The Ultimate Guide to Budget Traveling

Traveling is the dream of almost everyone. Most people, at some point in their lives, certainly had or will have an urge to travel. Indeed, there is a sense of excitement, thrill, and therapy that comes with traveling. Some people travel to try out new adventures and discover new cultures, while others go around places to find new interests and know themselves better. Generally, regardless of whatever reason one has, traveling serves as a good break from the daily hustles and grinds of life.

Despite being an ultimate goal, however, traveling seems to be not so accessible to everyone. Not everyone is actually able to travel. For some people, responsibilities are just too overwhelming, so there is no way they can squeeze their dream trips in their very busy schedules. For others, on the other hand, money is the main hindrance. Financial constraint is a common reason why many people are hesitant to travel despite wanting to do so.

Of course, traveling generally costs some money. You cannot travel without having to spend a dime, unless you are on an all-expenses paid trip. Nonetheless, there are several things that you can do to minimize your travel spending as much as possible. Not having enough cash is not an excuse to forget about your well-deserved vacation totally. The key to making your dream trips happen is simple: budget traveling.

Below are some tried and tested tips to help you make your trips happen on a budget:

 

Plan your trip ahead of time

Spontaneous traveling can be fun and great if you have some extra money to spare. However, if you are on a tight budget, then planning is your friend. Planning does not necessarily mean that you need to come up with an hour-by-hour itinerary. Instead, planning simply means having an overview on how many days you will spending in each city or country, and what activities you will be doing there. Planning your trip ahead of time reduces the chances of unexpected spends. In addition, you can receive a great deal of discounts when you book your activities in advance.

 

Travel during the off-season

Off season is the time of the year when the least amount of tourist activity occurs in a place, mostly due to weather conditions. Because of this, accommodations, tours, and even food are much cheaper during off season than during high season or the holidays. In addition, several apartments, hotels, and airlines often offer discount or promo rates when there aren’t many tourists.

So, if you want to avail yourself of quality accommodation and tour at a much cheaper price, then travel out of season. Avoid trips during the holidays when the travel industry hikes up prices to take advantage of the surge of tourists. The best time to travel is when you have loads of options for things at a wide range of prices.

 

Choose a cheap accommodation alternative

Hotels are generally costly. The best five-star hotel accommodation may not fit your budget. Because of this, if you are really eager to travel despite not having that much extra money, then you need to learn to find cheap accommodation alternatives to hotels. There are plenty of other accommodation options for tourists everywhere, which are much cheaper than hotels but are still quite decent. There are dorm rooms, hostels, and guesthouses. You can even book a spare room in a local person’s house through websites like Airbnb and Couchsurfing. If you know people from the place you are planning to travel to, then you can also reach out to them and ask if they have some space for guests.

 

Use public transport

If your intended destination can be reached by land, then it would be more practical if you take a bus or a train instead of traveling by plane. Buses and trains are generally less costly than planes. You can also even save a day’s worth of stay in a hostel when you take the bus or the train because traveling by land usually takes overnight or half a day. Once you are in your destination, public transport is your best option for transportation. Public transport like buses, trolleybuses, trams, and passenger trains are much cheaper than private commercial transport like taxi cabs. So, when going on a tour on a tight budget, it is necessary that you learn to embrace public transport.

 

Eat street food

There is a saying that goes, “The best way to experience a culture or a place is through its street food.” Street food is any ready-to-eat food or drink sold by a hawker or vendor in a street or any other public places. Street food is usually the go-to meal of the locals in any country or city. It is the most authentic taste of a certain culture. For this reason, eating street food is an essential part of a travel experience. Aside from this, street food is also the best option for a meal for travelers who are on a shoestring budget. When trying out street food, however, you must always take caution. Pay attention to how the street food vendors prepare, handle, and serve their food. Only buy food from those who observe proper sanitary practices to avoid getting sick.

 

Pack your things properly

When packing your things, make sure to bring everything that you will ever need. Packing your things properly is a key to spending less during your trip. When you have everything that you need inside your suitcase, you will no longer have any reason to shop while you are away (except, of course, for a few souvenirs). So, when preparing for your trip, make sure that you pack all of your essentials. To avoid forgetting anything, make a list of all of the things that you need to bring with you. Regardless of where you are heading, it is important that you always come prepared.

In summary, your dream vacation is definitely possible with budget traveling. Traveling does not have to be expensive. You do not need to spend thousands and thousands of dollars just to enjoy a trip. If you badly want to take a break from life and get around, but you are on a tight budget, then the only thing that you need to do is to travel wisely. By traveling wisely and spending your budget only on the essentials, you can even afford a family trip. Indeed, through budget traveling, you can certainly reach your dream destination, without having to worry much about your dollars.

 

Author – Jennifer Jacksons

Jennifer Jacksons is a professional writer and amateur photographer. She writes for the ReadersMagnet during the day and goes on photo walks at night. She is a travel enthusiast who loves to take photographs of people and write stories about cultures. Aside from writing and photography, her other interests include painting and cooking.