In general, traveling is all about going on a trip to a new place. It is about creating memorable experiences, meeting new people, exploring cultures and traditions, and discovering life in unfamiliar territory. Arguably, traveling can be one of the most indulgent expenses. You spend your money on something that doesn’t yield any monetary return. Instead of saving it for a mortgage, car loan, or other forms of investments, you spend your hard-earned money ticking off your bucket list.
For travel addicts, it is not just about ticking something on that bucket list, taking Instagram-worthy pictures, or collecting ref magnets. It is more than what meets the eye. It is about the self-transformation that happens as one explores an unfamiliar place. It lets you discover different facets of yourself, teaches you self-reliance, and life lessons that can only be learned outside of your comfort zone.
Self-discovery perhaps is the greatest achievement one can unlock for himself in his lifetime. As Socrates puts it, “To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.” As you get to know more about yourself, you get to be wiser, tolerant, appreciative, and compassionate. Maybe it is this reason that people are addicted to traveling.
Given the invaluable rewards of traveling, this experience should not only be limited to those with a fat bank account. Everyone should be able to afford this life-changing experience. Here are some tips on how you can travel on a budget and start ticking off that bucket list without getting you broke.
Plan Ahead
Book tickets ahead of time. Realize that buying your airfare tickets closer to your planned travel dates will cost you a lot more than buying it months prior. You can watch out for promo airfare tickets that go as low as 70% discount.
You can also opt to travel on off-peak seasons if you would like to maximize your savings. It is during these low seasons that airfare tickets are on sale, accommodations are cheap, and the place is not crowded with tourists. Make sure you do your research for these low seasons as it will definitely help you stay within or even less you budget.
Go the DIY Route
Frequent travelers normally go the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) route. Aside from being economical, it also lets you plan your own itinerary; going to places you are really interested and doing activities you are more bound to enjoy as compared to joining an arranged tour that you might find uninteresting.
It can be a daunting task to do all the research, i.e., where to go, how to get there, and all the logistics involved. But doing your own itinerary will really give you a lot of savings. Not having to pay a tour guide is just one of the many. Perhaps the DIY kind of travel may not appeal to those first-time travelers but as you travel more, you will realize that there’s a different kind of accomplishment when you venture into a more adventurous course and veer away from arranged tours. It will give you the chance to experience the local culture first hand.
Choose Budget Accommodations
Nowadays, accommodations are no longer limited to hotels. With the rising number of tourists and travelers (however you may want to categorize yourself) all over the world, the hospitality industry is doing everything it can to accommodate all sorts of budget.
- Hostels
Hostels provide basic accommodations at a lower price: a comfy bed, ventilation, and a toilet and bath. If you are traveling solo, you can opt to have the dormitory type of room where you share it with fellow travelers. You have your own bunk bed, and everything else is shared. Security of your belongings may be an issue especially that you are sharing it with total strangers. Some hostels, however, are equipped with lockers that you can rent separately. The good thing about this set-up is you get the chance to meet other travelers who might share an interest or two with you.
If you are a bit particular with your privacy and security, you can choose to rent a private room complete with your own toilet and bath which still comes at a lower price.
- Airbnb
Airbnb is a worldwide community of hosts that rent out their place at a budget-friendly price. It can be a whole house, a room, or a bunk bed. It is slowly catching up as a preferred form of accommodation because of its unbelievably low price. Of course, low price doesn’t mean it’s cheap or bad. Some of these Airbnbs are located in prime spots that if you book a hotel would cost you a fortune. And because of Airbnb, some destinations with no hotel or hostel accommodations are now possible to be a cheap vacation spot.
Sign up using this Airbnb link, and get a discount on your first booking. 🙂
Travel Light
To travel light means to pack everything you need for your trip in one carry-on or backpack. For some, this may be impossible especially if you have planned OOTDs (Outfit of the day) for the entire trip. But if you want to cut the costs of having check-in luggage, traveling light will take your vacation on a budget further.
It will also give you more mobility if you ditch your luggage for a backpack. You can commute using the local bus, train, taxi, and other forms of transportation without having to worry on how you are going to carry your luggage. So, for your next trip, you might want to rethink about your OOTDs. Choose to bring clothes made of light fabrics. Dry-fit clothes will also be ideal because apart from keeping your body cool and fresh while you are out and about on a summertime, it would be easier for you to wash and dry them, in case you run out of clean clothes to wear.
Make a list of the things you intend to bring for your trip so you won’t forget anything in the process of packing light. Sometimes making a list would also help you sort out which of them really needs to make it to the final cut.
Check out this video on how you can save space by folding your clothes correctly. Folding them in the right way will not only make room for other things but it will also prevent your clothes from getting wrinkly.
Talk to the locals
Talking to the locals will give you more benefits to your entire journey. You can ask where the cheap local finds are in terms of food and other stuff. It is not only cost-effective, it also lets you experience the authentic flavors your chosen destination has to offer. Who else would know better than the locals themselves, right?
You would also be able to cut other costs like transportation. Instead of hailing a taxi every time, you can ask for directions from the locals on how to go to a certain place using the bus, train, or if you are adventurous enough, a motorcycle. The only downside to this may be the language barrier. But that’s part of traveling. For sure it can be done, for as long as you are patient enough.
Traveling Need Not be Expensive
Nowadays, there are plenty of ways on how you can travel on a budget; it doesn’t need to cost you a fortune. All you have to do is research, search for great travel deals, and plan your trips efficiently as possible. With technology just right at your fingertips, planning for that great and budget-friendly travel adventure will not be difficult.
In my personal traveling experience, getting a good deal on flights would be my starting point. I always consider this to be the biggest chunk of my traveling expense, so getting a good deal would really get the ball rolling.
Next would be securing my accommodation. I rarely stay at hotels for obvious reasons that it is expensive. I would go for hostels, preferably the private room accommodations which are still cheap. Although I have tried the dormitory sharing, my experience has taught me that it is not the best type of accommodation for me, not because of security reasons but because I am a light sleeper (yes, I wake up to the sound of a potato chip being munched).
Agoda is a great hostel booking website that offers the best deals anywhere in the world. For my Thailand travel, Agoda had the cheapest rate for the same exact accommodation on the same exact dates I was looking at the other booking websites.
Once flight deals and accommodations are secured, then I do my research and plan the whole thing economically as possible but without sacrificing ease and comfort.
Traveling may be viewed as expensive but it’s one of the best investments you can give to yourself. Its learnings can never be replaced by any monetary value whether you travel in style or budget. Traveling is not only going some place new, seeing new sights, it is also about going inwards, and knowing more about yourself.
So, next time the travel bug catches you, don’t be scared to indulge yourself. Travel when you can and while you can. 🙂
