Tips and Tricks to Keeping your Trip Cheap!

One of the biggest factors causing people not to travel is money. Flights alone can cost upwards of $2000, and hotels on average will cost between $100-$300 a night. Thus, a week-long trip can cost around $3000, not even including food, activities, and extra spending money. This can equate to only taking a trip once a year, or even once every couple of years. My goal in this post is to give you tips to allow you to save enough money to become a more frequent traveler.

One of the highest costs involved in budgeting a trip is airfare, as stated above. The biggest way to save hundreds of dollars is to be flexible on dates you’ll be taking your trip. If you have the option to not visit a certain destination during its peak tourist season, your airfare bill will be guaranteed cut in half. Airlines know when the most popular time to go on vacation is, so they will upcharge tickets to combat the increase in demand. As a bonus, when traveling during off season you won’t have to fight through crowds or share a beach with hundreds of other people. Another simpler way to save a couple dollars is to compare the specific days of the week that you’ll be leaving and departing. It has been found that departing on Tuesdays and Wednesdays will give you the cheapest tickets. In my experience, the difference between days of the week flying in and out can be about $200!

Another tip for saving money when traveling is cooking your food rather than eating out for every meal. Even if you are just spending $10 for a meal, it can really add up. Whenever I travel, one of the first things I’ll do is stop at the local grocery store to load up on some necessities to get through the week. This can also be a great opportunity to try local foods, and visit local markets. When I was in Hawaii, the best meals I had were the ones that I cooked myself using the local, homegrown produce bought at the farmers market. This supports local businesses, and allows you to eat farm to table. Even if you only cook for yourself one or two meals of the day, it can really save you a lot of money.

Another way to save some money would be to stay at privately owned inns, hostels, or even Air B&B instead of staying in hotels. Large, well-known chains will often provide all the amenities you’ll ever need, but at a sizeable cost. Hostels will provide you with really the only thing you need to visit a foreign place: a bed. This will be, by far, the cheapest option, running on average from $10-$30 a night depending on location and number of people in your room. If you would rather have your own room, then I would recommend local inns or Air B&B. Local lodging will generally be cheaper than chains, and you’ll be supporting small businesses as a bonus. Air B&B is also a great option, and perfect when traveling in small groups. Depending on the home you’ll be staying at, you may have a kitchen, allowing you to easily cook your own meals to save even more money.

If you scale back on the luxuriousness of a vacation, you’ll not only have a greater adventure, but also save hundreds and hundreds of dollars. So, follow these tips, travel more often, and cross more places off that bucket list!