Budget travel doesn’t mean skimping on experiences or comfort. Really, it’s all about planning smartly and being aware of where your money goes. So, to easily make my travel finances more manageable, I split my trip into 5 categories. These areas are – flights, accommodation, transportation, food and drinks, and activities. I find it so much easier to budget and keep track of my spending by using these categories. Hopefully, you can utilise this strategy the same way I have and save hundreds every trip. Anyway, let’s explore these travel tips, and why these categories matter and how to approach each one.
Flights and Budget Travel
Flights are often one of the first expenses you will look at when planning a trip, and they can have a drastic impact on your overall spending. Why? Because they can be super expensive if not done properly. Throughout 2024, I flew to 11 countries. But, the most expensive return flight was only around £75 and the cheapest was around £30. Equally, I saw flights to these same destinations upwards of £200.
So, as you can see, when you’re trying to travel on a budget, flight prices can have a huge impact. There are a few very simple ways you can make sure you’re not overspending on your flights. Firstly, using the right websites. I usually use skyscanner and google flights to find the cheapest flights. These are the most reliable as they are more search engines than sites trying to profit from sales. This means they will generally always have the cheapest available flights.
The other thing which will have the biggest impact on your flight prices are how you book. So, if you usually choose your dates of travel and then book your flights, it’s going to be expensive. Instead, you should check the websites, find the cheapest flights and let this decide when you travel. With the price differences I mentioned above, these huge savings can be made simply from flying on a different day in the same week.
Personally, I think these two simple changes will have the biggest impact on the price you pay for your flights. Although there are many more travel tips to consider. For example, being wary of unnecessary add-ons, trying different airports, and the time of day you fly. If you want to stop getting cheated out of money on your flights, I have put together an expert guide to flights here which is half price. You can also use the code BLOG for an extra 25% discount if you buy now!
Accommodation
Where you stay is a vital part of your travel experience. From luxury hotels to budget hostels, accommodation options vary widely in cost and comfort and can have a huge impact on your overall travel budget.
Accommodation is extremely important. Why? Well, firstly, it’s your home base during the trip. But also, the choice you make can have save or cause a lot of other costs. Usually, I will opt for accommodation with kitchen facilities. This is because it saves me money on food and drinks, by not having to eat out for every meal. Think how much you spend on three meals a day at home. Now compare this to eating in a restaurant or cafe for all those meals. It’s a big difference.
There are also many other costs that can change due to your accommodation choices. For example, luggage. If you have accommodation with laundry facilities, you can save money on paying for luggage on your flights. Also, if you choose somewhere in an expensive or touristy area, accommodation will usually be more expensive. Equally, if you choose somewhere to far away, you will be spending more on transportation costs. Finally, if you travel with friends, it will be much more expensive to pay for two hotel rooms compared to a two bedroom apartment.
So, as you can see, accommodation choices are very important when you travel on a budget. Your accommodation can affect your overall spending, your comfort and your convenience. Don’t get me wrong, I would never suggest using these travel tips if it is going to cause you to lose out on the experience. Equally, it is important to highlight just how much it can affect your budget. Some things I usually think about when booking accommodation are – distance from main areas or attractions, public transport links being close to the accommodation and the amenities that it offers.
Transportation and Budget Travel
When you’re travelling on a budget, transportation isn’t just about getting to your destination. It’s also about how much you want to spend and what experience your are looking for. Of course, if you want the ultimate convenience, taxis are your best choice, but they are very expensive.
One of my best money saving travel tips is that I use public transport 95% of the time. This choice can often mean spending £2-3 instead of £20 per journey. Another benefit of using public transport is that most countries offer transport passes. This gives even greater savings by giving you unlimited travel across public transport for a set period of time. I also really enjoy immersing myself in the local culture of my holiday destinations which is helped by using public transport. As well as this, it is much harder to get scammed compared with taxis. Unless you use Uber or other taxi apps, you never really know if you are paying a fair price, unless you know the area well.
Finally, the ultimate money saving transport is to simply walk. Obviously, this isn’t practical for some situations so you really have to weigh up what is most important to you and your travel experience. Although transportation is probably one of the smaller costs within your overall budget, every little helps. When travelling, my focus is to maximise my finances and my experience. Balancing the two means you can save money and therefore, afford more trips in the future!
Food and Drinks
Now, as we briefly mentioned in the accommodation section, food and drinks can make or break your travel budget. It is so easy to spend and spend on food and drinks when you’re travelling. I understand it is a big part of holidays, and many people, including myself, like to try local food. However, adding a few small travel tips can really help your budget as well as improve your experience.
So, how do I balance my travel budget and my experience with food and drinks? I usually buy food from the supermarkets for my breakfast and lunch and then eat out in the evenings. For me, this provides the best of both worlds as I get to experience local food without having to spend a lot of money in restaurants or cafes three times a day. Another thing I do, is to find street food, local markets and local restaurants. This means I don’t get overcharged in touristy areas but still get to indulge in the local food scene.
There are also further changes you can make to help with this category. Firstly, you can eat out at lunch time instead of in the evening. Food establishments usually have cheaper options or special deals during lunch time periods. Or, you can book accommodation with breakfast buffets included in the price. This means you can fill up with a big breakfast and avoid having to eat until the evening.
I think for most people, food and drinks can easily be the biggest chunk of their budget when they travel. So, making a few minor changes to how you approach your trip can save you a lot of money. Especially if you think about these costs over a years worth of trips. You can save enough to book an entire extra trip if you’re careful.
Activities
Activities are the heart of any trip, creating the memories you want. Whether it’s visiting landmarks, taking guided tours, or trying something adventurous, using these travel tips can play a huge part in your overall budget.
As with the other categories, how you approach your activities is mainly down to the experiences you want to have. But, if you’re here to learn more about travelling on a budget, you need to balance your finances with your experiences.
So, how you can start to save more on activities and still have an amazing time? Firstly, there are huge numbers of free tours in most cities. I usually use freetour.com. Although the tours are ‘free’, they are based on tips which can make things a lot cheaper than conventional tours. Another great choice is Get Your Guide. To be honest, this site isn’t any special hack but it provides everything you need to choose and compare the prices of different activities. The third and final thing I try to do is look for city passes. These passes usually give you entry into all the major attractions and can save you a lot of money.
For me, the activities I do on a trip is where I want to spend the most money as they contribute the most to the experience. So, I try to save as much on the other categories so I can spend more on this side of things.
Conclusion
Travelling on a budget is really just the art of balancing your spending with the experience you want. The five categories I have mentioned should encompass all of your main spending, other than souvenirs or gifts. You can also see that they all overlap and have a big impact on the each other, which is why each area is so important. So, next time you are trying to budget for your travel, make sure you think about these five categories. These travel tips really changed how I was able to travel and made it possible for me to travel a lot more.
How do you manage your budget when you travel?
