Saving money on travel is one of the best ways to travel more and better.
When it comes to travel, people always ask how much it costs to travel. Money is definitely the second biggest obstacle to traveling, second only to time.
People are most curious about how someone can travel so much, and they believe they can’t.
However, there is a way.
Since earning more money is very difficult and requires a lot of time, effort and difficult changes, the best and easiest practical alternative is to spend much less on each trip.
That way, you’ll have money left over for the next ones.
See here my post on how to plan your trip and including the tips below, your trips will be more memorable and in greater quantity.
So let’s see how to travel spending much less in 5 foolproof tips.
1 – The first and most important tip for saving money is to travel outside the tourist season.
This tip alone can make your trip 30 to 40% cheaper. During this period, all agents (hotels, restaurants, tour operators) reduce their prices to attract more people.
You can find cheaper flights using this tip.
A package to Miami from December 23 to 31 costs R$3,517.00.
The same package from March 23 to 31 costs R$1,605.00.
In this case, the airfare was 55% cheaper.
Transportation is a large part of the travel costs.
Of course, in addition to the change in season, there is also the second factor, which is the advance notice.
This shows that by combining several of the tips here, you can save a lot on your vacation.
2 – The second most important factor is advance planning.
There are several studies that show that planning in advance reduces costs by an average of 30%.
Companies encourage people to book in advance by offering discounts and/or including additional services, such as room upgrades or freebies.
On average, 3 to 4 months offers the best cost savings.
3 – The third is your travel style.
Your style has a fundamental importance in costs, as it determines where you will stay, eat and go out.
Hosting:
Depending on the location and style of the hotel, you can save a lot of money.
The location of the hotel is very important for your travel experience, but if you are only a short distance apart but have different styles, you can save a lot and still be in the same place.
Check out these two hotels in Ao Nang, Thailand.
Only 300 meters away and of course one is a 4-star hotel and the other a 2-star hotel, but with a difference of US$1,200.00.
I stayed at the iDeal Hostel, which is about 100 meters away from the Wake Up Hotel, and I paid US$8.00 per night.
11 tips for choosing your unforgettable hostel.
Food:
Anywhere in the world there are great, renowned restaurants, but they are much more expensive.
We usually have lunch in shopping malls, where the food is better known, but also expensive.
Food can account for 30 or 40% of the total cost of the trip.
Saving on food has a good impact on the total cost of the trip.
If you venture out and discover local restaurants, you will be surprised by the flavors of the food, and it will certainly be much cheaper.
Another tip is not to buy water, chocolate and sweets in tourist areas. Just walk a little and find supermarkets, where locals buy them, and you will pay 3 or 4 times less.
In Thailand, in the most touristy areas, the easiest thing to find is a 7-Eleven, where I paid R$1.50 for 500ml of water and in the supermarket for 1.5 liters for R$2.00. This is because it is cold; if you buy it without ice, it is even cheaper.
If it’s important to you to eat out at restaurants, do it at lunchtime. Dinners are always more expensive.
Transport:
Since you have already chosen your hotel in an easily accessible location, the ideal is to use public transportation to get around.
First, you will have a much more real experience, since 100% of the people will be locals.
Second, the cost is much cheaper than using a taxi or tourist bus. In addition, it gives you great freedom to come and go.
Walking is also very good for your health, and you will see much more of the route, since everything passes by very slowly and, better yet, it costs nothing.
Another great option, which is widely used, is to rent a bicycle. Except in very chaotic cities like Ho Chi Minh, Jakarta or Bangkok, it is very safe to use a bicycle.
If you are traveling to Europe, then it is a bicycle paradise
4 – The fourth is the flexibility of dates and times.
If you do a price search, you will see that changing your dates by just a few days can make a difference in the price of both tickets and hotels, etc.
Also, the departure times. For example, a flight to Rio on Monday at 7 am is much more expensive than the same flight on Wednesday afternoon.
A flight departing on Tuesdays or Wednesdays is cheaper than a flight departing on Fridays and Saturdays.
Nowadays, the amount of luggage also makes a difference, as there are many low-cost airlines that offer tickets with little or no luggage much cheaper.
You can also see the current price compared to the average price.
This will help you know if you are buying at the right time.
5 – The fifth is promotions.
If you have time and space, a great option is to keep an eye out for deals.
Deals can save you a lot of money.
You can find incredible discounts. Sometimes they’re not exactly where you want to go, but they’re great options.
Signing up for newsletters and travel deal alerts can be a powerful tool in your search for affordable travel options.
Skyscanner – One of the best search engines. It searches many low-cost websites and airlines with lots of savings options.
Google Flights – Allows you to enter your departure airport and see flights from all over the world on a map so you can determine where the cheapest destination is.
Additionally, taking advantage of credit card loyalty programs and rewards points can provide significant savings on flights, accommodations, and more.
On my last trip to Key West the cost of the ticket was US$290.00 with the card points.
