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Isn’t it wonderful to travel on a budget and still have a great experience? Sure it is. I always look for ways to save on my travel expenses, and here is a list of the 12 top travel tips to not break the bank but still have a great time!  

 

Did you know that traveling is good for the soul, and because of that, you have to travel more often? You might think, of course, but it is not cheap. How is it possible to travel budget-friendly, you might ask?

 

Travel can be expensive, sure, but if you know the best tips and tricks on how to travel cheaply, you can afford your next vacation right now. Everything is possible if you want it :).

 

Nowadays, travel can be a very low-budget budget. This is true. You need to know all the ways HOW TO TRAVEL ON A BUDGET or even for free.

 

People spend so much money on clothes, electronics, and shoes, but do they remember them? I don’t think so. You can have a great trip without breaking the bank on such items, especially if you’re traveling on a budget.

 

How about spending money on experience instead? There are many best places to travel cheaply in the USA and the world. And if you know where to look, you can find the cheapest travel option for your ideal getaway! So what are you waiting for?!

 

Do you love to travel? Do you want to travel on a budget? Do you feel comfortable meeting new people? Do you like to learn the best tips for traveling cheap?

 

If you answered yes to all questions, this article is for you. Set travel as a priority, plan your trip and go to the unknown. See the beauty of the entire world.

 

There are so many ways to travel on a budget and get the best experience in your life. Check out my list of tips on how to travel cheaply and have the time of your life.

12 Top Tips for Traveling Cheap

1. Be Flexible With Dates and Times When Buying Tickets

This #1 tip for booking cheap flights is the most important one, as flexibility is always the key. Tickets can cost you a lot if you buy them in a high season, on the weekends or holidays, or at the wrong time. But there are always ways to buy less expensive tickets.

 

Every article suggests that the best day to book flights is Tuesday, Wednesday, or both. I am not sure if that helps to find lower prices, but I use that strategy too. I also noticed that tickets are cheap in the early morning, from 2 am to 5 am. Be flexible with the dates and check out the mid-week tickets when you’re planning your trip. Have a good idea of how long you’ll be traveling and choose dates according to the best offers. Traveling off-season can also help you save money.

 2. Know Where to Look for Cheap Flights

Some people suggest searching on Google first, but I do not think it is a good idea. All the time I looked up there, the prices I found there were so high compared to other search engines. The best sites to search for cheap tickets are Skyscanner, Momondo, and Kiwi to find the best deals in the travel industry.

 

Once you find a reasonable price, don’t be lazy to compare the price directly on the airline’s site (sometimes you can find better airfare prices with them directly).

 

Also, make sure you search in an incognito window. So you appear as a new user, and they show you the best prices (because if you stay on the same tab for a while in the non-incognito window, you will be offered higher prices). This is a great hack to consider when you are looking to book a trip.

 

If you have multiple trips, consider buying separate tickets. Sometimes booking two one-way tickets is hundreds of dollars cheaper than purchasing round-trip tickets. For example, that strategy helped me save a lot of money on my trip to Asia, which cost me about $700 for a round trip ONLY.

 

You can also consider setting an email alert when the price goes down, so you are immediately aware of the price change, but only if you are very flexible with time and dates.

3. Find the Cheapest Place to Fly

If you do not know yet where you want to go and you can go just anywhere for cheap, Skyscanner gives you the option to search “everywhere”, so you can find the best deal.

 

How to Book Cheap Flights With Skyscanner?

You need to type “Everywhere” in the search box, and it will give you options with all prices and months. So you can select whatever you like best.

 

4. Watch Out for Error Fares

Sometimes airlines sell tickets for significantly lower prices than they intended. But, again, the reasons can differ from computer to human mistakes, and it’s better to hurry as such deals do not last long.

 

Because the savings on Mistake Fares can be huge, they typically last just a few hours at most and rarely a total of 24 hours.

 

To check for such fare mistakes, you can use Secret Flying or Scotts Cheap Flights (which costs $49 a year).

5. Travel Light

Try to travel light to avoid the cost of checked baggage fees or sometimes a carry-on. On the other hand, if you can fit all your stuff into your backpack, it is the perfect solution.

 

When I traveled with light baggage, I took an extra foldable bag with me (put it in my backpack), wore extra clothes before I got on board and after I was in, I put them into my spare bag. So I saved space and got all my necessities with me. 

*Also, I recently learned a new trick. When you travel with the jacket, you can stuff all your pockets with extra items as well. Works very well. I was even able to hide shoes in each sleeve :).

 

Consider taking only the things you need and packing light. If you are thinking of taking many outfits or extra pairs of shoes, it’s a bad idea. You will never wear all of them anyway. They are just going to take your extra space in your bag.

 

Check out this article THE ULTIMATE TRAVEL PACKING GUIDE

6. Find a Cheap or Free Place to Stay

Not all of us have friends or relatives at a destination we are going to, which means we can stay with them for free if we have some, but it’s not the only option to do that.

 

If you want to find cheaper accommodation, consider staying in hostels instead of hotels. It’s more fun much more affordable, and one of the best ways to meet new people. And if you travel solo, you can even find a company for the rest of your trip. Plus, it is cheaper to book your stay at a hostel and you’ll enjoy your time traveling a lot more as you will need to pay only a fraction of the cost compared to a hotel room.

 

When I search for cheap hostels, I like to use HostelWorld, Hostels, and sometimes Booking with the free cancellation policy and complimentary breakfast, ideally.

• To find free accommodation, consider using Couchsurfing. I tried it once when I went to Paris, and my experience was excellent. Go on Couchsurfing and look at the free accommodation in the city you are visiting.

• You can consider House sitting as an option to save money as well
  
  
• Some sites connect people who need house sitters with people who want cheap or free accommodations. That is an excellent way to save money while traveling. Also, there is a FB group Host a sister.
  
  
• Check out these companies: Mind my House, House Carers, Trusted House Sitters, Luxury House Sitting

**WWOOF. They offer free stays, too. You volunteer to work on an organic farm in exchange for room and board. 

 

7. Pay With Travel Points and Travel for FREE

If you have credit cards that help you earn points through a loyalty program and convert them to use for traveling, use that.

 

There are a lot of different credit card companies that give you good deals.

 

I applied for a Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and used it all the time as they have the best points system I know. The policy is 1.25 (25% more value on travel) points per $1 spent, so you get way more value when you book with them.

 

I had to spend $4000 in the first three months from the day of card opening, and they gave me 50000 miles, which I could use as a credit towards travel ($650). And I did :). Now they even offer 60000 points (which is worth $750 towards travel). Also, I’ve heard that if you apply directly at the bank, they even give you more miles.

 

This was an excellent deal for me and still is one of the most useful tips.

I flew to LA for free, and I spent the rest of the points on my Europe trip.

 

Not bad, right :).

 

Just FYI, when you book tickets directly through your bank, I noticed that prices are always higher than if you search somewhere else.

 

Just keep that in mind. Sometimes it’s better to buy tickets with a third party and continue earning more miles in the future.

 

Check here for more details.

 

NOTE, the first year of service will be free. After that, for the second year, they will start charging a $95 fee, but you can cancel your card at any time (just FYI, if you do so, you will lose some of your credit points temporarily). I did it once.

 

I canceled it the first time as I wasn’t aware of the fee, but I could re-apply in a year with no problem and still got the bonus offer.

8. Consider Alternative Airports

Tip #8 on how to fly cheap is to find the nearest airport. Sometimes tickets can be cheaper if you include the nearest airports in the search, and flying to a more distant airport might be less expensive.

 

If you fly to the nearest airport because you found the lowest price, make sure you will not spend more money on transportation from the airport to your final destination.

 

Just keep that in mind.

 

You must be interested in cheap ways to travel to Europe

 

Related articles

|How to find the best travel deals

|How to find cheap hotel deals

9. Save Money on Travel Insurance With Your Credit Card

Most credit card companies offer good benefits. Including complimentary travel insurance, too.

 

If you want to get travel insurance with a third party shouldn’t cost you more than $20, but don’t you want to save that money for something else?!

 

You can learn more about the type of credit card and the travel insurance benefits here. Best Travel Insurance Credit Cards.

 

But if you already have a credit card and it’s not on the list, make sure you check with your credit card issuer to understand which policies apply to you and when.

 

Be sure that your credit card has no foreign transaction fee, as it can save you a lot of money if you plan to use it abroad.

 

If you book a trip through a travel agency, the insurance might be included but always ask to be sure.

 

Tip: If you had charges from your transactions while you travel, call your bank and ask them to refund you. They should do it if it happened once.

10. Cut the Transportation Cost

Instead of a taxi, use UBER,  GRAB, or any other car-riding company they have in the place you are going to. You can also use the Bla Bla Car (a carpooling company) to travel to Europe. It allows you to travel with other people and pay less for gas. Buy multiple ride tickets instead of a single ride for a bus or metro. Public transportation can help you save a lot of money, especially if you are visiting a big city

11. Eat Healthy and Cheap

Avoid eating in local restaurants and tourist places as it will cost a lot. When you go to countries with hot weather, buy their local fruits (they are organic and very delicious). If you have a kitchen in the place you stay in, consider buying some food from the supermarket and cooking at your temporary home. Carry snacks with you all the time and water as well. Consider taking a tumbler with you or a collapsible water bottle. One way to save money is to never travel without your essentials. That way, you will not need to spend extra money on the go.

12. Spend Less or Nothing on Attractions

• Consider taking a free walking city tour. It’s free, you just need to leave some tips. Walking tours can give you a great travel experience without breaking the bank.  
• Check out free museum days.
• Always research free things to do in the city. It will surprise you how much you can do for free, especially if you travel off-season.

 

Final Thoughts

I hope you changed your mindset now about travel and think no more that it is so expensive. You can find cheap flights, discount prices and use public transport to save money regardless of your destination.

 

I also hope my money saving 12 tips for traveling cheap will help you to make the right decision and travel on a budget wherever you go :). Enjoy your cheap travel and share your own tips to help other travellers in the comments!

 

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