How to Travel on a Budget

I usually get asked this question all the time and to be quite honest, I am always mastering and remastering the art of budgeting on a trip. In today’s post, I’m giving you 10 ways on how to travel on budget. The first thing, I want to mention is that I typically write catering to backpackers, but if you also like to save a buck I highly recommend taking a read!

1. Pack Light

I know, people usually say this but they don’t go into depth on what exactly is meant by pack “light”. Well: on both my European adventure and Asia adventure I packed relatively the same. The key here is to dress “1-2 of everything” and pack for the season.

For Asia I packed: 1 x jean shorts , 1 x shorts , 2 sets PJ’s, 2 x Tshirts (Black/white), 1 x jeans , 1 x big sweater, 10 undies, 2 x leggings , 5 pairs of socks.

This for the most part was my “clothing” packed. If you’re interested in seeing a full Whats in my Backpack, let me know! When packing you want everything to fit in your 40L travel bag with room for your first aid and other essential items.

2. Book Hostels

So many people are surprised to find out hostels are not what they seem or as depicted in Hollywood. Some of the greatest places on earth i’ve stayed in has been hostels. If you’re wondering what a hostel looks like in Croatia, check out my hostel series for one in Zadar! This one by far blew my mind! In addition, most hostels offer discounts on activities and offer private rooms, so you would basically still have that privacy your looking for from a hotel perspective. If you’re still nervous about surviving your first hostel, send me a message I’d love to help!

3. Book a Hostel with a Kitchen

At first, I wasn’t a fan of this but this easily became one of my go to-‘s in the middle of a trip. It’s basically like choosing to cook at home verse going out and having to spend money on tipping and an expensive meal. Now, in some countries you can get away with it. But in popular zones foods can be overpriced. Such as, staying in Dubrovnik a coffee was like $6 CAD and thats because it’s basically a tourist city with many cruise ships entering. The best thing about cooking from home to, you have meals to go! I cooked pasta one night and just kept everything in the jar and brought it as I transitioned to my next place haha.

4. Use Public Transportation

No joke, public transportation is the reason I was able to save so much. Especially, when you’re travelling city to city. Inner city buses are less expensive and more than likely there is easy routes for you to search on google.

5. Sleeper Trains

Sleeper trains are one of the most convenient ways to travel when transitioning from country or city to city. The reason, I say this is because it cuts out paying for one night at a hostel and you don’t technically waste a day travelling! I used a sleeper train to get to Chiang Mai from Bangkok and I booked through this website.

6. Buy a Local Sim Card

Buying a local sim helps you budget in the sense you’re able to track to your spending on your banking app. What I liked to do is before every trip, I create an account JUST for my trip and i sometimes transfer daily money there or just withdraw based on my daily needs. It really helps with not spending overboard. I also create a budget, and I stick very close to that.

7. Walking Tours/ Free Tours

You want to everything, I totally get it. But i promise you not everything needs a paid tour and in some cities they even offer free tours. Typically what I did, was grab a free walking tour and search for free audio books. One that really saved me was “Rick Steves” walking tours app! The one for the Vatican, was absolutely amazing and I got a free tour and got all the information. Not to mention, my wait time to get in was next to nothing. Just remember to go early.

8. Bookmark my blog.

I love to save me some coin, so I’d love to do the same for you! book mark my blog to help you stay on track!

Have You Seen my Latest Posts:

11 Best Things to Do in Chiang Mai

10 Things You Don’t Need when Backpacking

How to Find Cheap Flights

Thank you so much for reading, and I’ll see you in my next post, xoxo.