9 Tips for Travelling on a Budget
Here are some of the things I’ve learnt whilst travelling on a budget and I hope they can help you in some way too!
Choose your destination and time of year wisely.Where is it that you want to travel? What season do you want to travel in? Depending on what the country has to offer at that time of year can depend on how expensive flights and accommodation will be. For example, New Zealand, Japan and Canada have ski season in winter so the prices will be more expensive that time of year. Opt for going on holiday in the off-season (Spring/Autumn) and also when you can, avoid typical holidays such as school holidays, Christmas & New Year and Easter.
Set a spending limit for your flights and accommodation. Research cheap flights leading up to the time you want to go, either online or at a travel agent. Don’t book the first thing you see. Compare prices on other sites as you’ll most likely find a better deal than what you first find. If you are a student too, there are most likely student deals on. Depending on where you are wanting to travel, think about if you will be spending much time in your accommodation or will you be outside exploring? If you won’t be inside too much, then don’t spend too much money on the accommodation and put that money into activities/experiences instead.
Prioritise – Accommodation or Location? When you are looking at somewhere to stay, are you someone who wants nice accommodation (high rise, views, fancy interiors & facilities) or are you someone who would rather a better location (close to the beach, shops/cafes etc.)? Look for a place that aligns more with your values. However, location can be an issue when you’re too young to hire a car as you will be relying on public transport or taxis which can get quite expensive. If this is you, then I would advise finding a place to stay close to the central area of that city so your transport expenses aren’t as high and you are within walking distance to main areas.
Set a spending limit for food. Food can be anything from going out for a meal & drink to having snacks & takeaway in the hotel. Set an amount you want to spend on food for the whole time you’re there. So for example, over 10 days you want to spend $500 on food. This would then break down to $50 a day. If you are on a tight budget, look for cheaper cafes and restaurants and don’t feel the need to go out for every meal. Also, if your hotel has a kitchenette you can buy some groceries and cook at home. To keep track of all your spendings it’s important that you note down somewhere every time you purchase something, otherwise it can be super easy to forget and you won’t be able to stick to your budget. I just use the Notes app on my iPhone and add up the total spendings at the end of each day.
Set a spending limit for transport. Transport can include petrol, public transport fares and taxis. In regards to cheap transport, this can be difficult but the best thing to do is utilise free buses/trams and free zones in the city if that’s what is offered. Also, if you are only 1-2km walking distance from where you want to be, just walk instead! You’ll save yourself money and also be able to experience more of the city and your surroundings too. Another big tip is when you’re travelling a bit of a distance from where you are staying, try get as much done at that place at once. So instead of travelling 30mins-1hr to go to one café, why not go to 2 or more cafes and a few shops too while you’re there. That way you can get it all done at once, and save yourself having to travel back there another day.
PLAN! If you want to get the most out of your holiday, its super important that you plan your days before you go. You don’t have to plan each day to the hour, but personally I like to write a list of “Things to do” in that city first. Once I’ve written everything down, I look to see if any of the places are in the same area and if they are, I’ll plan to do them on the same day. A big mistake people make is overfilling their days. You’re better off writing less than what you think you will do so you aren’t disappointed if you don’t get everything done. And that way there is more time for spontaneous things at the end of the day. You don’t necessarily have to do this but if you’re like me and love planning/being organised then I would also suggest looking at when places are open because sometimes places can be closed on Mondays or only open on weekends or at night time. You don’t want to plan to go somewhere on a Thursday night if they don’t open until Friday!
Set aside extra spending money for activities and shopping. Any money that isn’t including accommodation/travel/food expenses can go towards this. Before you get to your destination it’s important to look into what activities are available, take into account the prices and if you can pre-book them. Definitely try to utilise free activities such as going to the beach and seeing the sunset, going on a hike and seeing the views, going on a picnic, lookouts, walks around the city etc.
Get the best exchange rate. If you are travelling overseas to a country with a different currency, make sure you exchange your money at the best rate! If you have time to watch it change over a few weeks and exchange it when it’s the best time then that’s great! If not, find the best one you can – but definitely don’t do it at the airport (I’ve made that mistake before).
Be realistic. Every place is so different so it’s important to do research before you go anywhere as you may be better off going somewhere different to what you were thinking if you are on a tight budget.
I hope you found these tips helpful! If you’ve got any of your own that you’d like to share feel free to comment them down below 🙂