I always seem to get asked how I afford to travel so much. This post should answer some of these questions. There are plenty of people who have this notion that you need to be rich or have lots of money to be able to travel. You don’t! I am living prove of this, trust me. Contrary to what people may believe, I am sorry to disappoint you, I do not have a couple of Irish leprechauns churning up gold coins in my imaginary spare room – well not anymore anyway.
I love it when people say to me “Bee, I can’t afford to travel as much as you do”. ‘First things first, if you go to Starbucks, Cafe Nero, Costa, Boots(meal deals) or any other cafes that you grab food at, a couple of times a week, then you can definitely afford to travel! Why my tips below might help you get started, also look at budget travel guidebook that will help you budget for specific travel regions like traveling around Europe on a budget or taking on South America or even Asia on a budget.
CONTENTS
- 1 Top Tips For Traveling On A Budget
- 1.1 1. Be Loyal, Because Loyalty Pays
- 1.2 2. Charity Begins At Home
- 1.3 3. Booking Hotels Early – Early Bird Gets Catches The Worm
- 1.4 4. There Is Strength In Numbers – Make Group Bookings – Hostels And House Rentals
- 1.5 5. Seek out Opportunities To Travel For Work
- 1.6 6. Be An Opportunist
- 1.7 7. Travel and Earn Money While You Travel
- 1.8 8. Watch Where Your Money Goes – Buy Experiences, Not Things
- 1.9 9. Have Great Flight Search Skills – I’M Like A Bird, I Wanna Fly Away.
- 1.10 10. See Things For Your Self – It’s Better To See Something Once Than To Hear About It A Thousand Times
Top Tips For Traveling On A Budget
1. Be Loyal, Because Loyalty Pays
2. Charity Begins At Home
3. Booking Hotels Early – Early Bird Gets Catches The Worm
4. There Is Strength In Numbers – Make Group Bookings – Hostels And House Rentals
5. Seek out Opportunities To Travel For Work
6. Be An Opportunist
7. Travel and Earn Money While You Travel
2. Manage a social media account for a local company.
8. Watch Where Your Money Goes – Buy Experiences, Not Things
9. Have Great Flight Search Skills – I’M Like A Bird, I Wanna Fly Away.
10. See Things For Your Self – It’s Better To See Something Once Than To Hear About It A Thousand Times
There is no harm in hearing about something a thousand times, but one must go and experience it for themselves. I love reading about people’s experiences of a destination, their tips on saving money, to the best and easiest ways to get to a particular place. Hence this post on how I afford to travel for next to nothing, which not only gives you an insight into how I Travel but how you too, can save money on travel.
We are only in the middle of that year and I have already been to Germany, Denmark, India and Greece all with the above tips I have mentioned. That’s 4 countries and 7 cities in that last 6 months alone. Some of the sites for my source of wanderlust inspiration as well as learning from their experience or mistakes; OneikaTheTravellerwho has been to 66 countries so far, Adventurous Kate for her solo travels as well as featuring other travellers for more travel inspired tales, join Facebook groups with liked minded travellers who come with a wealth of travel information from every corner of the globe.
Groups like Nomadness Tribe with thousands who have been to each country on the planet, imagine the travel knowledge at your disposal. Bloggers like ThePointsGuy, TheFrugalTravelGuy will take you about rewards schemes and travel deals that will have you travelling for without going broke, as well as many other bloggers out there who can give you personal accounts for destinations that you have in mind. That way you will have information on the form of the cheap of transport. The best routes to the place you should visit that you wouldn’t have otherwise considered.
Another Tip: My quest to limit my 10 top travel tips and hacks to just 10, I nearly forgot to mention was travelling in the off-peak season. I have found November to be one of the cheapest times to travel too. As the kids go back to school and folks are saving for Christmas shopping and travelling back to families in December, there are plenty of tickets at crazy prices around that time so you are more likely to find a bargain for both flights and hotels during this time.
Amanda Burger
Awesome tips. Love #6: be an opportunist. So many cool things can pop up along the way, if you keep an open mind! 🙂
Connie Reed
Great suggestions! I always say I'd much rather have an experience than a material item (necessities excluded, of course). You can definitely get some great deals if you're flexible on where and when you go.
Bianca Malata
Definitely, also being flexible means being open to any other place which means more travels 😀
H-Bomb
Some really good tips here. I will definitely check out that secretflying site. I also like the idea of making refundable hotel reservations (which you can also do on sites like hotels.com and expedia) and canceling when you find a better deal. I WILL mention that not everyone is lucky enough to have a job with travel opportunities that allow them to accumulate beaucoup rewards points. I do believe in leveraging loyalty programs from airlines, hotels and credit cards, but many people have to spend their own money to earn those points in the first place. Also, sometimes when you have a business trip you have to work for the entire trip and don't really get a chance to see the area you're visiting.
Bianca Malata
I totally get that not everyone has a job that has travelling along side it but there are many people who have earned points from creditcards so that also gives you an opportunity to earn points that allow you to travel simply with normal use of your card.
Kate Jordan
I always get asked how I can afford to travel so much and the honest answer is that I make it a priority. I usually skip out on things like haircuts and so on if it means I can save money towards travelling. I also find that now my blog is my work, I find a lot of work opportunities too that make it cheaper. These are some great tips! 🙂
Bianca Malata
It really has to be a priority. I actually do my own hair and cant remember the last time I went to a salon so that definitely contributes to having more ££ to spend on travel.
chrisoula manika
Great article! Nowadays with so many deals on flights it is very easy for someone to travel. When I see deals like this and I can't go I cry for a month.
Bianca Malata
Hahaha yep, that's me, still shedding tears for some of the flight deals I have missed. I swear some of these deals are going to make me go crazy as I either miss it or I cant travel when the deal is valid.
lindsay nieminen
Great list! Experiences are so valuable even though we really just want those material things. Having two boys i will admit i struggle with this … No they don't need another $10 toy … i need to remember that every-time i see a lego set on sale!
Bianca Malata
Haha totally understandable. Maybe instead of a toy take them on trips and they dont have to be expensive either. I have a post on camping(or glamping if you rent yurts) in the English countryside so maybe you can find something similar where you are. These are also an inexpensive ways to get a break, plus I am sure your boys would love the mini adventure! 😀
The post can be found here if you want an idea.. : https://itsallbee.com/2014/09/yurts-living-countryside-hideaways.html
Amber Clark
Fantastic tips! I loved all the tips as a traveler and wish I could make all these ideas possible for mySan francisco city tour . Thanks a lot for sharing!
Tamanna Farhana
thanks
Tim Otis
Excellent post. I want to thank you for this informative read, I really appreciate sharing this great post. Keep up your work… http://www.usefultravelsite.com
Vicky
I have been in search for tips for budget travel in Europe looks like I have just found what I have been looking for. I am loving your blog!!!
Bianca
Thats awesome. Please feel free to ask if you have further questions.
Victoria
I am traveling around Europe for one month and have been trying look at ways to save money and costs of hotels and travel around Europe. Thanks so much for the tips!
Bianca
Glad to be of help. Have a great time in Europe.
Mable - tips for budget travel in europe
I just love your blog. So much traveling you do. I would love to embark on a trip to tick off a couple of places in Spain, France and the UK and will definitely be using some of these tips for budget travel in Europe. Thanks
Bianca
Fantastic! Safe and happy travels.
Jesse
I am heading to Europe on a solo trip next year and have been searching for budget travel tips for Europe. This post will definitely come in handy for my trip planning as will many of your post. Following your blog.
Bianca
Thats awesome Jesses, let me know if you have any questions at all. Have a great trip.
Lilly
I am heading to Europe on a 6 week itinerary in Europe and have been looking for budget travel tips for Europe travels. Thank you so much for this. I am still trying to work had to save money for my trip so going to use as many of these tips as possible.
Bianca
Wow, that sounds like an amzing trip you are about to embark on. Europe has so many amazing places to explore. Have a great time. I am so glad my post is helping in some way.
Jesse
I am heading to the Netherlands in July and have been trying to save money for my upcoming trip. These are so cool. This will definitely come in handy for Amsterdam budget travel tips. So glad I am not the only one who skips some of life’s little luxuries so I can I enjoy a bit more travel
Bianca
Amsterdam is so beautiful, you will have an amazing time.
Sam - boracay budget travel tips
Such an amazing list of tips. I am heading to the Philippines in August and thought I would come back and refresh on some Boracay budget travel tips for my trip. I had bookmarked your post for Dubai budget travel tips when I was visiting last year. Thank you so much.
Bianca
Wow. A traveler after my own heart. So glad you found the post useful and have an awesome time in the Phillippines.