6 Budget Travel Tips That we All Need

One of the major reasons why trips go over budget is because the plan wasn’t flexible in the first place.

Every time one thinks of taking a break from the mundanity of everyday routine life, what strikes as the first and perhaps the only option? That’s right. Travel. But as soon as the idea brings a smile to our face, we start worrying about the budget. Here are a few things that if kept in mind can really help make travel budget-friendly.

Learn to be flexible and have a positive attitude

One of the major reasons why trips go over budget is because the plan wasn’t flexible in the first place. We understand that this can be difficult with fewer paid leaves or with college deadlines, however it could save you a lot of money on your flight tickets and on your stay. Be open to see the city life of New York and not the beaches of Hawaii if the tickets to the former are cheaper than to the latter. Keep your alerts for cheaper flight tickets always on, you never know which sale is coming along your way.

Try avoiding hotels and rent a room in home-stays

When we travel, we often end up befriending people of different nationalities and ethnicities. It’s always best to make friends from different countries and then inviting them over to your city and offering accommodation so that they may do the same for you. It’s all about building trust; so be extra cautious to not come across as intrusive. Be honest about wanting to travel far and wide, and not having enough resources – chances are your friends will invite you to their country themselves. It’s also going to help you build your own travel community of sorts. but of course, there are always heap accommodation available everywhere, you just need to do your research. Be it dorm rooms, home-stays or airbnbs – you’ll be spoilt for choice infact.

Take public transport, rent a bike or simple walk

Although renting a car and driving around a new place has its own charm; buses, trains and metros can be are a real boon when one is on a tight budget. Most cities have subway or train passes and you could avail a huge number of rides for a meagre amount. Infact, most places are really well-connected by public transport, so just go for it without thinking twice. It is not inconvenient at all.

A group plan is always more fun and doesn’t pinch the pocket as much

If you have people around you who are as bitten by the travel bug as you, make a group and plan a trip together. It does take some work to get everybody on board, but once that happens it’s all worth the effort. Shared expenses be it for accommodation, meals or transport – is a great relief contrary to what one might think

Be smart while booking flight tickets

Always keep these things in mind while booking a flight ticket that’ll ensure you end up getting it at a cheaper rate: use the incognito mode on your browser so that the website can’t track your activity, subsequently not showing an increase in rate every time you check; book ‘one-way’ tickets because you are more likely to get cheaper flights by booking separately; and avoid booking on weekends.

Learn a few cooking techniques and carry wholesome, healthy snacks

If you know how to put together a sandwich, or an omelette, or even a fruit bowl with cereals, it has the power of saving you a lot of money. Just buy the ingredients from the market and put it all together. Most home-stays have a kitchen, so making a simple meal like a banana pancake can help you to save up hundreds. Alternately, you could carry protein bars, dried fruits, nuts and seeds, and baked kale or quinoa chips that are both tasty and healthy on-the-go.