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Happy March my beautiful travel fiends! We all know cost of living has us tightening our belts and trying to make our money work harder for us. This doesn’t exclude travel where we need to get the best bang for our pounds or bucks. Here are my 6 tips to travel on a budget.
6 Tips to Travel on a Budget
Shoulder Seasons
We all know by now that travelling during peak seasons are expensive. If you have the flexibility, you can travel during the shoulder seasons. Essentially, these are the seasons just before or after the peak season. So instead of travelling in July or August, you would travel in September or October. I went to Santorini in mid October and the flights were cheaper. There was also a spontaneous trip to Zakynthos that I went to in May. It was cooler early mornings but, temperatures were hitting mid 20s and there was a lot less crowd.
Compare Hotel Prices
I am a big fan of using booking.com or *Agoda however, they’re not the only ones and I highly recommend that you compare prices. Sometimes a hotel could be running a promotion on their own website where the savings aren’t passed on. Also, if you’ve used a website sometimes they reward your loyalty by giving you a bigger discount. Not to mention, when you travel during the shoulder seasons, prices tend to be a lot cheaper.
Use the Apps
I confess that I am an app girl. The ease of using an app on my phone especially if I’m on a bus or train, can’t be knocked. It probably explains why I spend my money on flights instead of those shoes I’ve been wanting. Anyway, comparison websites are great but apps are convenient and send you notifications when there’s a flash sale on. Whilst the days of £20 flights are few and far between, a £40 flight is still possible.
The Off Beaten Path
Travelling to the popular spots are great, but everyone travels there which increases demand and prices. For instance, Croatia is beautiful but have you checked out Montenegro? Instead of Lake Como, try Lake Maggiore. Or Bergen instead of Oslo. Alot of times, travelling to these places that aren’t popular are much cheaper. I also feel that you experience an authenticity that can be missing.
Change Your Mindset
This tip is probably the most important one. Searching for that sweet deal is great but really, you need to change your mindset about travel. Flexibility is key when thinking about when, where, duration and budget. If travel is a priority for you then make it so and think about it as part of your life. You include it into your planning and recognise that you may need to compromise. For instance, travelling first class for a short haul trip may not be necessary. But using your airmiles to upgrade on that trip to Bangkok is absolutely worth it. Shifting your mindset to travel is something I get to enjoy and do, really helps put things into perspective.
Don’t Overstretch
My final tip is to don’t overstretch yourself and stay within your budget. It might be boring but budgets are necessary. We still have to eat and pay bills post trip. Sometimes you may need to delay a trip due to financial constraints and it will cost more than you thought. I’m not a fan of putting yourself in financial ruins because you see your favourite influencer travelling. I sometimes feel the pull and would love to be travelling to Japan this year. It’s been on my bucket list for years. The trip was even booked and I could smell the cherry blossoms, but covid happened and I never received my refund. Now, I just wait and save because it isn’t in my budget.
These are my 6 tips to travel on a budget. Travelling on a budget does not mean that you don’t get to have fun. Actually, you have more fun because you know when you get home, you won’t be broke. I’d love to know what your tips are. Leave me a comment below.
Thank you for reading and until next time, be well! X
