9 Easy Ways To Save Money On Travel

Travelling doesn’t need to cost an arm and a leg, it can be accessible for most budgets. There are some ways to travel hack, save money and stick to a budget when travelling. Using these can help get out of the common mindset of travel being too expensive.

Here are 9 easy ways…

#1 Housesit

Housesitting is where you stay in someones house for free in exchange for looking after the place and sometimes their pets and plants as well. This is a great way to get free accommodation that is also private.

The best thing about housesitting is that it makes otherwise too expensive cities, such as New York, London or Los Angeles, accessible.

#2 Don’t take the obvious route

Whenever I think about going on a holiday, I automatically think airplane. Then I remember that there are other options that may be cheaper; bus, train or driving. Shopping around a bit may save you a small fortune.

Plus sometimes taking the long route can be a great part of your holiday. The site Rome to Rio is a great resource to figure out the best and cheapest route to get from A to B.

#3 Limit eating out

Food and drink can easily become the biggest on the ground expense when travelling. Limit eating out to curb this spend. Even limiting your eating out to dinner, eating breakfast and lunch at home, will save you money.

The best way to be prepared to limit this is by booking accommodation with kitchen facilities. Go to a local supermarket and buy food to cook, also don’t forget to buy snacks as well. Pack some whenever you go out so you won’t be tempted to buy a snack.

#4 Embrace slow travel

A trip where you stay in one place for a month, compared to a trip where you bounce from city to city for a few nights at a time, will be much cheaper. Embracing slow travel is an easy way to cut costs.

Many accommodation options come with monthly discounts, some airbnb discounts are even 50% or more. Therefore, sometimes staying for longer will save you money.

Another great thing about slow travel is by staying in one place you save money on transportation. You will only have the initial cost of getting to and from your travel location, instead of multiple different legs if you plan a multi-city trip. On top of this, if you are staying in one place for longer than a week it may be worth buying a transport pass. Often cities will offer transport passes at a discounted rate for the longer you need it – they are definitely worth looking into.

#5 Act like a local

This one goes hand in hand with embracing slow travel. Avoiding the tourist traps and acting like a local anywhere you go will immediately save you money. The first thing that comes to mind when you should act like a local is choosing which restaurants to eat at. When you’re visiting tourist sites, never choose the first restaurant you see, move further away and you will notice the prices dropping. Even better if you can find a restaurant full of locals – then you know it’s good.

Acting like a local is an easy way to save money when your travelling, no matter how long you are there for.

#6 Travel in the offseason

Prices can literally double from travelling the week before the school holidays start to travelling in the holidays. If your job allows it avoiding the school holidays is an easy way to save on travel.

On top of this, travelling in the shoulder seasons (the months before and after the high seasons) can save you money but you’ll still get nice weather. For example, travelling to Europe in May or September means you will still benefit from lovely weather but the prices will be lower and the tourist spots quieter.

#7 Take advantage of free activities

You will be able find free activities in almost every city, take advantage of these. Walking tours, bike tours, museum access can all be free, all you need to do is a quick google search to find these.

In a lot of places it will be possible to experience the culture and get away without paying for the privilege.

#8 Go to cheap destinations

This one sounds obvious but choosing a cheap destination can make travelling very affordable. Some of the cheapest destinations in the world are in South East Asia and Latin America, a long flight away from the UK but don’t be put off by the distance. Although the flights may be more expensive than one to a neighbouring country, the cost of everything else is much cheaper.

Sometimes looking at the big picture means taking into account all costs to find the cheapest destinations. Keeping an open mind and not ruling places out can allow you to find great and cheap locations.

#9 Be flexible

Being flexible in all of your travel plans is the most important thing when looking to save money on travel. Flight comparison sites allow you see search on a monthly basis to see the cheapest day to fly. Often the same thing goes for accommodation. The more flexible you can be the more money you could save.

So there we have it, nine easy ways to save money on travel. Many of these make travelling accessible on the tightest of budgets.

Do you have any ways you save on travel?