If you are looking for advice and tips on travelling the world on a budget, then you are in the right place. Here at Travel With Cooky, I thrive on getting you out into the world allowing you to travel savvy, travel longer and travel for less. These top 9 tips go hand in hand with any trip for any length of time. So, maximise your travel potential and follow these commandments of travelling on a budget.
1. Mid-week Flights
One of the best ways to get a great flight deal is to travel mid-week. Not as many people are able to fly during the week due to work commitments. This is a great way to take advantage of getting cheap deals. You can also combine this by using the fly ‘everywhere’ and on ‘any month’ setting on Skyscanner. This way you can find the days that are the cheapest and work around that.
There is much debate about when to book flights. It does seem generally speaking that the days of booking last LAST minute for cheap flights are gone. It seems to work out cheapest around 6-8 weeks before you travel. This is not concrete though. All kinds of circumstances affect the price of flights, from crude oil prices to availability to fly. Just look at what has happened this year with covid. It may also be more expensive if your desired destination has big events planned. However, with all this in mind, flying on a Tuesday may well save you a sum compared to travelling on a busy weekend.
2. Travel By Night
If you are looking to travel from one destination to another, travel overnight. Not only will this stop you missing out on daytime activities and potentially travelling in the heat of the day, but it will also save you a nights accommodation. Sleeping your journey away is a wonderful thing but I highly recommend earplugs and facemask to make this a possibility. Do you want an even better travel gadget? I use a Bluetooth speaker facemask for the best of both worlds! I actually use this on a daily basis even at home, so it’s fully tried and tested! The link has been added for you below, you can thank me later!
3. Free Lance Your Adventure
I recommend researching ‘free things to do’ in your destination of choice. One of the most fulfilling activities I love to do is take a free walking tour where ever I travel in the world. The guides are a fountain of knowledge, are very down to earth, and will also be able to tell you the places to go that are not expensive tourist traps. This will help you live like the local… and so spend like one. You will be surprised at how many awesome things there are to do that do not cost a penny!
4. When In Rome…
Do and go as the locals do. Try and avoid bars and restaurants on the main strips of cities or in particular touristy areas. Use the tip above and ask where the locals go, it will generally be much cheaper and you will get a true feel of local life. Take Barcelona for instance. There are hundreds, if not more, bars and restaurants to choose from. However, should you decided to eat and drink on Las Ramblas you will be paying at least 25% more than round the corner. Try to live like a local, not a tourist and this will save you some real money.
5. Be Smart With Your Smart Phone
Don’t make the same mistake I did! Only on arriving in Vietnam did I find out that my iPhone was locked to my network. Vietnam has some of the cheapest plans on the planet. I met a guy who had 9GB PER DAY for around £10 a month. Get yourself a local sim card. This will also help you avoid the chance of a nasty bill on your return home. Local sim cards are so easy to get hold of and will save you a small fortune. What’s more, you won’t be getting any unwanted calls as you can give out your new number to those you WANT to have it.
6. DIY Your Excursions
Research and DIY your excursions. One thing I usually do is research tours or local hotspots and then plan my own route or activity. That way it is totally your own experience. Be sensible, if exploring places that may be off the map or destinations such as forests etc, let your accommodation know where you are going. Should you get in trouble and not return then at least someone knows your rough whereabouts. Pack a lunch, and drinks to avoid the temptation of potentially being stung by a tourist-trap eatery in a popular destination.
7. Travel-savvy Bank Card
Get a travel-friendly bank card and avoid ATM fees while getting a much better exchange rate than you would in a Bureau de change. My top tip is to get a travel card such as Revolut. This one is tried and tested and you can read why it is my must-have travel card here. One extremely important tip is to always have a plan B. You should never rely on having just one means of a payment card. I usually take as many as 3 with me in case any should get lost, stolen or broken during my trip. I use my bank’s credit card which does not charge for use abroad as well as a ‘Stirling’ bank account. This runs in a similar way to Revolut and my trusty backup which allows easy instant transactions from my accounts.
8. Ditch The Hotel
Ditching the hotel for a hostel will not only save you money on accommodation but they usually have kitchens. As you will have seen in my previous post Saving For A Trip Of A Lifetime, learning to cook is an invaluable skill which will save you money no end. Rather than eating out every night, which you must do in a hotel, use the facilities of the hostel kitchen. A hostel I stayed in Barcelona actually did a group dinner for all guests every night that was included in your stay. It really felt like a family meal away from home. It can be a great way to meet other travellers too.
9. Do Your Research To Boost The Budget
Pick and choice your destination wisely. If you are like me and travel on a budget but don’t care where you explore, research cheaper destinations. A week in a resort in some European locations could literally be the same money as a month travelling in Thailand. Research what your currency is strong against and use it to your advantage. Mix this with your Revolut card and you will get the best exchange rate on the market. What’s more, you can try and hook up with other like-minded travellers who wish to do some of the same activities. Heading for an organised trip with custom knowledgable tourist companies can help split the cost for a more personal and interactive experience with new friends.
Bonus Budget Tip
Checking websites such as Skyscanner and google flights for great budget flights is a good start. But not all airlines or all flights will be on every website. Use a variety of websites as well as the individual airport website to see who flies from there. There may be an airline not showing up on flight comparison sites that would require you to go direct. Always shop around when looking for the best flights. Skyscanner is one of my favourite websites to book budget flights as I have found many cheap deals here. However, I still use a number of websites to shop for the best deal.
If all of this is still too much to take in, why not get in touch and get your trip bespoke for you? As an independent travel agent it’s my job to get you away to your dream destinations for the best possible price
As they say, look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves.
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My name is Ryan Cook and I am the founder of Travel With Cooky. I am a travel enthusiast sharing my top travel tips and destination reviews helping you to travel more for less.