds, frequent travellers know that the costs of getting away can easily add up and it’s important to always watch the pennies.
Thankfully, you don’t need to be wealthy in order to travel and in addition to spending as little as possible while preparing for your trip, there are also ways to save when you’re travelling.
See below for the top 5 tips for saving money while travelling:
1. Maximise any Discounts available to you
A good way to save money while travelling is by making the most of discount cards, vouchers, and codes in order to cut the costs of your trip. There are a variety of discounts that can be used to save funds on your trip including offers for students, senior citizens, and one-off promotions on daily deals sites. Maximising the savings available to you through discount cards and vouchers can make a significant impact on your travelling budget.
2. Travel for Free
As with discounts and promotions above, another way to save money on your journeys is by travelling for free. This may not seem possible at first but there are a range of travel credit cards, surveys, and online bonuses that offer free air miles which can be accumulated and redeemed against flight tickets. Other ways of saving money while travelling include hitch-hiking, provided its safe to do so, and getting rail discounts by booking your journey well in advance.
3. Slash the Cost of Your Accommodation
Nowadays there are many options for ensuring the cost of your accommodation while travelling is as low as possible. Platforms such as Airbnb allow travellers to rent from private owners at a fraction of the cost of traditional hotels, and hostels or sleeping in dorms are both good travel money saving options. Other online platforms connect travellers with homeowners looking for house-sitters or those happy to accommodate, allowing you to stay in your destination without paying for accommodation.
4. Cook your Meals
Next to accommodation, one aspect that can literally eat into your budget when you’re travelling is food. Most people do not eat out everyday when at home but this can seem like a necessity when travelling, leading to exorbitant costs. However, cooking more of your meals during your journey will significantly lower your food bill. This is where staying in hostels, guesthouses, or private accommodation comes into its own as you also get access to a kitchen where you can prepare your own meals at a fraction of the cost of takeaway or eating in a restaurant.
5. Find Some Work!
Most people use travelling as a way to get away from the demands of day-to-day life so the idea of working on holiday may seem ludicrous. But if you consider that working on a farm can give you access to the local outdoor environment, free meals and board, or temporary jobs in bars and restaurants can help boost your budget and access to the local culture, food, and people, it becomes a more enticing proposition.
There are many ways to ensure you save money while travelling, and the five tips above are worth considering if you’re looking to keep to a tight budget on your journeys. Thankfully, saving money while travelling does not mean cutting down on enjoying your time away, in fact in many ways it can make your trip more interesting and memorable.
