Traveling often is the dream life. We wish we could hop from place to place as long as we wanted. Sadly, that is not our reality so we try our best while traveling on a budget.
As students it’s hard to have a serious income that will allow us to save up (mostly because we don’t have time to both work and study), so we have figured out ways of traveling on a budget while still enjoying life.
Check out our Instagram to see all the places we have visited!
It is a long list but we really wanted to give you all the tips possible.
Let’s get to it!
Plan your trips in advance
The best way to save money while traveling on a budget is to be organized with your trips. The earlier you book them, the cheaper it will be. We try to do them at least 3 months in advance when it’s a big/long trip and 1 month when it’s a short one. The best way to do it is to plan your whole semester/year. Sounds a little excessive but it will make your life easier, keep you within budget and help your wallet…
Travel light!
This is probably the best piece of advice we could give you. There are many reasons why traveling with the bare minimum will benefit your wallet, peace of mind and flexibility. Obviously, you won’t have to check a bag in and pay that fee but it goes much further than that. Rather than taking public transportation with a large luggage you might be tempted to get a cab or something of the sort which will cost you a killing from an airport. If you often find yourself doing day-trips it is inconceivable to drag around 20 kgs with you. The weight is likely to tire you out and chances are you won’t be using everything you’ve packed.
Also… if traveling between continents check the compatibility of your electronics with the outlet and voltage, you don’t want to fry them due to voltage difference.
Travel in low season
You will be surprised how much prices change even from the last day of high season to the first day of low season. If you take your holidays or trips during the days “no one travels” you will be able to save some extra cash. Once again, if you are organized this will seem easier and you won’t be planning a trip last minute for the long weekend everyone else is taking off, instead you can ask for days off when everyone else is working. Unsurprisingly, the cheapest days to travel are Tuesday and Wednesday as they are not very accessible days for most people. But since you are traveling on a budget being flexible and looking for a good deal traveling those days might be best.
Be flexible–extremely flexible if possible
This goes both for dates and destinations. Sometimes the days you want to travel are way too expensive, other times the destination itself is impossible to afford. So what do we do? We look for cheap flights keeping an open mind about lesser known destinations. Airlines like Ryanair or Easyjet have an option where you can check their cheapest flights. If not momondo and other travel websites also give you this option- Who knows, maybe you can discover an amazing place (this has happened to us on many of our travels as this is what we usually do– seriously). Other websites show you the cheapest days to fly so you can play around and see what’s best for you so traveling as much as possible on a budget doesn’t seem imposible.
Do your research properly
By this we mean several things.
1) search your flight and accommodations on a private window. This will stop the cookies from bringing up the prices every time you look up a destination. With cookies the algorithm knows you are interested in a certain place and it will bring up the prices because it knows you are keen on traveling there.
2) we usually search for flights at around 2am. This is because not a lot of people will be searching at the same time so the website detects that low traffic and keeps prices down or at least doesn’t bring them up.
3) compare multiple search engines. We like omio, momondo and skyscanner. But sometimes buying it directly with the airline/bus company/train system provides great deals as it might not include the service fee the website receives. Ultimately, you have to be patient and be cognisant that you might have to invest a little more time that what you would have wanted to plan your getaway within your budget.
Take alternative routes
Remember there are also buses, shared cars and trains. Not only do they pollute less but they often offer better prices. The only thing is that they might take longer or you might have to travel overnight, but if your vacations are long enough to spend 1 day traveling then it’s worth it. Also stopovers are annoying but common in low cost tickets, but we have made the most out of our longer stopovers (6+ hours) as we have gotten the bus to the center and have discovered parts of cities we would have never dreamt of flying to– just remember to keep an eye on the clock! This is another reason to not bring a carry on as it would be very cumbersome if you do plan to go explore the town. Remember flexibility is everything and the more flexible you can be the more you will save.
Another thing is to check nearby airports
They can have cheaper flights for the first leg and then you can take a local bus/train/flight the rest of the way. Some airports have more traffic than others so they charge airlines extra fees for parking and landing, that you will also have to pay when buying your ticket.
Speaking of legs…
you can also skip a leg or part of your journey. In other words, you are missing your connection and staying at the first stop. Sometimes when flights have layovers it makes the journey cheaper. The problem with this is that it only works one way (unless your connection is at the same place on your way back, but then it’s not really worth it). Apps like skiplagged offer deals that work this way so you can travel more while on a budget!
Stay with friends (or friend’s of friends)
Whenever we travel we see if we know someone or if there is a friend of a friend where we can stay. This will save you lots of money and you will be with a local that can give you tips. It’s like Couchsurfing with a less random person (but couchsurfing is also a great alternative). You can meet people and see the places with from a less touristy point of view.
If you don’t have this option you can always stay at a hostel that works with your budget. Hostels are usually hit or miss but you can always see the rating and opinion it has obtained from previous travelers and see what amenities it offers. Our favorite thing about hostels is that they are usually smack in the middle of the place you are visiting and you can come and go as you like. Some hostels also offer you breakfast and pretty decent amenities. If you do stay at a hostel it is another reason to travel light as you probably don’t want to bring valuables with you even if your room is equipped with lockers. Hostels are the best alternative while traveling on a budget.
Figure out how to move around before hand
Some places have great transportation systems that will take you everywhere but in places like Germany or France they can be a bit pricey. Others like Madrid are great and cheap but you don’t really need a metrocard since you can walk everywhere. Renting a car could be a better option if you are planning on going on day trips or are staying at a suburb or rural area.
Keep in mind you need an international drivers licence and be 26+ to make this a viable option as you get a better deal if you are over 26 in Europe for insurance reasons.
Also, remember that parking in most places costs a pretty penny so if you are staying in a city with public transportation this might not be the best option. Knowing how to move around will help you avoid the tourist traps and overpriced tickets to get places. Traveling on a budget requires to save up whenever possible
Get a local sim card for cheap
We are not fans of roaming fees. That is why, while abroad the easiest way about it is to have your phone unlocked if you travel a lot and get a cheap sim card with the credit or data you need. If you are in europe you can use most companies between borders as long as you are still in EU territory. Depending on how comfortable you are with your surroundings you could also just put your phone into airplane mode and enjoy the city without any distractions, but we understand that many people would not find this suggestion very attractive.
If you are a student don’t forget your student card!
Many places give discounts or even free entry for students since most of us are traveling on a budget. If you are living in europe we strongly recommend you get a youth card, you get discounts for places around the continent if you are under 30 years old and live in the EU.
See when museums are free or offer a reduced price!
Many museums offer free or reduced entry once a week or once a month, so do your research and you might be in luck! Museums tend to be out of our budget since they can get expensive really fast, ironically the hardest part about budget travel.
Free walking tours!
Good way to inexpensively get to see the city center and learn some trivia while you are there. Just don’t forget to tip at the end as that is your guide’s livelihood (it doesn’t have to be a lot, they understand you are doing budget travel). You can also invite your guide for a drink and keep chatting/learning about the place.
Eat at home more often and take your meals with you
This goes both for at home and while traveling. It is also a healthier option since you know exactly what you are eating. We realized that with the money we pay for one meal out at a restaurant, we could buy groceries for about 6 meals (2 days) which is a lot when you add up all the days in a month. Plus home-cooked (hostel/airb&n-cooked) pasta is really good…. And cheap! This will definitely save your budget. In many places there are also inexpensive options such as street food in Latin America, Milk kitchens in Eastern Europe and kababs around the European continent and the Middle East.
Save up whenever you can!
If your priority is to travel then is that new bag or those new shoes worth it? Ask yourself this anytime you want to buy something (it’s also more sustainable). It might seem little at first but eventually all those small, useless things will add up and you can save some serious cash for your travels. Make a budget plan and set up that goal. Plus us silly humans have a tendency to over buy material things, think of how many useless things you acquire over the years that are cluttering your room or in storage.
This also brings up another point… while travelling everyone is trying to sell you over priced souvenirs. We personally don’t do conventional souvenirs (how many shot glasses or fridge magnets do you really need?)
Have an alternative income
For example since we speak multiple languages we can tutor people, help them with their homework or babysit foreign kids. We also do a clean up once in a while and sell our things. Just get creative with the things you can do.
Hope these help you and encourage you to travel more often. Traveling on a budget shouldn’t be hard. Don’t hesitate to send us a message if you have any questions!
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