Traveling On A Budget

By: Kathy Yoon

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Finances don’t have to hold you back when it comes to traveling. I don’t care if it’s to the next town over or across the world, I really want you to travel. Traveling on a budget just takes some time and preparation. In fact, most people travel on a budget, but that budget may fluctuate depending on your financial status. Regardless, let me teach you some ways that we travel on a budget. I hope this helps you and your family see the world and honestly, just enjoy life.

The first thing you have to do is determine where you are going and when you are going.

Once you figure out where you want to go, it’s best to do some research and figure out how much this is going to cost. Think of everything. The cost of hotels, rental cars, flight, food, travel insurance, gas, parking, emergency fund, admission cost to what you want to see, etc. We will talk about reducing those costs below, so don’t worry. It’s a good idea to have some information to work with.

Plan Ahead

If you are a last minute shopper, this will hurt you in most cases. The sooner you can establish where you want to go and how much your budget is. Start booking your vacation. The reason is, in most cases, if you can book a hotel, car rental, and flight in advance, the cheaper it will be. If you wait last minute you can pay quadruple the rates than what you would. Especially if you are going to locations that attract a large number of tourists (New York, Vegas, L.A., or Chicago).

Travel Out Of Season

If you’re going to be traveling somewhere that’s very touristy and traveling on a budget, just go during a non peak time of year. You’ll likely have a much better experience as there won’t be as many people and and prices drop on most things.

My best example was going to Italy in November. It was a little cold, but admissions to locations were cheaper, hotels offered a ton for your business, and the lines for things like the Vatican Museum went from the peak season long line (3-5 hours) down to non peak season times (10-15 minutes).

Don’t Buy Souvenirs

We are living in a time where you can get anything we want, right to our doorstep. It’s also at a less expensive price. I am all about supporting the local economy, but souvenirs can drain your cash. If you are traveling on a budget, souvenirs can make an huge impact.

What I do, is order souvenirs from amazon. They are cheaper and you can have them waiting for you at home. When you get home, you open up the packages and your friends and family are happy you brought them back something. See what I’m talking about by checking out this list of souvenirs on amazon.

Haggle On Price

At all times, haggle on price. Haggling is done by asking the vendor if they are willing to drop their price, or if they are willing to accept a lower price. If the vendor doesn’t want to drop their price, don’t buy it. If you are bold enough and they believe they won’t make the sale, they will drop the price. However, they won’t if they don’t make a profit. So, be reasonable. Traveling on a budget means stepping out of your comfort zone and haggling. * Please remember, haggling in some countries is the norm.

This might not be a norm here in the states, but if you are traveling internationally, you better believe this is part of the everyday routine. So look at haggling as part of their culture and not a negative move on your part to engage.

Always look for an online coupon or ask if there are any veteran or AAA Discount.

Avoid Tourist Traps

Travelers often spend a lot of time and money going out to eat at restaurants that market specifically to tourists. They also charge more money than the local establishments. Those of you traveling on a budget should try finding local places to make your purchases (restaurants, bus pass, rentals, etc)

Las Vegas is super expensive. I tend to get a bus pass for my older relatives when we go. I walk off the strip to a local Walgreens and make the purchase. I save about 65% buying local for the same bus pass I would be on the Vegas strip. Everything on the Strip is expensive!

Do Not Rent A Car

Two places that come to mind when I talk about not renting a car. Those two places are Rome and Chicago. They are always my go to cities to use as examples. Yes, New York is a great one too! When I visit these locations, I don’t rent a car. If you’re in Chicago, trains from the airport will take you to the city. This is great because paying for parking might cost you more than the entire trip, not to mention city gas prices, insurance, and tolls. In Rome, you take a taxi to Rome and use public transportation. That’s it! The same with New York. Just take the trains!

Travel by foot, bus and train is my recommendation, but do your homework before travel. Adapt to your surroundings and ask for help if needed. Traveling on a budget might be frustrating at times, but honestly if you have a positive attitude, it’s no big deal.

Unfortunately, a city like L.A., comes to mind where renting a car, in my opinion, is a necessity.

Avoid Taking a Taxi

I am sorry to say this, but I am not going to sugar coat it for you. I have been fortunate to travel a ton. Some taxi cab drivers try to and often take advantage of tourists. They give the rest of them a bad name. I am constantly on guard about this and notice this is a common conversation among tourists. In Italy, we had a taxi cab drive in circles. In the Philippines, the set price changed because he said his boss agreed to the price, but not him. I can go on an on. It has happened here in the states too!

What I like about walking is that it cost you nothing. A bus or train have set prices. An Uber or Lyft , let you know know the price up front. Stick to these forms of transportation because that way you don’t have someone trying to take your money (rich or poor it’s your money and you work hard for it).

Look Up All The Free Stuff

There are some cities where you don’t need to spend anything and still have a great time. New York City is the best place to visit for anyone, but especially someone traveling on a budget. Think about it, Central park, Times Square, the 9/11 memorial, walking the Brooklyn Bridge, and Flatbush Ave to say the least.

Before traveling to a City, look up all the landmarks, meetups, and free walking tours.

Free Breakfast

Yes, Hostels are an option and so are hotels. Research the price, what you want, and if there is a free breakfast. If there is a free breakfast, be sure to take advantage of that. If you have a good, healthy breakfast, you won’t have to speed so much money on food. Depending on where you are, the hotels/hostel will let you take food back to your room. There you can have lunch or at least a snack for later in the day. Some hotels (usually outside of the U.S.), will not let that happen. They have a person watching so you don’t take any food out of the dinning area.

Bring Food With You

I met someone who was traveling on a budget and we got to talking. They were road tripping from Pittsburgh to Florida. They planned a huge, 3 week, family vacation. The fathers biggest worry was the cost of food. It was clear that food was going to be a budget breaker. Think about it, road stop restaurants, tourist marketed locations, snacks, drinks and a growing family all added up for this family of five. He decided to load up 2 weeks worth of food before leaving Pittsburgh. They would grill out, prepare sandwiches, have snack bars. Nobody had a problem with it. They were having a good time and saving a ton by preparing food themselves.