A Guide to Low-Cost Traveling
Story by María García- Juanes📍Utrecht
If you’ve ever wondered how that friend of yours always seems to be on the road while you spend your days saving and longing to make a trip yourself, this blog is for you.
Mentally calculating if the money in your bank account will stretch enough for traveling can be exhausting. I’ve been there. But traveling doesn’t have to be synonymous with luxury reserved for a few.
Whether you can afford to travel near or far, it’s clear that just by doing it you’ll probably incur more expenses than staying put. But if traveling more often is on your bucket list, there is no need for you to give up this dream. Traveling is available to you, too, with the right planning and tips.
There’s always a new place to be explored, so here is my list of essentials when planning the next adventure on a budget!
Step 1: Planning and budgeting
Advantages of planning.
Planning before a trip has become more critical than ever, and COVID-19 is to blame for that. To the usual fussing over plane tickets, itinerary, and accommodations, we now have to add checking travel restrictions, PCR-test requirements, and even possible fees charged to visitors. This is likely to represent another expense on our list, unfortunately.
Now, how can this initial planning phase help us lower costs? To start, creating a rough itinerary of what to visit will help avoid unnecessary detours, thus saving on transport costs. Even if you decide to extend or shorten your stay in a specific place during your trip, make sure that the route you will be following makes sense, and take a look at bus, train, and boat schedules to optimize your travel time. Saving on accommodation costs is also possible when planning ahead because it increases your chances of securing an interesting Workaway opportunity or similar. We’ll discuss that in more detail soon.
Do some research.
Researching about the country you are going to visit is important because the cost of living will have a big impact on your travel expenses. Not every country, not even within the same continent, has the same costs of living. When I moved to the Netherlands from Spain and went grocery shopping for the first time, I was shocked. But then I went on a work trip to Copenhagen and everything in the Netherlands suddenly seemed really cheap. In the same way, your costs while traveling will differ greatly depending on the place you visit. Remember to not only focus on the price of the plane tickets but consider this, too.
Another advantage of planning is to stay on top of issues that may arise during the trip. An example is reading the travel recommendations issued by your country and learning more about its customs and laws. Respecting them is not only the right thing to do, but can also help prevent fines.
Look at practical matters like currency used, exchange rate, and commissions abroad. The app XE Currency is quite useful to transform the local currency into the one you use using the latest exchange rate. It will help you understand the cost of what you are purchasing or how much change you need to get back. Keep in mind that changing money in your country before departure could be cheaper than at the destination.
Talk to your bank and make sure that the credit card you are taking with you doesn’t get charged commissions on ATMs abroad since they can be quite high. Banks usually offer special plans for customers who are planning to go abroad that allow them to get cash from ATMs a few times each month for free.
Prepare a budget.
When it comes to budgeting for your trip, I recommend sitting down in front of a computer or sheet of paper and creating tables and lists. The internet is full of useful Excel templates that can help with this. The first table should show the available financial resources that you have, followed by the expected income and expenses you will incur before the trip. Keep in mind here initial costs like flight tickets, health insurance, visa, and anything you plan to pay before the trip starts.
The next table should include an estimate of the expenses you will face during the trip, like accommodation, transport, and other activities. You don’t have to know all these things right away, of course, but it’ll be good to get an approximation and round slightly up just to be on the safe side.
As a final step when it comes to keeping track of finances, I use the app TravelSpend to record the actual expenses I have during my trip. It helps to manage money in a visual way. You just create a new “trip”, specifying the estimated budget you calculated for it, and then begin to register your daily expenses as soon as it starts. Having an overview of what you are actually spending will force you to be mindful and stay within the limits you set.
Save money last-minute.
What happens if you look at your tables and calculations and realize that you will need more cash to make the trip happen? I have fantasized many times about winning the lottery, but so far it hasn’t happened yet. What works for me to secure some last-minute money is to sell clothes, books, and furniture via second-hand apps like Vinted. It’s easy to realize we have more than we need when we’re planning a trip in which we’ll live off a backpack for a while. Use that as proof that you can live with less and declutter!
The last time I sold old clothes and books I made more than 300€ in two weeks, the amount I needed to pay for my travel insurance. Apart from Vinted, Vestiaire works well for high-fashion items, Wallapop is widely used in Spain, and you will find Marketplaats in the Netherlands. Look for second-hand apps in your area and give them a try.
Shop gear responsibly.
And keep these apps in mind when purchasing the necessary gear for your trip. Very often I find items from great brands that are in good condition for a low price. North Face or Osprey backpacks used only once are sold at similar prices to those of Decathlon (don’t get me wrong: I love Decathlon’s value for money). Whether you need new hiking boots or a travel guide, take a look here first to save some cash and make your shopping habits more sustainable.
Step 2: Transport
Find flight deals.
Let’s talk about flights. First, being flexible with your travel dates can save you money. If you are traveling on a budget, try not to be too strict with your departure or return and pick approximate dates instead. You can use the app Hopper to get an idea of the best timing to book your flight. It will estimate if a specific deal is good and predict if prices are likely to go up or down, allowing you to “freeze” a price when a deal is great by paying a small deposit.
Skiplagged is also an option for saving money on flights. It works by showing deals that occur when a flight to a certain destination with a layover in the place you actually want to go is cheaper than directly flying to that place. Say, for example, that a flight from New York to Paris is 300€. The app finds a flight from New York to Madrid with a layover in Paris for 250€. You just have to stay in Paris instead of making the connection and save 50€ on the trip. It doesn’t work for every destination, but it’s worth giving it a try. Nevertheless, platforms like Skyscanner, Google Flights, or Kiwi usually show the best deals.
Luggage considerations.
Another detail that can affect the price of your ticket is how much luggage you plan to carry with you, so pack only the essentials. Traveling with a backpack that fits as cabin luggage in the plane will save you quite some money, especially if you plan to fly to several destinations. Moving around can also be a daunting task when carrying heavy luggage, making taxis a tempting option, which will surely increase your costs.
And what’s the need for carrying too much, really? Create a list of essentials. Then, spread the items all over the floor and double-check if you really need what’s there. Apart from some clothes, you only need your passport, money, phone with traveling information, essential toiletries and electronics, a small aid kit, a book, and a desire to have fun!
Use public transport or shared rides.
During your trip and if public transport is available in the country, it will most likely be the cheapest option. Although if schedules are not too reliable, you may lose travel time. The app Rome2Rio can help with this by showing you the best way to get from point A to point B and suggesting the cheapest options. In any case, alternatives like taxis, private shuttles, speed boat rides, and similar will surely be more expensive.
You can always resort to hitchhiking or sharing a ride for some stretches of your journey if you are financially struggling or you want the experience. Just be extra careful if you are traveling solo or in certain places. I’ve only done it when accompanied and when there was a couple or family in the car, but listen to local recommendations and your intuition, and hop in!
Don’t get lost.
Finally, if you lack a natural sense of orientation like me, find yourself a map. I downloaded Maps.me a long time ago so I never get lost while navigating my way around a country. It works by allowing you to download the detailed map of a specific area or city so that it’s permanently accessible on your phone, even offline, showing your real-time location. It’s especially useful in more remote areas where you may lose connection to the internet, and you may avoid transport costs like taking a taxi when you feel you are lost.
Step 3: Accommodation
This is one of the easiest ways to cut on expenses during your trip. There are two options to do this: by finding cheap places to stay, or by finding places that don’t require payment.
Share rooms and find cheap stays.
The apps Booking and Hostelworld will help you find accommodation deals wherever you go. They are easy to use and to book your stay at the last minute if necessary. Simply type in the next place on your itinerary and filter using “price from low to high” and then compare prices. Usually, the cheapest options are shared rooms in hostels, which are a great way to meet other travelers and are more comfortable than they may initially seem. Airbnb is my go-to option when I want to enjoy some days of independence or a place to share with friends.
Camp.
For those who are more on the adventurous side, enjoy the outdoors, and perhaps are planning a road trip instead of taking a plane to their destination, taking a tent with you and camping could be a great way to travel more simply and reduce costs. Every country has its own regulations regarding wild camping, but there are many designated areas and campsites to do so, at least in Europe. Camping is quite common in the continent and it can be great fun, especially when the weather is good. Prices will depend on the country you’re visiting, but will be generally quite cheap if you carry your own tent.
Look for a host.
If your budget is too low and you can’t afford to pay for accommodation every night, a short-term possibility could be using Couchsurfing. It is generally safe: just find a host, check reviews left by other guests, and connect. The only downside is it used to be completely free, but the impact of Covid-19 has made an annual contribution of 14.99€ necessary. It could still be worth it if you plan to use it several times throughout your trip.
Exchange work for free stays.
For longer-term stays where you can exchange some hours of work every week for free accommodation, download Workaway or Worldpackers. Their purpose is more or less the same: connecting volunteers and hosts around the world for cultural exchange. There are many interesting volunteering projects, like teaching in schools, helping around the house, gardening, looking after dogs, or doing marketing work for hostels. You are required to pay an annual fee of 30–40€ on both platforms in order to begin messaging hosts, but once you secure an opportunity, you have already redeemed it. You can then arrange the length of your stay and the type of work exchanged.
*Note that using these apps has more advantages than simply not having to pay. They offer a unique chance to immerse yourself in the life of a local who will surely be happy to teach you more about the place you’re in and its traditions. While you’re going to meet many like-minded travelers when sleeping in shared rooms, these apps are a better way to interact with the local community.
Step 4: Activities and company
I found this to be a tough section to answer, so I left it for the end. Many activities I like to do when I’m abroad are costly, but I make sure to always save enough to be able to dedicate a part of my budget to them. There may be natural areas or national parks that cannot be accessed without paying an entrance fee, and it would be a shame to miss them. Perhaps there is a jungle, mountain, or volcano trek that cannot be done without a local guide. Or you would like to dive and since you don’t carry any equipment you have to rent it and ask someone to take you on a boat.
Prioritize enjoying the trip.
In short, if you are planning to surf, snorkel, hike, visit museums, try a good local restaurant, access a landmark, or whatever you can think of, sometimes it’ll have a cost. But these activities are also what makes traveling special. They are part of the enjoyment. So, if your budget is very restricted, try to lower your costs in the sections mentioned above and not so much here.
There are, nevertheless, ways to reduce expenses in this section too. Consider the prices of different service providers, and maybe skip the excursions, activities, or adventure sports that excite you less. If you’re spending a few days in a city and you want to visit its museums, check if the entrance is cheaper on a specific day of the week and go that day instead. If you’re looking to visit a national park and you can only do so with a guide, join a group instead of a private tour. If you like surfing and have already done it before, rent the surfboard and join other surfers in the waves, instead of paying for a class. You can do this for other activities, within the limits of doing them safely.
Meet people on the way.
Trying new things when traveling is a great way to meet people while on the road, but there are apps that can help too. Meetup and Bumble are great, especially if you are traveling solo or you want to hang out with locals. Meetup allows you to connect with like-minded individuals by joining a group and arranging to do a specified activity together. There are book clubs, walks in nature, yoga gatherings, artsy evenings, sports, and more. You can also create a meetup yourself, propose an activity and place, and wait for others to join. Bumble is mainly a dating app, but you can choose to show only “friends” if you’re just looking to have casual fun with someone nearby. Both Couchsurfing and Workaway also have the functionality to meet other travelers in the area.
These apps are not meant to lower costs during the trip, but they will surely make it more interesting! And if you travel by yourself and happen to find a travel buddy through them — which is possible, especially with Workaway and Worldpackers — you can split accommodation costs or share Uber rides when traveling together.
When traveling with other people and sharing costs, the app Splitwise can save time and headaches. It has a comprehensive way of registering what each person paid during the trip and how much everybody else owes. That way you can avoid confusion when a restaurant doesn’t allow you to split the bill, or train tickets are better purchased together. At the end of the trip, the app will show all this information in a clear way.
Record your best memories.
There are many more apps I use while traveling, like a translator, a weather app, or HappyCow, that I won’t list here to keep this guide concise.
However, I wanted to conclude by recommending Unfound. It also won’t lower your travel costs, but it’s great to discover places off the beaten path recommended by like-minded users and locals. The community is all but growing, and my favorite part: your feed can serve as a way to remember the spots and experiences you loved most during your trip.
Time to go out and explore!
