People ask me all the time how I can afford to travel. Unfortunately, traveling overseas tends to be expensive however, it is definitely doable on a budget! Over the years, I have found a number of ways to cut back on the cost of traveling in order to travel on a budget.
While international travel can be expensive some of the best places to travel are really inexpensive destinations. Eastern Europe and Asia both tend to be very affordable travel destinations! However, countries such as New Zealand, Switzerland, and Iceland (and all of Scandinavia) tend to be much more expensive.
If you’re looking for how to travel on a budget then keep reading because I’ve rounded up my favorite tips and tricks to budget travel.
And don’t forget to pin this for later!
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FLIGHTS
Let’s face it, flying is generally the most expensive part of traveling overseas. I’ve found if you can find a good flight deals the rest falls into place! I have three main tricks when looking for flights abroad! I usually use a combination of these three methods when I am planning a trip to find a great deal.
MILES!
My number one tip is of course to use and utilize miles. It is really easy to rack up miles/points and use them toward travel. I used miles on my trip to Eastern Europe last year and spent approximately $54 dollars on the flight! I was able to purchase two one way tickets with my points which was amazing. Oftentimes, one way tickets are just as expensive as a round trip so using points for this trip was so helpful!
GOOGLE FLIGHTS
My second favorite tool is Google Flights, in my opinion, this is the absolute best tool to use when looking up flights! I use Google Flights when I have dates in mind but not a destination. Google Flights pulls up a map showing the price to fly into basically every city. I love this tool because it allows you to see the cheapest flight option in an entire region. For example, if you are planning a trip to Scandinavia, you can look at flights into Copenhagen, Oslo, and Stockholm simultaneously to get the best deal. Click here for more information on how to utilize Google Flights in your travels!
HOPPER
Hopper is an app I have been using to find great flight deals! It is perfect if you have a specific date and location in mind. The app tells you whether or not to book the flight now or wait for a better deal. It will also give you a cheaper set of dates if there are some that coincide with the initial travel dates. I highly recommend checking out Hopper!
HOTELS
While hotels in the USA tend to be pretty pricey, I’ve found accommodations in Europe to be very reasonably priced! Max and I are usually able to find hotels anywhere from $30-$120 USD per night. Totally reasonable in my opinion! We generally utilize Booking, Hostel World, Expedia, and Airbnb. I always recommend comparing prices and cancellation policies across multiple website as well as through the hotel website. For a few of my favorite Hostels/ Hotels in Europe click here.
EXCURSIONS
Excursions tend to be the best part of vacations! While excursions are usually worth the cost, they can be expensive. If you want to do more than one excursion per trip, the cost adds up quickly! I always try to do an excursion or two when I go abroad because you learn so much and generally see places you otherwise would not be able to see. Below is my number one tip for affording excursions!
To cut back on the cost of my travels, I like to ask for excursions for my birthday, Christmas or any other holiday. Max and I like to give each other excursions or trips on special occasions to have something to look forward to together! Last year, before our trip to Iceland, we gave each other a glacier trek in Iceland for our 1 year anniversary! For Christmas, my mom bought Max and I a sailing tour for our upcoming trip to Fiji! Asking for an excursion as a present gives you something to look forward to and help to cut back on the cost of a trip – win, win!
GOING OUT TO EAT
I love to go out to eat when I am traveling! I think it is such a great way to get a feel of the culture. Since I view going out to eat as an experience when traveling, I will definitely indulge when on vacation!
Depending on where we are traveling, sometimes Max and I will get an entree and a few sides to cut back on costs. It’s not only more affordable to split an entree but we also get plenty to eat! We also try to budget wisely by eating out once or twice a day. In Iceland, we stocked up on groceries as soon as we arrived so we were prepared and planned to eat out once a day since food is pretty pricey in Iceland. On the other hand, the food is so inexpensive in Greece we were able to indulge on pretty much everything.
I hope these tips help you cut back on the cost of traveling! If you have any tips on traveling on a budget, please leave a comment below!
For tips and tricks to make time for travel, click here.
Safe Travels,
Sarah :)
I’ve linked a few of my favorite travel essentials below! See our travel shop for more essentials including my favorite baby travel gear. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below, I’m happy to help!
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