We all feel that if money was truly not a factor, we would travel as much as we could. But a week at a hotel can mean spending thousands of dollars, not to mention purchasing plane tickets. After dining out at a few fabulous restaurants, our travel budget is out of control and we're left wondering how we spend more than we had planned to.
There are many savvy people out there who know how to stick to a plan when it comes to traveling, and they find great deals and ways to cut costs when going on vacation. Read on to find out everything you need to know about traveling on a budget.
Book Plane Tickets Via Google Flights And Get Alerts
First things first: when you want to travel on a budget, the best way to do that is to find some cheaper plane tickets. This is probably going to take the most out of your bank account.
Reddit has some good information on finding flights that won't cost a ton of money. Someone posted that they use Google Flights and they put some various dates into the search area to see what the options are. They explained, "Once you find a potentially cheap route, you can set an alert to watch the price. The sweet spot for international travel is about 6 months out. Sometimes there's a 2nd cheap window about 3 months out but I don't like to wait that long, personally."
Many travelers share the same good advice: you want to consider different dates and places that you could travel to. This is how you get super cheap plane tickets.
Find A Place With A Kitchen And Make Your Own Food
The joy of traveling can often be summed up by one word: food. You dream of fresh-baked, flaky croissants in Paris, delicious seafood in Greece, and any food that you can imagine in New York City. But as everyone knows, eating out can, well, eat into your travel budget, and it can be tough to save money this way.
According to Nomadic Matt, you want to skip restaurants on your next trip and make your own food. As he explains, "I recently spent $60 USD for a week’s worth of groceries in Stockholm instead of an average of $15 USD per meal eating out! That’s a saving of $150 USD!"
A discussion on a Reddit thread backs up the idea that cooking is a good way to save while traveling. Someone shared that they make sure to stay at a hostel or Airbnb that has a kitchen and then head over to local grocery stores. You can also find prepared food at stores that will cost you less than eating out in a restaurant. In another Reddit thread, someone shared that if you do go to a restaurant, make sure it's not in a touristy area as those will break the bank for sure.
Consider Traveling Via Car Instead Of Plane
According to Credit Karma, going on a road trip could be a good way to save money when traveling. The website suggests renting a car if you don't have one, which is a good idea and would most likely still cost less than booking flights.
Road trips are really fun, and if you bring your best friends or closest family members, it could be a way to create even more memories. You'll probably be more comfortable traveling by car than you would be in a crowded airport or plane. And you can pack whatever snacks and food you want since you don't have to worry about not bringing liquids into the airport.
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Be Careful When Looking Up Flights And Clear Your Cache
What if you're looking at all the websites that people suggest for flight deals... and you're not finding anything that sounds like a deal? It might be because you're not clearing your cache.
Hostel World recommends that you're careful when you're looking up flights and trying to find deals. The website explains, "Always make sure you clear your browser cookies and even use a private/incognito window while searching for flights." It's possible that a site will remember that you've been on it before and so you want to be able to search with a clean slate.
If you want to travel on a budget, then these tips should help you plan a fun trip that will allow you to save some dollars. From clearing your cache when looking for deals on plane tickets to cooking in an Airbnb to trying a road trip instead of flying, these tricks should enable you to travel in a more affordable way.