my top 5 tips for BUDGET TRAVEL
Hey friends! Hope you are having a great start to your week. In today's Soul Charging blog post, we are going to be discussing BUDGET TRAVEL! One of the main questions I get asked since I have started traveling more is "how TF do you even afford to do all of that?" It is a valid question! We often equate travel with breaking the bank, but I am here to tell you that that does not have to be the case at all.
Listen, I know how sensitive the subject of money can be. Money stresses me out. I am not here to say that this will be accessible to EVERYONE. In this economy, it is not lost on me the privilege it is to even save a penny. With that being said though, if you are someone who wants to prioritize travel, I believe you can make it work. I am not telling you to go into credit card debt or anything, there are definitely things you can do to make ends meet!
Travel is also different from vacationing. This is not going to be for you if you want to spend a week at the nicest resorts and eating fancy meals at 5 star restaurants. Nothing wrong with this way of seeing a new place, but it is not something that I find to be super accessible to a lot of people. I love the life of a budget backpacker, but it is certainly not for everyone. To each their own! Find the ways you want to travel, and work around that. These are my tips for saving a few bucks on your next adventure.
1. BE FLEXIBLE
My first budget travel tip is to be flexible!
This is an important one because if you are so set on visiting a certain place, you won’t have much wiggle room to save money on things like transportation.
One of my favorite things to do is go on Google FLights and just look at all the possibilities of flights. When you are flexible and willing to go anywhere, you can find really great deals. Sometimes there are places you had never dreamed of visiting, but they have a really good deal out of an airport near you. Flights are one of the most expensive parts about traveling and of course, it depends where you are in the world and where you will be flying to.
It could be possible that you want to fly to Europe, I personally always just look for the cheapest flight onto this continent. They have great transport between countries over there and typically budget friendly options. They have budget airlines such as Ryannair or you can take a FlixBus between destinations.
If you are unable to have that level of flexibility, I would also suggest apps such as Sky Scanner and Hopper. This allows you to plug in certain dates and track when flights are cheaper to buy and when those prices will rise. This just ensures you are getting the best prices to the destinations you want to visit.
2. HOSTELS, HOSTELS, HOSTELS!!
Hostels are the only way to go if you are trying to save every penny in my opinion. I know you might dream of going on a luxurious vacation and staying in a beautiful hotel, but if you are on a budget, you are not getting that experience unfortunately.
Hostels are the way to go. They are not as bad as you might think. I know sometimes they get a bad rep, but I promise, they are a life (& money) saver!
Hostels are cheaper and full of like minded travelers looking to make friends. Nothing says “I’m a quirky adventurer” like sleeping with 11 other strangers in bunk beds. Bonus points if you opt for a mixed dorm, you will be put to sleep by the snores of the Australian man below you.
I have met some of my best friends in hostels. It can be like you are back in college living in a dorm and getting to meet a bunch of new people. I think there are some downsides to hostels of course, but I think you can avoid a lot of these cons while still taking full advantage of the financial benefits of staying in hostels.
For example, if you are a light sleeper who wants to avoid the loud snoring ro the socially unaware girls coming in at 3am and turning on all the lights, you can book a private room. These are of course more expensive options, but they are often still cheaper than a hotel or airbnb. The pros of a private hostel room is that you get your own space, but you still have access to everything that makes a hostel worthwhile, like making friends to do activities with.
I’ve only ever stayed in 2 private rooms before, they just haven't really been in my budget. If you are like me, there are ways you can mitigate some of the annoying parts of hostels. I highly suggest having a pair of good ear plugs. I have the Loop Quiets and they are my favorite. I also recommend some sort of eye sleep mask, but oftentimes people will turn on the lights at random points of the night… I wish people just had basic common sense manners, but they don’t!
3. WORK EXCHANGE/VOLUNTEER ABROAD
This feels like such a huge travel hack. I wish more people knew about it because it really makes travel more accessible. I have done 3 work exchanges and they have each been some of my favorite travel memories ever.
I use Worldpackers and have the pack pack. It is $49 a year, but I do have a code for $10 if you use code, JORDAN. I do make a small commission everytime someone uses my code.
When you volunteer through worldpackers, you typically are given free accommodation and oftentimes food, in exchange for a few hours of work a day.
I love using this as a tool for budget travel because it allows me to stay in one place for a longer period of time and develop deeper connections with the local community and travelers alike.
I have spent 6 weeks in Switzerland, a month in Slovenia, and a month in Bosnia & Herzegovina. In all of that time, I have spent less than $1000 for 3.5 months. You can’t even live in our country off of that amount in a single month.
I truly owe so much to my Worldpackers experiences. They have been some of the most rewarding travel experiences. Not because I am doing impactful volunteer work, I really was just cleaning in hostels and language camps, but because of the connections I made.
I am someone who loves routine and have become such a big fan of what slow travel can offer. If given the option, I would much rather spend a few weeks in one place than moving every couple of nights to a new destination. I think there is ,of course, a time and a place for fast paced travel, and it is a privilege to be able to have that time to travel at a slower pace, but it is definitely my preferred way.
When you are traveling for a longer period of time, you need to be more cautious of your budget. Not to mention fast paced travel is just more expensive typically because you are having to pay for transportation more often.
4. COOK YOUR OWN MEALS
Now some people are traveling solely to dine in every restaurant possible, try all the popular joints they might have seen on tik tok, and eat like a local. They want to try absolutely everything. If that’s you, obviously consider that in your budget. If you are not a huge foodie and are on a budget, you need to be cooking meals.
I am lazy and hate cooking, so i suck at this tip. I would rather find some cheap street food, but I have been more conscious of cooking my own meals and I am so mad at myself for not being more diligent about it sooner. Even cheap street food is going to be more expensive than cooking for yourself typically.
Most hostels have a kitchen and a refrigerator. You can store your groceries and cook your own meals easily. I’m a big fan of pasta and sandwiches when I travel. Not the healthiest but it is cheap!
5. TRAVEL DURING THE OFFSEASON
Last but certainly not least, we have one of the most underrated tips; traveling during the off season.
I am someone who has typically traveled during the shoulder/offseason. I have been to Europe February-April and September- December and I've been in South America during their winter months. I love this time to travel because there are less crowds and you're not sweating your a** off carrying your backpack around.
I wanted to have a Euro summer this year and boy, did I notice a difference in the prices. I could especially tell an increase in hostel prices, it was difficult to find something for under $30 in Western Europe. Western Europe is always more expensive, but I even noticed it when I spent a couple nights in Ljubljana too. In February, I had paid $18 for a pod in a hostel and in July, at that same hostel, it was close to $70!
Not to mention the crowds.. Absolutely brutal how many people there are. Obviously if you are traveling and going to tourist destinations, there will be tourists. Not a huge shocker there, but there are definitely months where they are less.
If travel is something you want to prioritize, you can do it. I believe in you. Start small. You can use credit card miles to buy your flights, do a Worldpackers exchange, stay in hostels, and cook your own meals during the off season and you really will see how cheap you can travel.
Sometimes all it takes is a mindset shift. If you are wanting a luxury resort vacation, then these tips really aren’t for you. This is for the aspiring backpackers (or suitcase lovers welcome too) that want to travel on a budget. These are my favorite ways to extend my bank account as long as I can.
If you have any additional questions, feel free to reach out to me! I love to help plan other people's travel experiences as much as my own.
Thank you so much for being here with me for this blog post. I appreciate you reading my tips for budget travel.
Remember to live a life that charges your soul.
With love,
Jordan