It is true that money can buy you an elite – easy, even – adventure anywhere, those who travel for a living genuinely enjoy the challenge of bargain hunting.
Riding public transport, couch surfing, and sampling street food immerses you in the day-to-day life of any city – and isn’t that what traveling is all about? So lets try to organize a budget trip this time.
Exploring on a shoestring challenges to live like a local – among locals. “Budget travel is good because it brings you closer to the ground and more into the day-to-day life of the people who live in the place you’re visiting”
Research until you find the right deal. Spend a lot of time searching the internet for deals. Choose your transport wisely. Is it cheaper to fly or drive? Sometimes the answer may surprise you.
One of the easiest and most-effective ways to save money on flight tickets is to search in a private or incognito browser. Airline websites store your cookies, which gives them too much intel on your travel plans. If they know when you want to fly, they can automatically raise their rates accordingly. Not only that, but by changing your country of origin to a developing nation, but keeping the prices in your currency of choice, it also allows you to save up to hundreds of dollars on your ticket.
Avoid hotels. They’re expensive and also have a way of isolating you from the day-to-day rumblings of a city. “You’re not going to be in the room, anyway”. Instead, stay in a hostel, crash on a couch or rent a room using home-sharing sites such as Couchsurfing or Airbnb.
Follow the “five-block rule”. Rule of thumb is to avoid businesses within five blocks of a city’s touristy areas. Just a few blocks farther, crowds disperse and prices drop. “You walk five or six blocks from any site, you’re going to get better food or anything for half the price.”
Make your breakfast. Find a place with a kitchen, whether it’s a condo, house or hotel, and it can save you hundreds of money in restaurant bills.
Take public transport. Buses and trains are inexpensive, authentic and feel a little adventurous.
For fast food, look to street food. Yes, there’s probably a Burger King or McDonald’s nearby. But pass it up and head for the hawkers.
Make lunch your biggest meal. Eat your largest meals of the day during lunch when most restaurants have ‘daily specials’ with meals almost 50% cheaper than their dinner equivalents. Only dining out for one meal a day is a proven way to avoid blowing all your money while traveling and it’s also a way to stay healthy even on vacation.
Use Digital Guides. For the latest information on great deals, free things to do and generally budget-friendly places to eat and sights to see, download a city guide to your destination of choice so you can refer to it while you’re on the road.
