Low Budget Travel Tips

How to Travel with a Low Budget

If you love to travel but find yourself on a tight budget as you work towards paying off debt or meeting your savings goals, then these tips are for you. Do not worry, you CAN keep traveling as part of your self-care routine, as long as you are willing to be flexible with the details. Here are 7 great low budget travel tips so you can still take your vacations without struggling to meet your other financial goals. You can still have a fantastic and memorable vacation while traveling on a budget. Check out our guide for Planning the Perfect Trip for some helpful tips to plan your next vacation.

1) Avoid Popular Travel Times

Everything is more expensive when it is high in demand. You can save a ton of money by taking your vacation time in the off season, avoiding holidays, and even avoiding weekends.  Traveling during the non-peak season can be very enjoyable. In most places, summer is the main tourist season. Consider traveling in spring or fall to enjoy the benefits of cheaper rates, less crowds (shorter lines), and oftentimes more enjoyable weather.

As mentioned before, these discounts will also extend if you schedule your trip during the weekdays and avoid holidays. As tempting as it is to save your vacation time by taking your trip over days that your workplace already gave you off, it will be cheaper if you avoid taking on a trip during those times. There also may be restrictions on the weekends. For example, many campgrounds require you to book a minimum of two nights if you are there on a weekend.

Basically, by just changing your vacation dates, you will be able to save money on your accommodations, transportation, and even entrance fees to some of the attractions you would be visiting. Make sure to weigh all the pros and cons and check the price differences before you book your travel dates.

2) Take a Road Trip

In most cases, driving will be much cheaper than flying, especially if you are traveling with family or friends. The trade-off, of course, is that depending on how far your destination is, it may take longer to get to your destination. This might mean you would have to use a few more of your vacation days or that you must spend less time at your destination. The plus side is that you can make the drive a part of your vacation and create some wonderful memories along the way. Roadside attractions are a great way to break up your drive and have some fun! Before you head off on your road trip be sure to follow this Road Trip Car Checklist to make sure you and your car are safe and ready to go.

If you do end up flying, save money by only taking a carry-on with you instead of paying the extra fees required to check your luggage.

3) Try Camping

Hotels are nice and convenient, but you can save quite a bit of money if you choose to camp instead. If you have adjusted your travel plans to avoid peak tourist season, camping in the non-peak tourist season has some perks. Whereas it may not be possible (or desirable) to camp during the dead of winter, spring and fall provides the perfect camping weather because it is less hot! Prices, for campgrounds and hotels, also vary seasonally so you will save even more money on your trip!

If free is the price you are looking for, Back Country Camping may be the thing for you. But if back country camping sounds too extreme, then do a little research and you may find some free campgrounds to stay at like Sage Creek, a primitive campground in Badlands National Park.

If camping is not your thing, you can always book a bed or room in a hostel, Air BNB, or consider staying with friends or family that may live in the area. Decide how important your accommodations are to your trip. If your vacation does not revolve around a hotel pool and bar, then this is another great opportunity to cut some costs.

4) Make it a Group Trip

A fun way to lower the costs of your trip is to invite friends or family along. This way you can divide the amount of gas money, the cost of your accommodations, and even the entrance fees that charge by vehicle amongst the group.  Solo travel is great, but so is experiencing new things with friends.

5) Bring your own Food

Food is a necessity but there are ways to avoid blowing your whole vacation budget on it. Restaurants may be easy and convenient, but if you are on a tight budget, try to minimize the meals at restaurants to special occasions or experiences. This means skip the BK and Taco Bell for every meal and instead save the meals you must pay for to experience a regional dish or celebrate a birthday. And always bring snacks so you can avoid paying the inflated prices at the tourist attractions if you get hungry.

Invest in a camping stove and you will find that this is a convenient and low-cost way to feed yourself during your travels. You would just need to find a public park or rest area and you can quickly set up your temporary kitchen. If you need more food, just stop in at a local grocery store or Walmart to replenish your food supplies. If you are staying in a hotel, hostel, or Air BNB, there oftentimes will be a kitchen available so you can cook your food there too.

6) Do your Research

Before you book anything make sure to do some research! Check out the price differences in areas and places to stay and look at what activities are available. Decide what places you will want to see and look for any discounts available. Some locations have designated ‘free days’ so you can adjust your itinerary to visit those places on those particular occasions.

Keep in mind that some places offer cheaper tickets if you book online as long as you book ahead of time so you can save money that way too. You can also look at apps like Groupon or Living Social for special discounts.

Many banks and other businesses you may be a member of or work for also have programs where you can get discounted rates while on vacation. They may not advertise it widely so check your benefits and see what you can take advantage of.

For example, if you work for certain attractions in Florida, you can get in for free or a discount to the other places that participate in the program. Bank of America card holders can get into a wide range of museums for free on the first full weekend of every month.

Don’t discount free activities! Some of my favorite stops have been absolutely free which makes them even better when I’m on a budget.

7) Make a Budget

It is incredibly easy to get carried away spending money while on vacation. Make sure to create a trip budget and stick to it.  This will mean setting limitations on how much money you will spend on ticket fees, eating out, drinks and souvenirs to bring home.

When you create a vacation budget, make sure to give yourself a little extra in case of an emergency, but do not feel like you must spend all of the money you set aside. You can always put whatever is leftover towards your next trip!

Wrap Up:

It is possible to have a fantastic vacation without having to spend a fortune with these money saving travel tips. Just being flexible with your accommodations and travel dates alone can lower your costs quite a bit. Have some fun and take a group trip. Most importantly do your research ahead of time and create a vacation budget to prevent yourself from getting carried away during your excursion. There are multiple ways to cut costs when planning a vacation. Just follow these low budget travel tips and you will easily save a ton of money, leaving more funds to meet your other financial goals and future trips.

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