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36 Real Ways to Save Money While Traveling (Actionable Tips)

Written by Becca

Updated on March 21st, 2024

Here are our proven best ways to save money while traveling. When traveling on a budget, there are lots of ways to make your money last longer, even during inflation.

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Table of contents

• Travel in the off-season (aka never around Christmas)
• Find things to do for free when you travel
• Walk and take public transit when you travel
• Minimize attractions with entrance fees or cover charges
• Minimize buying drinks at bars
• Avoid losing all your money with an emergency stash
• Cook more and eat out less
• Cook with fun local (and cheap) ingredients from markets
• Compare the flight costs in low season
• Save money by staying in hostels
• Try house-sitting to save money on accommodations
• Save money by booking accommodation for longer to get discounts
• Travel in places where your home currency takes you farther
• Travel on less than $50 per day
• Track your spending with an app
• Use Splitwise to keep track of splitting bills with friends
• Avoid the most expensive places to travel (or know the reality)
• Research the price of travel and the trends
• Cut out shopping and take photos instead
• Get connected to some locals
• Drink the tap water (if it’s safe)
• Buy local brands and locally-grown produce as snacks
• Do your research in order to save money and avoid fines
• Listen to travel and finance podcasts!
• Use a credit card to get a good foreign exchange rate
• Sign up for credit card a bonus to pay for your trip on miles
• Don’t pay foreign transaction or ATM withdrawal fees, ever
• Shop around for trip insurance online
• Get Priority Pass to save on airport lounges, and get in for free
• Find the best price for flights
• Save money with rental cars

Save money by using ride-share-style cabs

• Travel in a group and share download links for free credit
• Shop around for the best hotel, Airbnb and hostel prices
• Take out a weekly budget in cash
• Find creative and new ways to work remotely and travel

When traveling, you may want to save as much money as possible so that you can extend your trip. The less money that you spend means that you have more money to spend on experiences, accommodations and everything else.

It’s easy to not think twice about expensive upgrades and eating at restaurants every meal. At home, you’re in control and you know your budget. When traveling, you may have different currency and don’t want to skimp!

So, how can you still have a great time on your trip while optimizing for a budget?

Let’s find out!

Travel in the off-season (aka never around Christmas)

Have you heard the term ‘high season’? It’s a real thing!

Some places become more expensive during Christmas and New Year’s, during summer (relative to the hemisphere!) and during spring breaks (depends on local university schedules).

If you avoid these times of year, you’ll find hotels that want to fill up their properties, tours that may discount prices in order to draw visitors in the off-season and lower flight prices.

Depending on where you are going, do your search to determine when high season is and try to avoid it.

Find things to do for free when you travel

All over the world, it is possible to find things to do for free. It’s a great way to beat inflation or rising costs, and enjoy activities that cost nothing.

If you’re not interested in walking for miles to see a city and its parks or buildings, you can seek out ways to enjoy nature and the arts, like for example with this list of free things to do in NYC .

In Rotterdam , which is a fairly expensive place to travel in terms of the cost of accommodation and food, we appreciated famous architecture for two days, all without paying a Euro! We took ourselves on a self-guided walking tour and snapped photos of the Cube Houses and the train station that looks like a spaceship.

In Tenerife, we hiked Teide National Park for free on its trails that are available when you get off the public bus. The visitors center is free as well. We avoided the tourist-heavy gondola ride up the mountain, and we somehow didn’t pay any fees aside from the public bus ride.

In Ireland, we entered natural and historic sites like Glendalough for 0 EUR, and enjoyed priceless views and the feeling of being in ancient medieval ruins.

On a road trip in Upstate NY, we got the coolest scenic views of the Hudson River on a beautiful (and unexpected) hiking trail at Olana State Historic Site , all for free.

All these cool things we did cost us nothing and were just as memorable as lots of things we’ve done that cost us entrance fees.

Walk and take public transit when you travel

We love walking, and we also focus on our daily step count. As our friends Alex and Ryan would say, “Keep moving!”

If it comes down to having some time in which we can walk rather than taking a taxi, we’ll do that! If we can’t walk, meaning if distances are too big, we first consider mass transit. Mass transit is more environmentally-friendly and usually saves money (especially if traveling solo).

In Europe, the train and bus systems are very impressive and efficient most of the time, and in Amsterdam , we immediately looked for the public train that would take us from Schipol Airport to the city center.

From there, we used Google Maps to find the correct tram to the Lloyd Hotel and the ticket-taker advised us to buy a multi-day tram pass that wound up being very efficient for our purposes in Amsterdam.

Overall, walking and figuring out the bus, subway or train routes helps us to avoid hefty prices on taxi travel.

Minimize attractions with entrance fees or cover charges

All over the world, there are attractions that cost money. During times of inflation, these types of charges will increase .

In no way am I telling you not to go to incredible wonders of the world like the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona or the Forbidden City in Beijing (both of which require paid tickets acquired beforehand for entrance), but it’s important to realize that most of enjoying a place does not require spending heaps of money.

For our days spent in Barcelona, Spain , when we did not go to the Sagrada Familia or Parque Guell (also requires a ticket purchased in advance), we walked six or seven miles, getting to know the city, its neighborhoods, its many parks and cafes.

This kind of enjoyment is free (or costs very little, depending on what you eat or drink).

When I went to Singapore in 2012, I saved money by staying with a friend, but blew my budget by taking a $40 taxi one night by myself and going to Singapore’s most famous bars and clubs, which charged cover fees of $25/person, each night of the weekend. This accounted for a chunk of my daily travel spend and gave me a bit of stress!

Conversely, we went on a day trip to the Mexican village of Izamal , where all attractions were free and we spent an entire afternoon packed with sights, without spending anything.

Minimize buying drinks at bars

If the cost of food wasn’t enough when traveling long term, the cost of alcohol has to be added on top.

If you consider that in some of the world, beer costs $0.25 (Vietnam), but in some places, $10 (San Francisco, CA), there are some very varied costs in consuming alcohol in different parts of the world.

No matter where you go, alcohol is not something required for your body. Although some people travel for beer, or travel for cocktails or wine, or consider alcohol as a way to explore a place, if you consume alcohol every day, it can become a hefty portion of your daily travel costs.

There are ways to avoid paying per-drink at bars, however - if you’re staying at a hostel and there’s a common space, backyard or rooftop, you can bring back a six-pack or bottle of wine (if rules allow it).

We did this at our hotel in Montauk, NY , where sitting around the fire pit with a can of hard seltzer was just as relaxing as it would have been in a bar in the downtown.

In some countries, drinking in parks is allowed (Spain has this type of culture, for example), and you can purchase your wine or beer at a corner store or supermarket and enjoy it in the outdoors.

Avoid losing all your money with an emergency stash

This is for of a safety trick, but it goes for saving money as well because you’ll save money if you are smart with it.

Best tip is to avoid travel with a lot of cash, but do keep an emergency stash just in case of emergencies.

Be sure to break it into smaller stashes and spread them around your gear in places people won’t think to look, like places that are not visible. Don’t ever let anyone see you handling your cash stash (or where you stash an emergency credit card (i.e. don’t keep all your credit and debit cards together).

Lastly, write down where you stash your cash so you don’t forget (write it in a place that only you can access!)

Especially when walking around places where petty theft is common (Spain, Colombia and Vietnam, to name a few) we choose to leave most credit cards and most cash in our apartment or hostel, and only leave for the day or evening with what we need.

This means having one debit card, one credit card and a non-excessive amount of cash in our wallets at any given time.

Our emergency and alternate credit cards are kept in secret places (it’s true!) in our luggage so that someone who may enter the room where we’re staying won’t find them quickly.

Cook more and eat out less

There, we said it: stop eating in restaurants (all the time!).

If you travel for longer than a three or four-day getaway, you notice how eating in restaurants adds up very quickly.

There’s tax, tip (most places), the drink from the ‘Drinks’ section that looks good, the add-in of an appetizer or a side (or three) and a little bit of dessert.

Unless you’re in Sri Lanka , where eating out for two runs you 6 USD (all following prices are listed in USD) or so (with tea and smoothies), chances are that eating out in most of the world is more expensive than cooking your own food.

Plus, cooking more and eating out less (or skipping the full sit-down meals and opting for fast casual) is a great way to save money during periods of inflation.

Cook with fun local (and cheap) ingredients from markets

For this reason, when traveling long-term, Dan and I choose to cook with fun local ingredients we find in markets and in supermarkets.

In fact, one of the first things we do when we get to a new city is to locate the nearest supermarket, and ‘star’ it in our Google Maps .

In Peru , we cooked with Peruvian chili peppers, in Colombia we cooked with arepas and in Mexico , we made everything into a taco (a package of 10-12 corn tortillas is about $1 at most corner stores).

If you’re traveling full-time or for an extended period of time, it’s a great idea to learn to cook some easy dishes, because eating out can get old, fast.

Compare the flight costs in low season

As a quick example, Dan and I compared the cost of flying from Mexico City to New York on January 1 and on January 15.

On January 1, a one-way from MEX to NYC is $577, and on January 15, the price goes down to $164, one-way. To save $413, you can schedule your trip two weeks later (when schedules permit).

An interesting way to think about this is, Will the cost of staying another X days in the city will outweigh the costs of a more expensive flight, sooner?

To date, I’ve also taken two trips to Colombia in February, which is a rarer time of year to travel, relatively-speaking. My flights were rarely more than $350, round-trip.

Save money by staying in hostels

Why should you stay in hostels ?

First, it’s appropriate to point out that hostels aren’t ‘always cheap.’

In fact, in the Netherlands and on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way , we chose to stay in Airbnbs because hostel privates cost upwards of $100 per night.

Hostels are a memorable experience

For the most part, Dan and I have traveled in many parts of the world and have stayed in awesome hostels that have been both affordable and memorable.

Why do we love hostels?

Hostels are a place to make connections, to meet people, to have access to helpful staff, to take part in group outings and to learn.

Hostels provide cultural & social experiences to remember

In Israel, Abraham Hostel Jerusalem had us take part in a hummus-making class, and in La Serrana Hostel , we met our hiking buddies for the following day at a campfire on our very first night.

Even if you would like some privacy and quiet by booking a private room, you can still socialize and meet other travelers in hostel common areas like lobby areas or hostel bars, patios, kitchens and rooftops.

We have both made lifelong friends from all around the world by traveling on our own (and together) when staying in hostels .

Plus, you may wind up with a travel buddy for a hike or side trip the next day - who knows!

Hostels are good for our budgets

For the most part, hostels have been a cost-effective way for us to travel for months on end. In Sri Lanka , we stayed in hostel privates for $40 per night, and in Guatape, Colombia , that figure was sometimes as low as $15 for the two of us.

In places like Andean South America, Central America, South and Southeast Asia, you can sometimes get a hostel dorm bed for as little as $5 to $10 USD per night. You can also find hotel rooms for as little as $16 USD on sites like Booking.com , like we did in Vietnam.

Try house-sitting to save money on accommodations

House-sitting is another great idea, and we’ve read about people who make their entire livelihoods traveling the world as house-sitters. It’s a great way to essentially get paid to travel , if you think about it like this.

Ryan and Alex recently told us that you can find free housing on TrustedHouseSitters.com with a membership fee of approximately $100 for the year.

This is a great tip for looking into, if you’re flexible, open-minded and ready for a little bit of responsibility!

Save money by booking accommodation for longer to get discounts

For long-term travelers who use Airbnb to book accommodations, you can save a significant amount of money (anywhere from 10-50%) if you book for at least four weeks, as hosts will offer monthly discounts to avoid having new guest turnover every few days.

Similarly, for the risk-takers among us, look for new properties (those with the fewest reviews), as they’ll often come with the biggest discounts from folks in need getting reviews. They’ll often be incredible hosts, as they really want the five stars.

Even if you’re planning a few side trips from wherever you are, the savings can be significant enough that you don’t have to worry about leaving the room empty for a few days, AND you won’t have to find a new place upon your return!

Our Hanoi Airbnb was booked for four weeks, so we got a 12% discount. We treated it like an apartment we were paying rent on, rather than a place that costs us X amount per night.

Travel in places where your home currency takes you farther

A great hack for lowering the price of travel, saving money and maximizing your budget during times of inflation is to travel in low-cost countries.

There’s a very important website I like called Price of Travel and I’ve used it a lot to compare the cost of travel in various places. Sometimes this can be very plain and simple, but sometimes it’s not as clear.

Travel on less than $50 per day

Whenever we travel to Asia and Central and South America, we put a maximum of $50 per person per day. Dan and I travel together if it wasn’t clear!

We almost always out perform our target and sometimes even make it close to $50 per day for the both of us combined.

Keeping a target for yourself and your family is a great way to stay on track and not exceed your means.

Track your spending with an app

Apps like Mint and YNAB are staples in most households for keeping track of your day-to-day budget. When you travel, well, you can still use those apps!

If you put your expenses on a credit card, you can automatically file your expenses into the travel category. If you take out cash, you can manually enter in every line item, or put the lump sum in one line item.

Some credit card also come with a baseline categorization for transactions and may give you a monthly summary. That won’t help you for cash transactions, other cards and if you split an expense with someone.

Any time I travel, I’ll manually track everything in a Google sheet (MS Excel also works). After each trip, I reflect on my spending categories and determine the cost per day and if I overspent somewhere.

With this data, I can be better informed with how to plan my next trip .

Use Splitwise to keep track of splitting bills with friends

Splitwise is an app that allows you to be part of a group and track shared expenses and amounts owed over however long you want. We used it at Nine Coliving had to track amounts we owed to other travelers for groceries, group dinners and other expenses.

What we like about the app is that you only owe the final difference, and you can keep the tally going for the duration of your stay somewhere or for the length of a trip with other people. It’s so useful for traveling with friends or groups.

Avoid the most expensive places to travel (or know the reality)

I’ve been to Singapore, which clocks in as one of the most expensive places to travel . My cost of travel in Singapore averaged closer to $100 per day, even with staying at an American friend’s apartment.

Dan traveled to Iceland and the cost per day was comparable.

In Singapore, street food meals cost close to $20, beers in a convenience store were $7, a taxi from the bar district to my friend’s apartment was $40 and other daily expenses like snacks, coffee and taking the metro added up fast.

For places that are inherently expensive, there might not be an off season to travel in. It might be expensive all year around.

Some baseline trips that we’ve mentioned throughout this article, like leveraging hostels, shared rooms or cooking at home might help you save money through these destinations.

Research the price of travel and the trends

Figuring out the average price of travel in world cities helps us determine what we’d like to do in order to travel longer and better.

Sometimes it’s committing to cook all of our meals or cutting out drinking in bars in order to compensate for costs like rental cars, taxis we’ll need to take or costs incurred in visiting the must-see attractions of a destination.

Cut out shopping and take photos instead

If you want to stop spending money when you travel, stop buying things . It’s a great hack during periods of rising costs and inflation, or at any time, as a smart choice for travel saving.

I used to buy something every time I traveled. I considered my souvenirs as a collection of the places I’d been. I used to buy a tank top for every Southeast Asian and Central American country in which I backpacked.

I grew out of this phase when I realized that the shirts would get old and stretched out or not fit anymore, but my photos were the basis for all my memories.

Is it worth collecting souvenirs?

The truth is, now I have these eight or so tank tops sitting in a box collecting dust. For the ones I like, I wear them as pajamas.

I would also buy things to take home to my family - shot glasses for my family members, local snacks (wrapped and non-perishable) for my mom and always a bag of coffee, from Guatemala or Costa Rica, for my dad.

If you’re someone who’s very into collecting souvenirs, go for it. But if you find joy in photos, or simply memories in your mind, skip the material objects that may collect dust one day in a closet.

How to stop buying stuff when you travel

So, I stopped buying things both for myself and for others. I consider that my photos say it all.

Instead of ‘investing’ in souvenirs for yourself and others, invest in a trusty travel camera that will help you remember your travels even when souvenirs get lost or broken.

Photos don’t weigh down your luggage, and they definitely don’t spoil, rot, collect dust or break (ok, maybe they can break if you don’t take good care of it). Above all, once you stop shopping, you’ll notice how much money you can save.

Check out our favorite budget cameras!

Get connected to some locals

Anywhere you go, locals know what’s up. If I have visitors in NYC , they’re thankful that I can take them to the non-touristy neighborhoods they never would have found otherwise, or take them for local activities like picnics with my friends, which cost tons less than a tour or an activity that costs a lot of money.

Dan and I love meeting locals and meeting up with local friends of friends when we travel.

In Buenos Aires , it was my friend Ayelen who took us on a double-date with her boyfriend to their favorite place for steak and wine. We sat on the street and commented that if not for them, we never would have found such a local experience.

When I started planning my trip to Nicaragua, my parents found out that a friend of theirs had a good friend who owned a coffee plantation in Esteli.

They put me in touch, and I wound up with an airport pickup from their driver and a private stay on a coffee plantation for my first night when I flew in by myself!

For anywhere you go, reach out to your network. You never know who you may find - an old friend from years back, a relative you’ve never met before or a friend of the family, who has a connection to the destination you’ll be traveling in.

Post on your social media channels about where you’re headed, and ask around and talk about your trip to determine if any friends or family members have connections there.

The most meaningful travel experiences are the ones that happen with other people!

Drink the tap water (if it’s safe)

It’s incredible to realize the difference between a trip on which you can drink the local tap water and one on which you can’t.

When you can’t safely drink the water, there’s so much more to think about, like running out of water, or how much water to buy or how much water can you physically carry back to where you’re staying.

In Europe and Israel you can safely drink the water that comes out of the tap, no matter what. After traveling in Asia and Central America for five years, this came as a pleasant type of culture shock to me!

I love water and staying hydrated, so water availability is a big factor in my travel.

Is it OK to boil tap water?

When living in Shanghai, I would boil the water that came out of my sink in order to make it drinkable.

In all honesty, this was a fine scenario because most of the winter months, my apartment was so cold that I wanted to warm up with hot water! I would add tea, lemon and ginger to make it taste better.

Some places are a pleasant oasis for drinkable water, namely Medellin and Bogota, Colombia, where you can safely drink tap water and it even tastes pretty okay. In these places, it’s smart to pack a reusable water bottle in your luggage in order to minimize plastic.

Buy local brands and locally-grown produce as snacks

What’s better than trying new foods? Nothing! We love trying the ‘local stuff’ when we travel, whether it’s local tamarind candy from Mexican drugstores (only $0.30!) or dried coconut sweets in Colombia (roughly the same price tag, at $0.31 for one!).

When I lived in Shanghai, I shopped local - Asian pears, chestnuts roasted on the street, eggs from the supermarket and of course, rice and tofu.

My friends who ‘required’ imported American goods from home at the expat grocery stores would fork over lots of money to have a taste of what they missed from home like specialty flavor M&Ms and American cereal (nearly $7.00 for a small box).

In Estonia, Dan and I asked the hostel owner of our hostel which types of foods were native to Estonia and therefore would make for affordable purchases in the supermarkets.

We found out that products like potatoes, dill, apples, pickles, carrots and beets were the in-season foods that we could buy in order to shop local and lessen our carbon footprint.

We ate pan-fried potatoes with dill countless numbers of times in the following weeks, with no regrets!

When you land in a new place, ask a local - your taxi driver, a local or any other connections you can make - for what’s locally-grown. You may be in for some great surprises.

Do your research in order to save money and avoid fines

This one’s funny, but true - if you are aware of the rules in a new place, you will save money by following them. Whether it’s about open-container laws or driving regulations on the highway, asking locals or researching online can pay off.

When Dan and I were in Argentina, we rented a car and started a road trip through the Cordoba Sierra region .

The company that rented us the car had warned us to always use the daytime lights, at all times. Seems easy, right?

We stopped the car along the highway to take some photos of the mountainous views, and when we got back into the car, we forgot to turn the daytime lights back on.

Within fifteen minutes, we got stopped at a toll plaza and were issued a ticket, which we tried to fight, but we were unsuccessful.

An hour later, while closer to our destination, we stopped the car again for a break. When we got back in, we forgot to turn on the daytime lights. Would you believe it? We somehow got stopped again and were issued a second ticket for the same offense by a police officer.

It pays to keep the rules in mind! We spent our final day in Cordoba running around the city looking for the office at which to pay the fines. You could say we learned a lot about the rules in Argentina for highway driving!

Listen to travel and finance podcasts!

Ok, this isn’t really a specific way to save money while traveling; however, it’s an excellent podcast and it talks about a lot of different ways that you can save money.

We listen to podcasts super often and it’s how we’ve gotten new ideas on how to optimize travel, budgeting and finance.

Use a credit card to get a good foreign exchange rate

Whenever we can, we use credit cards when we travel, in order to get the best foreign exchange rate of the day and to also build points and miles.

Lately, we’ve been using the United Explorer card . There is no foreign transaction fee and has some really nice benefits.

We typically like using credit as much as we can while we’re away. We’ve found that we get the best conversion rates and don’t need to take out too much cash if we’re using credit often.

Using credit when you travel also (for us) shows exactly where our money went. And, if for some reason your credit card number gets stolen while you’re traveling, a company like Chase will contact you by text and email and let you know that there was fraud so you can resolve it.

This is especially relevant when purchases made abroad on a credit card can come up as a little bit dodgy for credit card companies and the security checks they may run on your account to make sure your account number is safe.

Note that when referring to a travel credit card, there is a difference between this and an “airline voucher.” For more on airline vouchers, see our guide called “ What is an Airline Voucher ?”

While you’re shopping at home, a browser extension like Honey can help you save money on everyday things!

Sign up for credit card a bonus to pay for your trip on miles

Travel costs can really start to add up. You’ll start paying for flights, hotels, things that you need to pack and the list goes on.

Lots of credit cards have sign-up bonuses that you can leverage to get either cash back or points that you can redeem toward travel.

The famous Change Sapphire Reserve used to give you 100,000 points for signing up. That was worth about $1,500 that you could use toward travel.

In order to get the bonus, you needed to spend a certain amount, like $4,000 in three months. Note, though, that making large travel purchases in an optimal timeframe is a perfect way to hit spend minimums like this.

Our travel has changed so much since we learned the points and miles games through travel hacking . My first flights completely on miles with United was round-trip to South Africa. Even though the flight path was a bit crazy (New York - Frankfurt - Johannesburg - Cape Town), I got a built-in day to spend seeing Hamburg, Germany.

We save and earn miles on Jet Blue as well, and we book flights (sometimes big flights!) on our points with our credit card rewards. This has been really exciting for us in recent years!

Also, always remember to use any airline vouchers you may have gotten or earned on past or cancelled flights, to apply when purchasing.

Don’t pay foreign transaction or ATM withdrawal fees, ever

Whether you’re taking out cash or swiping your credit card, if you travel internationally, you may be paying for foreign transaction fees.

These fees are determined by your bank or the ATM itself and usually take something like 2 or 3% of the entire purchase.

That is expensive, and wasteful. It can also add up and put a damper on your travel budget.

Looking for a new travel credit card? Consider the United Explorer card . We have this card! We like it because of the sign-up mileage bonus, Global Entry credit and no annual fee for the first year.

Avoid paying fees when taking money out of ATMs abroad

When Dan introduced me to the Charles Schwab ATM card, I couldn’t believe it. I was so accustomed to getting charged $3-4 per ATM transactions on my trips to Guatemala, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia that I didn’t think there was a way around it.

We use the Charles Schwab Investor checking and Fidelity Cash Management , which reimburses our ATM fees at the end of each month (save your receipts!) and we only use credit cards with 0 foreign transaction fees. Travel wouldn’t be the same without either of these cards in our wallets.

Now, I go to ATMs liberally on my trips and take out smaller amounts of money so that I can control my spending, and, stay safe by not having too much money in my wallet at one time.

Shop around for trip insurance online

These days, anything can come up that might prevent you from going on your trip. Lost bags? Theft? Trip cancelled?

Check out World Nomads and what this travel insurance company offers, before you go. You can save a lot of money and time by insuring parts of your trip.

Get Priority Pass to save on airport lounges, and get in for free

Are you sick of getting to an airport and having to pay and arm and a leg for even a water bottle? Are you sick of the WiFi network being locked, or broken, when you’re at the gate or arriving in baggage claim?

Another way to make travel more comfortable and save when you’re in airports is to get Priority Pass for airport lounge memberships around the world. This is a great feature of the Chase Sapphire Reserve card, and probably the benefit that we love most.

Around the world, we’ve eaten buffet brunches in Hong Kong airport, taken naps in nap rooms in the Lisbon airport and had snacks on a deck of an airport in the Canary Islands all with our Priority Pass membership.

If you’re not ready for a new credit card, you can apply directly for Priority Pass in order to get a membership to airline lounges around the world and never have to buy overpriced airport food or WiFi again.

We love Priority Pass!

Priority Pass is a must-have for long airport visits.

Find the best price for flights

If you’re traveling during your trip or trying to plan your vacation, check out Google Flights and experiment with picking different days to depart and return.

You can also use a site called Skiplagged to help you find some of the cheapest flights out there. The way it works is by finding you cheaper flights that have a connection in your final destination.

I actually did this type of “flighting” back in 2016 when I was flying to Iceland. Well, technically London. I didn’t end up wanting to go to London and wanted to spend more time in Iceland.

Luckily, my flight had a connection in London and I got off the plane and missed my connection. I saved a lot of money because London is expensive and this flight was already cheaper than flying to Iceland directly.

(Note: Iceland is expensive too, and that’s why I wrote about traveling in Iceland on a budget ) .

If you have checked luggage, be careful because your bags will end up in your final destination. This only works if you have carry-on bags.

Lastly, consider taking a red eye flight . The prices on these flights tend to be cheaper because flying overnight isn’t as ideal as a morning or afternoon flight.

Keep in mind that when you arrive in your destination, you’ll have a lot of time to explore while waiting to check in to your accommodation.

Book a ticket in basic economy to save money on flights

Another thing you can do is book a ticket in basic economy class to get a lower flight price, if you don’t mind bringing only a personal item.

Lastly, you can sign up for Going , which will send you emails with various different flight deals. If you’ve been waiting for a vacation and looking to save the most amount of money, check it out!

Book flights on Skyscanner (or other sites) on anonymous mode

Booking flights for cheap with anonymous mode removes any cookies that may have pushed the prices up. So, when you keep searching flights on Skyscanner or other sites for bookings, the computer remembers you, and slowly the prices creep up (only sometimes).

When you’re ready to book, turn shadow mode on your browser, and sometimes you’ll get lucky and the prices will be cheaper.

The tip here is to use a trustworthy VPN like this one and incognito window is pretty pro.

Save money with rental cars

Rental cars have gotten really expensive these days.

When we traveled to Los Angeles recently, we decided that we needed a car. LA is a driving city and you can’t get very far by walking.

We checked all of the traditional sites and rental car prices were really high.

Luckily, an app called Turo exists and it worked perfectly. We rented a car from an LA local and we were able to get a great deal. In fact, we paid about half of what traditional rental car places charged.

If you’re not interested in Turo, you can shop around at different Airport locations, close by cities, through credit card market places and look for deals or promotions to save even more money while renting a car.

I’ll sometimes look at rental cars near a major train line to try and find the “local price”. For example, if an airport has a train line that takes you closer to a major city, look for a rental car location a few stops past the airport.

If you can wake to rent a car from the train, than great! Even if you need to take a taxi to and from the rental car location, you may still save some money with the total cost of the car.

I’m sure you’ve heard of Lyft and Uber . Both have really taken over the world.

Instead of renting a car, you can check out using those services. If you only need a few rides during your trip, it’ll be much cheaper than paying for gas, tolls and the daily rental car rate.

Lately, I’ve found that regular yellow cabs are often cheaper than ride shares, in NYC. Check around and ask for price quotes to determine what makes the most sense for you.

Here in New York City, I have an app called Curb , which allows you to get yellow taxis. It’s also safe, which is why we talk about it so much in our NYC safety guide.

Before leaving for the airport one time, we did this and it cost half as much as what Lyft and Uber were charging.

You can get $5 off of your first ride with Curb! Download the app and use the code 32S31M .

Travel in a group and share download links for free credit

While traveling in a group, try being the first one to latch on to any apps that would be useful. This could be local food delivery apps or local ride share programs.

If you get these apps first, and then share your download links with the group, you can clock yourself up lots of free credit for bringing in new members!

This tip really works because you can be trying new things and being adventurous while also getting freebies from apps.

The more you share, the more referral credit you get, and you can also learn by talking to other travelers and expats about the most efficient apps for ordering food or for ride-sharing in a particular city.

Shop around for the best hotel, Airbnb and hostel prices

Before we go somewhere or while we’re traveling and looking for an additional place to stay , we shop around to try and find the best rates.

Sometimes we’ll check Airbnb and see what prices look like. We’ll head over to Hostelworld and see if we have any luck. Maybe we’ll search on Booking.com.

Consider that if you’re traveling with a group of friends, couples or family members, that you can save money by booking an entire multi-bedroom Airbnb house or property like this one in Upstate NY , which will typically beat the cost of everyone getting individual hotel rooms elsewhere.

Before you know it, we’ve seen listings from too many sites and it’s hard to remember where we say some of the listings that we liked.

Because we’ve been staying in hotels more recently, we like to check out HotelTonight . We’ve seen some of the best prices on this website over anything else.

The only thing with HotelTonight is you can’t book too far in advance.

We’ve been having good luck on Priceline and Kayak for hotels.

Take out a weekly budget in cash

Weekly spending budgets are a huge way of seeing if you’re on track to avoid overspending during your travels.

In some countries where cash is king and credit is not so available quiet yet (or may never be), visually seeing how much cash you have left can show you how much you’ve spent.

Find creative and new ways to work remotely and travel

Traveling doesn’t have to be expensive. Have you considered working remotely while traveling in order to make some money to pay for your expenses?

You find some types of remote work to work on while you’re away, by checking these remote work tips for travelers .

If you are a professional looking for freelance work, Flexjobs can work out nicely for finding remote work and part-time opportunities.

What we also really like is traveling with a group and getting everything under the Remote Year platform like coworking membership, housing and flights onward, all for a flat fee.

Sign up for Remote Year to join the experience!

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How to Save for Any Trip

The key to any trip is being smart with your money – and that starts even before you hit the road! It’s important to know how to save and plan your trip so you don’t find yourself running out of money on the road. Here are my best tips and tricks on how to save money for any trip (even if you don’t make a ton of money). You’ll find a plethora of resources, interviews with other travelers, and secret ninja travel tips that will jump-start your travel fund!

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How I Saved Money to Travel the World for 15+ Years

Last updated on October 19, 2023 by Shannon

Those who read this blog regularly know that my family background is modest , at best. Instead of that trust fund image many have for world travelers , I attended college on merit-based scholarships.

When I decided that I wanted to live a life of travel , instead of counting on help from family, I budgeted for my round the world trip . Of course, it’s never quite that easy.

Table of Contents

How I Decided to Save for Travel

Before I booked my round the world tickets , I faced many obstacles—personal, family, and financial—preventing me from traveling. And for many years, I allowed those issues to keep me tied to the United States.

There were a dozen reasons to believe that I could not change my situation and save money for travel : I had to help my family, I was struggling to stay afloat from my debt , I had a relationship and close friends who I would miss.

One day, I took stock of my situation. I honestly looked at how my personal choices affected my ability to travel around the world . I realized that I could travel, but only if I drastically changed my situation as well as the personal story I told about myself and my ability to save money for travel.

To travel, I would need to reprioritize every aspect of my life. I would also have to believe that someone like me could find a way to travel. The decision to travel was the culmination of many re-prioritizations in various aspects of my life.

Why Anyone Can Actually Save Money for Travel

Travel is expensive. It’s doable—it’s comparable to a year of living in the U.S.—but saving that much money is a considerable feat for many.

When I left, my income was a smidge above poverty level. My online job allowed me to work every single week of these past 15 years that I have traveled the world and lived abroad .

Without online work, I would have spent years saving the funds. But I could have saved. Saving was within the realm of possible. Even more, the U.S. dollar is a strong currency, and I live in a country with work opportunities and a social safety net. If you’re reading this page, there’s a chance you also have one or more of these safety nets and benefits.

Money buys happiness up to a point, according to leading research . Once you’re comfortable and you can afford your next meal, happiness stems more from your approach to life. It comes down to your attitude about what you have, and the choices you make. Even before you are cash flush, you can cultivate an approach to life in line with your goals.

Happiness is in the content of moment-to-moment experiences. Nothing material is intrinsically valuable, except in whatever promise of happiness it carries.

What you own, what you buy, and what you prioritize contributes to the experiences you create in your own life. For anyone who has found this website, you hope to prioritize travel and save money to make that dream happen.

To choose travel may mean making large shifts in your lifestyle, it might mean second jobs, smaller houses, years of tackling debt . But it’s the larger goal that should motivate you to continue saving throughout it all: to travel.

To these things, you may say “but that won’t work in my situation.”

Challenge that idea at every step of the way. It’s your biggest obstacle toward taking that dream trip.

Most things we take as a given—big houses, cars, new smartphones—are a series of choices that align with our priorities . The advice on this page will show you how to align your money priorities with your goal to travel.

Spending money well comes down to affording those things you have prioritized—so what are you prioritizing in your life?

Do you have secret fears or doubts that have held you back from saving for this big trip?

How long have you had this desire to travel?

Now be honest: Are you making choices that prioritize your travel goal above lesser ones?

Let’s dive right into it.

Six Common Obstacles to Saving Money

Are you wondering: Why can’t I save money? I’ve heard a litany of reasons from travel dreamers justifying to me why they can’t actively saving for their trip. It comes down to things like: car payments, debt repayments, medical debt, mortgage, and a host of other—often valid—reasons.

But even beyond the personal issues, the process and action of saving money has additional obstacles, and it’s not something that most travelers talk about, mostly because it lies outside of “travel” specifically.

When you’re looking for ways to move the needle on your own savings goals, it behooves you to understand the psychology of saving and money. Money obstacles are just as important as the personal obstacles travelers face when saving for travel.

Let’s dive into areas where you might find resistance as you embark on your savings journey.

It’s human nature to start something filled with fiery licks of excitement, only to feel that initial burst of motivation peter out as time passes. This is not the way to accomplish any savings goal, especially one like long-term travel. To successfully save money over a long period of time, you must create a pace that fits your situation, goals, and timeline.

Think about this as you set your savings plans in motion. Pick a reasonable savings goal each month and year until you reach your target. Then—and this is the hard part—stick to it with small and consistent contributions.

Discipline makes a huge difference in saving and budgeting.

You will likely face setbacks along the way, but if you start now, your travel fund will increase over the coming weeks and months.

2. Materialism

Minimalism is a snazzy, trendy topic. It also has a place in any conversation about saving in general, but especially in saving money for travel. When you set out on the road, you will have very little left to your name .

Even if you have items in storage, before you leave to travel you will have whittled your life down to the essentials, the practical, the nostalgic. Part of owning fewer things is also about buying fewer things.

Saving and budgeting for a long-term trip should alter your purchasing habits. It’s small things like understanding that yes, you might need a car to get to work. But saving for travel means recognizing that an older model car might better fit your budget and your desire to sock away all extra money into your travel fund.

Consumption—or, more pointedly, over-consumption—is a major obstacle to saving. Embarking on any savings journey assumes some comfort to even consider saving for travel (and we’ll talk about that in a moment), even those living in poverty tend toward thoughtless consumption.

Happiness researcher Dr. Thomas Gilovich found that experiences bring us more happiness than possessions. He notes:

You can really like your material stuff. You can even think that part of your identity is connected to those things, but nonetheless they remain separate from you. In contrast, your experiences really are part of you. We are the sum total of our experiences.

Saving money for travel is the ultimate opportunity to trade material possessions for experiences that forever become a part of your personal story. The reward may be months or years down the line, but keep in mind the end-goal of spending money on the travel experiences that you’ve decided to seek.

You will face mainstream media messages pushing consumption, pushing you toward the novelty of owning new things. There is a balance somewhere between bare minimalism and wanton consumption, and by looking at your budget and savings goal we can find areas to adjust.

Life is messy. It can careen out of control in a moment’s notice. Sometimes, you may need to pause even the most reasonable and practical savings goals. A myriad of things crop up. Perhaps you’ve lost your job, a recession hit, or you’re helping your elderly parents.

There are heaps of reasons we jump off our savings plan. And it’s disheartening, especially when it’s not only a pause in the plan, but a harsh setback that leads to more debt.

This savings obstacle may seem obvious to some, but for those with a long road ahead—one that includes reducing debt, learning to budget, and saving money—it’s important to start this journey with realistic expectations and the ability to weather outside events.

The Optimism Bias is cognitive bias that fuels the belief that negative events are less likely to happen to ourselves than to others. It’s our ingrained, neurological tendency to underestimate the likelihood we will personally experience adverse events. As a result, we are prone to disregard precautions that might limit or mitigate those risks.  

In her Ted Talk, The Optimism Bias , Tali Sharot discusses how this bias is a powerful force in the human mind. Bias can play a major role in the reason people underestimate the saving and budgeting process.

Life has struck me a few times, and it took years to wade out of those messes. I first traveled abroad when I was 21 years old. My brother passed away four days into my trip . I was heartbroken. It took me years to recover from that emotionally.

Unfortunately, it took me years to recover from the situation financially, too. I hadn’t planned on purchasing an extra transatlantic flight, but I swiped my credit card and flew home. It took me six years to pay down the initial costs, interest, and related expenses.

My brother’s passing was a huge life setback. To overcome it, I had to pause, take stock, adjust the plan, and then continue reducing my debt and saving money. I share this painful piece of my history so that you don’t get lost when life throws you obstacles.

Keep perspective on the end goal even in the moments of overwhelm. Expect these moments to happen. Take a break, but don’t let that stop you from resuming your savings and budgeting plans as soon as you can.

Over the years, I’ve spoken with wanderlusters at every stage of their life and with a range of unique personal situations. Many talk with me about what they see as the ultimate financial obstacle to travel: debt. It’s a biggie.

Whether it’s student loan debt, medical debt, or credit card debt, as you go deeper into the red, you may find it harder to save money and plan a long-term trip. Debt is an obstacle, but it’s not impossible to overcome.

My Tackling Debt resource page shares strategy and tips, but for now, let’s talk about the psychology of debt. It’s a doozy.

Being in debt takes an emotional and even physical toll. If you are facing profound, serious debt, then you likely need to seek the advice of a certified debt counselor, or discuss it with a therapist.

There are neurological components—depression, anxiety, and other factors—that affect our relationship to debt, and for help with those you should seek counseling.

But if you’re facing manageable debt, even if it’s overwhelming, then the techniques I recommend on budgeting and debt reduction will help lower your debt load while increasing the savings in your travel fund.

If you are running right up against your budget every month, then you might consider if there is a way to add to your monthly income. While most people can benefit from the saving ideas in the next section—even when implemented in moderation—making more money is a profound way to increase your travel savings.

While some might consider negotiating a raise, others could look to what is called a “side hustle.” This is a growing niche and there are vast resources online about how to build a new stream of income alongside your current work.

Read more about side hustles on my detailed advice page on How to Work Remotely & Digital Nomad Resources , or head straight Side Hustle School , a fantastic podcast and resource site with tons of ideas to get you started.

6. A Note on Poverty

For many people, my savings advice is not even plausible at this stage. To begin saving money for travel implies a level of comfortability in your situation that may be out of reach at the moment.

I have been profoundly poor at stages of my life, where the suggestion of taking on extra work was laughable and my expenses and debt were higher than I could see my way through.

If this is your situation, your timeline to travel may be very different from another’s timeline. And that’s OK. If you’re struggling, if even the idea of adding on more work is impossible now, then adjust your time-frame.

Even an extra $5 or $10 per week against your debt is progress. And even that much money into your travel kitty is also progress toward your goal. It might take ten years to save, or it might take five years to build up even a modicum of online income, but there is truly an opportunity for most people to save money for travel with priorities and a reasonable timeline.

I do believe that many people—but certainly not all—can prioritize travel. It’s only at the point that you agree to look for possibilities that you see the opportunities to make it happen in your life. And this isn’t Pollyanna of me to say.

Although I was childless when I left to travel, and thus had fewer hard-and-fast obligations and larger life priorities, I worked for years to pay down my debt. And while I wish I could claim it was all student loan debt, much of it was credit card debt.

Debt happens, especially if you are poor. Some of my debt came from breaking my arm mere months after graduating college, and thus just after leaving my parent’s health insurance plan. Other debt came from bailing out a complex family situation, twice.

The fact is, it was debt and it was hard for me to conceive of a way that I could pull myself out from under it. Even in the first years of travel, my income was barely above the poverty line. I traveled and continued to spend a generous chunk of my freelance income paying down my past debt.

For years, I had decided that it was impossible to travel and I chose to remain stagnant on my goal. Until one day, when I simply switched my belief about how I could save money and travel. I decided that somehow there was a way out and I simply needed to get creative on how I thought about my situation.

Key Savings Takeaways

I read a saying once that has long stuck with me, and the gist was this:

You don’t have to know how, only that it is possible.

This might not be the ideal time for you to save for a long-term trip. I get that, I truly do understand. But, this is the right time to think about your relationship with money, debt, online work opportunities , and which small steps will make progress on your current situation. The first step is often the choice to make a sincere change, then come actions and follow through. Strangely, choice is often harder than the follow through.

3 Mindsets to Approach Saving for a Big Goal Like Travel

By this point, you have a clear idea of your personal financial situation. If you have debt, I hope you use the recommended tactics and resources to tackle the most important aspects of that debt.

If you are not creating a personal budget, then you need to research online and create a personal budget. You need a firm handle on your what a realistic savings timeline and goal looks like in your unique situation.

Now, let’s look at practical ways to increase the amount of money you put into your travel savings each month. I’m a huge proponent of striking the right balance. It’s why I recommend using a clear personal budget before you decide to save for travel.

Get your ducks in a row, understand your debt, plan your retirement goals, and then add your travel goals into that mix.

There are three primary schools of thought on approaching a budget (well, three that I think work best, there are many others, too).

1. Consume everything you enjoy, but in moderation.

Take a moderate approach to all things and enjoy small splurges—don’t eliminate habits you love, just adjust your expectation of frequency. Budgeting requires forming and sticking to long-term habits.

In that regard, the theory goes that by not denying yourself treats and getting burned out, frustrated, or defeated, you are instead better able to develop a habit that sticks and a habit that preserves your quality of life.

This is how I budget, even after years of travel. Moderate consumption and moderate spending is how I afford to live as an expat in Spain and still travel for most of the year, 15 years after I first left. If I want a fancy coffee, I buy it—I just don’t make it a daily habit and I budget it into my allowed expenses.

2. Ruthlessly cut unimportant expenses, then spend openly and without guilt on those areas you’ve pegged as most important.

Ramit Sethi puts it like this, “Spend extravagantly on the things you love, and cut costs mercilessly on the things you don’t.” If you have a decent amount of income, this can work well, but if you’re counting pennies then there might not be a lot of room for either cutting ruthlessly, or spending extravagantly.

But the psychology of it is high reward, and that goes a long way toward helping stay motivated to budget and save. Sethi’s theory is ruthless though; you pick one or two focuses and the slash the rest nearly completely from your budget.

3. Calculate the opportunity cost of every expense, both discretionary and non-discretionary.

Opportunity cost is an economics concept that identifies “the loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen.”

In budgeting and saving for travel, you’ll see this employed by many travel bloggers when they write of their own savings approach and say things like, “Splurging on one new outfit costs the same as traveling for four days in Southeast Asia .” Or, “One night of partying at home is the same price as a day tour to a volcano in Nicaragua.”

The case for retirement savings is also often offered in terms of opportunity cost, but in the opposite perspective. Save your dollars now because compound interest will work in your favor if you invest over the long-term.

Spending thousands of dollars to travel now also has an opportunity cost as that money might have grown much larger sitting in a retirement account for 30 years. But, that’s where life and values come into play—it may be more money in the long run, but you’ll miss the opportunity to travel now, when you likely have youth, enthusiasm, and health on your side.

All three approaches can work. In each, success hinges on also automating your savings and sticking to a long-term money plan. How you most effectively save money and budget can wholly depend on your personality—we’re born with traits that affect how we deal with high-reward or low-reward situations.

Sethi and I are two very different people. The methodical, moderate approach melds well with my lifestyle and personality. From his online persona, I can see why and how his approach of high reward works for him. Assess what works best for you, not anyone else.

12 Ways to Reduce Your Expenses & Increase Your Travel Savings

Pick the savings ideology that fits best with how you approach personal finance, and then consider where you can tweak and adjust your own budget, lifestyle, and savings. I’m just going to offer a running tally for this section.

A massive list of ideas.

Even if you swap out a single spending habit for a saving habit once a month, that gradual change adds up over weeks and months. Some of these are cliché, others are hard to implement, but all of them make small, incremental changes in your spending and savings habits with the end goal of traveling the world.

Opt for low-cost, budget outings.

Visit museums. Organize an afternoon at the park. Host potlucks with friends. If you’re opting for the second budgeting approach, where you ruthlessly cut out less important areas of spending, you can alter which outings should stay. This might mean keeping the weekly trip to the movies that you truly love, but cutting the after-work beers that are less enjoyment and more habit.

Make coffee at home.

I enjoy coffee shops, and I still purchase from them every week. But now I think of an artisan coffee as my weekly treat instead of a daily necessity. I went for a moderate approach because it’s something that I enjoy, but it’s not a hardship to swap out a couple of my previous coffee trips.

When I was aggressively saving money toward my goals and paying down debt, I had my bank automatically transfer the $45 per month that I saved from visiting the coffee shop once a week instead of three times per week.

Lower your cell-phone plan.

Unless you use your cell phone for work, you might have a lot of wiggle room in how much you spend each month. Many low-cost providers offer bare bones plans with just a bit of data, but unlimited calls and texting.

While it’s fun to watch YouTube from the doctor’s office, perhaps it’s a habit you can replace? WiFi is rampant and if you lower your plan you can likely shift your habits slightly and ensure you’re on WiFi when doing data-heavy tasks.

Change your grocery shopping habits.

If you shop at Whole Foods, then you might be able to limit that shopping trip to essentials and balance your grocery visits with a more affordable alternative like the “green” version from your local grocery store.

Also, consider buying the generic store-brand on purchases that don’t have a strong impact on your life (most non-perishables fall into this, including laundry detergent, shampoo, cereal, etc). Stores like Aldi beat out the chains on nearly every price measure.

Lengthen the lifespan of purchases.

While many assume that it’s easy to cut your clothes/shoes shopping budget entirely, that will depend on your current habits. Instead, look for ways to extend the lifespan of your current purchases.

If you’re a designer handbag fan, consider skipping an upgrade cycle. If you begin the purging process , you may find clothes and shoes you’ve long forgotten that you can cycle into your wardrobe to “freshen” it rather than buying more items.

If you truly love the lure of shopping, consider allowing yourself the chance shop for your travel gear slowly. Build out your travel packing list a little at a time; use your shopping budget to purchase one piece of travel gear each month until you leave.

This allows you to quell the shopping urge by purchasing items that actively work toward your goal, and it also lessens the sticker shock of buying those items just before your trip.

Or, if you take the Ramit Sethi approach, keep the shopping habit but downsize your apartment. Create a tradeoff for the thing that you most value.

Add any irregular or unexpected income to your travel fund.

Deposit your income tax return into your travel kitty. If you get a bonus at work, perhaps treat yourself with half of it and save the other half. Balance your spending and saving.

Lessen your rent burden.

Some people can get away with moving home as a way to lessen expenses. I was in my mid-20s when I planned my trip and I spent my final two months at my dad’s house prepping and planning.

If that’s either unfeasible or a totally insane prospect, consider other options like taking on a roommate or downsizing to a smaller house/apartment. Then there is always the option to become an Airbnb or VRBO host if you live in a desirable part of your city.

Assess your memberships.

If you have a gym membership, and if you use it, then it might be a non-negotiable to keep this in your budget. For others though, is this a good use of your money?

Consider alternatives, like your local YMCA or county recreation center. You could also price out day-passes for things like the pool, gym, yoga classes, etc. If you visit infrequently, this may work out to a savings.

Cancel cable.

Streamline your subscriptions. Don’t give up all your entertainment, but see if there’s anything you’re paying for that you can happily replace with another habit. Perhaps you don’t need HBO Go when your favorite show is out of season.

Or Netflix is less useful when Amazon Prime let’s you rush ship packages and stream shows. Whatever you cut, remember to add that to your monthly savings figure and automate the transfer of those saved funds.

Use your local library.

This is seriously a good tip for anyone who doesn’t use the public library—it will become your best friend as you save and plan. In the beginning, use the library as an alternative to buying books. (And if you have a monthly book allowance, remember to set up an automated transfer to add that money into your travel account each month).

Most U.S. libraries even offer digital lending programs that allow you to borrow books on your Kindle or e-reader (I borrow Kindle books from my library when I am traveling all over the world to keep myself stocked in reading material for free).

As you move into actually planning your trip , you can check out travel guidebooks from the library instead of purchasing one for each planned destination.

Lower transportation expenses.

If you don’t own your car, is there value in trading it for a model that you can own outright? Can you sell your car (either now or just before your trip) and add that money to your travel savings? Consider public transport, carpooling, and alternative situations to navigate transportation.

Several married friends were able to sell one car during their pre-travel savings period. This not only gave them the initial boost from the sale of the car, but lowered car maintenance and insurance expenses too. They set up an automatic transfer to put that money into their travel savings account each month.

Reduce banking fees.

If your bank charges any monthly or transactional fees then you need to seriously reconsider that bank. Ideally, you should never pay withdrawal fees, nor should you pay a monthly fee for your checking account.

There are a lot of options, but I recommend Charles Schwab for most travelers as it is the only bank that will actually reimburse your ATM fees when you’re traveling (I have no sponsored relationship with Schwab, I just truly believe it is the best bank for travelers, hands-down).

Even if you don’t go with Schwab, look into local credit unions and options that have interest-bearing savings accounts and no added fees and expenses. I get an incredible savings rate at Betterment.com , where I also keep my main investments.

Here’s my rundown of the best travel credit cards .

Wrapping Up: 7 Final Quick Tips for Saving Money for Travel

1. Open a separate savings account.

Keep your new travel fund separate from all of your other accounts: day-to-day expenses, emergency fund, Christmas money, etc. Designate a travel account and directly deposit into this account any new money that generate.

Jumpstart your savings process by purging the many things you have accumulated over the years. Dig out anything stored in corners and under beds. A lifetime of living accumulates stuff. Then, hold a garage sale, use Craigslist, or sell items on eBay.

Not only will you need to purge items before long-term travel, purging gives you a jolt of cash and action, which helps maintain the motivation to continue saving no matter your savings timeline (be it months or years).

The How to Purge and Declutter page offers extensive and detailed strategies and advice.

3. Cut your spending.

Halving your superfluous spending by 50%. Anyone suggesting a more drastic cut has clearly never committed to a long-term goal. Assess your current spending habits, and then look for compromises that do not overly impact your lifestyle.

If you begin cutting everything you enjoy, you will eventually stop saving altogether.

Instead look for moderation. Trade the mentality of “okay, I should  never  eat out again” with “I should eat out half as much each month.” Decrease non-essential expenses and then make a weekly transfer of your savings into your dedicated travel savings account.

4. Assess your debt.

Debt is a burden and a clear obstacle to travel. Worse, however, is that many people aren’t sure exactly where they hold debt and how much. Without clarity on the extent of your debt and a clear debt reduction plan, you may never make your dream round the world trip.

And the thing is, you may not have to eliminate your debt before travel, you instead need a clear understanding of it and a plan. Student loan debt is a very different beast than a defaulted credit card payment. I cleared my credit card debt before leaving, but paid off my student loan for the first three years on the road—I had budgeted that monthly payment into my anticipated travel budget.

The  Tackle Your Debt page offers comprehensive advice to create an action plan for reducing debt so that you can effectively save for travel.

5. Increase your income.

If you have a job that comfortably floats your expenses, then consider adding on a part-time job or freelance work. Side hustles are gaining in popularity and this is a great topic to research.

How to Work and Travel covers all the resources and advice I’ve discovered from well over a decade working online.

6. Stay focused and motivated.

Don’t give up, some people have a situation that allows them to save up a large sum in just a handful of months (often those who can move in with parents for a while), and others will need to take several years of slow and incremental savings, figure out what camp you are in and then stick to it.

Allow yourself splurges in your life, but never from your travel savings account!

7. Learn what you don’t already know.

Information is available in dozens of ways from dozens of sources. You can master personal finance and saving money with time and effort. While there are many free resources, I created a comprehensive treatise on the topics of saving and budgeting for travel.

How to Save for World Travel   is available on Amazon Kindle and there is nothing else like it on the internet. Instead of general finance and savings advice, this guide is laser-focused on offering solid, practical advice to specifically create enough savings to travel.

How to Budget for Travel

Saving for travel is the single biggest process that will help you reach your goal. It takes several steps to create a strong financial base from which you tackle savings. And while some steps may seem superfluous, or even too granular, this process works.

I’ve talked to dozens of travelers over the years and nearly every person followed the process I laid out. The timeline for each person varied, but all of those people who provided ideas and feedback spoke from a place of success—they successfully saved and completed an around the world trip.

In the coming months and years, life may derail portions of your plan. Throughout it all, however, keep an eye toward your priority, travel. Of note is that your priorities may shift and change.

Perhaps you begin budgeting and saving with the dream of travel, but you pivot that idea and instead decide to fund a new business. Or perhaps you decide to spend your travel fund as a downpayment on a house.

All of these choices are viable priorities, and the savings process outlined above will work for any of these big life goals.

Creating a habit of saving is about giving yourself the freedom to set your priorities and then accomplish them. I am a fan of travel, and you likely are, too. But that said, if it’s not your current priority, use the three-pronged process (eliminate debt, budget, and save) to fund your priorities.

Make purposeful choices that align with whatever you have decided is most important in your life.

Once you have the saving and budgeting portion of your own life down pat, then the next step is to develop an accurate estimate of how much your trip will cost. Other people’s round the world budgets are only helpful to an extent—your trip, your dreams, and your lifestyle all impact how much you will need for world travel.

You may have dozens of Pinterest boards dedicated to the places you’d like to visit, but have you sat down to plot out how much it would take to plan a trip to those places?

My guide, How Much Does it Cost to Travel the World , ( Kindle and PDF ) examines the cost of travel in various regions of the world. This guide deep dives into how you can plot a route that balances developed and developing economies, a tactic that extends your travels while also introducing you to fascinating new cultures and experiences.

This guide also discusses how travel style impacts budget so that you can accurately plot out an average daily budget for the type of travel you enjoy. The book demystifies travel budgets for everyone from budget backpackers to couples to boomers.

If you’re on the uber-budget end as a backpacker, then you’re looking at a different type of trip than those willing to splurge on extra flights and private rooms.

And while the budgeting tips in my follow-up book can help you plan a short vacation, the budgeting guide is intended to help you understand what it will take to actually start moving forward on your plans to travel around the world.

It could be two months, or perhaps an epic two-year adventure. Either way, the costs of long-term travel are surprisingly lower than those associated with vacations and short-term trips.

Even more, the book helps you create a trip around the world that you love and one that you can afford.

Need More Advice About Saving for Long-Term Travel?

How to Save for World Travel  is a comprehensive guide about every aspect of saving. It’s written from the perspective and experience of a long-term traveler (8+ years on the road).

This guide includes the above information, as well as:

• extensive information detailing how to create a personal budget.
• advice on how to think about saving money.
• practical advice on how to save money within your unique situation.
• ideas tailored to extreme budget and frugal lifestyles so travelers on any income can begin the savings process.
• ideas to begin eliminating debt.
• information on how to generate additional income streams to fund your travel dreams.
• a custom worksheet to track your savings journey.

The guide is available on Kindle or as a PDF bundle with the How Much Does it Cost to Travel the World guide.

• Travel Planning Guide

How To Save Money for Travel

Perhaps the first step in planning your trip is to save the money. Afterall, you can't pick a route until you know how much you have to spend. Even though it is important to stay flexible throughout the planning process, it is still helpful to have at least some idea ahead of time how much things will cost so that you can make sure that we have enough money for the trip. Regardless of your normal travel style, being on the road a long period of time generally means that you'll have to become budget-conscious, even if you're used to traveling in luxury. Unless you have an endless supply of money, a long term trip takes special financial planning and a thrifty attitude.

Prioritizing Your Spending

The best time to get used to spending less is before your trip even begins. If you start to cut out unnecessary expenses before you even leave home, then you'll already be in that mindset when your trip begins. This habit will also help you save more before you hit the road. If you have trouble saving money, keep reminders of what your ultimate goal is. This will help you keep your eye on the prize.

This guide, however, is about traveling, and not so much about how to manage your money. After all, people save their money for many reasons, not just to travel. There are thousands of guides and tips on how to save up for a big purchase on the internet and in the bookstore, so we won't go into too many details here. However, here are a few crucial key points that helped us along the way.

Start Saving

Put away a set amount of money into a savings account with every paycheck. Then, live off of the rest without touching the savings. It should be as if you didn't get paid the whole amount to begin with. Many experts say to put away 5% to 10% of your paycheck, but we're recommending more. If you can, shoot for as high as 40% or 50%. This may seem crazy at first, but try to push yourself and see what's possible. Depending on where and how you live, you'll be surprised with your results if you stick to it.

Make a Plan

Take a look at your monthly budget. Are there any unnecessary expenses that can be eliminated? Do you really need cable television? Can you change your phone plan to save a little bit? Do you go shopping on a regular basis? All of these small amounts add up.

We all enjoy eating out, but restaurant meals can be a huge expense. Instead of having an expensive dinner at a restaurant, consider going out for lunch or brunch instead. These meals are usually a little more affordable and not much smaller in size. Better yet, focus on cooking more meals instead of going out.

Downsizing can really help you save money. Sell some unnecessary items that are just taking up space. Consider living in a small home or apartment. Not only will your rent or mortgage go down, but so will your utilities. Think about how you're going to pay any bills that will occur during your trip, and do everything you can to minimize these bills. Don't buy that new car until you get home. Pay down any credit card debt that you might have. Can you pay off your student loans? The less you have to worry about at home while you're on the road, the better your trip will be. If you do have monthly bills that need to be taken care of, make sure you set up a reoccurring payment online. Paying bills on the road can be challenging. Some places have limited internet access and the last thing you want to be thinking about is whether your payment made it in on time.

Ultimately, all of these tips involve the same overarching concept. You need to reevaluate your spending priorities. What is it that you really want out of life? Do you need that new iPhone or those fancy shoes? Could you be living cheaper? If you're prioritizing a trip around the world, you're hopefully already thinking about these issues.

Budget Your Trip

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• Activities, Day Trips, Things To Do, and Excursions

How to Travel Cheaply: 75 Smart Ways to Save on Every Part of Your Trip

Scott Keyes

September 19, 2023

Sure, there are some travel expenses that are hard to avoid entirely—airfare, lodging, and meals—but there are dozens of smart ways to get more bang for your proverbial buck.

We’ve collected 75 tips to help your travel budget stretch a little more so you can travel cheaply but still have an amazing trip. There are tips about finding cheap flights , saving money on accommodation, taking advantage of free activities, and eating well for less cash. And even if you can only use a few of these budget travel tips on your next journey, your wallet will still thank you.

How to save money on flights

1. Be as flexible as you can when looking at travel dates.

The cost of an airline ticket can change from minute to minute, so it shouldn’t be surprising that airfare can vary dramatically from day to day. If you don’t have to travel on specific days, start with the “flexible dates” tool when looking for flights. A much cheaper option may be a day or two before or after your target dates. ‍

2. Try the “Greek Islands Trick.”

We love this cheap flight hack, and we think once you get the hang of it you’ll love it, too. It involves flying across the ocean as cheaply as possible —i.e. finding the best deal to Europe from your home airport, even if it’s not where you actually want to be—and then hopping on a budget airline (or a train or bus ride) to get from your entry point to your vacation spot.

3. Use Google’s Explore map to decide where to go.

Rather than setting your sights on a particular place and then looking for flights, try browsing for the cheaper flight options on Google’s Explore map first. The best deals may not be where you originally thought of going, but chances are good you’ll find something appealing and spend less money on an airline ticket in the process.

4. Book your flights early.

Yes, every so often you can find super cheap last-minute flights , but usually the best bet to get a great deal on airfare is to book early. Check out our advice on the best time to book a cheap flight , broken down by region, for more details.

5. Set fare alerts for places you want to visit—or, better yet, become a Going member.

Even if you like travel research, it can get tedious to plug the same information into a flight search every day to see if the prices have changed. Save time by setting a fare alert for whatever site you prefer and you’ll be notified when the price goes up or down. Of course, signing up for alerts from Going lets you learn about exceptional deals on airfare from your home airport to cities all over the world without having to set dozens of separate fare alerts.

>> This whole cheap flights thing is our sweet spot, so we’ve got many more tips about how to find cheap flights and how to travel more even on a small budget where these came from in our travel guides section!

How to save money on hotels and other accommodation

6. for last-minute accommodations, check out the hoteltonight app..

‍ While you can use HotelTonight to book 30 days out in select cities, the app truly excels at deep discounts on rooms closer to your travel date.  ‍

7. Look at Airbnb or VRBO for apartment rentals.

‍ Particularly if you’re traveling with multiple people or you plan to cook your own meals, apartments can offer big savings over more traditional accommodation. They’re also sometimes cheaper for couples or solo travelers who are eating out every meal, so it never hurts to check.

8. Try Priceline Express Deals or Hotwire Hot Rates.

‍ These opaque booking services show you some basics like the hotel’s general location, stars, and amenities, but you won’t know the exact hotel until after you book. In exchange for not knowing some advance details, you could save 30% or more.

9. Join the loyalty programs of chains you frequent.

If you often stay at the same hotel chain (or chains within a larger group), join their loyalty program to earn points and perks like upgrades or free wifi.

10. Look at hostels with private rooms.

Not all hostels are party dorms for young backpackers; some offer quiet private rooms (many with en suite bathrooms) for a fraction of the price of hotels.

11. Use an OTA to compare prices, then check the hotel website.

‍ If price is the most important factor, use an OTA like Kayak, Priceline, or Booking.com to find the cheapest price—and then go to the hotel’s official website to compare prices. Some hotels will match the price or offer perks if you book with them directly. It’s usually best to call the actual hotel to see what deals they can offer, not the centralized reservations number.

12. Combine car and hotel in one with a campervan.

‍ In some countries where camping is popular (Iceland or New Zealand, for example), you can combine your transport and accommodation in one with a campervan. While campers are more expensive than a regular rental and you’ll need to pay for space at a campground, you might still come out ahead if hotels in the area are pricey.

13. Look at homestays, couchsurfing, WWOOFing, or house sitting for nontraditional accommodations.

‍ There are so many great lodging options besides hotels these days, and many of them offer big savings, too. House sitting gigs often come with free accommodation in return for maintaining someone’s home (and possibly pets) while they’re traveling. Homestay and Couchsurfing are both incredibly affordable (sometimes free), and good options for travelers who want to meet locals. WWOOF , or World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms, takes the homestay concept to another level—in exchange for offering you free room and board, you’ll volunteer on one of the thousands of organic farms all over the world.

14. Outdoorsy? Try camping.

Local stores often rent camping gear (so you don’t need to schlep it all from home), and the cost of that rental plus campground fees combined can still make a significantly smaller impact on your wallet than a hotel. Plus? Nature.

15. Don’t forget about resort fees.

In some areas (Las Vegas, for example), it’s common for hotels to charge “resort fees” that cover things like parking and wifi—and whether or not you use them, you’ll be charged a nightly fee on top of the room rate. When comparing hotels, be sure to compare the total cost— including these fees. 

16. Ask for an upgrade.

‍ Sometimes if there are unsold rooms in a higher category, you can upgrade at check-in for less money than it would have cost to book the upgraded room originally. As with many things in life, it never hurts to (politely) ask.

17. Look for free night deals.

‍ Many hotels offer discounts or even free nights if you stay more than a certain number of days. Particularly in places where the average stay is only a night or two, you may get a great deal if you’re staying closer to a week.

18. Bundle with another travel service and save.

OTAs like Orbitz and Priceline often offer discounts if you bundle your hotel with your flight and/or car rental. Before you assume it’s a better deal, though, price out each individual component of the bundle separately to make sure you’re saving money.

>> Read our tips on how to book the cheapest hotel rooms . 

How to save money on car rentals

19. Use an OTA to compare prices.

OTAs like Kayak and Priceline aggregate prices from a number of companies so you can easily find the best deal. 

20. Drive a stick shift if you can.

‍ In many countries, rental of a manual shift car can be much cheaper than an automatic (though if you can’t drive a manual transmission car, paying extra for the automatic is well worth it). 

21. Decline insurance if you’re already covered.

‍ Many credit cards offer car insurance protection if you book a car rental with that card, so if you’re covered under a card (or through your own auto insurance), you can decline coverage through the rental agency. Just make sure you’re totally clear on what is and is not covered—you don’t want to be hit with a big bill at the end of your trip. 

22. Rent a car that takes diesel.

Depending on where you travel, diesel fuel may be a bit cheaper than unleaded gas—and if you’re driving a lot, the savings can add up.

23. Only have the car when you need it.

If your trip involves some time in the country and some time in a big city, return the car when you get back in the city so that you’re not paying rental fees (and possibly parking fees, too) when you don’t need it. Many rental companies allow you to pick up the car in one place and return in another. 

24. Return the car with a full tank.

You’ll be offered the option to have the rental agency fill up the car’s fuel tank for you, but they’ll do so at astronomically higher prices than if you just stop off at a gas station on your way back to the rental lot.

25. Consider picking up the car at a non-airport location.

It’s hard to beat the convenience of going straight to the rental counter in the airport terminal, but in most cities it’s actually cheaper to rent a car from another location in the area. Just make sure your transportation costs to get from the airport to the rental office doesn’t eat up any car rental savings you’re getting.

>> See more tips for saving money on car rentals . 

How to save money on other transportation

26. use rome2rio to compare costs and timing on ground transport..

‍ Enter your starting and ending locations and this handy site will show you all your options for getting between the two, including estimates on things like ticket prices or fuel/toll costs.

27. Book train tickets in advance.

If you’re planning to take the train, book in advance as prices on popular routes (like the Eurostar between London and Paris) tend to rise as the travel date approaches. 

28. Compare train passes vs point-to-point tickets.

‍ Train passes (like Eurail passes in Europe and JR passes in Japan) can save you money, but only if you’ll be riding the rails frequently. Be sure to compare the cost of passes to buying each leg individually. 

29. Book second class train seats.

Unlike the difference between economy and business on planes, there’s typically less difference between classes on trains. Second class (or coach/economy) seats are much cheaper and in most countries they’re nearly as nice as first class. 

30. Don’t forget about buses.

Particularly in Europe, don’t forget to compare the cost of taking a bus to that of the train. Sometimes buses are cheaper—and they’ll serve places that don’t have a train station.

31. Compare ferry to flying.

While ferry transport conjures up romantic images of the wind in your hair and the sun setting over the ocean, ferries can eat up a lot of time, and often they don’t save you much money. It could be cheaper and much faster to fly to your island destination. 

32. Take public transport.

‍ Public buses, trains, cable cars, trams, ferries, water taxis, and metros are nearly always cheaper than private transportation.

33. If you plan to ride public transport often, look at a day/week pass.

Multi-ride passes or passes good for a set amount of time can be a considerable savings over paying per ride. 

34. For routes without convenient public transport, look at car sharing or ride-sharing.

Companies like Lyft and Uber are in cities all over the world these days, and there are some similar companies that are more localized—like BlaBlaCar (serving 21 countries, including most of Europe) or Cabify (covering many Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries).

35. Take the night train or ferry.

‍ For longer distances, travelers who don’t have trouble sleeping should consider an overnight train and ferry that saves the cost of one hotel night.

36. Ride a bike or walk.

Many cities around the world now have the budget-friendly option of bike sharing, which visitors can use just as easily as residents. If you’ll be in one place for several days, it may also be worth looking into renting a bike for your whole stay. And to really save money on getting around, there’s nothing like walking.

>> Read our tips for cheaply city hopping in Europe or check out our guide to Europe train travel . 

How to save money on food and drink

37. Avoid tourist menus.

If you see a menu with lots of pictures and translated into several languages, chances are very good that the food will be (at best) mediocre and the prices will be too high. Also, be cautious about any restaurant that seems to have one waiter permanently stationed on the sidewalk imploring passers-by to eat there.

38. Look for set menus.

‍ Particularly in Europe, set menus (typically a drink, entree, and one other course like a salad, soup, or desert) can be a great value. Plus, they often feature dishes typical of the local cuisine. 

39. Search out happy hour deals.

Even if you’re not a big drinker, happy hour can help you save as many include heavily discounted (if not free) appetizers or snacks. 

40. Drink the house wine.

‍ In countries with a strong wine culture, such as France and Italy, the house wine served in a large jug or carafe tastes as good as what comes in a bottle from the local winery. Not only that, you can order it in smaller quantities than a full bottle if you like, saving even more money. 

41. Eat the free breakfast.

If you’re staying in a hotel with free breakfast, take advantage of the perk and load up in the morning so you can spend less on lunch. 

42. If there’s no free breakfast, eat outside the hotel.

Paying for breakfast at your hotel is rarely a good deal, so if it’s not already included in the room rate, join the locals at the corner cafe instead. 

43. Make lunch your big meal of the day.  

Between lunch and dinner, lunch is generally a much cheaper affair, so if you can only afford to eat out once per day, go out for lunch (see the aforementioned set menus on how to save). 

44. Eat street food or have a picnic.

An easy way to eat frugally for any meal is with a picnic. Pick up provisions at the local outdoor market or grocery store (like cheese, bread, cold cuts, and fruit) and find a sunny spot in a park—or enjoy a hotel room repast. And if you’re visiting a city with a noteworthy street food scene, that’s an excellent way to eat well without spending too much.

45. Cook your own meals.

If you’re staying in an apartment, you can take it one step further and cook some of your own meals. Even if you want to sample all the local delicacies, cooking one or two meals per day can save you quite a bit of cash. 

46. Bring your own alcohol or shop at duty free.

In countries where alcohol is very expensive (e.g. much of Scandinavia), BYO—or stop by the duty-free store in the airport before departure or upon arrival.

47. Bring snacks.

Humans don’t usually make very good decisions when we’re hungry. Avoid the perils of stopping at a tourist-trap restaurant out of desperation by bringing snacks with you when sightseeing. A handful of nuts or a granola bar helps tide you over until you can find a better dining option.

48. Eat what and how the locals do .

Local food and drink is almost always cheaper, and restaurants that cater to locals typically have lower prices than those built for tourists. For example, in France, a croissant and simple coffee is a lot cheaper than eggs and OJ for breakfast, and a glass of the local wine is much cheaper than a cocktail. 

49. Order at the bar .

In Europe, the very same menu item will often cost far more if you order from a table than if you consume it standing at the bar. This goes for coffee as well as cocktails.

50. Ask for tap water.

In places where it’s safe to drink the water, skip the fancy bottles and opt for the tap. 

51. Bring a refillable water bottle.

‍ Similarly, bring your own water bottle so you can fill up from the tap instead of buying bottles every day. Bonus: It’s much better for the environment, too. 

52. Avoid restaurants closest to main attractions.

‍ They cater to tourists too hungry to look elsewhere for a better, cheaper meal, which means they are often overpriced and not very good. Walk a few more blocks and you’ll likely find something better and cheaper. Your table won’t necessarily have a view of a major sight, but your money will go much further.

How to save money on cruises

53. talk to a travel agent..

‍ Cruises are one area where doing it yourself isn’t always the best course. Travel agents can help you save money or get you extras (like onboard credit or room upgrades) not available to those booking individually. 

54. Be a repeat cruiser.

When it comes to cruises, loyalty pays. On your second (third, ninth, etc.) cruise with the same line, you’ll likely get rewarded with onboard credits, discounts, or other perks.

55. Book early...or very late.

‍ Booking very early sometimes means a better chance of getting a few extra goodies thrown in, while booking closer to departure can sometimes mean deep discounts on cruises that are typically more expensive. For example, Galapagos and Antarctica cruises booked at the last-minute (typically in-person in a tour office at the departure location) can be half off the regular rate.

How to save money on travel activities

56. Get a City Pass.

Many tourist destinations have passes that visitors can buy. These typically offer discounted (or even free) entry to a variety of the most popular attractions, as well as many lesser-known sights. If your itinerary includes lots of stops that are covered by a pass, you’ll likely save money by purchasing a pass instead of buying individual attraction tickets. Bonus: Some passes also have a public transportation discount.

57. Take a commuter tour.

Any city on the water is bound to have some version of a sightseeing cruise for visitors. But it’s also likely that there are commuter vessels serving the same routes without the high price tag. For instance, New York’s Staten Island Ferry—principally meant for Staten Island residents who commute to work in Manhattan—offers views of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, just like the tourist cruises do. The difference? The Staten Island Ferry is free.

58. Look for free/reduced museum admission.

Some museums have one day a week or month when admission is free or greatly reduced. In some cases, free entry may be at certain times (like free admission for the last hour a museum is open). Yes, this usually means the museum will be more crowded, but that may be worth it for the overall savings.

59. Get a student (or senior) discount.

When you see a ticket price advertised for a museum or attraction, don’t forget to read the fine print. There is often a discounted admission fee for students and seniors.

60. Look for free tours.

Popular tourist destinations typically have a plethora of tour companies to choose from. In order to entice travelers, some offer free guided tours of certain sights (to advertise for their other tours). Keep in mind that even though the tour is free, it’s always a good idea to tip your guide if you enjoyed the tour.

61. Check the local paper for free classes, free activities, festivals and free events.

Every community has a busy calendar of activities going on year-round. The fact that most of these activities are intended for local residents doesn’t mean tourists can’t enjoy them, too.

62. Shop in flea markets for souvenirs.

When a trinket is designed to be a souvenir and not meant to be marketed to residents, chances are good it’ll cost more. Skip the usual souvenir shops and browse a local flea market or outdoor market—somewhere the locals also shop—and you might just find a budget-friendly treasure.

How to save money on how you handle your money 

63. get a credit/debit card that doesn't charge for foreign transactions..

Not all credit cards are created equally. There are some that don’t add a foreign transaction charge every single time you use the card outside your home country—and those can really add up. It’s worth finding out what each transaction would cost you (either with your credit card or your bank’s debit card) before you sign on the dotted line for new plastic.

64. Get a tax refunds on shopping when/where applicable.

Some countries offer tax refunds to visitors on purchases over a certain amount they make while traveling. The idea is that non-residents can’t benefit from anything those taxes might pay for, so the government will reimburse them. The Value-Added Tax (VAT) in the European Union is probably the best-known example of this. If you plan to do a lot of shopping in Europe, be sure to learn about getting a VAT Refund—because you need to file the paperwork before you leave Europe.

65. Make fewer withdrawals of larger sums on international bank machines.

If your bank charges a flat transaction fee for every withdrawal, then your best bet is to limit the number of withdrawals you’re making. In other words, rather than withdrawing small amounts of currency every time you need it, try to withdraw money only once or twice during your whole trip—and take out larger sums each time. Stash the excess cash safely, in a hotel safe or a money belt. Charles Schwab debit cards don’t charge fees—and will reimburse your account for any fees charged by international banks. 

How to save money on communication when traveling 

66. Get a local SIM card for your phone.

Anyone who has an unlocked phone can pick up a local SIM card on the cheap no matter where you travel. Having a local SIM card means you have a local phone number (handy if you need to make lots of calls to in-country numbers) and pay the same rates that residents do.

67. Get T-Mobile or Google Fi.

If you’re a US resident who likes to travel and you’re in the market for a new cell phone carrier, look into T-Mobile’s Magenta plan or check out Google Fit, which offers unlimited data with no data roaming charges or fees for international use. 

68. Keep your phone in airplane mode and use WiFi only.

If you can’t get a local SIM card and you don’t have T-Mobile or Google Fi, your best money-saving bet with your phone is to keep it in airplane mode for the whole trip with the WiFi on. This way, you’ll still be able to log into free WiFi networks anywhere you are and you won’t get hit with an unexpectedly enormous phone bill when you get home. If you want a more guaranteed connection, you can rent a mobile WiFi hotspot; prices vary but can be as low as $5 per day. 

69. Download Google Maps to use offline.

Google Maps makes navigating an unfamiliar place much easier, but it also eats a lot of data. Before you leave a free WiFi connection, download a Google Map to your phone so you can use it offline. Note that you won’t have the helpful blue dot to track where you’re going, but you’ll have the benefits of a street map without needing to fuss with a big paper version.

General travel tips to travel cheaply

70. travel in the off season..

Peak season trips are popular for a reason (usually weather), but they also cost more. Traveling during the off season may mean you need to pack more rain gear or warmer layers, but that might be an acceptable trade-off for lower prices and smaller crowds. And if the off season isn’t ideal for your trip, consider the shoulder season.

71. Go where the deals are.

Choosing your next vacation destination based on finding a killer deal can also add a bit of spontaneous fun to travel planning. You can browse Google’s Explore map (see tip number three) or become a Going member to get fantastic airfare deals delivered right to your inbox.

72. Browse coupon sites for your destination.

You might already have an account with Groupon or  Living Social, but chances are good you’re only looking at coupons for where you live. Switch your location to the place you’re visiting to see discounts and special offers for activities, meals, and more in your vacation destination. These sites also have travel-specific deals, too, like weekend getaways or package deals.

73. Make a budget.

We know, making a budget isn’t the most fun activity. And yet there’s a reason so many financial experts tell us to do it—because it works. Whether you’re someone who makes budgets regularly or not, making one for an upcoming trip can be a huge help in figuring out how much the trip will cost (and, sometimes, where you can cut costs). Having a budget gives you the chance to save up before you leave, too, instead of paying off the debts when you get back.

74. Get a credit card that gives you travel extras.

Airline-specific credit cards typically have extra benefits that might otherwise cost you money. For instance, you might get a free pass to an airport lounge, a free checked bag, or reimbursement of your Global Entry application fee.

75. Play the points game.

Savvy travelers can reap the rewards of earning points, but it does sometimes require a bit of juggling. Some cards offer signup bonuses (if you spend a certain amount within a set time frame), but they often charge a larger annual fee. Earning points for purchases is also fantastic (and easy), but if you don’t pay off your credit card every month the interest you’ll pay on the balance may wipe out any savings you’d get from the travel points. In other words, there’s much to be gained by playing the points or miles game—as long as you’re reading the fine print and paying attention.

Like saving money? Us too. That's why we search thousands of flights every day and alert our members to the best deals departing from their airports. Join Going and save $550 per ticket on average.

Founder & Chief Flight Expert

Published September 19, 2023

Last updated December 21, 2023

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How to Save Money for Travel: A Step by Step Plan

It’s no secret that travel costs money, but it doesn’t need to cost a fortune. It’s easier and cheaper than ever before to travel long term. But still, learning how to save money for travel can be a challenge at first.

How long it will take will depend on the length of your trip, your style of travel and most importantly, how effective you are at actually saving your hard-earned cash. If travel really is something you want though, then saving for it becomes much, much easier!

We have a guru level of experience when it comes to saving money for travel, and to help you to realize your dream trip abroad, here are our top tips and tricks to get you on the road faster.

How to Save Money for Travel: Step by Step

Table of Contents

Make a Plan

First things first, you must make a plan. Without a plan, you’re just going through the rest of the motions aimlessly. You might have a vague idea that you want to travel or that you’d like to spend a few months in Europe or perhaps fly to South America to learn Spanish. 

But without concrete aims and goals, it’s much more difficult to save. Sit yourself down, decide where it is that you want to go and make a plan detailing how long you want to be away. Of course, plans can change, but without a plan in the first instance, you won’t be going anywhere.

One big tip I can offer here, create a shortlist of your most wanted destinations. Make that list to have at least three places, a maximum of five. Once you have this set, think about the time of year you want to travel. 

You’ll find that, through a process of elimination with your research, you’ll be left with only a couple of places that will work for the time of year you are planning to travel. 

Make a Budget 

Once you know where you want to go, you can start getting more detailed with your planning. Now it’s time to make a budget for the trip of your lifetime. When it’s about how to save money for travel, this is one of the most important aspects of the process.

When you’re setting your budget, it is very important that you include every possible expense that you’ll need to be covered for your trip. Break everything down from flights and visas to rough allowances for hotels, hostels, tours, food and even drinks. 

Do not forget to include transportation. Surprisingly, this is a big one and plenty of people have shown up in a place only to have the extra expense of taxi, train, metro that they forgot to factor into their budget.

Once you know how much you are actually going to need, you have a target and you have a tangible figure to strive for. I recommend going through this process for each one of the destinations that you are considering. 

Truth be told, no destination will cost the same and it is possible that one of your shortlist destinations is just too far out of budget for you on this go around. This is why I recommend having a couple of most wanted places and then factoring budget for all of them. 

Then all you need to decide is which ones fit your desire and budget. 

Work Out Your Income and Expenditures

Working out your income and day to day expenditure may seem like an obvious step when you are figuring out how to save money for travel, but often it’s overlooked.  These things provide the base for reaching your goals of saving money to travel.

As part of the saving process, you might factor in your salary and big expenditures such as student loans or your rent, but you need to be much more detailed to get on the road faster. 

Track your other recurring expenses, be it a Netflix subscription, your phone bill or your grocery shopping. But also give yourself a budget for other expenses such as trips to the cinema or nights out with friends. If you know what you are spending, you know where you can cut back to save money.

It can be an interesting experience to really dial in how much you spend and on what each month. Once you know this, it can be a powerful tool for tweaking your spending and increasing your savings. 

Set a Deadline 

With your budgets and plans worked out, you now need to set a deadline. This is the best way to get yourself motivated for travel because without a physical deadline you might just keep delaying the trip indefinitely. 

Write down a date, but be realistic, of course. Make sure you can actually hit your savings target by that date and best of all, give yourself a reason to save. The best way to do this is to book your flight ahead of time, then you really have to work and learn how to save money for travel!

Evaluate Your Outgoings and Lifestyle 

When you are at home, it’s easy to get stuck in the ease of convenience. To help you to save money for your travel plans, it’s a good idea to evaluate your expenditures and lifestyle. 

Do you really need to eat out all the time? Cooking at home more will help you to save on expensive dinners or taking a packed lunch to work will cut down expensive costs every day.

Saving money can be as simple as buying fewer drinks at the bar or staying in more often. It might not be as much fun in the short term, but you won’t regret it when you’re on the beach in Mexico drinking Margaritas.

Downsize 

If travel is your goal, then once you’ve re-evaluated your expenditures, it shouldn’t be too hard to find ways to cut down on spending. With the motivation there and tour travels on the horizon, it’s time to downsize.

Cut down on the nights out, get rid of pricey subscriptions or move into a cheaper apartment. It might be hard at first, but it’s worth it in the long run! Remember, you don’t have to give things up forever. 

Saving money for travel is all about rearranging your priorities. Do you want to take that dream trip or watch NetFlix after work? 

Sell Your Stuff 

You’ll be surprised how much stuff you actually have when it’s time to pack up and start getting ready to travel.  When you’re on the road, you might only need a backpack , so what happens to all the belongings you leave behind? 

When you’re preparing for your trip, you might want to consider this well in advance, because as you go through all those possessions you might just find that there are a lot of things that you don’t have much use for anymore. 

Be harsh on yourself too. When are you going to watch those DVDs again? How many times have you actually used those weights? What you don’t need though, someone else might be looking for. Don’t just chuck stuff away, but try and sell it to raise some extra cash for your travels.

We were able to fund two consecutive years of travel around the world by selling things in our lives that had no purpose. When you look closely, it is amazing how much stuff you have laying around the house that serves to real purpose in your life. 

I highly recommend utilizing platforms like Craigslist, eBay and Facebook Marketplace to purge the excess to help fund your travels. You won’t miss any of it, I promise. 

Open Separate Savings Accounts 

A great way to keep on track when it comes to how to save money for travel is to open a separate savings account with your bank.  You can even call it ‘Travel Funds’ or ‘Dream Trip Savings’, or whatever motivates you to keep adding into it. 

You keep your travel savings separate from other savings and accounts, and if you have a regular salary, you can even set up a direct debit that feeds directly into your savings account each month so you don’t even have to see the money you are stashing away! 

This is a super-effective step to saving money for travel. You’ll be able to watch the balance grow, which in itself is motivating. This is a key step in the money-saving process that has enabled us to travel far and wide. 

Track Your Finances Using Apps

There’s no reason not to make use of technology these days and there are some excellent apps out there that can help you track your income, your expenditures, and your finances in one place. 

You can track how much you spend at the click of a button and you can see how much you’ve saved. Apps help you to know if you’re on track or not. Many apps can feed directly into multiple accounts, making things easier if you have finances spread all over the place.

Mint and Pocketguard are two of the most popular personal budgeting apps available. I’ve also used Quickbooks free version and Wave.

Use Banking Apps to Save 

Likewise, you can also use many banking apps to physically save money too. With many card providers, Revolut for example, you have the option to round up your spending to the nearest whole number. 

That means that when you buy a coffee for 3.50, you automatically have 50 cents put away into a savings account. It might not seem like much, but over a year, those round-ups add up! 

Work Overtime 

You might be quitting your job to travel, but in the short term, you’ll have to stick at it to make the money.  If you can, work overtime to save up faster. I know, I know, the though of overtime makes you look like the photo above… at least it does for me!

You’ll be working longer hours and working more in the short term of course, but keep your eyes on the goal ahead. Work hard, but get out on the road quicker, and just see the overtime as an inevitable means to an end. 

The biggest rule of all-around overtime though is to make sure you put every single penny of the money earned into your travel bank account. Otherwise, why are you killing yourself for those extra hours?

Get a Side Hustle 

As well as selling all your stuff to travel the world, another excellent tip when it comes to how to save money for travel is getting a side hustle. 

If you can’t get any more overtime hours, or if you’re job doesn’t allow it, or if you simply can’t spend any more of your time working the same role, then consider getting another job. 

You might want to start freelancing in your spare time to save some extra cash, or you might have other skills you can put to good use in a part-time capacity.

You could even just spend your evenings or weekends working in bars or cafes. There are endless opportunities out there, you just have to be prepared to find those opportunities.

Keep Inspired and Motivated 

But perhaps the most important thing of all when it comes to learning how to save money for travel is to learn how to keep inspired and motivated.  Read travel blogs (like this one!), watch Youtube videos , read travel books and watch documentaries while you’re stuck at home saving. 

There’s nothing worse than losing sight of the goal at the end and you need to keep inspired. Book your flight in advance and work hard to hit your savings target. Before you know it you’ll be flying off around the world.

More on Travel Planning:

• How to Plan A Trip: Step by Step Guide
• Airbnb Coupon Code: Up to $100 in Free Promos & Discounts
• 10 Killer Tips on How to Find Cheap Flights
• 11 Easy Tips on How to Find Cheap Accommodation
• How to Get Over Jet Lag (Advice from 15 Years of Travel)
• How to Get Free Plane Tickets
• 5 Ways to Survive that Long Layover
• Your Guide For Doing Laundry While Traveling
• 5 Good Reasons to Use a Vacation Planner
• Is Travel Insurance Worth It?
• 10 Reasons to Have Annual Travel Insurance
• How to Choose the Best Travel Insurance Policy
• Travel Insurance for Europe Vacation: Do I Need It?

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Travel planning resources, about lina stock.

Lina is an award-winning photographer and writer that has been exploring the world since 2001. She has traveled to 100 countries on all 7 continents. Member: SATW, NATJA, ATTA, ITWA

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How to Save Money for Travel: 99 Actionable Tips and Strategies

Last Updated: March 30, 2021

*FYI - this post may contain affiliate links, which means we earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you purchase from them. Also, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Check out our Privacy Policy and Disclosure. for more info.

Wondering how to save money for travel, and not sure where to start?

Here’s the truth: saving your hard-earned dollars for that dream trip isn’t easy.

It takes a lot of sacrifice, dedication and hard work, but trust me – when you’re soaking up the sun on an exotic beach in paradise, it’ll all be worth it.

With that in mind, I’ve created a mega resource to help you out: a beastly list of 99 ways you can save money to travel the world, with plenty of helpful links to send you in the right direction.

With these actionable baby steps, you can easily start racking up that cash in no time!

Save these tips on how to save money for travel for later!

Once you start saving for a trip, you’ll be very glad you did.

General tips on saving money For Travel

There are many ways to save money for a trip, so let’s go over some basic ones. If you’re not sure how to save money for travel, here are some solid, actionable ways to start.

1. Set savings goals

Set weekly or monthly savings goals to keep yourself on track!

Having these goals in mind will help you veer away from temptation, and it’ll give you boosts of motivation when you hit your targets.

2. Actually budget

Even a basic budget (e.g. only spending x amount of money on food that week) can help you spend your money more wisely.

Further reading: How to Make a Travel Fund and Budget

3. … And track your expenses while you’re at it

It’s scary how easily we can lose track of how much we’re spending.

Take note of each dime you spend and you’ll be better able to locate where all your money is going, and adjust accordingly.

There’s a lot of free apps out there for this purpose, which makes tracking a breeze.

Further reading: 12 free apps to track your spending

4. Set up a travel account and automatically send money into it

This way, the savings are automatic and you’re not even thinking about other options for how to spend that money.

5. Get a travel credit card

Having a good travel credit card can mean racking up airmiles and rewards while spending what you’d be spending anyway!

Be sure to shop around and see if there are airline or hotel credit cards available for brands you love.

For instance, fans of the Marriott brand are able to reap up plenty of sweet perks like free stays through using a  Marriott Rewards card. Not a bad deal!

Further reading: How to pick a travel credit card

6. Dump your tips and loose change into a piggy bank

You might laugh at this one, but I once paid for an entire weekend in Las Vegas with a piggy bank crammed with coins and 5 dollar bills.

Back in my unglamorous Starbucks barista days, the tips were rather… dire. 

BUT, after 1.5 years foaming up cappucinos, I had enough for a trip in Vegas! It all adds up.

7. Become resistant to peer-pressure!

“Come on, just one drink” are the most dangerous words ever uttered!

It’s easy to get peer pressured into spending, whether it’s an innocent “but that top looks amazing on you” or guilting you into coming out for a concert.

That’s why it’s important to always have the big picture in mind, and not give into pressure from your peers.

Another thing that can help is being open and honest with the people in your life about your budget/what you’re saving up for. That way they’ll be less pushy and hopefully more understanding.

8. Get someone to hold you accountable, or someone who wants to save with you

Whether it’s a friend, family member or significant other, having someone there to police your habits can make a huge difference in you sticking to your saving plan.

Even better, grab a friend who has similar goals and you can support each other through the process.

9. Try vacation rentals instead of a hotel room

Vacation rentals can  save a lot of money  if you travel with a group. Rentals are already usually priced lower than hotel rooms, and they usually don’t charge any additional fees for extra people.

This means you can share a nicely spaced apartment or home with friends, and cut a lot of costs.

How to make a little extra Money for Travel

Now that we’ve covered some basics on how to save money to travel, now let’s discuss how to earn some extra money for travel. It’s possible to travel with little money, but there are some fun and easy waves to save for travel that involve actually racking up more funds. Here are some.

9. Earn free online gift cards with Swagbucks.

When I first discovered Swagbucks, I almost cried.

Essentially, it’s a free online community that rewards its members with gift cards for doing things they already do online, e.g. Googling (no joke), watching videos, doing surveys and more.

Through doing certain tasks, you rack up “Swagbucks” which you can redeem for things like Amazon gift cards.

I was super into this years ago, and have earned tons of free gift cards from it. It’s easy work but adds up to awesome rewards! You can create a free account here.

10. Sell your stuff

Whether it’s at a garage sale or through Facebook, getting rid of things you no longer use can add up to tons of $$$ (and it helps you declutter too!)

Further reading: How to make money selling your old stuff

11. Take up some extra side gigs

Tutoring, dog walking, freelancing – you name it, there’s many ways to pick up some extra work. Why not put that income directly into funding for your travels?

Check out my post on freelance travel writing jobs hiring right now if you’re interested in pursuing travel content creation!

12. Rent out any spare space you have, or AirBNB when you’re out of town

If you haven’t signed up for AirBNB,   click here to get $40 CAD in travel credit when you sign up today!

Saving money on food & drink

No list of ways to save money would be complete without addressing some of our favourite vices and money suckers.

Here are some ideas on how to save up for travel by cutting costs on food and drink.

13. Cut down on the boozy nights out

My boyfriend and I share expenses when it comes to groceries and dining out.

We each put equal amounts into a ‘food fund’ and just dip into that whenever the need arises, because it’s just simpler that way.

One time, we looked down at our food fund and said “so… we can either get groceries for a week… or go out to the bar for one night.”

This statement is sadly very accurate!

Going out is expensive, alcohol is expensive, and if saving money for travel is your goal, then cutting down on these nights out is a great way to do that.

14. If you must though, predrink

Ah, predrinking, pre-gaming, whatever you call it – it was once uni-me’s best friend, but hey, it can still be yours too! 

If you don’t want to be a complete social recluse, then consider having a few drinks with friends at home before heading out for the night.

The predrink is usually my favourite part of the night anyways – you can actually hear each other and interact!

15. Better yet, host a boozy night in

As a 20-something, I understand how alcohol can be a… pretty important part of one’s social calendar.

That said, a great alternative to hitting up yet another bar or club is simply having friends over for a few drinks. This can easily cut your booze spending in half.

Further reading: 11 easy cocktails to make at home

16. Buy groceries and cook your own meals, rather than eat out all the time

Since moving to Munich, I’ve been cooking 95% of my meals (the food scene here isn’t quite the same as in Vancouver!) and I am absolutely shocked at how much money I’m saving.

If dining out frequently is a hobby of yours, definitely look into how you can reduce your meals out in favour of a much cheaper meal at home.

17. Learn the art of the bulk cook

Bulk cooks have changed my life.

Usually what I’ll do is I’ll create building blocks for meals at the start of the week and then Frankenstein them into whatever I’m feeling for.

Roasting a large pan of veggies and chicken breast for example can help you create salads, stir fries, pastas, you name it throughout the week. It’s all about minimizing the work for yourself so you’re not tempted to order food.

Cooking takes a lot of time and preparation, but if you’re able to set aside a few hours one day of the week to make huge batches of food, then you’ll have lunch and dinner set for the week, which makes it really easy to…

18. Bring lunch to school/work

We’re all guilty of just buying lunch because it’s more convenient, but these daily lunches can add up quickly. Bringing your own lunch from home is not just cheaper, but better for you.

Further reading: Batch cooking 101

Saving money on shopping

Wondering how to save for a big trip? The answer is cutting costs in all aspects of your life, including shopping! So, here are some ways to save for a travel fund that involve cheaper shopping habits.

19. Grocery shop somewhere cheaper

I once knew a girl who complained constantly about being broke, yet did all her grocery shopping at Whole Foods.

There’s no shame in shopping at budget grocery stores like Aldi or Lidl! If you cook often, this one switch alone will save you tons of cash.

20. Plan your grocery shopping/meals around what’s on sale

You know those annoying flyers you usually get with your local paper?

Browse those in advance of your shopping trip (or look online) so you know what’s on sale, and create that week’s menu accordingly.

21. Buy what’s in season/available locally

In-season fruits and veggies will be cheaper than those that are out of season.

This doesn’t have to get repetitive and boring!

Rather, look at it as an opportunity to expand your culinary horizons and get inventive with new recipes.

22. Buy items in bulk

If you’ve got space, consider buying staple items like spices, rice, pasta, etc. in bulk to save 1) time and 2) precious moola.

Further reading: The ultimate guide to buying in bulk

23. Buy store brand

Oh brands – they control our lives in so many ways.

Here’s the truth though – there’s often little difference between buying generic store brand vs. big brand names. The savings though can amount to a whole lot.

24. Make coupons your best friend

I wish I had the patience and craftiness of an extreme couponer, but sadly I lack that kind of organization.

Still, you don’t have to be an extreme couponer to reap the rewards of coupons! It’s easy to find discount codes for just about anything these days (even online shops), plus physical coupons are often available at the store.

A simple trick is to Google “store + coupon (or discount code)” before you go shopping. You never know!

Further reading: Where can I find coupons?

25. For things other than groceries, buy out of season

For instance: jackets in the summer, sunglasses in the winter… look out for end-of-season sales as well.

26. Learn the art of thrifting

You don’t necessarily need to buy brand new when you’re looking to refresh your wardrobe!

Look into getting new items from second hand shops, flea markets or even off Facebook groups.

Often, the items will be unworn with the tags still on, except at a fraction of the cost!

27. If you must shop, wait for big sales

Most things eventually go on sale.

While it’s tempting to grab that pretty new dress as soon as you see it, you could probably get it for half price in a month or so. Patience is key!

For bigger ticket items (like TVs and other electronics), keep your eye out for big annual sales like Black Friday or Boxing Day.

28. Bookworms, take advantage of the library

I love a good book, but there’s no denying that they’re pricey. Instead of buying new books, why not make some trips to the local library?

29. … or buy used books instead

Used book shops are another awesome, cheap alternative… plus they’re so much more fun to browse!

30. Avoid impulse buys

Spot a gorgeous pair of shoes that you just need  to have? 

Exercise that self control and wait. If you are still dying to have those shoes over a week later, then you’ll be more certain that you genuinely want them.

31. Shop online

A lot of things can be bought cheaper online through Amazon, eBay and a bunch of other websites.

Shop around online for a bit before committing to a purchase in-person – you could save loads!

Further reading: 7 items that are (often) cheaper to buy online

Saving money on fun Activities

A lot of advice on how to save money for travel involves cutting out fun things, but that doesn’t mean you have to axe fun from your life completely. Here are some ideas on how to save money for travel that involve finding alternatives to usual “fun” activities.

This might not be fun to think about, but remember, save and travel. That’s the motivation!

32. Propose cost-effective hangouts with your friends

When my friends want to see each other, for some reason we always default to expensive activities like going out or grabbing food at a restaurant.

Why not propose cheaper activities like a walk in the park, playing sports somewhere outdoors, etc?

33. Invite friends over for dinner in lieu of another meal out

On that note, try hosting dinner parties instead of visiting yet another restaurant. Potlucks are super easy to organize, and plenty of fun too.

34. If you must eat out, go for lunch rather than dinner

Sometimes, you’ll be dying to check out that hip new restaurant, but hey, remember that lunch is usually cheaper than dinner, so if you’re gonna come give it a try, do it then.

35. Enjoy movies at home, rather than at the theatre

Movie bingeathons at home are the best.

There’s no million dollar popcorn to buy, no annoying chatterboxes kicking the back of your seat… Plus, you won’t be spending $10+ on a ticket.

36. For fun activities, go when it’s cheaper

Be more strategic about your fun! If you’re indulging in drinks, do so at Happy Hour… or say, if it’s Margarita Monday, have a cheap margarita rather than a glass of wine.

Really need to catch that new Star Wars movie (can’t blame you!)? Then go for a cheaper matinee showing or on a cheap discount day if your local cinema has them.

37. Look on Groupon and other discount sites for fun things to do

Sites like Groupon often offer super cool activities for a fraction of the cost.

Be careful though – don’t fall for the trap of just buying a bunch of Groupons ‘because they’re cheaper than normal’.

You might be spending extra because you wouldn’t have gone for that experience without the deal.

38. Take advantage of free events happening in your community

Festivals, markets, you name it – there’s always awesome, free things that are happening where you live, so take advantage of those to have some fun without breaking the bank.

Saving money on your lifestyle

One of the most basic ways to start saving for travel is making small adjustments to your lifestyle. Remember little changes add up over time so here are some ways to save money for travel that involve altering your lifestyle.

39. Downgrade that phone plan

Phone plans and data especially can be super pricey.

Pick a cheaper phone plan and instead rely more on public WiFi (or you know, disconnect a bit and enjoy life without being glued to your phone).

40. Ditch cable

Why not make use of services like Netflix instead? After all, you don’t need cable to enjoy the best travel movies out there.

41. Walk places when you’re able to

Bonus perks of this money saving tip? Mega-toned legs.

42. Cut out the takeaway coffee

Those $2 coffees and $5 cappuccinos add up to tons of money that you could be spending on your dream holiday.

43. Exercise outside or at home instead of at the gym

Gym memberships are great, but there is plenty of exercise that you can do outside of a gym to keep you fit.

Further reading: 15 workouts you can easily do at home

44. DIY gifts

Some of the best gifts come from the heart! Here are some awesome articles to get you started on easy, cheap and thoughtful DIY gifts:

• 50 DIY Gift Ideas
• 25 handmade gifts under $25
• 15 DIY gifts under $15

45. Embrace freebies

It’s crazy how much stuff you’re able to get for free.

Besides samples from marketers/promoters, there are actually some people who have had success by writing to companies and simply asking for free things. No joke!

This awesome article by Tough Nickel shows how it’s possible to get scores of free products by writing letters to companies.

46. Cancel your magazine subscriptions

Read blogs and online magazines instead!

47. Cut down on utilities use

Shorter showers, turning off the lights, you name it!

These little sacrifices mean you’re just that much closer to that dream trip.

Further reading: 41 super easy ways to lower your electric bill

48. Give up bad habits like smoking

Smoking, gambling, etc. – not only are these habits expensive to support, they’re not particularly good for you either!

49. Split subscriptions with friends/roommates

My boyfriend and I paid double for 2 Amazon Prime subscriptions for years before we realized we could have just been using one account between the two of us.

Think about common subscriptions that you and your friends use (e.g. Spotify, Netflix, YouTube Premium, etc.) and strategize how you might be able to split costs with them.

50. Sign up for rewards programs

All kinds of stores these days offer rewards programs for your loyalty and spending.

The key here is to only sign up for programs at places you would be shopping anyway, so that you’re not spending extra money just to reap up points or rewards.

Further reading: Can store loyalty programs save you money?

51. Car pool more often

Gas and taxi costs add up quickly!

52. Be strategic in your birthday/holiday requests

Instead of gifts for your birthday or for the holidays, ask for money or travel-related things you can use on your next trip.

53. Resist the temptation to upgrade your tech

Haven’t you noticed? Anytime there’s new tech products released, the things that you own will inevitably feel outdated/crappy even though they still work fine.

I know I’m guilty of always wanting the latest iPhone, but big tech purchases are so expensive (and unnecessary if what you have still works fine).

54. Say bye to your landline

You always have your mobile on you anyways!

55. Make little changes to your diet, like Meatless Mondays

This tip depends on where you live, but try to identify products that are generally more expensive (e.g. meat) and reduce them in your diet, even once or twice a week.

56. Practice DIY beauty

It’s nice to be pampered every once in a while, but spa treatments, waxing appointments, etc. all amount to a lot of money spent on things you could do on your own.

57. Look into makeup dupes

While I’m not super into makeup, I know enough to realize how freaking expensive it can be!!

The thing with high end makeup is that yes, you usually get what you pay for, but at the same time, there’s a lot of dupes out there that give you the same results for much less.

Check out this post about insanely good makeup dupes to get you started.

58. Paint your own nails

Going to a nail salon is a real luxury, but you can easily pamper yourself at home too.

Check out this post on 7 Steps to a DIY Manicure and Pedicure at Home.

59. Move back home

This is a big one, and comes at the cost of your independence (and potentially, your sanity).

That said, if you’re saving up for a really big trip and you’re due to move away in a few months anyway, there’s no shame in moving back with your parents for a month or two.

Not only do you save huge on things like rent, utilities and possibly food, it gives you a chance to reconnect with family.

Money-saving tips to Help Save Money On Travel

Alright, we’ve covered plenty of tips on how to save money for travel, but what about how to save money on travel? Here are some money saving travel tips that you need to take advantage of.

60. Plan your travels in advance

I’ve written extensively about travel hacks and tips , but honestly, some of the best money saving travel tips are the most obvious ones.

For instance, flights and hotel bookings are usually cheaper if you book well in advance.

This is also a less risky way to assure you get a good deal. I love websites like Expedia and Priceline for finding deals.

If however, you have more flexibility in your plans, then you can…

61. Look into last minute deals

This is an awesome post featuring the best sites for booking last minute travel .

62. Find cheap flight deals online

I’ve already written a lot about how to find cheap flights to Europe , but in case you’re travelling to other destinations, here are some general tips.

First off – get to know the tools at your disposal for saving money to travel the world. You can use search engines like Skyscanner to browse around and look at cheap options for flights.

Otherwise, there are also plenty of websites that do the leg work for you and post when there’s exceptional deals.

My personal favourite is Secret Flying.

Further reading: Do a cheap flight search like a pro

63. Travel during the off-season

Cheaper and less crowds – travelling in the off-season is one the best ways to save money when travelling.

64. Travel to where the exchange rate is in your favour.

All the little bits can add up.

Likewise, you should also…

65. Orient your travel plans around where your money will go furthest

Travelling to cheaper countries means you’ll be able to travel longer, and also indulge in more cool experiences and delicious food while you’re at it.

Further reading: Top 12 cheapest travel destinations

66. Harness the power of your connections to save $$ on accommodations

I’m not saying you should call up your ex-boyfriend’s cousin’s butcher to ask for a free couch to sleep on, but if you do happen to know friends in the place you’re staying, don’t hesitate to connect and see if there’s potential for them to host you.

You save bundles this way, and you get an awesome local guide to show you the sights. Important: Don’t forget to buy a small gift or something as a token of appreciation!

67. Stay in hostels/AirBNBs rather than hotels, or better yet – volunteer/work at a hostel in exchange for free accommodations

Hostels are cost-effective, yes but I also love them because of their social atmosphere, ideal for solo travellers.

Contrary to popular belief, hostels  can  be comfortable, clean and awesome… you just need to know how to sort the good from the bad.

Be sure to check out my guide on how to book the perfect hostel for more.

Where to find good hostels:

Europe’s Famous Hostels:   an association of hostels in Europe whose members must adhere to high standards of quality in facilities and location. Each city only has one ‘famous hostel’, so this makes it rather easy to find a good quality hostel with a solid reputation.

Hostelworld :  A   great resource for looking up hostels all over the world, though it does involve some work to ensure that you pick a good one. Be sure to sort by rating, look at lots of reviews and cross-reference reviews with other sites like TripAdvisor as well just to make sure you’re sure about the place you’re booking!

The Hostel Girl:   An awesome blog with tons of resources on hostel life/budget travel.

As for finding work at a hostel, this isn’t actually as complicated as most people think – often times you can check into a hostel and ask if they are accepting volunteers to work/clean in exchange for a free bed.

If this kind of uncertainty isn’t your thing, email a bunch of different hostels before your arrival to see if they are hiring.

If hostels aren’t your thing, AirBNBs are an awesome alternative to hotels and are not just cheaper, but let you live more like a local! Here is a first timer’s guide to AirBNB if you’re new to it.

Click here for a $40 CAD discount on your first AirBNB experience.

Further reading: 5 steps to a 5* AirBNB Experience

68. Try Couchsurfing

I personally haven’t tried it yet, but many travellers I’ve met swear by this online network, where you stay with a local free of charge.

Most of the time, your host also doubles as an awesome person who can show you around, so it’s a win-win.

If it’s your first time and you’re worried about safety, perhaps try it first with a friend, and always make sure to check reviews and references… For the most part though, I’ve heard nothing but amazing things.

Further reading: The Ultimate Guide to Couchsurfing

69. Fly carry-on only

Packing light is always a good idea, plus you avoid checked bag fees, save time at the airport and are no longer at risk of your bag getting lost.

Further reading: Carry-on only – travel in 11 pounds

70. Get to know budget airlines

They’re not necessarily the most luxurious, but it is absolutely mindblowing sometimes how cheap you can fly with these companies!

In Europe for instance, RyanAir and Wizz Air can often get you places cheaper than a bus. Not sure where to start with budget airlines? Budget Airline Guide is a great resource.

71. Slow down and explore fewer places with your time

We often try to maximize our time abroad by hopping from destination to destination, but doing so is not only exhausting, you’re spending extra to get from place to place.

Rather than spend only a day or two in a city, try staying for longer.

This not only saves you transport costs, but makes for a more enjoyable experience overall.

72. Get free apps to communicate with people from home

Gone are the days when you need to pay for international plans and roaming!

There are a lot of helpful travel apps out there these days, even ones that cost absolutely nothing.

So, before you go, make sure you download some free apps like Whatsapp, Messenger and Viber to keep everyone at home in the loop while you’re gone.

Further reading: Top 10 apps to stay in touch while abroad

73. Skip the car rental

Cars are expensive, and parking is too.

Plus, there are loads of hidden costs associated with rental cars too.

So, unless you’re doing a big road trip, or travelling to a spot where public transit isn’t ideal, then forgo the rental car and opt for cheaper public transit instead.

74. Opt for free walking tours, rather than paid guided tours

Free walking tours are my absolute favourite. Usually the guides are fantastic, because they ask you to pay at the end what you thought the tour was worth.

This means you’re able to contribute within your means.

Important: don’t just tag along for the ride and skimp out without giving anything at all. These guys work really hard, and running away is just uncool.

If you’re travelling in Europe, Sandeman’s New Europe tours have been consistently awesome in my books!

75. Learn how to do your own laundry while on the road

It’s surprisingly easy and a lot more convenient than trying to track down a laundromat.

Further reading: How to do laundry when traveling

76. Take advantage of the sharing economy

The traveler’s community is an incredible one that values sharing and reciprocation.

There are a lot of incredible websites out there that connect people to share meals, rides, accommodations and more to cut costs!

Take advantage of this to not only save money, but meet awesome new people.

Further reading: The ultimate list of sharing economy services for travel

77. Don’t spend money on maps – rely on offline maps for your phone instead

Google Maps has free ‘save for offline’ options and I’m also a big fan of Maps.me, a free app that lets you download maps of locations all around the world.

Super handy for me because I get lost so often!

78. Catch public transit, rather than using taxis

This is a better way to immerse yourself in local culture as well.

79. Better yet, walk when you’re able

Walking is 100% my favourite way to explore a new place, plus you’re able to get off the beaten path and wander wherever your heart fancies, which is pretty wonderful.

I mean my blog is called “Happy to Wander” for a reason!

80. Look into ridesharing

Sites like Kangaride (Canada & US), BlaBaCar (Europe, India, South America) and HitchPlanet  allow you to carpool to different locations and split the cost of gas.

This is usually cheaper than buses or trains, and you can meet new people along the way.

81. Give night buses/trains a try

Night buses or trains are definitely one of the cheapest ways to travel around Europe (and beyond).

Sure it’s not super comfortable, but you save on a night of accommodations and the fares themselves are often cheaper.

I’ve tried a handful in the past via Flixbus , and while I’ve definitely had better nights sleep, the money saved was worth it at the time.

82. Don’t get duped by exchange places

Exchanging your money to the local currency usually comes at a cost, but if you don’t do your research, you could get duped by unfavourable rates or even high commission costs.

ATMs and credit cards are usually a safer bet than using the currency exchange bureaus you see at the airport or in touristy areas, but it helps to research exchange rates and everything before you go, just so you have an idea of how much to expect.

83. Become a free WiFi jedi

Roaming charges and data plans – eugh! Avoid them by mastering the art of finding free WiFi.

Places like Starbucks and McDonalds are quite consistent for this purpose, and most major cities now have hotspots at main tourist locations. Do a little research before you head out, and you’ll be fine.

84. Cook for yourself

The beauty of staying at a hostel or AirBNB with a kitchen is that you’re not forced to eat all your meals out. 

Go grocery shopping and pack sandwiches for lunch, or make a cozy dinner at home. It’s all about balance!

85. Picnic!

One of my favourite ways to experience a city is through picnicking.

Grab some goods from a market or grocery store, find a beautiful spot to sit and enjoy your cheap meal while taking in splendid views.

86. If tap water is drinkable, forgo bottled water

Buying water bottles constantly adds up, even if they’re only 1 or 2 dollars.

When tap water is drinkable, bring your own bottle and refill it on your own!

This is not just more cost-effective, it’s also great for the environment too.

87. Get food from markets

I love exploring food markets, and you can easily grab a lunch or snack here for way cheaper than a restaurant.

88. Avoid tourist traps

Tourist traps are unfortunately quite ubiquitous in more touristic locales.

Do your research beforehand so that you know which attractions and restaurants are worth your money.

89. Chat with locals about good places to grab a cheap bite

Nobody will know good/cheap places to eat better than a local. Strike up a conversation and ask for cost-effective eats in the area.

90. Book a place that offers free breakfast

If you use hotel aggregates like Booking.com , you can even sort properties based on whether or not they offer free breakfast.

91. Save some leftovers for the next day, rather than stuffing yourself

Yay, (free-ish) lunch!

92. Split costs with friends

One of the most basic backpacker lunches is to grab a big loaf of bread, a packet of salami and a hunk of cheese, then split it between a group of friends.

This is guaranteed to be one of the cheapest yet most satisfying meals you’ll ever have,

93. Do your own research rather than relying on guidebooks

Guidebooks can be helpful, but these days most of that information is available for free online.

Plus, when you start doing your own independent research, you’re more likely to find hidden gems and places more off the beaten path.

Check out my guide on how to find cool places near you for more.

94. Do plenty of research on free activities wherever you’re visiting

There’s usually a lot of cool, free activities to take advantage of in any given city.

Be sure to give ‘free things to do + destination’ a Google and see what you find.

95. Look for coupon codes

If you’re buying anything online (E.g. tickets, admissions, flights), it never hurts to hunt online for coupon codes. It takes two seconds to Google it, and then it’s instant savings.

96. Always ask if there’s discounts

There’s usually discounts for students and various other groups, even when they’re not listed.

At the city walls in Dubrovnik, a friend of mine literally paid a quarter of the full price because he had a student card (and this discount wasn’t listed anywhere on site!)

97. Look into tourist cards

Most major tourist destinations will have tourist cards (e.g. the iAmsterdam Card ) which allow you to visit their main attractions for the fixed price of one card.

Typically, they’ll have different cards set for time periods like 24h, 48h, 72hr, etc. and for the price of that card, you get free/discounted admissions to attractions, plus other perks like transportation.

If you’re a heavy sightseer and are strategic about how you use your card, this could save you tons of money.

98. Hitting up museums? Research free days

Most major museums will have days of the week or month when entrance is free. Google these free days for your next destination and save on admission fees.

99. Choose a good bank that won’t charge you for bank withdrawals

I will never forget the day that I finally decided to read over my past few months of bank statements in Germany, only to realize that my bank had been charging me 6 EUROS for each withdrawal outside of the country.

At that point, I had travelled quite a bit with it and so had accrued an angering amount of charges for legitimately nothing except accessing my own money.

Don’t make my mistake – find a bank that doesn’t charge for withdrawals or something more acceptable than what I was paying.

I hope you enjoyed this guide on how to save money fo travel!

So there you have it, my saving superstars. Your dream trip is within reach, I promise! Just make these small changes to your life and you’ll be crushing those saving goals in no time.

Now over to you ! Let me know in the comments if I’ve missed any of your favourite money-saving tips! 

My Go-To Travel Favourites:

🧳 Eagle Creek: My favourite packing cubes

💳 Wise: For FREE travel friendly credit cards

🍯 Airalo: My go-to eSIM

🏨 Booking.com: For searching hotels

📷 Sony A7IV: My (amazing) camera

✈️ Google Flights : For finding flight deals

🌎 WorldNomads: For travel insurance

🎉 GetYourGuide: For booking activities

49 thoughts on “How to Save Money for Travel: 99 Actionable Tips and Strategies”

Now that is one massive list! Damn..reading it alone makes me feel like i saved a lot. 😀

but actually i am such a bad saver. I could tell you 5 ways to save like 2k each year, easily. but i am just too lazy, believe it or not! Guess saving is an artt and i feel like my strong point is rather earning it 🙂

Haha yes I might have gone a little overboard, but hey I figured when it comes to money-saving tips, the more the better!! 🙂 And geez I definitely want to learn how to save 2k a year… that’s two roundtrip flights right there! You gotta let me in on your secret!

good advice!

Thanks, Tanja!! Hope they come in handy for you 🙂

These are all really great tips! I found that avoid ‘boozy’ nights helped heaps. I means some nights it’s easy to spend $100-$200 going out. But cutting that down, it really helped with my travel budget. Plus I did a huge spring clean and sold heaps of stuff, made close to a $1k just selling stuff… like dresses on eBay, cookbooks, and other random things. There are also a lot of places now that offer free walking tours, which I have found has been a great way to explore a new destination.

oh goodness I know! Nights out absolutely wreck one’s budget, but from time to time I’ll allow them 😉 So awesome that you were able to make so much by selling your old stuff. I’m a bit of a pack rat and so I’m still working on that one, but maybe this Spring, I’ll do a big clean! And yes free walking tours are my favourite. It’s so nice to actually learn about a place’s history and culture for a bit rather than just aimlessly sightseeing.

Awesome lIst! Many of these tips are great for saving money regardless whether you’re saving to travel or not. I did many of these before my one year trip. Thanks for putting this together!

You’re very welcome, Miranda!!

That’s quite possibly the most comprehensive list I have ever seen! Some fantastic tips here. I can’t say I practise them all but I have ticked off a few. I love budget airlines and almost always use them unless I use points to fly for free which is even better

Thanks for the kind words!! Ah I still haven’t gotten into the collecting/redeeming points thing (which is bad, I know I should!) but that’s definitely on my to-do for the coming year.

amazing list and awesome tips! i will for sure keeop a few in mind. thanks for sharing 🙂

You’re very welcome! 🙂 Best of luck saving!

All of these tips are so usefull! Will be using this in the future, really need to step up my saving game for the next year!!

More saving = more amazing trips. Hope these tips help you out towards your goals! <3

I couldn’t resist commenting. Well written!

Hi Christina – wow what an informative post! And I’m so glad you find my site useful! I’ll definitely be sharing this article – you’ve listed so much incredible info for future travellers! I may even be using a few tips myself…! Katie x

Aw thank you Katie, that means so much coming from a super blogger like you! <3 Really happy you liked it!

OMG thank you for this! I am pinning it so I can come back to it for my big trip to Italy next spring! This is a gold mine! XoX

Love the tips.It actually feels good to save money by altering some daily activities, and then using the saved money for travelling and exploring.The feeling is totally amazing.

Wow what thorough list Christina! I all with you on the saving change for a vacation!! I did that for a year saving my loose change and I ended up having over 300$! I didn’t end up going to vacay like vegas tho, it was quite hard to find places to spend so many coins at lol.

Isn’t that the best feeling ever though, when it all adds up?? haha I guess the change can be repurposed into a coffee fund.

Wow Christine, superb post! I will be digging into this more deeply and reading all the links to! I just found your blog last week and subscribed. Amazing tips and blog!

Valerie Fashion and tRavel

<3 <3 thank you, Valerie!

These are such great tips, thank you for sharing! Saving definitely takes a lot of sacrifice and dedication but it’s so worth it in the end. I don’t have fancy things or eat great food but it’s all worth it when I am traveling somewhere and enjoying a getaway!

I totally feel the same way! I guess we all have different priorities, but as long as we’re mindful of what’s important to us, then we can work towards achieving our goals 🙂

53 and 59 – checked! Although my phone is really getting too crappy 😛

haha it gets to a certain point where you just needa cave in and splurge a bit, but until then, enjoy the savings 😉

Great post! I tried Swagbucks for a while and got a few great vouchers but there weren’t loads of great options in England!

Thanks again!

Yeah I completely forgot about Swagbucks until recently and now I can’t wait to get back on it and score some free gift cards haha. Thanks for the comment, Katie!

Awesome list! And so helpful! I feel like I’m still only scratching at the surface of how much I could save…

thanks Eva!! never too late to start saving 😉 hope these tips come in handy for the future!

Great travel tips!! all are very helpful!

We also buy items in bulk or at the local grocery stands/trucks while we are traveling.

Thanks for reading!! <3

Where is that gorgeous bookstore that you posted the photo of??? NEED to go there!

It’s called Libreria Acqua Alta, and it’s in Venice!! It’s AMAZING. You need to go!

Thanks for all of the tips. When you plan for a trip in advance and use some of these tips it makes the trip less complicated and doable.

So true. Thanks for reading, Cassie! 🙂

I start by thanking you for all these awesome tips on money saving. Reading the ways to saving money for a dream holiday showed me that I can use the same strategy to save money for many other useful projects.

The winter is pretty close to us in the Northern hemisphere, so it is time to save some money for the winter holiday. I plan to use at least one of the tips provided by you (cutting down on utilities use) because I need around $1,000 to go skiing after the New Year.

Awesome – thanks for reading, Magda!

Hi Christina, How many countries have u been into?

This is my favourite article on saving money for travel. It’s exciting how you figured out 99 ways! I have mentioned your article in my blog to plan for any international trip, here’s the link https://bit.ly/2LfEc0h

Aw thanks so much for linking me! That’s really great 🙂

Really great article regarding their content. It definitely help people to find the best for themselves. Hoping to continue writing these type of content. Thanks for sharing.

Awesome blog, thanks for sharing the wonderful money saving tips while travelling.

I hope it will help a lot for all. Such a great article. Thank you so much for this amazing post.

Thanks on your marvelous posting! I seriously enjoyed reading it, you could be a great author. I will be sure to bookmark your blog and will often come back down the road. I want to encourage continue your great job,

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How to Save Money to Travel the World: 31 Tips + Tricks!

Wondering how to save money to travel the world?

When Jeremy and I were getting ready to trade in our address and 9-to-5 jobs for a nomadic life and a lot of question marks, we pulled out just about every trick we could find to save our hard-earned cash and use it for a fantastic collection of life-changing experiences abroad.

To be honest, we got a bit ridiculous about it.

But you know what?

We don’t regret a single penny-pinching move that we made, and we didn’t mind it much at the time, either.

It’s absolutely amazing how little restaurant meals and small creature comforts matter when chasing a passion–and we were on fire with passion during the months leading up to our departure (and luckily for us, every day since).

At the time we started saving for travel, we were both working standard office jobs in San Antonio, where we owned a home and had a fairly typical US suburban lifestyle.

Some links in this post may be affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please see our disclosure policy for more detail.

It has been more than 5 years since we initially saved up $40,000 in cash to spend on a 6 month round the world trip … and thanks to both our sizable savings account and some hard and creative work, we managed to craft a life of travel that meant we never had to go back to those 9-to-5 jobs again.

Every time I read a “how to save money to travel” guide in those days, I looked for any new ideas that we could use, knowing that most of them wouldn’t apply to us.

Finances are often far too individual for sweeping proclamations–if I read one more post suggesting to cut down on cab fares in order to save for a trip, my eyes will roll into the back of my head: some of us don’t come from places with oodles of cabs or any useful public transportation options in the first place.

That doesn’t make the author’s advice useless–just useless to us. Usually, though, we’re able to pull out 1-2 ideas from each author and make them our own. That’s my goal for this list, as well.

This isn’t a start-to-finish how-to guide for anyone, it’s simply our experience of saving money for travel.

Take what sounds interesting, and leave the rest.

From a couple of nickels to thousands of dollars, here is everything that we did, big and small, to save up roughly $40,000 to travel the world.

How to Save Money to Travel: Tips + Tricks

Cut the cable..

We never paid for cable TV and kept our streaming services at a minimum–Netflix only (and even that got cut eventually).

Manage the temperature.

We kept our house at roughly 78 during the day in the summer, 75 at night. In the winter? Roughly 68 and 65.

As a plus, this was also more environmentally friendly than running the AC and heat more often!

Keep transport expenses low.

Despite our post-grad jobs, Jeremy drove a 2006 Suzuki Forenza leftover from college when we were saving for travel.

Our main car was a 2015 Honda Fit at this point, purchased out of necessity when my beloved 2005 Honda Accord was totaled in an accident.

Keep a careful budget.

We tracked every single penny that we ever spent–always have, and more than 5 years later, can say that we likely always will.

Keep discretionary expenses low.

Everything that wasn’t a strict necessity–so restaurant meals, random activities, going out with friends, etc–was subject to immense scrutiny while we were saving for travel.

Reconsider gifts.

To this day, Jeremy and I don’t exchange physical gifts with each other.

At some point during our engagement, we stopped swapping gifts for birthdays, Christmas’ and anniversaries: we found that we were always happy to put the money toward a travel experience or local adventure together instead.

These days, a nice meal out in whatever country we happen to be visiting is our preferred way to celebrate milestones together.

Take advantage of credit cards.

We used travel rewards credit cards to maximize our rewards and limit how much cash (ie, invisible, untracked money) we used. 

Pay yourself first.

The first bills that got paid were always our savings accounts, including the travel account: payday was my most favorite day when saving to travel because it was the day I watched our travel dreams get closer in time.

Top off your travel fund with excess funds.

At the end of the month, any leftover money from our budget was swept into the travel account rather than left in our checking account to tempt us.

Even if it was only a few dollars, we still moved it over in order to watch our travel savings grow penny by penny.

Clean out your freezer.

We ran an experiment in our house to see how long we could go without grocery shopping: we made it almost 3 weeks, revealing just how many packages of meat and vegetables had ended up in our freezer.

Cut the dryer.

We stopped using the electric dryer for most of our laundry and started hanging our clothes to dry.

Not only is this better for both the environment and your clothes, but it also ended up being excellent practice at traveling long term for us: most places don’t use electric dryers as we do in the USA!

Use a meal plan.

As our planned departure date got closer in time, we started getting more and more strict with a meal plan.

We were careful to buy only the food we needed and to take advantage of all leftovers when saving money to travel.

Buy nothing.

Clothes, gadgets, household items, makeup: there were a lot of things that we stopped buy when saving money to travel the world that once upon a time we would have considered necessities!

It was honestly a very freeing experience–and it also helped us adopt a more minimalist mindset before we started living out of backpacks for what would turn out to be years.

… and when you have to buy something, wait.

If there was something we truly felt like we needed (we did have some travel gadgets to buy before leaving, after all), we were careful not to be spontaneous: price comparisons and sleeping on a purchase decision were common.

Cut down on transportation costs.

For us, this mainly meant that our solo commutes became a couple’s activity.

Jeremy and I worked for the same company in San Antonio, and while we weren’t able to go car-free, we sucked up the scheduling conflicts, waited around for each other on odd days, and drove together.

Outside of work, d riving also became strategic overall: we made an effort to limit how many miles we drove on a daily basis and planned outings accordingly.

Negotiate monthly bills.

We negotiated a better price on both our internet and cell phones by threatening to move companies (it wasn’t an empty threat).

Work as much as you can.

This is an obvious solution to saving money for a trip, of course, but overtime was a regular occurrence during this time in our lives.

Cut down on personal grooming expenses.

My makeup routine got an overhaul during this time–as in, I stopped wearing it most of the time. Turns out this was a great habit to pick up before traveling to incredibly humid climates!

We also both stretched out our haircuts and got them done inexpensively: Great Clips hasn’t done us wrong yet (though these days, we love getting our haircuts at independent salons abroad whenever we can–I got the best haircut of my life in Istanbul !).

Cut out online temptation.

If you don’t see the adorable workout clothes or fun travel gadgets on Pinterest, you can’t want them.

Compare everything to travel.

One of our most effective tips for how to save money to travel is simple: think about nothing else (which, if you’re saving for a long-term trip, you can probably relate anyway).

Literally every purchase got compared to travel during our time spent saving.

A lunch out with coworkers? That’s a whole day’s food in Thailand ! A new piece of clothing? Nevermind, I’d rather go kayaking in Croatia !

Sell off excess items.

We started categorizing our belongings and experimenting with Craigslist in order to offload unneeded items to travel, including everything from electronic gadgets to my old flute to Jeremy’s car.

What we couldn’t sell and weren’t set on keeping was donated in an effort to cut down on moving costs.

Leave expensive assets behind.

We listed our house on the market and made an effort to have it flawlessly clean and ready for showings 24/7.

If you don’t plan to sell your home, figuring out a rental situation can be a great way to save money while traveling, as you can turn your home into monthly travel funds.

Renters, look into the details of subletting or ending your lease early, if applicable.

Have a garage sale.

We hosted an enormous garage sale a few months before leaving to travel the world.

Furniture, books, kitchen gadgets, picture frames, wedding presents. A little advertising and several hours later, we were $400 richer (or, based on our initial budget of $76/day, 5.25 days of travel richer).

Sell off furniture.

We sold about half of our furniture with our house, and most of the other half through Craigslist and our garage sale.

This can not only boost your savings account but also cut down on moving and/or storage costs while you’re off traveling the world.

Skip the movers, if possible.

We hired a truck and drove our remaining belongings to Oklahoma where my dad was going to store them, rather than use movers.

We also packed 90% of the house ourselves.

Look into storage policies for vehicles.

Right before departure, we put our Honda Fit into a “storage policy” (my mom was nice enough to store it), meaning that we paid pennies on the dollar to insure our car in exchange for the promise that we wouldn’t drive it.

Get creative with date night.

As the date of our one-way flight to Madrid drew closer, our “dates” became exercises in entertaining ourselves without spending money.

We took long walks around the neighborhood or nearby parks, did research/planned for the trip (it became an enormously engrossing hobby!), experimented with different recipes, and practiced taking photos on our new camera.

Cut living expenses early.

For the 2.5 months between our house closing and the beginning of our travels, we stayed with my mom–a huge privilege and a lucky break.

Fall in love with the library.

The library became our best friend while saving money to travel.

It took us forever to get library cards in San Antonio, but we made the most of them during those last few months!

Other Ways to Save Money for a Trip

It has been more than 5 years since we were at the height of our money-saving focus.

Since then, we’ve sustained our travel lifestyle in several ways, including remote work, freelancing, and most importantly, this travel blog.

If we could go back in time to tell our past selves how to save for travel, this is what we’d add.

Start side hustles early.

While we ended up being able to transform our RTW trip into a nomadic lifestyle, it would have been much easier to do if we started considering location-independent ways to make money before we left, rather than months into our trip.

Don’t buy too many gadgets.

Spend less time and money putting together the perfect packing list before leaving for a backpacking trip than you think–9 times out of 10, it’s better to keep more cash on hand and simply buy things abroad as you come to need them.

Get rid of more than you think you should.

When we sold our house and got rid of most of our belongings, we absolutely did not get rid of enough.

Objectively, we didn’t keep a ton, but going through the boxes years later, it’s laughable what we thought we needed.

If you’re planning an open-ended trip, especially if you’re paying for storage, keep only what is nostalgic or entirely practical.

Don’t plan too far ahead.

We ended up losing a bit of money early in our trip when we veered off of our planned course within a month of starting to travel the world.

It’s hard to know what you’ll want to do once your trip begins–don’t plan further in advance than you have to.

What Happened After We Saved Money to Travel the World

The savings, of course, is not the end of the story: armed with our carefully calculated travel budget and determination to be on the road for as long as possible, we continued tracking our money very carefully while on the road.

Our initial funds ended up lasting us a bit longer than we expected, thanks to my cautious nature padding them with plenty of room for emergencies and changing plans.

After our first several months, we ended up selling our second car–a Honda Fit–to finance about 6 more months of backpacking through Mexico and Central America.

That took us to about the one-year anniversary of our full-time travels, which is when we started fully financing our continued lifestyle through online work.

At first that mostly meant Jeremy’s work as a software developer, but over the years this travel blog became a larger and larger portion of our income until eventually, running Our Escape Clause (and now also Lone Star Travel Guide ) became our sole source of income as a couple.

Ultimately, it was a huge combination of factors that allowed us to save enough money to travel long-term: our income helped (two employed college graduates with no kids and no debt outside of a mortgage–we weren’t hurting for money), our lack of student loans helped, our sheer determination helped.

Even getting married young and the fact that we’ve thought of money as a team since our very early twenties helped, though that’s not exactly something that is able to be or should be replicated on a whim.

While there were a million and one ways that we could have spent our hard-earned savings, I feel very confident in saying that there is absolutely nothing else that we would have rather put the money toward.

Every penny we saved for traveling the world was money incredibly well-spent, and it permanently changed our lives for the better.

About Kate Storm

In May 2016, I left my suburban life in the USA and became a full-time traveler. Since then, I have visited 50+ countries on 5 continents and lived in Portugal, developing a special love of traveling in Europe (especially Italy) along the way. Today, along with my husband Jeremy and dog Ranger, I’m working toward my eventual goal of splitting my life between Europe and the USA.

14 thoughts on “How to Save Money to Travel the World: 31 Tips + Tricks!”

I love this list! It reminds me so much of the season when we were in the earn/save mode for our big trip. I remember the joy of payday when we were at the point of funneling a huge chunk of earnings each month to the travel account. It was surreal to see the balance finally crest $40K, and for the rest of my life I’ll be so proud of that discipline and accomplishment.

I like the way you shared your list in phases, too. It makes a lot of sense to have the efforts ramp up, like your discretionary category amount moving from $350 to $200 and eventually canceling Netflix 😉 I remember when my husband finally gave up craft beer at the end and switched to Pabst Blue Ribbon just to push is in the final stretch. It’s the little things, you know? 🙂

Thanks, Bethany!

It’s such a fun season to look back on, right?! I’d never want to go back, since that was pre-travel days, but the constant excitement and anticipation was a memorable experience in its own right!

We actually have Netflix back now, at Jeremy’s insistence, though the days of NO monthly expenses were lots of fun. The new ability to download movies and shows to watch offline has been a game changer for his bus trips, though!

This is a great post. I’m trying to save up again for a trip again and will definitely use some of these tips.

High praise, Jen! 🙂 Good luck on your next trip!

I love this! It’s so refreshing to see someone accept the fact that you’re human and some days you just want someone else to make your damn latte.

So true, Sandy! I’ve noticed hat seems to happen even more in places with excellent coffee and a nice cafe culture… very mysterious. 😉

Would you mind if we feature you on our blog.

Feel free to send us an email at [email protected] , we’d love to chat about what you have in mind!

What do you to do about health insurance?

We’ve had a few different health insurance setups over the last 2+ years, but right now we keep a travel insurance policy through World Nomads that covers us for accidents/emergencies/acute medical care while traveling. Luckily, we haven’t had any big emergencies to speak of! The times we have been sick the cost has bee far too low to bother with a claim–for example, when I got an eye infection in Hungary, two appointments with an English-speaking doctor in Budapest and two sets of eye drops came to under $20 USD total.

For routine health care like my well-woman exam, dental cleanings, eye exams, etc, we simply pay out of pocket along the way (and generally spend less in one year than what one month’s premium on a US health plan would be!).

Bravo!! I so admire your guts and determination! Your stage of life is the perfect time to do this. My wife and I are fortunate to travel more that most Americans – generally 5 weeks a year, but I am always dreaming of reaching a point where we can travel several months a year. That lifestyle might having to wait until we finish raising the kids. There are some families reveling full time, but my wife doesn’t want a nomadic life.

I am a computer engineer myself, and often dream of the freedom of a freelance lifestyle, but it seems tough to pull off for our work – which tends to be large team projects. So I am very curious about the type and source of freelance work that Jeremy has been able to find remotely. Mind sharing some details and tips?

Thanks so much, Steve! We’re definitely still having an amazing time 3+ years later (though it probably will be time for an apartment soon!).

Jeremy’s freelance work has gone through several stages, including a brief time working for a large US corporation as a remote developer, but what he prefers to do these days is work with one major client at a time. He’s been working on the same project since January, which is lovely. It is a team project, which is typical, but video calls and phone calls can accomplish a lot!

He’s part of a couple of organizations to help put him in touch with clients, but they come through contacts these days too.

There were so many helpful tips & how to save money travel tips if they have gone under so I’m saving this for reference so a grateful thank you to everyone

Good information was shared, thanks for this.

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How to Travel on a Budget for Beginners

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Wondering how to travel on a budget? While it may seem like traveling is exclusive to those with cash to spare, you don’t have to overspend in order to get out of town. There are plenty of ways to travel on a budget — including using reward points or miles and traveling during ideal times— that can end up saving you a lot of money. Here's travel guide for beginners on a budget.

Start planning early

If this is your first big trip, odds are you’ve already started planning. That’s good — the sooner you start, the more time you have to save money . Travel prices rise and fall with demand, and the cycle fluctuates as your travel dates get closer.

Beginning your planning early gives you the best chance of finding discounted hotel rooms, cheaper flights and other less-expensive activities. Although you won’t find the cheapest prices far out in advance (as we mentioned, it’s a cycle) keeping an eye on rates will allow you to jump on them and book when they drop.

» Learn more: How to account for inflation in your travel budget

Book at the right time

This bears repeating. Why? Because when you book and when you travel can make a huge difference in the price of your vacation. This applies to flights and hotels.

Confused about when the "right time" to book will be? There are multiple free tools available online to help you.

One of the easiest to use is the price tracking tool available via Google Flights. This service lets you know how the fare you’re looking at purchasing compares with past pricing. It also lets you know if rates are high or low compared with average costs.

If the flight you’re considering does appear to be expensive, Google Flights also features a price tracker alert system that will email you when fares drop. You can toggle this feature on within the search bar.

According to Expedia, the best day of the week to buy your airline ticket is on Sunday.

Skip overpriced tours

There’s nothing like getting out into a new city to explore. But how much of that exploring can you do on your own? With the information available online, it’s simple and easy to conduct your own tour for free rather than paying for a guide.

If this doesn’t sound appealing to you, consider instead one of the many free tours that many major cities offer. These walking tours will give you tons of information about the area completely free of charge, though gratuities are welcomed.

Otherwise, apps such as Spotted By Locals , Tripadvisor and Rick Steves offer comprehensive information for many large cities. Often this is free, but sometimes you’ll need to pay a nominal fee.

Use reward points

One of our favorite ways to save money includes redeeming reward points for travel. Some of your biggest expenses, such as hotels and flights, can be wiped away by using reward points during your trip.

This type of travel takes planning; you’ll need to accrue enough points to make a travel redemption. Much of the time, this is accomplished through welcome bonuses earned when you open a travel credit card .

For example, a round-trip flight from Los Angeles to Paris costs $1,255 at the beginning of November 2022.

This same flight can be booked using 45,000 American Airlines miles .

While 45,000 miles may seem like a lot, you can earn this amount of miles with ease. For example, you can earn more than enough miles needed for this flight with the AAdvantage® Aviator® Red World Elite Mastercard® welcome bonus: Earn 50,000 AAdvantage® bonus miles after making your first purchase and paying the $99 annual fee in full, both within the first 90 days. The first purchase could be a stick of gum or a cup of coffee — it doesn’t matter.

Many co-branded airline credit cards also offer perks like free checked bags and priority boarding, saving you time and money.

The same can be said of hotel credit cards . Most major hotel chains have co-branded credit cards, including Hilton , Marriott , IHG , Hyatt , Choice and Wyndham . These credit cards — and their sign-up bonuses — can go a long way toward cutting costs on your vacation.

Even better, many of these credit cards offer complimentary elite status . Elite status can grant you perks such as free breakfast, room upgrades, free WiFi and late checkout.

It’s a good idea to consider booking hotel rooms using points, especially for budget family travel. Sometimes hotels charge more for additional people in your room, but these costs won’t translate to reward redemptions. You’ll generally pay the same standard price as long as you can all safely occupy the room.

» Learn more: The best travel credit cards right now

Travel in the off-season

Along with using reward points, taking your trip during the offseason is another excellent way to save money. Each destination has a peak period of demand during which prices will be inflated.

This will include flights, hotels, tours and even dining, making traveling on a budget difficult. In Europe, the high season is in the summer, when most people come to visit.

During this time, flights will be at their most expensive. Remember the above example featuring that flight to Paris for $1,255? A similar flight during peak season will cost $2,070 round trip.

As you can see, even if you’re paying cash for your flights you’ll be saving over $800 by taking your trip when demand is lower.

» Learn more: Why "shoulder season" is the best time to travel

If you want to travel on a budget

Vacations don’t have to be expensive. Whether you’re a vacation veteran or a travel newbie, it’s easy to save on trips by starting planning early and keeping an eye on prices.

More importantly, taking advantage of reward points can significantly cut down on flight and hotel costs. Otherwise, traveling during the offseason can help drop expenses and allow you to travel on a budget.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

on Chase's website

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1.5%-6.5% Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

$300 Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

on Capital One's website

2x-5x Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

75,000 Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

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How to Save Money on Trips in 2024: 11 Easy Travel Hacks

Traveling can be a rewarding option for experiencing different cultures or relaxing beyond your routine. Whether you prefer big cities or national parks, beaches, or mountains, learning to optimize travel opportunities for less can mean more fun within your spending limits. Learn how to save money on vacation and give yourself more time to lounge by the pool, climb a new mountain, catch the latest Broadway show, or anything in between. 

How to Save Money on Vacation: 11 Travel Tips

1. travel off-season, 2. eat out less, 3. stay with family or friends, 4. join a house swap, 5. setup flight alerts, 6. travel carry-on only, 7. use public transportation, 8. consider credit card points, 9. get outside, 10. check museum passes, 11. find free activities, more tips to save money on vacation.

Travel hacking sounds like you need ninja-level skills, but it comes down to eliminating big costs or trimming expenses in several ways. The basics of saving money on vacation are easy for anyone to implement with a clear plan. Below, you'll find tips from the best places to exchange money in foreign countries to the best credit cards for travel rewards to make it easier to save money on vacation while still having the time of your life.

Most major tourist destinations have a season. For example, Europe's high season is from June through August. Travel in late May or September, and you'll get better prices on accommodations and flights along with smaller crowds. 

The same goes for ski destinations, beach resorts and big cities. The high season for most locations (except ski resorts) is the summer plus holiday times like Christmas, Thanksgiving, spring break or winter break. Check off-seasons or shoulder season for your desired location if you can be flexible and travel at other times. You can save money on everything from airline tickets and rental cars to accommodations while also accessing popular attractions with fewer lines or wait times. 

If you're staying at an Airbnb or other rental property with a kitchen, consider cooking most of your meals at home or having quick basics like salads and sandwiches on hand. Even without a kitchen, you can often pick up inexpensive sandwiches, salads or food you don't need to cook at a grocery store. Then, you can eat out a few times for special restaurants or occasions without overdoing your food budget.

Alternatively, consider eating out at lunch, when most restaurants serve similar menus with lower prices. You'll save on the same experience and, in many cases, miss the crowds. And as always, get beyond the tourist-trap restaurants to find where the locals eat. You'll save more on food and get an authentic experience.  

After flights, housing is one of the biggest travel expenses. If you have family or friends near destinations you want to travel, consider staying with them. Or, you can stop in a few nights with friends and splurge on just a few nights at the destination. That way, you'll cut total costs and connect with loved ones without overstaying your welcome. 

House-swapping websites are a brilliant modern way to stay anywhere for free (or nearly free). While systems vary between sites, the basic concept is the same: you'll list your house or apartment for other guests to stay in with the dates you'll be away. Then, you can choose another house to stay in. You don't have to swap with the people staying in your home; you can choose any available property. 

If you don't have a house to swap or prefer not to list your home, you could consider becoming a housesitter. Check out sites like TrustedHousesitters and get the opportunity to stay in beautiful places for free. 

Major flight search sites, including Google Flights, Hopper and AirfareWatchDog, allow you to easily set flight alerts for certain destinations. You can also check less popular booking sites like Going, Vayama and CheapOair, which may have better rates for certain destinations. 

If you can be flexible with travel dates, setting flight alerts can be a way to save a lot. For example, with a flight alert, you might find a roundtrip ticket from the U.S. to Europe in the August high season for $400. Even if you can't find such an incredible deal, you could save $100 or more by setting an alert and waiting. 

On the other hand, if your dates are set but your destination is flexible, you can use the Google Explore feature to find affordable flights when you can travel. Just set your home airport and look on the map to see what is available. 

Most U.S. airlines now charge for a checked bag. Traveling with a carry-on only can save you $25 to $50 per bag in each direction of the trip. That could be enough for a nice meal out or a couple days of a rental car. You can find simple tips on Instagram, TikTok or blogs on packing more efficiently. 

Or, follow these simple packing basics:

• Travel in your heaviest shoes or boots and bring a maximum of one other pair (plus flats or flip-flops)
• Use packing cubes to organize your clothes and toiletries
• Plan outfits and pack clothes that can be re-worn in several outfits
• Depending on the length of your trip, plan to do laundry so you don't need as many clothes
• Bring travel-sized toiletries or plan to use what the hotel provides (if you're staying in a hotel). 

If you're traveling to a city or location with good public transportation, skip the rental car, which can cost upward of $50 a day and well over $100 in high-demand destinations. Instead, get to know locals while you use buses, trains, trams, subways or bikes. If you need to get somewhere quickly, you can always take an Uber or taxi, but it will cost you significantly more. 

Many major cities have implemented low-cost bike rental systems in addition to standard public transportation options. You can rent a bike for an hour to 24 hours or longer. In bike-friendly cities, this is a great way to see the destination while saving on transportation. 

No money-saving travel list is complete without a discussion of credit card points. When you sign up for travel credit cards and meet a minimum spend, you can earn points worth $500 to $800+ for premium cards. 

Depending on the credit card, you can use the points for flights, hotels or rental cars. When you use the credit card issuer's booking portal, you can potentially make those points go even further. Some travel rewards credit cards come with additional perks that can save costs while making your trip more fun. 

In addition to the points, common perks to look for include:

• Free airport lounge access
• Free breakfast at certain hotels
• Free hotel room upgrades
• Reimbursement for TSA Precheck costs
• A free annual companion pass for a second airline ticket

There are so many excellent credit cards to choose from these days that it can feel overwhelming. To help you find the best options for your needs, Benzinga rounded up the best cards to save on your next trip by category. 

Here are the top opinions:

• Best airline credit cards
• Best credit cards for travel
• Best credit cards with no foreign transaction fees
• Best credit cards for rewards
• Best credit cards for travel insurance

Nature is almost always free or low-cost. Consider exploring parks and recreational facilities at your destination. Swim; hike; play in parks; or rent bikes, paddle boards, or kayaks to explore independently. You can picnic in a park, visit a local nature education center or download a free walking guide for your destination.

If you want to visit multiple museums, many major cities have museum passes that cost less than individual entry tickets. The structure of each pass varies. Some cities, including New York , Chicago and Barcelona , give you a pass to all or some museums and major attractions, including a pass to skip long lines. 

Most cities offer a variety of free activities throughout the year, from Shakespeare in the park or summer concerts to free museum days or children's fairs. You can check local websites at your destination for free events and activities you could join. 

If you start searching for activity options ahead of time, you can take advantage of discounts or free days. 

Vacation is about relaxing and trying new things. Whether you love to do and see as much as possible or just want a lounge chair and a good book, saving more on vacation is possible. Plan ahead, research options and be flexible, and you can find amazing deals, new experiences and rewarding ways to travel more. 

While finding ways to save money on vacation is great, saving up a cushion in your budget before traveling makes a huge difference. Then you can relax and enjoy your destination. Find ideas to save money fast , stop spending , create a budget or cut expenses . You can also check out the best budgeting apps to automate your vacation savings.

About Alison Plaut

Alison Kimberly is a freelance content writer with a Sustainable MBA, uniquely qualified to help individuals and businesses achieve the triple bottom line of environmental, social, and financial profitability. She has been writing for various non-profit organizations for 15+ years. When not writing, you will find her promoting education and meditation in the developing world, or hiking and enjoying nature.

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35 Budget Travel Tips to Save Money (2024 Guide)

Do you want to travel but don't have a fortune to spend?

Luckily, there are plenty of budget travel tips to help you save money on your next adventure.

From free walking tours to flight deals, there are many ways to keep money in your wallet as you explore the world! Let's get started.

Top Budget Travel Tips

Below are some of the best tips to travel on a budget! While they might not work on each trip you plan, there's certainly a few that will work no matter what your accommodations are.

Pick More Affordable Destinations

There is a price that comes with every destination – some costing much more than others.

To save money, you should aim for destinations that don't cost a fortune.

Here are a few of the most  affordable places  to travel:

• Nashville, Tennessee
• Panama City, Panama

Just because a destination is less expensive than others, doesn't mean you won't have a great time.

Avoiding major cities can be a great way to travel cheap while having a blast.

If you're traveling via plane, the closer your are to home will lower the overall cost of your trip.

• Best Frugal Living Tips from the Great Depression
• How to Drastically Cut Expenses
• 70 Cheapest Foods to Save Money

Stay Close When Possible

When possible, try to take a vacation that is close to your primary residence.

Maybe there's a city in your state you've never seen or a destination nearby you've always wanted to check out.

The closer you stay, the easier it will be to keep money in your wallet.

As the cost of travel rises due to inflation, skyrocketing fuel prices, and other factors, it becomes more and more difficult to justify spending money on a destination that's far away.

If you like to travel, consider taking vacations close to home until you have enough money to afford something more luxurious.

Go During the Off-Season

There are off-seasons in any location.

For warmer destinations, the most popular times will be the more mild months including the winter and spring.

For example, in Florida, the off season tends to be in August and September. This is because many people, known as “ snow birds “, will travel to Florida in the winter months where it is warmer than their hometown.

In locales where hobbies like skiing are popular, the cooler times of the year will be more populated.

Traveling throughout off peak times can be a tremendous way to save a little money without much effort.

It will be more affordable, less crowded, and you'll often enjoy your time more without the hustle and bustle of tourist season.

Cook Your Own Meals

If you have access to a stove or a microwave, try to cook your meals when possible.

This will save money and makes it possible for budget travelers to have more expensive adventures.

Here are a few meals that are easy to make in a hotel room:

• Macaroni and cheese
• Microwave meals

The more you cook, the more you can save. You'd be surprised how much eating out costs, especially in a vacation spot.

Try Public Transportation

It can seem tempting to get a rental car or take an Uber everywhere in a vacation spot.

However, public transportation is the ideal way to avoid spending money you don't have as a budget traveler.

Buses are the best, but you can also take trains or subways.

Some locations provide passes that may come in handy, dependent on the number of days you're staying.

While this might not be possible in every destination, this is a great way to save when visiting a major city.

Bring a Water Bottle

This one might seem tiny, but it can make a big difference.

Bring a reusable water bottle!

Many locations charge an arm and a leg for water, but tap water is drinkable.

If you don't feel comfortable drinking water in a location, you can always buy water. Or you might try a Brita water bottle that filters the water before it touches your lips.

Try Work During Travel

If money is a big concern, you can always work while you travel.

There are many ways to earn money without taking too much time from your travel.

Here are a few of the best remote side hustles you can consider to start making money:

• Freelance writing
• Take online surveys
• Sell stock photos

The amount of money you can make will vary depending on the method, but this can be a simple way to make $10 a day or more – which can go a long way in some countries.

It will require a little effort on your part, but all the income earned from these side hustles can go towards your travel expenses.

Consider All Inclusive

If you're going on a vacation, sometimes an all-inclusive trip can less expensive.

While it might not seem like it at first, everything being included in one price can actually save you money.

Optimize Travel Dates

When traveling on a budget, finding the right dates to take your trip is essential.

Just like certain seasons can be more expensive than others, so can certain dates.

For example, if there's a big event in town – you're going to be competing with hundreds of other travelers to get and stay at the location.

To find the best deals, try to check a variety of dates within your range.

You might find that a date just before or after the big event will be cheaper and have more availability.

Fly Economy

This one might seem obvious, but it's worth mentioning.

First class or business class plane tickets can be as much as 5 times the cost of a basic economy ticket.

When traveling on a budget, be sure to book an economy ticket with an affordable airline.

Take a Road Trip

Flying is inherently more expensive than driving.

Instead of flying directly to your destination, try cheaper alternatives like driving.

This can help to keep your travel budget intact and can be a fun adventure by visiting local restaurants and markets.

Find Cheaper Places to Stay

Everyone wants to stay at a luxury hotel with all-inclusive amenities.

Unfortunately, this isn't always possible if you travel on a budget.

You will need to find cheaper places to stay, whether you're traveling to Central America, Eastern Europe, or anywhere else in the world.

Here are a few examples of cheap places to stay:

• Short-term rentals, like VRBO
• Vacation rentals

It's critical to do your research ahead of time.

Some of these cheaper housing locations can be sketchy, so it's critical to read reviews before you put money down on a location.

Take Advantage of Discounts

Any discount you have under your belt can come in handy.

If you know that you qualify for a discount, use it any chance you can.

Here are a few of the most common discounts you will see in travel locations:

• Child: Children under a certain age receive a cheaper price.
• Student: If you go to school, you can get a discount.
• Military: Those serving or who have served in the military can get the price cut down.
• Senior: If you are over a certain age you may receive a discounted price.

If you're looking to travel on a budget, browse around to find locations that offer discounts.

Most often, you will find these deals at local attractions like museums and other places where tourists frequent.

Those traveling with family have the potential to save hundreds.

Travel By Yourself

The more people, the more expensive the trip will be.

Traveling solo is an excellent way to save some cash. Of course, you will need to prep and plan a little more if you head to a different location by yourself.

If you do decide to go solo, ensure you keep your safety in mind. There are many safety precautions you should take if you're traveling alone – especially as a female.

Hire Guides Locally

Some guides work for tourist companies, and then some guides operate locally.

Not only does the latter know more about the area, but they are also much cheaper than if you were to hire from a company built for tourists.

Additionally, you'll help the local economy by using a guide who lives there.

The best place to find these guides is through extensive research online.

Locate a guide in the area that has a history of service so you know you are safe. Budget travelers can work at saving money and keeping travel cheap while seeing a whole new side of travel.

Eat Where the Locals Eat

It might seem tempting to spend money on the pizza you saw someone post at that tourist trap restaurant.

Although it's fine to eat in popular locations, the prices are often much higher due to the frequency of visitors and popularity.

If you want to avoid spending money on your travel budget, you should eat where the locals eat.

The best way to find these food spots is to travel a few blocks down from the popular restaurants.

Of course, ensure you are in a safe area before doing this and look up reviews ahead of time.

You will find local food to be more affordable and authentic to the culture – helpful if you're on a tight budget and want to experience the true culture of the area.

Walk Everywhere You Can

If you can walk somewhere, do it.

It's one of the easiest ways to save money. Rental cars and other forms of transportation can be very expensive.

Your feet are free, and they are capable of taking you from one place to another without much trouble.

In addition to saving money, walking it also better for your health – which can be helpful when indulging on a vacation.

It's critical to ensure the route is safe before you walk. Don't walk at night, and don't drift away from the road.

Look for Free Attractions

There are many free attractions available if you look hard enough.

Attractions like museums, beaches, and parks can provide enough adventure for the whole family and are budget friendly.

Make a Budget and Stick to It

If you want to save, make a budget and stick to it.

While this is easier said than done, it will help you stay on track as you drift through a new location.

You can make a budget online, or write it down on a notebook. It's up to you to determine what will work best for your family.

Find Flights Ahead of Time

The earlier you book the flight, the better deal you will find.

Flights are cheaper if you book them months in advance, as opposed to finding them a few days before you want to take off.

Try to schedule your trip far in advance for the ideal price points.

If you can't do this, there's no need to worry! Try to find a more affordable airline and travel with as little luggage as possible.

Take Advantage of Credit Card Points

Many credit cards work well for budget travelers.

If you use them, you can rack up points that will work well for your next adventure.

If you love to travel and don't have one of these cards yet, get one. You never know what you will earn from their rewards points.

With some cards you can even be rewarded with free flights just by signing up and using the card for regular purchases.

Find Credit Card Promotions

Similar to using a card that offers credit card rewards when you travel, you can also find some cards that offer a lucrative sign up bonus when you reach certain spending thresholds within the first few months.

This can help you cover some of the costs associated with your trip if used correctly. Do your research on these offers before you commit to anything.

Stay Away from Tourist Traps

Tourist traps are expensive.

Stay away from them at all costs if you want to save money, no matter how interesting they might seem.

A few exceptions are landmarks, such as the Grand Canyon and Yosemite. If it's manmade, chances are high that the spot is overpriced.

Local shops will cost less than tourist traps.

They also have homemade gifts and work to support locals who need the funds. You can find some of the neatest gifts in these shops, often handmade with local products.

You can research local shops ahead of time or scope them out for yourself once you're in the area.

It should be pretty easy to determine which shops are locally owned and which ones are owned by tourism companies.

Picnic When Possible

Picnic whenever it seems possible.

You get to eat a homemade meal outside in the fresh air and explore incredible views, right in the comfort of a picnic with the ones you love.

A picnic is also an excellent way to get outside if you feel you've spent too much time inside a hotel.

Pack with Precision

The lighter you pack, the cheaper the flight.

It will also be more affordable to travel from place to place if you aren't lugging around a giant bag.

No matter how long you're staying, try to minimize what you bring. A capsule wardrobe is your best bet for budget travel.

Question everything before you pack. Do you need a few pairs of shoes? How many pants will work? Packing is a strategic undertaking to save money.

Check out the video below to pack in the most efficient way possible!

Save Ahead of Time

If you want to travel, you can save months in advance.

Create a separate bank account for your travel fund, or grab a piggy bank and fill it with money for the future.

This strategy will provide peace of mind and give you something to look forward to in the future.

A savings plan never hurt anyone, and it makes sense if you want to travel on a budget.

Add Layovers

The more layovers, the cheaper the flight.

Saving money on a trip is easy when you stop in seven different places before you arrive at your final destination.

Layovers don't have to mean sitting in an airport.

You can extend your layover and go on mini-vacations as you wait for the next leg of your flight.

Take a Red-Eye Flight

Another way to save money on flights is to take a red-eye flight.

These leave late at night and fly early through the morning – hence, red-eye.

If you can sleep on a plane, a red-eye flight is an excellent choice. It will help you keep more money in your pocket.

If you can't sleep on planes, a red-eye flight might not be the best choice. Consider what will make your travel on a budget comfortable without spending too much.

Create or Take Free Walking Tours

There are plenty of places that offer walking tours.

All you need to do is borrow a free headset, and there is a tour guide that sits in your ear and guides you through various locations.

If you hate the idea of a tour guide, you can also take a walking tour all by yourself.

Find a book and explore the safest areas on foot. You'll get a good workout and you will be able to explore the locale at a pace you enjoy.

Consider Where Your Currency is Valuable

The dollar is more valuable in some places than others.

If you want to stretch your dollar, travel to a spot where the dollar means the most.

Here are a few locations where the dollar is valuable:

If your favorite spot does not make the dollar valuable, you need to be smarter with your money.

In places where it won't stretch, every dollar needs to have a quality use as you travel on a budget.

Look at Scams Ahead of Time

Every location has its scams, from travel insurance to a free accommodation.

Ensure you research local scams to avoid getting tricked out of your money when you arrive at the destination.

Small adjustments might include investing in a thief-proof backpack or ensuring you can understand how the culture operates. It will save you a lot of pain as you explore.

Eat Out for Lunch Instead of Dinner

Dinner is always the pricier meal.

If you want to eat out, do it in the afternoon instead of late at night. You will find a more affordable menu here.

Of course, the best choice of action for saving money is to avoid eating out at all.

Take Advantage of Free Hotel Amenities

Hotels offer plenty of amenities.

You can save money by refraining from purchasing items like razors, shampoo, and conditioner. The hotel counter has complimentary bottles available for you, free of charge.

If you're brave, you don't have to worry about bringing any toiletries. The hotel can provide you with anything you need.

Use Complimentary Breakfast to Your Advantage

A complimentary breakfast is an incredible thing.

Eat as much as possible in the morning to get your worth out of the additional meal.

You can also take items from the breakfast and turn them into a second meal later in the day. From muffins to eggs, there's a lot you can do with these leftovers.

Final Thoughts on How to Travel on a Budget

There are plenty budget friendly travel hacks you can use to save money on your next vacation.

From finding cheaper prices on hotel rooms to avoiding car rentals, traveling on a budget is much simpler than you think.

How to save money on a solo vacation, according to the experts

Considering going solo on your next vacation? It may put a sizable dent in your wallet.

A recent study by Which? , a consumer advocacy company, revealed that the average cost per person can be up to 83% more for solo travelers than those traveling as part of a couple.

One major reason for this is due to single supplements, the industrywide habit of charging more for solo travelers to recoup some of the profit lost from a lack of a second party.

To help ease the strain on your travel budget, we reached out to industry minds and seasoned solo travelers to find out the financial tips and hacks they use to save money — and how you can do the same on your next vacation.

Related: 8 perfect destinations for the first-time solo traveler

Be strategic about what you save money on

There's a fine line between being financially stringent and letting great opportunities pass you by. Set healthy limits and look to save big in one area as opposed to being economic over many small ones. This can often save you more in the long run while still allowing you to have fun.

Kate McCulley, better known as Adventurous Kate, quit her job to travel the world solo in 2010 and never stopped. Throughout her own experience of traveling alone, she's learned that being too budget-conscious can dampen what should be a relatively carefree experience.

"There are some budget travelers who like to pinch pennies wherever they go," McCulley said. "I've never been that kind of traveler. Why make so much effort just to save a tiny amount of money?"

"I find that if you're going to make a big difference, it's with big action, such as staying in one place for longer instead of going from place to place super quickly," she added.

McCulley also recommends saving alcohol for special occasions, instead of imbibing at every meal. In addition, she suggests visiting a destination with a much lower cost of living.

Book during shoulder season — but do your research

Traveling out of season is all well and good. However, it's worth weighing your savings against the odds of spending most of the trip in your hotel room as thunderstorms slam the windows.

"I'm a big shoulder-season traveler," added McCulley, referring to the time between offseason and peak season. "Offseason can often be a gamble, especially if you're risking storms or hurricanes in a beachy destination. But the shoulder season is often the sweet spot.

"Recently, I was in Martha's Vineyard in late September, which was perfect. The weather was lovely, jean-jacket weather, and the crowds of tourists were long gone. I still can't believe how often the beaches were empty. And I avoided peak summer rates on the ferry and hotel."

Balance hotel location with travel cost

"While accommodation can be cheaper on the outskirts of cities, it's important to take transportation costs into account," advised Victoria Brewood, a New York-based Brit who documents her travel exploits under the Instagram handle Pommie Travels .

"I'd rather stay downtown so that I don't have to spend money on taxis or trains getting to and from the city. Those costs can add up quickly, and it's more convenient to stay downtown close to all the major sights."

Brewood often books shorter trips of three to five days. By staying in a central area, she maximizes her time at the destination.

"The largest costs are usually flights and hotels," she shared. "So, I learned to always compare prices, keep my eye out for good deals and be flexible with dates/destinations."

Keep track of cheap destinations

Single travelers can also save big by paying close attention to the tectonic plates of airfare, which have shifted dramatically since COVID-19 rules loosened.

Laura Lindsay, United Kingdom-based Skyscanner's trends and destination expert, shared the biggest value destinations in 2023 with TPG. They are "Madeira, Portugal, with a 22% price drop; Sofia, Bulgaria, with an 18% price drop; and Brussels, Belgium, with a 13% price drop," compared with prices in 2019.

Dreaming of a trip Down Under? Lindsay recommends booking now. The average cost of flights from the U.K. to Melbourne, Australia, dropped by 19% since the world was cut off by the pandemic.

If you're traveling from the U.S. to Europe, you can find great deals with airlines offering indirect flights. Low-cost giant Play recently upped its roster from its Reykjavik base to both sides of the Atlantic. In April, you can fly from New York to Paris, connecting in the Icelandic capital, for about $351.

In a push to attract visitors to the country, TAP Air Portugal has partnered with Visit Portugal to allow passengers to stay in the country for up to 10 days when booking standard tickets as part of a round trip.

You can choose to have your stopover as part of either your departing or return flight. U.S. travelers can fly with TAP directly to Lisbon International Airport (LIS) from nine U.S. airports.

They include Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD), Miami International Airport (MIA), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Washington's Dulles International Airport (IAD). Flights are also available from EWR to Porto's Francisco Sa Carneiro Airport (OPO).

That's 2-for-1 on a multitude of great destinations. You can tack on a stopover with a trip to the beaches of the Algarve, a city escape to Lisbon or Porto, or even island-trekking around Madeira, and even receive a 25% off domestic connecting flights, including its subbrand Portugalia.

Mix-and-match your flights

"Sometimes mixing and matching airlines, airports, and even flying back from a different destination can result in the best price," recommended Lindsay. "Routes where multiple airlines compete for bookings — for example, London to New York — is a good example of how flying with a different airline or airport can make a difference."

Another word to the wise: Hold off on booking domestic flights at your destination until you've looked at train tickets, as it can often work out cheaper (and more scenic) to travel by rail. Currently, multiple governments in Europe, including in Germany, are cutting train fares to help with a cost of living crisis, with many of these campaigns open to tourists.

Last year, Spanish rail operator Renfe gave away free tickets on routes all over the country to anyone who booked multijourney tickets on a minimum of 10 return trips. The campaign was such a success Renfe extended it through December 2023.

Related: These are the best times to buy an international flight

Fuel up at breakfast

Seasoned travelers agree with your mother: The first meal of the day is the most important one.

McCulley says a sizable breakfast helps eliminate her need to snack at touristy hangouts during a busy day sightseeing.

"If I'm staying somewhere for a while I'll pick up breakfast provisions like fruit and yogurt, so I don't have to overspend on giant pastries and cappuccinos every morning."

Related: 5 ways to get your hotel breakfast for free

For Brewood, who believes "eating out is the biggest cost on the road," it's all about thinking ahead.

"I'll try to book a hotel with a free breakfast and then find good happy hour or lunch deals," Brewood shared. "I avoid eating in airports, and these days I always travel with a reusable water bottle to fill it up on the go, provided the water is safe."

Use cards with no transaction fees abroad

It might seem obvious, but if you're still pulling out a cash card abroad, which results in a foreign transaction fee at ATMs, that's a problem.

"When I first started traveling, I wasted a lot of money on bank fees," Brewood said. "But these days, I only travel with cards that don't charge foreign transaction fees ."

Related: 10 tips to save on overseas ATM withdrawals this summer

Save up points while you explore

McCulley uses her cards for all purchases — not just during travel.

"I use my Chase Sapphire Preferred Card for dining and travel expenses, as dining earns triple points and travel earns double points," she explained. "I use my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card for non-travel business expenses, as [it earns] double miles on all transactions. For my personal expenses, I use my British Airways Visa Signature Card because I fly British Airways, KLM and Air France most often. It's rare for me to fly Star Alliance."

Related: The best and worst credit cards to earn bonus points when abroad

Another surefire way to build up decent points during vacations is by staying loyal to the same carriers when you travel, even if it isn't always the cheapest deal in the short term.

"I've used air miles a lot over the years to get 'nearly' free flights and save a lot of money on airfare," said Brewood. "I travel a lot within the U.S. and across the Atlantic, so I'm a huge fan of Delta. I try to fly pretty much everywhere with them because they offer the best service out of all the U.S. airlines, and I've managed to rack up a lot of rewards. Since the pandemic, they've been allowing frequent flyers to earn [Medallion Qualification Miles] on reward tickets as well, so I've now achieved Medallion status, which comes with perks such as free upgrades."

Be loyal to third-party websites

In recent years Brewood has reaped the benefits of using the same booking website rather than hopping between platforms. This is another great way to bring the cost of that single supplement down.

"For hotels, I always stick to Booking.com as they have a decent loyalty program that offers discounts on bookings once you get to a certain level," Brewood shared. "Last year, I went to Egypt and stayed at the iconic Sofitel Winter Palace for free. I'm a loyal Booking.com customer, and they gave me a ton of reward credits after one of my hotel stays, so I used them to stay at the Winter Palace."

Related: 9 things to consider when choosing to book via a portal vs. booking directly

Use the right apps

The TPG app for iOS is the perfect tool to help you learn, earn and burn your points and miles to make travel easier. The app shows your points' net worth across all programs and helps you use points and miles to their fullest potential.

In addition, you can sync your cards to see your spending and earned and missed points — then get advice to help you earn more. There's also an interactive tool to help you find your next destination, then see how many points you need to get there.

In addition to the TPG app, there are several popular travel apps.

"I'm a big fan of the Hopper app since it uses AI to predict whether the cost of airline tickets will go up or down," shared Brewood. "The app helps users to get the cheapest ticket and has a 'price freeze' option to freeze the price for a small fee."

Brewood also relies on emails from Jack's Flight Club , a newsletter rounding up the best travel deals. She snagged a cheap flight from the U.K. to Cape Town thanks to the alert.

Another practical tool to have in your solo travel armory is YNAB , which helped overhaul McCulley's travel life.

"This may be an unorthodox pick, but YNAB has changed my financial life for the better," she shared. "It's helped me accurately budget for all expenses in my life, including travel expenses. If I know I need $1,200 for a trip six months from now, I'll use YNAB to set aside $200 each month until then."

McCulley also uses YNAB to keep track of credit card annual fees. "YNAB is set up to allocate 1/12 of the annual fee each month, so it's there and waiting when the charge comes," she explained. "Nothing is ever a surprise."

Related: 30 essential travel apps every traveler needs

Airbnb won't save you as much as it used to

If you've stayed at an Airbnb lately, you may not bat an eye when we say prices can be a little steep. Once a cheap travel alternative, Airbnb is now such a popular marketplace that it's common to pay less for a hotel in many locations.

Of course, if you're sharing with a group or want to keep costs down by cooking yourself, it's not a bad way to save money. Otherwise, says Brewood, avoid it in favor of a hotel.

"If you plan on staying in a destination for more than a week, Airbnbs with kitchens can definitely save you money," she shared. "Airbnbs often have cleaning fees and other surcharges, so these days I prefer to find cheap hotel deals with breakfast included to save money on food."

Related: How to maximize your stays at Airbnbs, hostels, campgrounds and more

Buy tourist passes in big cities

Want to soak up the culture of a city without splurging all your funds on entry fees to just one or two museums? Check whether there's a city pass or tourist card.

"Check out the local tourist card," recommended McCulley. "They give you access to many sites. Add up the costs of the places you actually want to visit — if the card is cheaper, get the card. Keep in mind that tourist cards often also include free public transportation."

Another advantage of a tourist card is flexibility. "You can walk into a museum and leave after 15 minutes if you're not feeling the vibe," said McCulley. "If you pay full price, you might feel the need to stay and get your money's worth."

If the city doesn't have this option, Brewood suggests you do your homework and check prices online. Sometimes these prices are better than what you'll pay at the counter. For popular attractions, she also recommends skip-the-line tickets.

"This is so you don't have to waste time standing in queues," said Brewood. "Some cities have special tourist passes with bundled discounts on attractions, so if you plan on visiting multiple museums and landmarks, those are worth looking into as well. I use sites like Viator or GetYourGuide so I can pay in my local currency and know the prices up front."

Be careful, though.

"Ticket [sellers] who approach visitors in the street often overcharge for tours, so make sure you know how much it should cost and haggle on the price," warned Brewood.

Beat the airlines at their own game

There's no exact science to booking a flight, but a little knowledge goes a long way. We asked Skyscanner's Lindsay about the optimum time to book a seat on a plane: "Often, we find that the best time to find cheap flights has traditionally been at least three months before departure for long haul and at least one month prior to departure for short haul."

"Travel is just like any other valuable commodity," says Lindsay, "and it's priced to reflect demand. To do this, airlines set up a pricing schedule for their flights, putting the seats into price 'buckets,' and as one 'bucket' fills up, they open the next, more expensive one up for purchases.

"Traveling on less-busy days of the week can mean better airfares, as well as less time spent in security and fewer queues in departures," said Lindsay.

Saturday is typically the busiest day to fly, according to Lindsay. "However, this rule is not without exceptions, and it is always worth double-checking," she added.

Brewood also follows this rule and tends to avoid flying on weekends or peak times wherever possible.

"Since I'm self-employed, I usually try to fly midweek — Tuesday and Wednesday seem to be the cheapest — and I'll also travel offseason whenever I can find cheap deals," Brewood shared. "I typically avoid traveling over the Christmas holidays or peak periods like Easter and summer. Spring and autumn seem to be the best times to snag bargains on flights and hotels."

Bottom line

Solo travelers can often get stung by extra costs compared to those traveling as part of a couple or a group, where many costs can be easily shared.

You can still save money if you plan ahead and are strategic about where and how you spend it. That doesn't mean you have to skimp on the fun.

There are lots of ways to save money — from choosing your destination and flying on certain days to using various local deals and discounts.

Related reading:

• Key travel tips you need to know — whether you're a beginner or expert traveler
• The best travel credit cards
• The 18 best places to travel in 2023
• 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
• 8 of the best credit cards for general travel purchases
• 13 must-have items the TPG team can't travel without

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How to save money for travel: Start building your travel fund today

Thinking about where you want to travel next? Learn how to align your budget with your travel goals so you can make your next vacation a reality.

December 5, 2023

Whether you’re dreaming of beaches in the Caribbean or roaming the streets of Paris, one thing’s for sure: Traveling is expensive. Factor in the cost of flights, food, and lodging, and it’s no wonder some people feel like traveling is reserved only for the rich and famous.

The good news? Traveling doesn’t have to break the bank. Saving enough money for your next holiday is totally doable, and it all starts with proper budgeting for travel. With a defined vacation budget and some planning, you could request time off for travel sooner than you think. Here’s how to do it.

How to build a travel fund

Before you start booking plane tickets and buying museum tickets, you’ll need to determine what’s realistic for your current financial state, according to Athena Valentine Lent, author and founder of Money Smart Latina. If this is your first time budgeting for travel, Lent says these three steps can help you get started:

1. Set a savings goal for your trip

Budgeting for travelstarts with identifying where you want to go and calculating the total amount of money you’ll need to cover that trip.

“Decide where you’d like to go, and start from there,” Lent says. “Research the best times to visit your travel destinations, so you can take advantage of any off-peak seasons. If you’re unable to visit during that time, consider another place.”

In addition to researching prices of big-ticket items like airplane tickets, Lent recommends researching all potential expenses to paint an accurate picture of your total cost. “Look into how much you’ll pay for lodging, food, transportation to get there—plus transportation while there—and any other exhibits or bucket items you want to check off while you’re there,” she says.

Vacations can and should include plenty of spontaneity, so Lent recommends giving yourself some extra wiggle room in your travel fund to cover other possible expenses (think: last-minute excursions and souvenirs). As you continue to plan, creating a financial vision board can help you visualize your dream vacation and keep you motivated during your savings journey. 

2. Turn one big goal into multiple smaller goals

Once you’ve established how much your trip will cost, determine the amount you need to save on a monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly cadence until you can fully fund your goal, Lent says. For example, if you’ve figured out that you need $1,000 for a trip coming up in five months, you’d want to save $200 a month. Or if you wanted to break it up into even smaller chunks, you could have a savings goal of $50 a week.

Breaking your goal into smaller steps makes it appear more manageable, Lent says. Saving $200 a month feels much more attainable than trying to put away $1,000 all at once. Psychologically, splitting up a large goal into multiple smaller ones gives you a sense of accomplishment every time you cross one of your funding milestones.

3. Keep your travel fund in a separate savings account

There are ways to make your money work harder for you. With a high-yield savings account , you’ll earn a specific percentage of interest on your money, known as an annual percentage yield (APY). That interest is compounded, too, so you’ll grow your savings even faster. Keeping your travel fund in a separate savings account is another helpful strategy. It can streamline your efforts, making it easier to track progress and know exactly when you’ve reached your goal.

“I love me a high-yield savings account,” Lent says. “The ability to put cash aside into a different account labeled with a goal motivates me to call it ‘my precious’ and protect it. I’m also a firm believer in making your money work for you.”

Tips for keeping your travel fund on track

Making a plan and budgeting for travel is a critical first step, but if you want to make your dream vacation a reality, you’ll need to stay on track. To keep your momentum going, consider these four tips for how to save money for travel:

1. Curb your spending habits

Looking for some low-hanging fruit? Lent says to try reducing nonessential spending first. While that might mean spending less money on things like dining out or new clothes, it doesn’t mean you need to live like a hermit to achieve your financial goal.

“Cutting back on your discretionary spending can seem brutal when all you want to do is live your current lifestyle,” says Lent. “My advice is to cut spending in small amounts at first and then look for cheaper ways to do the things you want to do. As you begin to cut back while still doing the things you love, you won’t be depriving yourself, which makes it easier to stick to your budget.”

2. Take advantage of freebies and discounts 

Just because you’re budgeting for travel doesn’t mean you have to give up on fun entirely. These days you can find coupons or discount codes for almost any activity, from festivals and sporting events to restaurants and bars. “For example, if you want to go to a concert, look for it on a group coupon site,” says Lent. “Plan on drinking with friends? Ask your friends to check out a happy hour with you.”

There are also plenty of ways to have fun without spending money . Look no further than your local community for meetup groups, free museum or zoo days, or music nights hosted by your city or town. Depending on where you live, getting out into nature is often free, and many national parks even offer free entry on certain days. Entertaining yourself doesn’t have to be expensive – finding no-cost alternatives will enable you to put even more money away in your travel fund.

3. Hack your way to savings with a cashback credit or debit card

Another way to make your travel dreams come true is to use credit card rewards in a process known as “travel hacking,” Lent says. Some credit card providers will give you points or cash back on a percentage of the money you spend overall or in certain categories like food, travel, or gas. If you want to use these credit card rewards for travel, however, Lent recommends paying off your credit card debt each billing cycle.

Some banks also offer cash back when you spend with your debit card . For example, with Discover ® Cashback Debit , you can earn 1% cash back on your debit card purchases 1 and put that extra cash toward building up your travel fund.

4. Consider a side hustle

If you feel like you’re not making as much headway as you’d like on your travel fund, you might want to explore some side hustle ideas to earn extra income. Side hustles can range from freelance projects on the weekend to driving for a ride-sharing company.

Pursuing a side hustle isn’t for everyone, but if you have the time and ability to take on additional work, Lent says, you can use the extra cash to fund your travels without dipping too much into your primary source of income.

Your next vacation is one travel fund away

Planning a vacation can be intimidating, especially once you start calculating how much everything will cost. But just like any financial goal, saving money for travel is doable if you have a clearly defined budget and stick to your plan.

“Research the best times to visit your travel destinations, so you can take advantage of any off-peak seasons. If you’re unable to visit during that time, consider another place.” Athena Valentine Lent, author

Take Lent’s advice: If you want to know how to save money for traveling, determine where you want to go, research how much it’ll cost, and break your savings goal into manageable chunks. You’ll be jet-setting off to your next adventure in no time.

If you’re ready to build your travel fund and make your vacation dreams a reality, check out the features of a Discover Online Savings Account to see how it can keep your travel savings safe and growing over time.

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25 Great Ways to Save on Travel

Your guide to saving on epic getaways — without skimping on fun.

Stephanie Vermillion,

Your travel bucket list doesn’t have to break the bank. To help you fulfill your globe-trotting goals — sans the high spending — we talked with travel industry professionals and writers about their favorite cost-saving tips. Here are 25 of the best ways to save on travel, and don’t forget to share your own budget-travel tips in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

1. Try a price prediction tool

Some budget travelers swear by only booking their flights on Tuesdays. Others suggest booking on Saturdays. But according to Nick Ewen, senior editorial director for The Points Guy, “that ‘day to book’ thing is largely a myth.” What could matter? The day of the week, or the time of day, you actually fly. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays are often cheaper days to fly than Fridays or Sundays. Because prices fluctuate, Ewen recommends using tools such as Hopper , Google Flights or Kayak to track and monitor when a flight is a good deal and when it’s not. “Price prediction tools will essentially say, ‘Right now, prices on this route are high, but we expect them to drop within the next 30 to 45 days,’” he says, noting it’s not always a guarantee — but “these tools can help you make a more informed decision.”

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2. Cash in those airline miles

If you’ve built up miles with a specific airline, use them, says Ewen. “Any opportunity to use your miles to keep cash in your pocket is a good redemption,” he says. “I often see people who are new to the world of loyalty programs, points and miles, and they’re afflicted with analysis paralysis.” Instead of using their perks, they sit on them — but doing so could be costing you. “Points and miles are terrible long-term investments; they only lose value over time,” Ewen says. If you want to double-check the miles-to-money conversion before booking, try online calculators that tabulate this equation, including NerdWallet , Omni Calculator and The Point Calculator .

3. Track and modify your trip

Here’s even more incentive to book: In recent years, a growing number of U.S. airlines, including United, Delta, American and Alaska, have removed change fees. That means if you book a ticket, then see a better flight deal, you can modify your reservation and pocket the difference. This goes for not only flights booked with dollars, but also miles. “Since the pandemic, just about every airline, aside from basic economy status, has made award tickets, generally speaking ... are now fully refundable,” Ewen says. 

4. Keep tabs on your credit card discounts

If your credit card comes with a steep annual price, know that “oftentimes there are many ways to offset that fee,” Ewen says. Many cards offer travel credits, complimentary companion passes and other lifestyle perks. But to benefit, you need to actually use them. “Credit card issuers rely on people to not be informed; that way they can offer a perk that [would] cost them money, but they’re not actually going to have to fork that money over,” he says. To keep tabs on your card’s perks, which include everything from rideshare and TV subscription credits to grocery discounts, Ewen suggests checking your account every month and creating a spreadsheet of all available offers.

5.   Look into living the lounge life 

Airport lounges can help you save on overpriced terminal fare, and typically offer complimentary food and drink (in many cases alcoholic beverages), showers, less-crowded bathrooms, numerous charging ports and comfortable seating. Lounge life can improve the air transit experience, but there is a cost. Many airline lounges require a paid membership or can be accessed by paying annual fees on travel credit cards. These several-hundred-dollar annual fees come with a variety of perks, such as the opportunity to bring one or several guests free of charge. To determine if lounge membership fees are worth it, Ewen suggests crunching the numbers to see how often you plan to travel and how much you and your potential airport lounge guests could save on amenities. Additionally, if you do decide to obtain lounge membership, make sure your home or go-to airport has that specific airline lounge, he says.

6. Don’t shrug off shoulder season

Want to cut spending and dodge congestion? Travel journalist, photographer and founder of the blog Camels & Chocolate Kristin Luna has some advice: “Traveling in [the] off-season, or shoulder season, is my favorite way to travel — not only do you save money, but you avoid the crowds,” she says, noting that, on a November trip to Iceland — well outside the summer high season — she and her family saved big: “We paid roughly half of what we would have had we decided to travel in summer months.” They also saw a fraction of the crowds. Of course, traveling in the shoulder season can come with a downside, like seasonal closures or bad weather. Before booking a shoulder-season adventure, make sure the restaurants, attractions and experiences you hope to enjoy are still available.

7. Skip the gas pump 

Another way to save on rental cars: Go electric. “It may wind up being cheaper than filling up with gas, especially if you’re outside the U.S.,” says Ewen, noting gas in many destinations across Europe can be “incredibly expensive.” That said, an EV isn’t always the best option. “The big thing is going into it knowing exactly how you’re going to charge the car,” Ewen says. If you’re largely in the countryside, where there are minimal EV charging stations, you could end up in trouble. But if you’re mostly traveling between cities or large urban areas, you should be in the clear — although it’s smart to research EV guidelines for specific countries and regions before you book. For that, EV-focused websites like Chargemap , Electromaps and PlugShare can help.

8. Use credit card rental car insurance

If you have a travel credit card, odds are it includes rental car insurance — but you have to follow a few important steps to use it. First, decline all of the rental car company’s protection offerings, Ewen says. This includes roadside assistance, collision damage waiver — any and all protections. If you do have an issue during your trip — say, a cracked windshield — you can submit the claim by contacting your credit card company. Before you rely on this method, it’s important to know what’s included with your card’s insurance. “Coverage on car rentals through credit cards is limited to damage and theft,” Ewen says. If you have questions, call your credit card company (via the phone number on the back of your card) to confirm. When you prefer more coverage than what’s offered through your credit card — or you’d rather avoid dealing with the potential claims process — consider the rental car company’s options, but do your research ahead of time to avoid being pressured into any decisions.

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9. Take advantage of public transit

In many cities, using public transportation instead of a rental car or rideshare service can keep money in your pocketbook. Katie Holden of the blog Katie’s Travel Tricks suggests using an app, such as Google Maps , to navigate safely. “Just toggle over to the public transportation icon after you enter in your destination,” Holden says. “In some countries it even includes detailed instructions on which [station] exit to use.” To help with comparison, Google Maps will often provide an estimate of what a rideshare price would be for the same trip. Other public transit map options to consider include Moovit and Transit . Additionally, in places with robust train infrastructure, like Europe, you can save (and reduce your carbon emissions) by opting to train between destinations instead of flying.

10.   Check out deals for your wheels 

Before you book a rental car, Ewen recommends checking a website like AutoSlash (alternatives include Expedia or Momondo ) to look for deals. These kinds of services incorporate your memberships, such as a Sam’s Club, AAA or AARP, then make recommendations on the best rental-car deals and saving options. Additionally, if you’re booking a rental car, always join the company’s loyalty program, Ewen says. These memberships, which are typically free, can help you skip the line and expedite the check-in process. Another way to save: Try an alternative transit mode. If you’re visiting only one city, consider renting a bike; many bicycle shops offer e-bike and regular bike rentals for either a few hours or several days — helping you save on not only rental cars and parking, but also gas.

11. Buy one, get one free with a stopover

Several airlines offer stopover programs that let you experience a city for a few days while en route to your final destination. This is a great way to get more bang for your travel buck, says Luna, who has used stopover offerings for a stint in Doha en route to Bangkok, a stop in Iceland while traveling to Germany, and a visit to New Zealand on the way to the Cook Islands. Since you don’t have to purchase additional flights in a stopover program, “it doesn’t cost more money, so it’s basically buy-one-get-one-free flights to see two places instead of one,” she says. 

12. Search for a seasonal deal

End-of-year savings aren’t just for holiday gifts. Many companies in the travel industry offer major discounts timed to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The cruise industry also extends this savings potential with “wave season” (typically January through March), which is “when cruise lines do big pushes to get sales up,” says writer Mikkel Woodruff of the cruise website Sometimes Sailing. In addition to saving on your cruise booking itself, you may also snag goodies like free internet or discounted airfare. Additionally, during the spring, many car rental services need to move their vehicles in the south back north, which means it’s a great time to grab a deal on a one-way rental car if you’re looking for a spring road trip from, say, Florida to New England. 

13. Stay ahead of cell-service charges

International data charges can add up quickly. That’s why Holden recommends going into your trip armed with connectivity options. For example, apps like WhatsApp , Viber and Signal will help you text or call via Wi-Fi. It’s also helpful for booking dining or inquiring about tours. “Internationally, many businesses will have an option to contact them via WhatsApp,” says Holden. She also uses a cell plan that comes with international data and texting, which you can inquire about with your carrier pre-trip. And, if you know you’ll need faster data service, Holden recommends buying a local eSIM card.

14. Save big with senior passes

Memberships and passes can help you save big on your adventures, whether it’s using your AARP membership to get deals on car rentals, cruises or train travel, or taking advantage of senior discounts for museums. Additionally, if you’re planning a national parks trip, travel writer Emily Pennington shares some advice: “The number one thing to do is get the America the Beautiful Pass ,” she says. America the Beautiful covers the entrance fee for any National Park Service park, as well as lands managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and several other federal organizations. Travelers age 62 and older can buy an annual pass for $20, or a lifetime pass for $80 (the price for a standard annual pass alone is $80). For another cost-saving trick, Pennington suggests volunteering with the park service for free park admission. “If people want to spend no money on the park pass, they can do a certain amount of volunteer hours and earn a free park pass that way.”

15.   Stock up at a grocery store 

Dining out can take a major bite out of your travel budget. To avoid this — without skimping on the joy of travel cuisine — Luna suggests hitting the grocery for small meals and snacks. “If we’re staying somewhere multiple days in a row, the grocery store will be our first stop. We stock up on yogurt, fruit, other breakfast items, coffee and beverages,” Luna says. This way, you can save by having lunches at home, then splurge on restaurants for dinner. And, to ensure you’re not missing the cultural side of cuisine, skip the big-box grocery stores. “Street food or bodegas can be a great way to try the local flavors while not splurging on expensive meals,” Luna says. 

16. Look for budget-friendly tours

If you want to see a new destination but can’t splurge on a private guide, consider joining a “free” guided walking tour, offered through numerous services, such as Free Tour , Free Tours by Foot and GuruWalk . (Note that while there’s not a set fee for this tour, you should pay or tip what you think is appropriate.) Additionally, consider alternative tours that won’t break the bank but will help you authentically experience the culture. For that, Holden recommends options like Airbnb experiences. “These are experiences run by locals who are an expert in one area,” she says. “We learned to play Japanese card games in Nara, Japan, and dyed silk scarves in a marbled pattern in Florence, Italy.” Other locally led options include Tours by Locals and With Locals .

17. Download a free audio tour

For a more DIY budget-friendly sightseeing option, look to podcasts or audio tours. Well-known travel gurus like Rick Steves offer self-guided walking tours that use narration to immerse you in a new destination, while the app SmartGuide runs digital tours with audio guides, city maps and insider tips. The website VoiceMap also features hundreds of on-your-own audio walks, bike rides and drives, helping you see the highlights without needing to join a group or in-person guided tour.

18. Save on souvenirs

To save on souvenirs, skip the resort or airport gift shop where prices are typically inflated and consider craft markets or even grocery stores instead. According to Holden, it’s wise to go in knowing exactly what you want so you don’t overspend. “Everyone in our family has a certain small item they collect and we buy that — a statue for my daughter, a magnet for my son,” she says. “We also visit thrift stores and the local equivalent of a dollar store.”

19. Consider alternative accommodations

Options abound when it comes to booking overnights. Sure, hotels are great — and can come with great deals if booked using credit card points, says Holden — but alternative options like rental homes, hostels (many offer private rooms) and even couch surfing can help you save. Some may even help you make local connections. “We’ve used the website Couch Surfing to stay with strangers for free,” Holden says. Tripping.com also features couch-surfing rentals. For any sites, especially couch-surfing ones, be sure to read plenty of reviews. “Another budget option would be to watch someone’s pets in exchange for a free stay at their home,” Holden says. Numerous house-sitting options exist around the globe; to try it, join services like Trusted Housesitters , Nomador and Mind My House .

20.   Go   carry-on   only 

Some travel credit cards offer one or two free checked bags. If you have this perk, take advantage of it. If not — or if you want to avoid the hassle of lugging heavy bags — Luna suggests opting for carry-on only. “Nearly every [U.S.] airline charges for checked bags,” she says. “I haven’t checked a bag in more than seven years, mostly because I don’t trust the airline not to lose [it].” Luna also says the carry-on lifestyle is easier than you might think: “Ditch all the unnecessary items like multiple pairs of shoes, purses, accessories, and stick to basics in neutral tones that you can layer.” But, before you pack, make sure to check your airline’s carry-on restrictions. Many airlines — particularly those outside the U.S. — have strict guidelines and will charge you a fee if your bag is overweight or larger than the allowed dimensions.

21. Expand your outbound airport options 

Many Americans live within driving distance of not just one but several airports. If you’re unable to find a budget-friendly flight from your nearest airport, consider looking within a driving radius of a few hours. Even with a drive, this could cut your total transit time — especially if you can nab a direct flight instead of multiple connections — and also save you money. Of course, to ensure you don’t overspend on pricey garage parking, build in plenty of travel time and park away from the main airport lot. Another option is to park nearby and take a shuttle or city transit to the airport. Wally Park has 10 locations in eight cities and allows people to park and shuttle to their airport. Boston’s  Park Shuttle & Fly and The Parking Spot have similar options. Some will even offer a free car wash before you exit. Additionally, you may be able to park a few transit stops away from the airport and save money on parking, too. Always look for coupons on airport parking before you reserve.

22. Invest in travel insurance

Don’t lose your money if you need to cancel a trip; instead, invest in travel insurance. “Travel insurance is important for any kind of travel where you have nonrefundable trip costs at stake that would be subject to you forfeiting money if something disrupted the trip or you had to cancel,” says Stan Sandberg, cofounder of insurance comparison site Travelinsurance.com. “When you’re traveling internationally, it becomes even more important for the traveler because with international travel, you’re going to have a more expensive trip.”

23. Know when to be loyal

When traveling, it can pay to be loyal, whether you get free upgrades on an airline or complimentary internet access with your hotel stay. For airlines, Ewen says determining which brand you’re loyal to should stem from where you live. If your hometown airport is a hub for one specific airline, it’s wiser to prioritize that airline to reap the loyalty rewards — but know that what you’ll get back largely depends on how often you travel. Sometimes, especially for casual travelers, it’s better to keep your options open. “The valuable perks of earning elite status really come for those who travel a ton for work — like once every other week,” Ewen says. So when should you be loyal? “Ask yourself if you would be willing to pay more for a preferred airline flight, or taking a more inconvenient route to be on your preferred airline. If the answer to one or both of those is no, don’t go crazy trying to be loyal.” Additionally, always look for hotel loyalty programs, because even free memberships can come with perks like early check-in, late check-out and the chance to earn rewards for discounted future stays.

24. Rack up points and miles on everyday purchases

You can build your credit card points and miles base not only by flying, but also by strategically spending on everyday purchases, Luna says. Her first rule of thumb: Ditch debit cards. “Use credit cards for everything: home purchases, groceries, renovation and gas,” she says, noting that with many travel credits cards, such as American Express Business Gold, Chase Sapphire Preferred or the Ink Business Preferred Credit, “those small bills can add up to a lot of points.” With these cards, you earn points for your spends, so consider checking to see if you can put your property tax, home insurance, gym membership or phone bill on a card, Luna says.

25. Outsource your travel hacking

Travel hacking can open up a new world of low-cost or free jet-setting opportunities, but you have to know what you’re doing — and it can take a bit of training and time. To help, some travel experts have launched courses on the subject; others offer coaching in travel hacking. But, if you want the travel hacking perks without the time expenditure, Ewen recommends looking into outsourcing, available with companies like I Fly With Miles , Point.Me and Jet Better . “You can basically hire them and pay them a small fee to maximize your points.” 

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Best Places to Travel Solo | Money

Traveling exposes us to new places, cultures and people. For many, it’s one of the great joys of life. If you’re an independent spirit looking for safe places to travel by yourself, our guide can be an excellent place to start your research.

Keep reading to learn about our top picks for the best places to travel alone and how to make the most of your trip.

Our Top Picks for Best Places to Travel Solo

• Barcelona, Spain: Best for first-time solo travelers
• Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Best for solo backpacking
• Montreal, Canada: Best for solo female travelers
• Chicago, Illinois: Best for going on solo travel tours
• Ljubljana, Slovenia: Best budget solo travel destination

Best Places to Travel Solo Reviews

Best for first-time solo travelers: barcelona, spain.

• Offers many travel experiences in a single city
• Easy to get around town without a car
• Year-round good weather means you can visit in any season
• More expensive than other options on our list
• Can get very busy during popular travel times

Why we chose it : Barcelona is a beautiful and historic European city with something for everyone to enjoy. It boasts stunning gothic architecture, sandy beaches, a bustling nightlife and prices that will help you stretch your budget.

Spain is considerably affordable compared to other European countries, and Barcelona is its crown jewel. The city has roots tracing back to the end of the 1st century BCE and beautiful architecture throughout its winding streets, such as Gaudí’s Casa Batlló and his world-famous unfinished church, La Sagrada Familia.

If you tire of exploring Barcelona’s impressive history, gorgeous Barceloneta Beach is just a few minutes away from the city center. And at night, you’ll find plenty of entertainment options, from rooftop bars and clubs to concert venues and flamenco shows.

Barcelona is excellent for first-time solo travelers because its compact layout, wide sidewalks and excellent public transportation makes getting around town without a car a breeze. U.S. travelers can also visit for up to 90 days without a visa . However, Barcelona is more expensive than other options on our list and can be very busy during popular travel times.

Best for solo backpacking: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

• Very affordable accommodations, food and attractions
• Is easy to navigate, with a developed transportation system
• Has a vibrant expat community
• U.S. citizens need a tourist visa to visit Vietnam

Why we chose it : Ho Chi Minh City is a bustling and affordable city that offers a wide range of attractions for solo travelers, from inexpensive food and accommodations to an abundance of cultural and historical sites.

Visiting Ho Chi Minh City has become something of a bucket-list item for many backpackers. Its vibrant culture, friendly people and amazing food attract millions of tourists annually. And it’s also one of Vietnam’s safest cities .

Try some of the mouth-watering street food available in pretty much every corner of the city (especially Districts 1, 3 and 5), do some shopping at the Ben Thanh Market, visit the Notre Dame Cathedral or book a tour of the Mekong Delta to learn more about the local flora and fauna.

Getting around is also pretty easy, with many transportation options, from the new metro to buses, taxis and motorbikes. However, one thing to keep in mind is that U.S. citizens need to apply for a Visa before they can be granted entry into Vietnam.

Best for solo female travelers: Montreal, Canada

• Very safe and walkable city
• Visitors can stay for up to six months without a Visa
• Toronto is only five hours away by direct train
• Not a great option for budget travelers
• The winter weather can be harsh

Why we chose it : Montreal is one of the safest cities in Canada, and it is only a short flight away for travelers from the U.S. The city has a vibrant art scene, a diverse population and plenty of old-world charm with its mix of classic and modern architecture.

Traveling solo as a woman might cause your loved ones some anxiety. But Montreal is a great place for women to travel alone. The city is safe and offers much to do, from beautiful architecture, such as Notre-Dame Basilica, to artisanal shopping in Old Montreal. And while the population is predominantly French-speaking, many residents also speak English, so you should have no problem communicating.

Visitors from the United States can stay in Montreal for up to six months without a visa. It’s also a good point of departure for exploring the rest of Canada. Trains depart for Toronto several times a day, and the trip is about five hours.

Accommodations in Montreal can be more expensive than in other international destinations, but enrolling in the best hotel rewards programs may help.

Best for going on solo travel tours: Chicago, Illinois

• You can find many different types of guided tours
• Has an excellent public transportation system
• One of the best culinary destinations in the U.S.
• Weather can be unpleasant if you visit at the wrong time

Why we chose it : Chicago is home to some of the best travel tours in the country. From river cruises to walking food and drink excursions, you’ll have no problem filling your time in the Windy City.

Chicago is one of the best places to travel in the U.S. It’s home to a wide variety of guided tours, covering everything from the city’s mob history to its architecture and natural landmarks. And if you love Chicago dogs or deep-dish pizza, you can take a walking food tour to enjoy some of the city’s best restaurants in a single day.

Chicago is also home to inspiring architecture, such as Willis Tower and Cloud Gate in Millennium Park. The city is a more affordable place to visit than other U.S. cities of its size, including San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York. And if you visit in summer, you’ll have perfect weather for relaxing on the beaches of Lake Michigan, located in the heart of the city.

Depending on what you’re looking for, visiting the city between May and October could be your best bet, as winters can be very cold, with average temperatures ranging between 22 F and 37 F.

Best budget solo travel destination: Ljubljana, Slovenia

• A highly affordable travel destination
• Easy entrance requirements for U.S. citizens
• Classic European architecture and dining options
• Plenty of green spaces to lounge and relax
• Doesn't have a strong nightlife culture
• Crowds can be overwhelming during peak travel seasons

Why we chose it : Slovenia is one of the most affordable European countries, and Ljubljana is one of the country’s most beautiful destinations. It’s home to classic European cobblestone streets and its stunning architecture and exhibits can keep you busy for weeks without breaking your budget.

Ljubljana is an affordable European destination with beautiful green spaces and incredible architecture, including the Ljubljana Castle and the Robba Fountain. It’s also highly walkable and pedestrian-friendly, as car traffic is banned in the city center.

Hotels are cheaper here than in more popular destinations such as France or Italy, which is a big reason why Ljubljana is one of the best international places to travel . There are also many great affordable restaurants and open-air cafes.

U.S. citizens can remain in Slovenia for up to 90 days without a visa, making it easy to extend their stay with the money they save.

However, Ljubljana is not known for its nightlife, as many bars close earlier than elsewhere in Europe. Plus, it has become more popular in recent years, and crowds are abundant during peak seasons, especially the summer.

Other places to travel solo we considered

We compiled our list of the best places to travel alone by evaluating global destinations based on safety, affordability, cultural and historical sites and convenience, among other factors.

Although the following destinations didn’t make it into our top list, they’re still worth considering as you plan your travels.

Reykjavik, Iceland

• Close to beautiful natural landmarks
• It's possible to see the Northern Lights when conditions allow
• Home to many museums and several Michelin-starred restaurants
• More expensive than other popular travel destinations
• The region's weather can be bleak
• Long periods of darkness and sunlight can interfere with your sleep schedule

Reykjavik is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, with stunning mountains and beaches everywhere you look. However, it’s an expensive destination and experiences prolonged periods of darkness and sunlight that may be difficult to adjust to.

• Some of the best food in South America
• Miles of beautiful coastline to explore
• Friendly locals - many of whom speak at least some English
• Travelers can suffer from altitude sickness in some popular attractions
• The city is sprawling, which can increase travel times and make traffic worse

Lima is a beautiful South American destination with picturesque beaches and affordable accommodations. It’s also a foodie’s dream, with a wide variety of tasty local and international restaurants available at budget-friendly prices.

Just remember that traffic congestions are common and can make it hard to get around. Additionally, some travelers may experience altitude sickness in high-altitude locations like Cusco and Machu Picchu.

Knoxville, Tennessee

• Has beautiful outdoor settings
• Minimal traffic
• Moderate prices for accommodations
• There isn't as much to do in Knoxville as in other travel destinations
• Public transportation options are limited

Knoxville is the third-largest city in Tennessee, but it maintains a small-town feel. It’s home to beautiful attractions, such as the Great Smoky Mountains and the World’s Fair Park, and has enough cultural exhibits and museums to keep you busy.

Nevertheless, there isn’t quite as much to do here as in other cities, and public transportation is comparatively limited.

Places to Travel Solo Guide

Traveling alone can be intimidating, but a little preparation can go a long way. This guide covers some of the best travel tips to help you plan your next solo trip.

Why travel solo?

As with everything, there are pros and cons to traveling alone.

Some of the benefits of solo travel include:

• The ability to plan trips according to your schedule
• Paying less for dining and experiences
• Stepping out of your comfort zone and getting to know yourself better
• Having more time to reflect and relax in peace

Of course, to enjoy your solo vacation to the fullest, practice general safety precautions. Be aware of your surroundings at all times, do some proper research before visiting new places and consider hiring a guide if you’re doing outdoor activities in remote locations.

How to travel alone

Traveling alone can be a wonderful experience. But it often requires more planning and initiative than group trips. The following tips for traveling alone should help you make the most of your next solo trip.

Research your travel destination extensively

The more research you do before visiting a destination, the more prepared you will be to enjoy it. Pay close attention to the following:

• Climate : Be aware of the weather conditions at your destination to avoid potential hazards, pack the right gear and plan appropriate activities.
• Top attractions : Plan your itinerary by mapping out the attractions you want to visit and checking their distance from your accommodations. This will help you create a realistic schedule and determine if you need to book transportation for any day trips.
• Cost : Consider the average cost of accommodations, meals and attractions to create a realistic budget.
• Public transportation : This is an important consideration, as visiting a destination with insufficient or unreliable public transportation translates into additional expenses.
• Language barrier : Consider downloading translation apps or learning basic phrases in your destination’s native language if English isn’t widely spoken there.
• Food : If you have any dietary restrictions, check the availability of suitable food options at your destination and plan your meals.

Stay connected with your friends and family

When traveling alone, keep your loved ones informed of where you’ll be and what you’ll be doing. That way, your family can call for help if they don’t hear back from you in a reasonable timeframe.

Depending on your destination, you may consider purchasing an international SIM card or an international phone plan with your existing carrier to text and call your people back home.

Finally, you can register your trip with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) through the U.S. State Department. STEP is a free service that allows you to receive automatic safety and travel updates from the U.S. embassy in the country you’re visiting. It also makes it easier for friends and family to reach you in an emergency.

Consider travel insurance

If you’ve spent quite a bit of money on non-refundable travel expenses and it hasn’t been that long since you made your initial trip deposit, consider travel insurance to safeguard your investment. A travel insurance policy can help you recoup a portion of pre-paid travel expenses if you cancel or interrupt your trip for a covered reason.

Travel medical insurance could also be worthwhile if you’re going on an extended trip, as it would cover some of your medical expenses in an emergency, including medical evacuation and repatriation. And some plans even include additional services like language support, which could be helpful if English isn’t widely spoken where you’re visiting.

If this sounds like something you’re interested in, check out our guide to the best travel insurance companies .

Try new things

Now that we’ve covered some of the most important things to do before leaving for a solo trip, let’s explore how to get as much enjoyment out of your travels as possible while you’re there. The best advice we can give you is to get out of your comfort zone and try new things.

If you genuinely want to experience everything other cultures have to offer, you can’t spend your days doing the same things you do at home. So take a chance and live as the locals do. You’ll be happy you did.

Interact with the locals

The best way to forget you’re traveling alone is to befriend the locals. Your new friends can keep you company, guide you to the best places in town (the ones that aren’t in any tourist guides) and help to make your trip more enjoyable overall.

Meeting locals is much easier to do now than before the Internet. A wide variety of online resources can connect you to local events and groups where you can meet people. Some of the best options for this include:

• Facebook expat groups for the destination you’re visiting
• The subreddit for your destination (such as r/Paris and r/Chicago)

Some professional and religious groups may have international meetups as well. This can be a fantastic way to meet locals with whom you already have something in common.

Take plenty of pictures (with you in them)

Last but not least, make sure you take plenty of pictures to share with your people back home. Landmarks can be great, but you should also be in some of the photos. Most people will happily snap pictures of you if you ask nicely.

What to do when traveling alone

Traveling alone can be one of the best experiences of your life or a challenge that quickly loses its appeal. To give yourself the best chance of having an ideal trip, remember the following strategies during your travels:

• Be flexible : Flexibility is a must for solo travelers. You’ll have more fun if you take advantage of chance encounters and throw away your schedule when necessary.
• Take group tours and classes : Just because you arrive at your destination alone doesn’t mean you must spend every minute there alone. Group tours and classes will help you meet people and give you a chance to socialize when you’re feeling lonely.
• Stay in places that encourage talking : If you’re concerned about feeling lonely, consider staying at a hostel or bed and breakfast. Shared accommodations like these are more affordable than the best hotels and can be a great way to meet people.
• Gather first-hand advice : You can use Reddit and other resources to read about the experiences other solo travelers have had at your destination. These firsthand accounts can alert you to problems you may not have considered otherwise and new opportunities for fun.
• Sign up for free rewards programs : Airlines , hotel chains and third-party booking sites often have reward programs that help you save money if you’re a frequent traveler. You may also want to look into the best airline credit cards and best travel credit cards if you plan on traveling alone regularly.
• Prioritize your safety : Traveling alone can make you a target, so prioritizing safety is important. Be proactive about telling others where you’ll be and take yourself out of situations you feel unsure about to enjoy your trip without incident.

Staying safe is a critical consideration for solo travelers. One way to do that is by avoiding reckless behavior, such as drinking excessively and venturing alone into places locals deem unsafe.

Take the time to thoroughly research your destination, share your travel plans with friends and family and prepare an emergency plan.

Finally, consider travel insurance. If something does happen while you’re traveling alone, it will provide financial support so you can go to the hospital without worrying about breaking your budget.

You could save up enough money to make the cost of travel insurance negligible by signing up for one of the best airline rewards programs .

Places to Travel Solo FAQ

What are the safest places to travel alone, is solo female travel safe, how old do you have to be to travel alone, how we chose the best places to travel solo.

We evaluated the best places to travel solo based on the following criteria:

• Cost of accommodations, experiences and meals
• Crime rates
• Reviews and guides from experienced solo travelers
• Natural and cultural attractions
• Strictness of entry criteria

Summary of Money’s Best Places to Travel Solo

© Copyright 2023 Money Group, LLC . All Rights Reserved.

This article originally appeared on Money.com and may contain affiliate links for which Money receives compensation. Opinions expressed in this article are the author's alone, not those of a third-party entity, and have not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed. Offers may be subject to change without notice. For more information, read Money’s full disclaimer .

Summer Travel: Here's how to save on airfare, according to Expedia

The sun is shining and the beaches are calling.

And since searches for summer trips for flights and lodging are up, the countdown to locking in on those summer travel plans with some savings is approaching, according to Expedia.com.

So here's how:

Expedia , the full-service travel brand company, reveals how to save on summer airfare with tips from its Summer Travel Outlook , complete with data compiled from searches of peak travel times from 2023.  

"The sweet spot for booking your summer trip is right around the corner, but there's still a bit of time to figure out your vacation plans and lock in those flights at a great rate," says Melanie Fish, head of Expedia Group Brands public relations.

More: These 15 places are the best to visit in New Jersey, according to Travel and Leisure

According to Expedia's Summer Travel Outlook cheat sheet, travelers should follow these steps:

• Book summer flights 21 to 60 days out. Travelers booking during this window saved around 15% for domestic and international travel last year timeframe.
• For international flights depart on a Monday. For domestic flights depart on a Tuesday. Travelers saved around 15% compared to those that departed on Thursday and Friday.
• Choose to fly during mid-to-late August as the summer season slows down. It’s less busy and can yield savings of up to $265 on roundtrip tickets compared to the last week of June when average fares peak. 
• Expedia says travelers can save by bundling their flight, hotel and car rental for a discounted rate.

"The cheat sheet is easy this year — book one to two months out and save around 15%, whether you're taking the family to the beach in Florida or summering in Paris," said Fish.

Android Police

9 simple google flights tips and tricks to try on your next trip.

Snag sweet travel deals with Google's flight search platform

Google Flights is among the best apps for cheap travel . It's the one-stop search engine for airplane trips and consolidates hundreds of top online travel agencies (OTAs). You can search for the best ones in a central hub from your mobile phone or personal computer . You won't have to visit multiple websites, and you can find anything based on round or multi-city trip entries and other criteria. Flights also has tools for cost comparison, so you can see whether current prices are high compared to historical data. Here's how to save money and reach your desired locations quickly.

1 Use the price comparison tool

Google Flights has a date grid that displays departure and return dates around your selected travel dates. Dates with the lowest prices indicate the figures in green. Those in red indicate higher-than-usual prices. Use the grid to make comparisons and find the best rates for your budget.

The price graph shows a visual representation of flight patterns. You'll identify optimal times to fly based on pricing trends. You can even view the full price history for a route up to 60 days before the current date. Here's how to use these features:

1. On your browser, visit google.com/travel/flights .

2. Enter your location and destination. Then click Search .

3. Click Date grid to make price comparisons.

4. Select Price graph to view fare trends by month or week.

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2 explore affordable travel options.

The Google Flights search tools help you find available and affordable airlines. Typically, you'll enter your location and destination in the search fields. This function only brings flight results along the route you selected. If you leave the destination field blank, Flights shows a map in the Explore tab . You can pan it for airlines with the best fares.

If your travel plans are flexible, you could save on flights by considering alternative travel dates. Flights automatically sets a sample trip duration lasting for a week and within the next six months. This default date range might not give you the best deals. Click the sample date, or use the search fields on the left sidebar to adjust dates according to your preferences.

3 Get inspiration on what to do

The Explore tab is where Google Flights shows airlines, prices, and available flights. You can also use it for inspiration when planning your schedule. Clicking a destination on the map shows places to see in the left sidebar. You can also find hotels and vacation rentals if you don't have accommodation.

The sidebar also shows peak and off seasons to help you determine the best time to visit a place. This way, you avoid travel disasters when there's too much population, bad weather, and other factors. People often ask questions about locations on Google Search. Explore pulls the ones related to a place, allowing you to expand them quickly without running a separate search.

4 Search and book multi-city trips

Searching for destinations and booking repeatedly on Google Flights is stressful. The platform allows you to perform multi-city searches simultaneously. Plus, you can make broader comparisons between fares and save money on international trips.

Instead of booking separate one-way flights, you'll book multi-city flights as a single unit with supported airlines or separately. Here's how to use the feature:

1. Go to the Google Flights website .

2. Click Round trip . Then, select Multi-city .

3. Click Add flight to insert more fields. Then, enter where you're flying from and where to in each of them.

4. Enter the departure dates. Then, click Search . The platform provides results for all available flights in your selected regions.

5 Automatic price guarantee

Price guarantee helps you secure the best prices for your flights. The feature is available for flights with charges that Google has assurance of before it takes off. If you turn on the feature for a booked flight, Google monitors the rates until you board and gives you a refund if it turns out cheaper than originally displayed.

However, the price difference must exceed $5 to qualify for a payout. Also, you can only receive a maximum payout of $500 per Google account within a year. The feature works for trips you book on Google Flights, as well as those you discover on the platform but eventually book on the airline's website.

Price Guarantee is a pilot program and is still under testing. Not all flights are eligible for it until Google expands it. Eligible flights have a colored badge near them. Click a checkbox when booking to activate the feature.

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6 set fare alerts.

While Google Flights does its best to save your money, airline fares can change at any time. Price surges usually happen closer to departure dates because fewer seats are available. Airlines try to capitalize on travelers' willingness to pay for the remaining ones. Other times, pricing drops or remains stable when fewer travelers book flights.

You can set alerts to monitor these changes for specific routes on Flights. You'll receive automatic notifications via email. It saves you from constantly checking the prices yourself. Here's how to do it:

1. On the Google Flights website, enter your departure point and destination.

2. Set your departure and return dates.

3. Click Search .

4. Turn on the toggle switch beside Track prices . Flights sends you email notifications when travel fares change for your route within the specified dates.

7 Confirm ghosting prices

Ghosting prices refer to situations where you spot attractive flight fares. When you try to book them, the price jumps or becomes unavailable. There's an explanation for it. Google Flights is a flight search engine, not a booking platform. Even though it provides booking buttons and options, all links lead you to book with airlines or online travel agencies.

When you experience ghosting dates, airlines have updated their prices. However, there's a slight delay before Google Flights receives the information. Double-check the airline's website or contact them. You may still be able to access the ghosting prices.

8 Book layover flights

Layover flights are connecting air trips that include one or more stops between your starting point and destination. They are often cheaper than nonstop flights for the same route. Airlines usually have hubs or stop points for travelers going to various destinations.

If you're flexible with your travel plans, booking two separate flights – one from Point A to the layover city and another from the layover city to Point B – can be cheaper than booking a direct flight. However, it will take longer to reach your destination.

Google Flights has a handy layover duration feature. It tells you how long you'll wait at the airport before boarding your next flight to your final destination. Use this tool to filter the shortest route for you. Follow the steps below to start:

1. On the Flights page, click the Connecting airports search filter.

2. Use the slider to adjust your preferred layover duration.

3. Select your preferred airports. The platform shows the results.

9 Change your currency, language, or location on Google Flights

Google Flights typically sets the search currency, location, and language to match your IP address. If you're in the United States, you'll see prices in dollars. But it may be wrong. There are buttons beneath the menus and web pages for changing your language, country, and currency. You can also access the buttons on the platform's menu. Here's how to use both methods:

1. On the Google Flights website, scroll down to the bottom of the web page.

2. Click the Language , Country , and Currency options to adjust the settings to your preferences.

3. Alternatively, click the menu icon in the upper-left corner. Then, use the corresponding options.

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Use google flights to save on your next trip.

Google Flights finds flights well, but that's where its efforts stop. You'll need trip-planning features to enhance your experience. You'll find them in other dedicated travel apps , like itinerary building, budgeting, activity recommendations, and offline access. Some apps help you find accomodations and help you pack. Download them for free on the Google Play Store.

A first-timer's guide to Olympic National Park, Washington

Apr 16, 2024 • 8 min read

Welcome to Olympic National Park, one of the wettest places in the US! © benedek / Getty Images

Green is the overwhelming color on Washington 's Olympic Peninsula .

From dazzling emerald to muted pine, you’ll detect a hundred different shades of it in the wet, mossy confines of the Lower 48’s most north-westerly  national park where 1000-year-old trees guard the finest tract of old growth rainforest in the US. The Olympics is also home to a small ski station, the majestic Roosevelt elk, regular deluges of precipitation and a dark, eerie sylvian environment that has inspired a mini library of vampire books.

Playing a noble supporting act are a muddle of heavily glaciated mountains, a trio of handsome “parkitecture” lodges and a couple of rustic hot springs. In a separate strip of land added in 1953, the Olympics also includes the wildest slice of US coastline outside Alaska.

Come here if you like rock-hopping on stormy beaches, paddling across windy lakes and hiking beneath drippy trees with just bears and rutting elk for company.

When should I go to Olympic National Park?

Welcome to one of the wettest places in the US! Rain, and its avoidance, is a primary consideration for most visitors. The Hoh Rainforest gets nearly 130in of precipitation a year. Summer, between May and September, is the driest time with July logging an average of only nine rainy days. This is also when most of the park’s facilities are open, from campgrounds to ranger-led hikes.

The winter season usually runs from late-November to late-March with snow activities centered around the small ski station at Hurricane Ridge.

If you hate crowds, January is the quietest (and wettest) month, while August (with over half a million visitors) is the busiest. Prices don’t fluctuate much in the park itself. In the surrounding communities, winter and the spring/fall shoulder seasons work out slightly cheaper.

Planning a trip to Washington State? Here's our seasonal guide

How much time should I spend in Olympic National Park?

You could easily spend four or five days working your way around Hwy 101, the Olympics’ unofficial ring-road with overnight stops in Port Angeles, Lake Crescent, Forks and Lake Quinault. If you’re planning on penetrating the park’s extensive backcountry on longer hikes along the coast or in the roadless interior, bank on putting aside a week – or even two.

Is it easy to get in and around Olympic National Park?

Getting to the park is relatively easy due to its proximity to Seattle . It’s just over 2 hours by car from the “Emerald City” to the eastern park entrance at Staircase and 2.5 hours to Port Angeles in the north. Seatac, 15 miles south of downtown Seattle, is the nearest airport.

It’s relatively easy to travel to Port Angeles direct from Victoria on Vancouver Island in Canada . The  Black Ball car ferry runs four times a day in either direction in the summer (and twice in the winter). The journey time is 1.5 hours.

The park is encircled by well-maintained Hwy 101 (a state “Scenic Highway”) with several more paved roads penetrating the interior where they dead-end at Hurricane Ridge, Hoh Rainforest, Lake Quinault, Sol Duc hot springs and Staircase.

While public buses exist, they are slow and discontinuous. You’ll need to change buses between the different counties of Clallam, Jefferson, Mason and Gray’s Harbor.

Top things to do in Olympic National Park

Appreciate ancient trees in the hoh rainforest.

For one of the most quintessential park experiences, take a deep dive into the greenest, wettest, and oldest temperate rainforest in North America. Hoh with its giant trees draped in spongy moss is what makes the Olympics unique, a temperate “jungle” of geriatric foliage that’s humming with wildlife. The area has its own visitor center and several short interpretive trails, including the 1.25-mile Hall of Moss trail. Rangers arrange nature walks and talks in summer.

Observe the forces of nature on Ruby Beach

First designated in 1938, the Olympics was extended in 1953 to include a narrow coastal strip that stretches from Ozette in the north down to Kalaloch in the south. Of the coast’s stormy collection of beaches, Ruby Beach , characterized by its bruised clouds, eroded sea stacks, and piles of washed-up tree logs, is the easiest to reach from Hwy 101.   

Climb a rugged path up Mt Storm King

Arguably the park’s most rewarding day-hike is the 4.1-mile round-trip climb to the top of Mt Storm King, whose narrow craggy summit towers grandly above the timberline overlooking the blue-green waters of Lake Crescent and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The trail starts from a lakeside ranger station and ascends steeply through forest for just under 2 miles with the last section necessitating a challenging scramble over rough rock with ropes provided for assistance. It’s well worth the sweat.

Feel the wind in your hair at Hurricane Ridge

The most-visited park enclave is, not coincidentally, the nearest to the urban hub of Port Angeles. Hurricane Ridge is home to a small family-orientated ski station (a rarity in US national parks), windy roadside lookouts, flower meadows, mountain goats and superb views into the park’s uninhabited interior. Trails, both short and long, penetrate the subalpine surroundings.

Soak in hot springs at Sol Duc

The most accessible and developed of the park’s hot springs, Sol Duc sits at the end of a 14-mile-long approach road and funnels its recuperative waters into a quartet of tiled outdoor pools. Massage is also available and, if you’re truly besotted, there’s a rustic cabin resort, campground and restaurant dabbling in Northwest cuisine. A handful of trails embellish the area incorporating bubbling creeks, a pretty lake and a waterfall.

Want more national parks? Here's our guide to Washington's very best

My favorite thing to do in Olympic National Park

The Quinault Valley is one of several road accessible enclaves in the park’s interior and one of my favorite places to linger for a day or three. The area is anchored by a rippling lake upon whose shores stands the handsome  Quinault lodge , a historic hotel built in rustic “parkitecture” style in the 1920s, a good decade before the national park was created.

I like Quinault because it offers a litany of indoor and outdoor things to do depending on your mood and how energetic or lazy you feel. This is an ideal base for embarking on long- and short-distance hikes, admiring giant trees, kayaking on the adjacent lake or merely relaxing in a well-worn leather armchair beside the lodge’s spirit-reviving fire.

How much money do I need for Olympic National Park?

In common with many national parks, you can expect the prices for items such as food to be a little more expensive than the surrounding towns, plus there are fewer options to find cheap substitutes. Balancing things out, many of the park’s outdoor activities – including hiking, wild swimming and wildlife-watching – are free or almost free.

A guide to daily costs

• Park entrance fee: $15–30
• Campground per night: $15–24
• Basic room for two: $150–250
• Kayak rental (4 hours): $45
• Hot springs entrance fee: $18
• Public transport ticket: free–$10 (70-mile journey)
• Coffee: $3–4
• Dinner entrée at Lake Quinault Lodge: $26–48

Frequently asked questions

How unpredictable is the weather.

The weather is always fickle in this neck of the woods. Dress in layers, particularly in the mountains and bring a waterproof jacket and leggings.

Are there any rainy-day activities in the area?

Located just outside the national park boundary in Neah Bay, the  Makah Museum is well worth an hour or two of your time, offering an unparalleled glimpse into one of the oldest and best studied Native American archaeological sites in the US.

Is there a park visitor center?

The park’s main visitor center is situated on the southern edge of Port Angeles and is open daily year-round. There’s a Wilderness Information Center next door. There’s another visitor center in the Hoh Rainforest with more limited off-season hours. The visitor center at Hurricane Ridge burned down in 2023.

Where is the main park entrance?

The park has numerous entry points. The most popular and convenient is the “Heart O’ the Hills” entrance 5 miles south of the main Port Angeles visitor center on Hurricane Ridge Road.  

Other entrances to the park’s interior are located at Sol Duc, the Hoh Rainforest and Lake Quinault. All these places have ranger stations and lodge/cabin accommodations. Staircase is the main entrance to the park from the east and has its own ranger station.

There are three entrances to the park’s separated coastal strip, namely at Ozette, Mora and (the most popular) Kalaloch . All have ranger stations. Kalaloch also has a lodge.

What’s the deal with camping?

There are 14 front-country campgrounds in the park; half take reservations, the other half are first-come-first-served. Five campgrounds are suitable for tents only, and two have electrical hook-ups and water. Reservations can be made at  recreation.gov .   

Backcountry campers must purchase a permit for $6 and subsequently pay $8 per person per night. Sites must be booked in advance on recreation.gov. There are 120 backcountry campgrounds in the park, each able to accommodate between six and 12 people.

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