How To Travel On A Budget

I love to travel. There is just something so soul-fulfilling about exploring a new destination, experiencing the culture, and eating the local food. It just fills me up inside and leaves me longing for my next adventure once I return home.

As much as I'd love to travel full-time, traveling can be very expensive. So expensive that some people never even leave their country of birth or just wait until retirement to finally begin traveling.

I'm not one of those people. And you don't have to be either.

In the last 3 years, I have traveled to 16 different cities, both via road trip and international flights, and I'm off again in 5 months to Bali, Indonesia for two weeks. Only being in my 20s, I have picked up a few tips and tricks to keeping the costs low while still being able to have an amazing trip!

@lattesandlifestyle // The view outside of my window on my way to Honolulu, Hawaii in 2018

#1 Check The Currency Exchange Rate / Cost Of Living

This is an amazing one for picking an international destination - and one of the defining factors that helped me pick Bali, Indonesia as my next destination. Visiting places where the exchange rate is low and the cost of living is low means you have way more money on your hands. You can easily do this by using the Google Currency Converter or get an app on your phone.

#2 Plan As Early As Possible

This is something I cannot stress enough. The earlier you begin planning, the more time you have to keep an eye on fluctuating flight and accommodation prices. And you generally have more time to save up money! I recommend planning 3 months prior for road trips and 6 months minimum for international flights.

#3 Create A Travel Budget

Have an overall idea of how much money you are willing to spend on this trip. How much on flights? Rental car? Gas? Accommodations? Attractions? Food? Creating a budget helps you stay in control. The budget may fluctuate depending on your destination, but if you're finding it impossible to find flights or accommodations within your budget, choose a more affordable destination.

#4 Track Cheap Flights

Keep an eye on flight prices and price trends to your destination to ensure you are getting the best deal possible on your flight! There are lots of free apps that help you do this but my favorites are Skyscanner and Hopper. I browse between the two to find the cheapest flights and get notifications right from my phone when the prices drop.

If you're really on a tight budget, I'd honestly recommend picking the more inexpensive flight available for your destination. The flight is only a vessel to get you to your real adventure. I mean, no matter if you're in economy class or first class, you're still getting from Point A to Point B.

If you have a little extra money to spare, especially for international trips, I'd recommend taking some time to read reviews of the three cheapest flight airlines to see which will give you the best bang for your buck (not only financially, but also for service and experience).

#5 Stay In A Hostel or Homestay

If you're a solo traveler or just traveling as a couple, consider hostels or homestays. They are significantly less expensive than hotels and are a great way to meet other young travelers or digital nomads.

#6 Book An Airbnb

Airbnb is one of my favorite ways to find inexpensive accommodations. Not only is it cost-effective; but it is also great especially for families and large groups - as you can all stay together instead of booking multiple hotel rooms. I talk about Airbnb a lot on this blog and if you're interested in learning more reasons why I just love Airbnb over hotels, check out this blog post here.

GET UP TO $46 CAD OFF YOUR FIRST AIRBNB BOOKING

#7 Price-Check Booking Websites
In areas where Airbnb isn't as accessible and you aren't comfortable with staying in a hostel, I highly recommend you check out a bunch of booking websites and price-check the rates of hotels and resorts. A hotel could be one price on one website and a completely cheaper price on another website.

#8 Travel In A Group
If your squad is down to travel, definitely consider traveling in a group. While romantic getaways are fun and solo travel is spiritually uplifting, traveling in a group helps keep costs low because you can split the price of accommodations, transit, and food with multiple people. There are some attractions that will even give you a group discount.

#9 Join Location-Specific Travel Groups
Community forums like this are an amazing resource to ask questions, look for recommendations, and research affordable alternatives. On my trip to Bali coming up in October, I joined a Facebook group filled with travelers who regularly visit Bali. Most people in this group ask for recommendations for local prices (so they don't get ripped off by locals), drivers, restaurants, hotels, and so much more!

#10 Look For Free Attractions
If you're really on a tight budget, do some research on free attractions to visit. If you browse social media or look up your destination's website, you're bound to find some free things to do while you're there! Especially if you're visiting more of a local hub with very few tourists, you'll find handfuls of things to do for free.

#11 Get Recommendations Online
Its kind of funny how social media changes the way travel works. No longer do you have to pay a travel agent. Instead, you can just browse social media with specific location tags or hashtags and do a quick search on YouTube for recommendations. If you're flexible, you could even do this while on your trip.

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These are 11 secrets to traveling on a budget. I hope these tips help you save some money on your next trip without having to give up a little bit of luxury.