Top Travel Tips for Saving Money on Your Next Trip
If you have a curious soul like me, youre always planning your next trip as soon as you are back from one. I have a massive list of bucket list destinations that I want to visit and I am collecting tips from social media and friends, in readiness. The top destinations that I want to visit are Peru, South Korea, Taiwan, China and Vietnam. Of course, the main reason that these are my top choices is because of their food, history and culture.
South Korea is now moving to the top of the list as I have been caught up with the Korea Wave. After watching so many KDramas, all the BTS shows and not forgetting Culinary Class Wars, this has led to an ever-growing list of places to see and dishes to taste.
The travel bug, once bitten, is hard to ignore. There is an enormous thrill in visiting a new city, seeing famous landmarks or exploring fascinating historical and cultural sites.
It does cost a lot to be perpetually travelling. For many Brits, this has not deterred us from travelling. The demand for trips has not reduced despite rising holiday costs. Brits are still spending on their escape to the sun, their weekend city breaks and dream destinations. There are of course ways to book smarter and practical ways you can stretch your budget and cut travel costs.
Smarter Booking Tips
The most expensive part of any trip is the accommodation and flights. If you don’t book package tours and like to tailor your own trips, use these booking tips to make your budget stretch further.
Booking hotels and flights early is one of the most obvious tips. If you don’t plan that far ahead and can’t do that, you can try this tip that has been much touted all over social media. Change your IP address to that of another country by using a VPN, as the cost of flights changes depending on where you book it from. VPNs allow you to spoof connectivity from another location, adding protection to your browsing and allowing you to circumvent regional data blocks or pricing systems. With a free VPN for PC, you could find cheaper deals for flights and accommodation, even if just for preventing sites from dropping cookies on your local browser and charging you extra when you return to the site.
We’ve all experienced this when researching prices for flights and find that the price has gone up after we return to the booking site the next day. If you have not been cookied while browsing, the site won’t know that you were there before.
Flying midweek, on a Tuesday or Wednesday, can be significantly cheaper than weekends. Also, check smaller regional airports nearby, even if you might need a short train ride to get there, the cheaper flights often outweigh the transit cost.
Travel off season or in the shoulder season
If you can avoid travelling during school holidays or peak season, you will be able to travel for less. Flights and accommodation will be cheaper and more easily available in these off peak times.
Try “Coolcations” and Underrated Hubs
Another way is to avoid the over-touristed destinations like Barcelona, Venice and Dubrovnik. Try other places like Ghent, Ljubljana or Ksamil in Albania as alternative up and coming destinations.
Also look at “longer short-haul” destinations like Egypt, Portugal or Poland. Not only is the cost of living lower, but these “coolcations” (colder or temperate climates) are trending as more affordable alternatives to the sweltering and more popular Mediterranean.
Packing Tips for budget travel
Airlines have become stricter with baggage allowances and fees. If you are good at packing light and can travel with only carry-on luggage, you save on paying extra baggage charges. This means limiting your packing to small-sized luggage that will fit all you need for your trip. I have only managed this once on a 2 week trip in the summer, so packing lightweight clothes made it easier to travel light.
The heaviest things are usually toiletries, so decant your stuff into travel-sized bottles. Don’t bother packing travel aids like a pillow or eye-masks, just use your existing clothing, and maybe bring a pillowcase to stuff them in. You could also use compression packing cubes to reduce the volume of your luggage, freeing space for more stuff. I like to wear utility trousers and jackets with lots of pockets too.
Leverage “Stopover Programs”
Many airlines, like Icelandair, Qatar or Singapore Airlines offer free or very cheap stopovers with airport transfers or free hotels. This allows you to visit two countries for the price of one flight. It’s the ultimate “two-for-one” deal for long-haul travelers.
Travel spending tips
When abroad, it can be hard to control and keep track of your spending. Create a separate digital wallet using an alternative online banking app, and load it up with your maximum allowed spend. I use a Wise card, which lets you have multiple wallets in different currencies. You transfer a fixed amount and using this reduces the risk of card fraud too. This way, you can avoid paying ridiculous ATM charges and unfavourable exchange rates.
This way, you can keep your spending to a fixed budget. You load just what you need each day, to be even more militant with your money. Using public transport instead of ride shares or taxis will save you a lot of money on travel in your destination.
Instead of paying for guided tours, find out about free walking tours in the cities you are visiting. Lots of places have free or reduced entry to museums and attractions on certain days, so do some research and plan ahead.
Eating out when travelling
Eating out is part of the fun of travel. If tasting local food is an important part of all your trips, like it is for me, you can eat well on a budget too. Avoid restaurants with tourist menus. It doesn’t mean just eating at fast food places or packing your own sandwiches. Checking out food markets (especially in Europe) or street food stalls instead of restaurants and local eateries can give you the same experience without the added costs and a lot more fun. Sometimes, food tours are the best way to try the best local dishes with a guide.
