How to Travel Cheap: 7 Budget-Friendly Tips
One of the questions people asked me the most is: how can you travel so much?
I get what people mean. They are wondering how the hell I manage to travel to so many countries without being super rich. To be honest, I don’t blame them.
I grew up thinking that travelling is only for rich people. I was 100% convinced that I would either become very wealthy and manage to travel; or I would never manage to go anywhere. Until I realized that’s not true at all. There’s another way.
I never had much money growing up, never had fancy jobs with huge salaries or money falling from the sky. Somehow, I still managed to make so many of my travel dreams come true. That’s because I learned to travel with very little money.
After visiting more than 40 countries, I’ve understood how to travel on a low-budget. Now, one of my biggest goals as a content creator is to prove to everyone that it’s possible and, above all, achievable!
If you are serious about travelling on a low-budget, follow my best budget-friendly tips 👇🏼
Choose cheap destinations
Let’s start with the obvious: if you’re trying to travel on a low budget, you need to travel to cheap countries.
Many people look at me weird when I give them this tip. I get it, it sounds like the most obvious thing, right?
But you would be surprised to know how many people underestimate this.
I’ve made that mistake myself and underestimated how much I would spend in expensive countries. I fooled myself into thinking I could somehow do it cheaply because I’m frugal. But the hard truth is there is only so much you can do to save money in extremely expensive countries.
Expensive countries are usually gorgeous but don’t understimate how much money you’ll spend there
So, if you want to make sure you travel on a low budget, your best bet is to go to cheap countries where your money will go a long way.
Some perfect examples are Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and Vietnam. I visited all of those countries when I traveled around the World for 8 months, because I wanted to travel cheaply. I really didn’t regret it for a second!
Countries like that are so beautiful and interesting, while also allowing you to explore freely without worrying about your budget.
Here is the daily average I spent in those countries:
- Thailand: 26€
- Malaysia: 19€
- Cambodia: 33€
- Vietnam: 17€
Of course I had to apply some other tricks to keep my expenses on such a low level, but I could only manage that because those countries are so budget-friendly.
Find the best flight deals
After you decide which countries you will visit, it’s time to find the cheapest flights to get there. Many times, the flights will be a big expense while travelling. That’s why it’s crucial that you learn how to find the absolute best deals if you are serious about traveling on a low budget.
After booking many dozens of flights, I swear by a website that most travelers have discovered by now: Skyscanner.
Skyscanner is one of the websites I use the most to plan my trips
I’ve met many people who still don’t dare to book a flight outside of the official airline website.
I understand why and I’ve been there myself. When I started traveling, I used to check Skyscanner, see those big price differences between the different websites and think to myself “I’m sure half of these are scams“. I was so scared of getting to the airport and being told I had no real flight ticket.
If you have thought the same, you’re not alone!
But as an experienced traveler, I can guarantee you that the flights shown on Skyscanner are not scams. Skyscanner simply compares the different websites where flights are available for sale and, after several years of booking flights there, I can guarantee you that those websites are legit.
Some of my favorites are Trip.com, Booking.com and MyTrip.com.
I have booked flights through Skyscanner for years without a single problem
You might be wondering “How is this related to traveling on a low budget?“
It’s related because buying flights through companies like Trip.com or MyTrip.com is often cheaper than buying them through the official airline website. I’ve lost count of the money I’ve saved by booking flights through those websites!
And if you’re thinking “ok, but I’m sure it’s super problematic to use those websites in case anything goes wrong or I want to cancel my flight” – think again.
I recently booked a flight to the Dominican Republic through Trip.com and had to cancel it. I had booked it with free cancelation but still worried it would be a hassle to get my money back. Instead, I was surprised to see I got a refund just a few days after canceling the flight!
So, if you’re still worried about using Skyscanner to book your flights, don’t be.
It does take some getting used to, if you’ve always booked your flights through the official airline. But once you start using Skyscanner, you will see how much money you’re saving and you’ll never wanna go back!
Get free accommodation
Besides flights, your accommodations will be another major expense on your trips! Even if you’re traveling to cheap countries and can find hostels as cheap as 2€ a night, not having to pay anything at all for your accommodation is a game-changer as a low-budget traveler.
So, how can you get free accommodation while traveling?
There are several ways, such as using Couchsurfing to stay with friendly locals who are willing to loan you their couch, or Housesitting, which allows you to stay for free in people’s houses in exchange for taking care of their pets while they are away.
Many budget travelers use those websites to get free accommodation but I have to admit that I’ve never tried them myself, so I can’t recommend them to you based on own experience.
But there is something else I do for free accommodation while traveling and it has been a complete game-changer for me!
Finding a way to get free accommodation was such a game-changer for me
The way I get free accommodation while traveling is through volunteering in exchange for a free stay.
I do this through a website called Worldpackers.
They are one of the biggest platforms to find volunteering opportunities around the whole World. More than 100.000 people have volunteered through them and when I decided to give it a chance, my only regret was not trying sooner!
Not starting to volunteer sooner is one of my biggest travel regrets
Here is how Worldpackers works 👇🏼
By visiting their website or app, you can find volunteering opportunities in more than 140 countries. Those opportunities are super diverse. Some of them are at hostels, some are in NGOs and some are even related to people’s personal projects like renovating a house or running a farm.
When you click each opportunity, you will see a description of it and what is expected from the volunteers. The tasks required from the volunteers can be anything from housekeeping to administration, teaching, content creation, etc.
Here is an example of a volunteering position’s requirements
You will also be able to see what is offered to the volunteers. Sometimes all you get is free accommodation, which is nice enough. But some volunteering opportunities even offer free meals or tours.
Here is an example of what is offered to the volunteers
If you want to apply for a position, you need to become a member of Worldpackers. It costs a yearly fee, starting at 59$ for the cheapest plan. Once you’re in, you can apply for as many volunteering opportunities as you want for a whole year.
So, even though I know that initial fee stops many people from joining, I can’t stress enough how much it’s worth the money considering how much you will save on accommodations. Not to mention the amazing travel experiences you will have and all the people you will meet.
If you would like to join Worldpackers and start getting free accommodation around the World, click here to get a 10$ discount on your yearly fee.
Travel slowly
This is something I severely underestimated until very recently.
I had always traveled a rather fast pace, spending some days in each place and moving quite often. I never really questioned that way of traveling and in a way I felt that I was saving money by not hanging out for too long in a place.
Then I did my big 8-month trip around the World and discovered the importance of slow travel.
My trip around the World taught me the importance of travelling slowly
It took me a while to become aware of it, but slow travel (combined with other factors) was saving me a lot of money when I was on my trip around the World.
The main reason why that happens is that it’s the moving around that costs you lots of money.
What do I mean by this? Let me explain.
I was keeping track of every single cent I spent on my trip around the World (keep ready to learn how to keep track of that). I knew exactly how much I was spending, in what kinds of things I was spending and how much I was spending per day. That meant I could see which days were the most expensive, and those were ALWAYS the travel days.
Whenever I was moving from place to place, my daily expenses would at least double – if not more. That happened even if I was travelling in cheap countries.
Travel days are always the ones ruining your budget
Once I realized that I spent way more money on days when I was moving from one place to another, I started travelling at a slower pace. And, to be honest, I’m convinced that’s one of the main reasons I managed to spend so little money on my trip around the World.
In 8 months, I visited 11 countries.
In several occasions, I stayed in the same country for longer than a month. A huge bonus of staying in each country for a longer time is that it gave me time to volunteer, which saved me tons of money on accommodation like I explained above. It also meant less international flights, which definitely helped the budget as well.
After experiencing that type of travelling and understanding that it not only saves me money but also feels way more authentic and relaxing, I’ve completely changed my way of travelling.
Don’t pay unnecessary fees
Another thing that I ignored for years were the annoying exchange fees I was paying.
Not only were they annoying but also completely unnecessary. I knew in the back of my mind that I was paying too much on those hidden fees every time I swiped my card abroad, but I didn’t wanna face the issue because it felt too complicated.
I knew nothing about international bank accounts and cards, so I just felt intimidated to even look into it. Until I did, one day. And that’s when I realized how much money I wasted.
I wasted money on unnecessary currency exchange fees for years
If you’re still using your bank card from your country’s account to make payments in other currencies, you’re making the same mistake I did for years.
What’s the problem with it, actually?
Let’s say you have a bank account in Europe and your money is in €. Then you take a trip to Thailand and everything is charged in their local currency, obviously, which is Thai Baht. When you swipe your european card containing € to pay for Thai Baht, your bank is going to exchange your € to Thai Baht. As you might imagine, the exchange rate used by the bank won’t be the most beneficial for you, so you will lose money on that.
Besides, the bank will likely charge you all kinds of hidden fees that you don’t even know about. That’s what made me scared to even look at my swedish bank account after each trip I took abroad.
So, how to solve this problem?
You simply open an international account in a bank that is beneficial for travelers. The one I use is the World-famous Revolut.
So many travelers already use Revolut but in the slight chance that you might not know about it or maybe you haven’t dared to try it yet, I felt I had to mention it here. It has definitely been one of the biggest game-changers for me when it comes to having control over my travel expenses.
With Revolut, you can have several different accounts in different currencies, within the same bank account. You can exchange money on the app and there are no hidden fees at all. Any fee they might charge is explicit in a warning before you proceed.
Their most basic plan is completely free, so you really don’t have much to lose by giving it a try. Order your card here and stop wasting money on those annoying hidden fees.
Research and save cheap places to eat on Google Maps
This is a budget travel tip that I read on an article years ago and I never forgot it ever since.
It might seem like the most trivial thing, or something that wouldn’t really make a difference on your travel expenses. But I can guarantee you that that’s far from the truth.
This simple tip has saved me so much money on my trips.
This simple tip helps me save money on every trip I take
So, basically this is what I do: before I go on any trip, I research to find the best cheap restaurants in the places where I’m going.
I Google and check Tripadvisor to discover which places have the cheapest meals on their menus. When I find a well-reviewed restaurant with good prices and delicious-looking food, I save that restaurant on my Google Maps. As you can see in the images above, I have a specific list I created for Restaurants.
I’ve researched and saved hundreeds of restaurants around the World
By pinning good and cheap restaurants on Google Maps in the cities I will visit, I never have to worry about paying too much for overpriced food at a tourist trap.
Because believe me, that’s what you end up doing when you’re walking around hungry in an unknown city, having no idea where to find good food for a reasonable price. You will likely take whatever you can find and risk being disappointed and likely ripped off.
This way, you can simply open your Google Maps and check which cheap restaurant you’re close to. Then you go eat there, instead of looking around in the dark. Practical, isn’t it?
Besides my list for restaurants, I also have one for cafes and even another one for groceries and local markets. Because, as you can imagine, supermarkets are often cheaper than restaurants… And we’re doing all we can to travel low-budget, aren’t we?
Use this app to keep track of your expenses
Keeping track of your expenses might feel scary. Believe me, I get it: it feels daunting to write down every cent you spend and basically watch the money fly out the window.
I know for a fact that’s why most people don’t keep track of their expenses while traveling. They might also not understand how important it is.
But after visiting more than 40 countries and only starting to track my expenses very recently, I have understood how crucial it is.
That’s why I had to include it on this blog post as one of my best tips to travel on a low-budget.
Tracking my expenses while travelling has been a game-changer for me
The reason why I’m convinced that tracking your expenses while travelling is super important is because it will be a constant reminder of your budget.
If you’re serious about travelling budget-friendly, the last thing you need to getting lost in impulsive small expenses that eventually add-up to big sums of money. Keeping track of every single cent you spend will help you make sure you don’t get out of track like that.
What I’ve noticed is that it’s all about awareness.
When you’re aware of where your money is going, it’s much easier to feel in control of it. When you’re simply spending and hoping for the best, you’re unaware of your budget. I guarantee you that’s not gonna help you to travel on a low-budget.
The budget-tracking app I use while travelling is called Travel Spend. I basically can’t travel without it anymore. They have a free version and a paid one. I use the free one and it works perfectly well for me! Give it a chance and, believe me, you won’t regret it.
I hope that this blog post helps you to travel more with less money.
Everyone is looking for a secret to do, but there is no secret. All that matters is that you have a strong will to make it happen, lots of discipline to keep things under control and some proven tips to travel in a budget-smarter way!
DO YOU WANT TO HELP THIS PROJECT? USE THE LINKS BELOW AND I’LL GET A SMALL COMMISSION THAT REWARDS MY WORK 👇🏼
- Skyscanner: Find the cheapest flights 🛫
- Booking.com: Find the best accommodations, flights & car rentals 🛏️
- Hostelworld: Find the best hostels 📍
- AirHelp: Get paid if your flight was delayed or cancelled 💰
- Airalo: Get an Esim and stay online abroad 📱
- Omio: Find the best transportation options anywhere in the World 🚆
- 12goAsia: Book transportation in Asia 🚌
- Trip.com: Get the best discounts on flights, hotels & car rentals 💰
- Get Your Guide: Book the best tours & buy entrance tickets 🎫
- Tripadvisor: Find other travelers’ opinions ✍🏼
- Rental Cars: Rent a car for your trip 🚗
- Discover Cars: Get up to 70% discount on car rentals 💰
- Revolut: Stop paying for exchange fees abroad 💳
- Surfshark: Get a discount on your VPN 💻
- Klook: Get 10% discount on Klook 🤑
- IATI Insurance: Get 5% discount on your travel insurance 🔒
- Worldpackers: Find voluntering opportunities in more than 140 countries 🌎
- Viator: Find tours around the World 🎟️
- Osprey: Find the best backpacks on the market 🎒
- LARQ: Get a self-cleaning bottle that kills viruses and germs 🦠
- TravelSpend: 50% discount on the best budget-tracking app 💰
