How to Travel on the Cheap
A lot people are curious as to how I can afford to travel as often as I do. I have figured out a few ways to cut down on travel costs that work for me, which I've shared below. For me, the most expensive part of the trip is the flight (I'll do another post next week with more specifics on how to find a cheap flight), then try to budget $25 a day for hostels, food, shopping, and sightseeing.
Stay in hostels. See photo above of me relaxing in a hammock by the pool having my free breakfast of coffee, fresh fruit, and yogurt...at a hostel I paid $8.50/night for. They range from a little grungy to super chic boutique hostels. They generally average around $15-$20 a night, with the benefit of free breakfast, free wifi, sometimes free tours, and a kitchen. If you are uncomfortable sleeping in a room full of strangers in bunk beds, many hostels offer private rooms for a higher price.
Shop at the local supermarket. On my trip last week to Mexico, I made myself a really lavish picnic of rotisserie chicken, chocolate, and wine from the supermarket for about $5, and ate it while watching the sunset on the beach. You can also cook in the hostel kitchen and often share meals with other travelers.
Have an idea of how much your trip is going to cost. Go to your local library and get a couple guidebooks with maps and a phrase book. You're only going to use them on this trip, so why waste the money buying them? Use the guidebooks to get some ideas of what you'd like to do, the guidebooks generally have the admission costs and average costs of taxis, food, and transportation.
Find out when the free things are. Many museums have days or hours when they are absolutely free, make sure you have an idea of when those are to have your planning pay off. Go to free festivals, free concerts in the park, free outdoor movies, or even free tours of the city.
Travel by public transportation. Often, you can get a three day pass, weekend pass, or week long pass to save some money. An added bonus is that it's a good way to meet locals and see different sides of the city. Though the first time or two of figuring out a transportation system where you can't speak the language can be daunting, but I find most countries have much easier bus and train travel than we do in the States.
Shop and eat outside of tourist zones. Even two blocks outside of a tourist hot spot should be a significant price reduction, and generally a better cultural experience, anyways.
Just take a carry on. As a chronic overpacker, this one is definitely tough for me but it can be done! Checked bags are about $25 for most airlines. As an added bonus, you won't have to wait on your bags at the aiport or risk them getting lost.
Be flexible with your flight dates AND your destination. I use Kayak Explore to set my price point and see what's available during that season. Be flexible with where you are going, for example, if you really just want some beach time, lots of locations will work for that, from Tel Aviv to Cancun to Miami.
Find luxury in the small things. You don't have to do all the touristy things, and often there are workarounds to hitting the sights without paying the admission. For example, the best part of my favorite palace in Vienna is actually the gardens, which are free to get into. Go for a jog, pack your lunch and head somewhere to picnic, or lay out a blanket and read for a while. Even when you are out of money, there are ways to enjoy everything.
Don't expect perfection. Traveling cheap is often confusing, hot, uncomfortable, and panic-inducing. You will get on the wrong bus. Inevitably, a hostel will have cockroaches. You'll buy the wrong thing at the grocery store. In fact, just celebrate when things do go right.
