Champagne wishes but Dr. Pepper budget when it comes to traveling? Here are the best budget travel ideas to save money on travel.
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Ideas for Budget Travel
Just because you are on a budget, you don’t have to give up traveling or stay in a flea-infested hotel after an 18-hour drive.
Whether you are taking a weekend getaway to a major city or a week-long vacation at a tropical resort, you can save some cash and still enjoy your trip.
Here are the best ways for how to travel more on a budget, so you can get out and explore the wide world. (Instead of staying home with the world wide web.)
And if you’re planning a beach trip, I wrote a post for you: Cheap Beach Vacations: The Best Frugal Tips to Save Money on Beach Holidays.
Budget Travel Ideas for Transportation
Transportation can eat up a big chunk of your travel budget, but with some flexibility and smart planning, you can make it affordable.
1. Discount airlines can offer great deals, but look at what the other airlines serving that airport have to offer as well.
In some cases, the major airlines adjust their fares to compete with the discount providers and might even offer lower fares.
2. Travel at off peak times; airfare is often lower Tuesday through Thursday.
3. Check out airports near you and your destination, as you might find a better deal at another airport.
Factor in the cost of gas and parking before you hit the purchase button though, because driving an extra hour or two might negate any savings.
4. Speaking of driving, when you rent a car, skip the rental car insurance if your car insurance covers rental cars.
5. Some credit cards also cover rental car insurance – look into this before you go on your trip.
For road trips, check out Road Trips on a Budget: 10 Awesome Tips for a Kick-As(phalt) Road Trip.
Budget Travel Ideas for Lodging
Lodging can be another travel budget-buster.
6. A budget travel idea to do to save money is call the hotel directly instead of using the website or 800 number.
In some cases, the actual hotel can offer a lower rate.
Ask for discounts beyond the usual travel club or senior discounts; you can often get a percentage off the room rate or a free upgrade just for asking.
7. If hotel prices are too high, consider renting a short-term vacation home.
You can sometimes rent a full house with all the amenities for a fraction of a hotel room cost.
8. Do a home exchange with another family.
On this site, there are over 100,000 gorgeous homes around the world listed for you to potentially stay at on your next holiday.
It’s an under-used budget travel idea to travel without breaking the bank.
Related post: Best Cheap Ways to Travel If You Have Big Wanderlust (But a Small Budget).
Budget Ideas for Food when Traveling
9. To save money on food when you travel, go where the locals go.
10. While your hotel concierge can offer ideas for places to eat, ask other hotel staff members, such as the housekeeping staff and doorman, what they recommend.
11. If you absolutely must eat at the fanciest restaurant in town, have lunch instead of dinner, as lunch prices are often lower than dinner prices.
12. Avoid overpriced drinks at the hotel bar, and purchase your own wine or liquor at a store and enjoy it in your room.
13. Mini-bars may seem convenient, but avoid the high prices and bring your own snacks.
For little-known ways to save money on travel, check out this post.
Budget Travel Ideas for Attractions
Visiting attractions on your trip doesn’t have to break the bank.
14. Research your destination ahead of time. Many museums and other popular attractions offer free or discounted admission on certain days or after certain hours.
15. Look for discount offers for pre-purchasing attraction tickets. Some amusement parks offer multi-day or other discounts just for purchasing online ahead of time.
16. In some cities, you may be able to purchase a combination ticket that allows you admission to multiple museums and other attractions for one price.
These tickets are usually available at the airport, your hotel or at the attractions.
17. One of my favorite budget travel ideas is to use social media to score discounted tickets.
Before your trip, join the Instagram or Facebook fan page for attractions near your destination. Watch for special offers or discount codes.
How to Travel More on a Budget: Embrace Off-Season Travel
18. One of the best budget travel ideas to save you the most money is to travel during the off-season for your destination.
For example, many destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico cut their rates during the summer and early fall due to high temperatures and hurricane season.
If you are planning to travel during a season when weather could be an issue, invest in travel insurance. This will cover your costs if the trip has to be canceled and save that hard-earned money.
If you are traveling near Christmas, here are my best tips to save the most money at this time of year that can be expensive (there are ways to reduce this): Travel for the Holidays: 10 Tips for Flying on Christmas Day (or around Christmas).
If you don’t need that post for now, go there and save it for later; it has some great tips I haven’t seen before.
Pin this travel post to save it for later:
These are great ideas for those of us who want to travel but are on a tight budget. I like the idea of figuring in gas or parking when you are looking at going to an airport further away than the pricier airport. It makes so much sense but I thought of it.
Thanks Catherine! I’m happy you found these budget travel ideas useful – I know you love traveling. 🙂