Melo Villareal
How to Travel the World on a Shoestring Budget
Traveling alone or with your family is not easy because you might have a budget of $1,000, and your travel plans might demand $5,000. In such situations, you should not drop your plans. Instead, look for alternatives that can help you travel with a budget, yet enjoy your time.
Having said that, we have compiled a list of tips that can help you stay a budget traveler and fulfill your dreams of traveling around the world.
Walk
Walking is one of the basic exercises that everyone should do.
Know this and you will save a handful of dollars on every unnecessary medium of transport you choose.
For this, it is important to pack a good pair of shoes. It will keep your feet happy and allow you to walk the extra mile.
However, if you are extremely tired, the public transit system should be on your mind. It is even a budget game-changer. So, learn more about your destination’s public transit and save money while traveling.
Taxis should be your last alternative, just in case other modes of transport are not an option.
Another good excuse is that you are traveling to enjoy your time alone or with your family. So, look around and enjoy the sceneries and spots that have been marked by you. Don’t hire a taxi and pay the chauffeur to skip the ‘must-visit’ spots.
Airfare
Do you know that low-cost airlines are limited, and they might be offering an exclusive deal to people flying from an alternate airport?
So, it is important to look for the same before booking your tickets. Look for the ticket prices at your nearby alternate airports, compare them and choose one that offers you the lowest cost.
For those who are traveling to a destination that is outside the major city, one should consider flying to an outlying airport.
Note: If your travel is uncertain, look for a date when the airline companies offer you the lowest possible airfare.
Packing
Packing light is important because you don’t want to feel tired all the time when carrying your bags from one destination to another. Again, for heavy luggage, you might have to pay someone to carry it around. At the same time, you will even skip checked-bag fees. This amount is around $50 for a single checked bag round trip.
So, fit everything in a carry-on bag. For this, if you have to leave out that cool, but bulky dress, don’t think twice. You can wear them once you are back.
Sit down and calmly reevaluate your luggage.
Note: If you cannot decide, follow the rules below:
- Cut down on the number of bags. You should have two (or maximum of three) bags per persons
- Eliminate anything that is not important for your trip.
- Shortlist dresses on the basis of the variety. For example, if you have added four tops and four pairs of jeans, you can definitely skip two pairs of jeans.
Do your research
If you are traveling to a new destination, it is important to know your destination. You don’t want to unnecessarily increase your expenses because you did not have the time to know more about the destination. Your research will help you know where to shop, where to eat, where to visit or stay in, days when you can get discounts on entry fees to museums or parks.
At the same time, if you are planning to visit an Asian city like Mumbai (India), you should know that the weather there is hot and humid. So, skip your warm clothes and pack a number of dresses and tops that can help you face the heat. Without proper research, you might have to spend dollars on purchasing a couple of dresses that can help you face the heat.
Plan your trip
Planning to buy some new dresses according to the weather in your destination city? Visit Nordstrom.com and choose some of the best dresses and save money by peeking into their sale page. If your selected item is not available for sale, you should look for amazing coupons that can make your purchases cheaper. Coupons are available at various coupon sites. So, you can choose coupons and save money on your purchases.
Off-season travel
We know that off-season traveling is cheap because you not only save money on flights and accommodation but even on car rentals and meals. So, there are a number of reasons for which one should plan their vacation during the off-season.
If you cannot plan for an off-season journey, at least think of flying on a weekday so that you can save on airfares.
Look for deals
If you want to successful budget travel, you should start looking for deals and grab it before it expires. Look for deals on flights, accommodations, bundled vacation packages, etc.
For this, if you want, subscribe to mailers and get notified on a deal as and when it is available.
One should do the same for coupons. Coupons are available for a limited period too. So, make sure that you use important coupons before they expire.
Vacation apartment
If you are not willing to spend too much on hotels, you should look for a vacation home or apartment. Doing so, you can expect at least 30% cut in your costs. Apart from the basic cost-cutting, you will save money on meals too. Some vacation homes even have an option for visitors to cook food and save more on meals. These savings can help you keep your budget flexible for unexpected expenses that might knock at your door. So, create savings and be ready for the challenge.
Apart from this, what else should one do if they are traveling on a budget? Do you have a suggestion for your readers? Share your views in the comments.
Searching for the best hotels and affordable flights? Check out our complete list of affordable hotels and resorts via Agoda or you may also see available Airbnb properties in the city.
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