Be it to a nearby city, a nearby country, or half way across the world, many consider traveling a luxury these days. No one seems to have the funds to commit to going even for short trips. Studies show, however, that those who see foreign places are smarter, happier, and more open-minded. Also, those who travel, turn out to work harder and feel better once they return from their trip.
The positive points of travel still don’t negate the negative ones – how can you travel if you need to stick to a tight budget? Here are a few tips to allow you to get the most out of your trip, without having to spend an arm and a leg. In short, we tell you how you can reduce your travel expenditure.
Reduce Your Travel Expenditure by Avoiding Hotels
Finding a place to stay can be the first nail in the coffin for your trip – hotels (and sometimes even motels) can be quite expensive, depending on your destination and length of stay. Under most circumstances, you should work to avoid hotels altogether.
Does your chosen place have a hostel? A room in a hostel may not be a luxury suite, but as long as you don’t mind sharing a room, you should be just fine. There are also B&B’s (Bed and Breakfast’s), as well as privately-owned homes and apartments/flats that could be much cheaper. Explore your options.
Reduce Your Travel Expenditure by Reserving Very Early/Very Late
Whether you’re reserving flights, seats on a train or accommodations, there are two methods of getting cheaper rates for what you need – booking very early or booking very late.
Everyone knows that booking early can save you money: flights, for example, will only charge their standard, higher prices once the flight time is close enough to catch the attention of your average customer. Booking in advance can save you money, whether a little or a lot.
Few people know that booking incredibly late can also often save you money. For example, a flight may be desperate to fill the last few seats on their flight for this evening, and they are willing to take 50% off the cost. Of course, this should only be used when you’re ready to take a trip on the fly. Otherwise, you run the risk of losing a seat on the plane the day you intend to leave for your journey.
Reduce Your Travel Expenditure by Not Eating Out
The #1 frivolous cost of an unwary trip is food. If you want to be out seeing the sights of the five best budget travel destinations in the world, the last thing you want to do is spend time shopping for groceries, taking them home, and cooking them, right? Wrong. If you rent a hotel room, apartment/flat, or house with a kitchen, spending some time to buy groceries will save you a ton of money – resist the urge to go out to eat, as this can kill any well-laid-out budget.
Reduce Your Travel Expenditure by Heading to Less Popular Destinations
If you have a choice of where you’ll be going on your trip, you’ll want to aim for less popular destinations.
For example – Orlando, FL, is a popular vacation destination, so you’ll pay high prices to rent a hotel or get a flight to Orlando. Both Fort Myers and Jacksonville are also in Florida, and you may be able to get cheaper flights to those locations. You might also be able to rent a cheap room at a hotel 20-30 minutes from Orlando – renting a car for the period of your trip and driving to and from Orlando might actually save you money in the long run if you find a hotel that is incredibly cheap. Be creative, and you will be able to save a lot!
