50 TIPS FOR TRAVELING CHEAP. BEST SECRETS TO SAVING MONEY WHILE TRAVELING

Want to know the best tips for traveling cheap while still having a memorable travel experience? Here are the best tips for saving money while traveling. Save money on flights, restaurants, accommodations, entertainment and more. These money saving travel tips will help you cut travel expenses so you can spend less and travel more.

Incorporate these money saving travel tips into your travel schedule and you will learn how to travel the world on a budget.

How to save money on flights

How to score cheap flight deals? Low-cost airfare should not be a mystery. Travelers should be able to locate and book budget flights easily. However, the abundance of confusing options and a lack of knowledge sometimes makes cheap airline tickets a dream.

It IS possible to travel cheap and find reasonable international and local flights, last-minute vacation deals and discount airfare every time. It does take effort though, and knowledge, and a little bit of luck too.

Cheap flight deals 101 – The Basics

Let’s start with the basics, or CHEAP FLIGHT DEALS 101. These are the simple things for traveling cheap you’re probably already doing, but let’s just make sure.

Flexibility is king. The single biggest tip for traveling cheap and snagging cheap flight deals is FLEXIBILITY. That’s the flexibility to fly some days before or some days after the desired date. Even a one-day change can make a difference of several hundred dollars. Seasonal flexibility is also important.

Want to go to Europe from the U.S.? Know that a summer European trip will cost you more. Try flying offseason or consider a different destination like South America instead when it’s offseason.

Visit the websites of individual airlines. 

Subscribe to their mailing list and newsletters, register for their contests. Airlines sometimes announce deals exclusively on their sites. If you get too many emails from them, manage your subscriptions to receive only the information you want. Likewise, follow airlines on social media sites for the same reason.

Sign up for travel alerts. 

Determine where you want to go and schedule a travel alert for this. Travel alerts will tell you what the price of a flight is on different dates. As an example, I scheduled an alert through Skyscanner for a flight from JFK to Dublin. The results varied substantially – about US$100 – from the first date I set the alert to every subsequent price change. A little flexibility on the date can net you a bargain.

A screenshot of the Skyscanner website
Skyscanner

If you register with certain search engines, they will scour the internet seeking error fares (when an airline posts a fare by mistake) and other ridiculously cheap flight deals, one-time-only fares and hotel rooms for cities you choose as well as random cities.

Perhaps you never considered Morocco as a vacation option but then you found a fare for $350 round trip from JFK. Suddenly Morocco is looking very attractive. Two sites that are especially good for this are Airfarewatchdog and The Flight Deal.

Get an awards travel credit card and sign up for frequent travel plans. 

These credit cards will give you sign-on bonuses and points which you can exchange for airline award miles. You are going to use a credit card anyway; you might as well get points towards air travel while you’re at it.

Depending on the airline, you can also earn points for dining at specific restaurants and shopping at businesses affiliated with the airline’s program.

Cheap Flights 102 – Intermediary

Check out the budget airlines. 

Don’t just search on the big airlines. Traveling cheap means checking the low-cost budget airlines, too. Budget airlines tend to service a specific region like Europe or India. But this has changed recently. Now you have budget airlines that can transport you between continents at budget prices.

There are budget airlines offering low-cost prices in other regions too like, Southeast Asia, Australia, Middle East and elsewhere.

An easyJet plane in flight
One of many budget airlines to help you travel cheap

There is a catch with budget airlines. You knew there was a catch. But it’s a little catch so don’t worry. Nothing, absolutely nothing is included in the price- other than flying you from point A to point B. Want to select a particular seat?… it’ll cost you. Check a bag?… open your wallet. Have a snack?… fuhgeddaboutit!  Nevertheless, I think that’s a small price to pay for a small price.

Another potential issue for some is that these airlines tend to fly in and out of less frequented airports. This means you need to factor in the cost and time involved in getting to wherever the flight lands in and departs from. Still worth it, I say.

Finally, just like regular airlines, many of the budget airlines are cheaper at certain times of the day like 5:54 AM or 11:30 PM. Just keep these factors in mind before you fall in love with your $99 price tag.

Learn your search engine options.

Traveling cheap involves having the right tools. Use the right search engines to snag the best and cheapest flight deals. There are tons of them out there so which is best? The best ones are the ones that list ALL the airlines and flight options worldwide. Some U.S. search engines do not list the European or Asian budget airlines which have some of the best deals, so I tend to avoid them.

I also like engines that are easy to use and visual. Some of the ones I use the most include MOMONDO and SKYSCANNER. They have every airline option – including budget airlines – on the planet.

I’ve found both their prices to be competitive but Skyscanner has been cheaper. Momondo has a great feature that lets you see different prices on different days without having to enter an alternative date. This allows you to choose the cheapest dates available within the month you are traveling. Very convenient.

A screenshot of the Momondo search engine.
Momondo

One search engine that I’ve started using lately is GOOGLEFLIGHTS. They have an interactive map that lets you insert your home airport and check out options from there. It may not be the best if you are dead set on a particular destination, but it’s great for searching possible vacation options.  The pricing is also good.

Whatever you do, make sure you check multiple search engines. 

Don’t just go with the first one you use even if the price seems good to you. You’d be surprised at what else is out there if you really search.

Other search engines are fine too, but with these, you get every option under the sun which saves you time and effort and virtually guarantees you the best price.

Consider nearby airports. 

Many cities are served by two or more airports. Perhaps the more distant one is not as convenient for you but is a hub for cheap budget airlines. If there is good public transportation, consider flying in/out of that alternative airport. This could save you a great deal. When searching, check the “all airports” option rather than your usual airport.

Consider nearby cities. 

If the price to a particular city is way expensive, check cities nearby. It may be cheaper to fly to a cheaper destination and take public transportation to your originally intended destination.

Search in incognito mode. 

Some people swear by this. Others say it’s a myth. The idea is that airlines use “cookies” to monitor what you search for and increase the price incrementally as you come back to the site. To avoid this, search in incognito mode or clear cookies before you search. I do practice this tactic for that added confidence…just in case.

Cheap flights – Advanced.  Budget Flights

Finally, we move up to ADVANCED CHEAP FLIGHTS. Here is where you play with segments, overland routes, and layovers to get yourself the best ticket price possible.

Again, flexibility is key to traveling cheap, especially with your routing. 

Say you want to go from New York to Buenos Aires. You’ll probably check direct flights and find, say, a fare of $700 one way. But what if you found a New York to Miami fare for $90 then $500 from Miami to Buenos Aires for a total of $590? That’s a saving of $110! It may not always work but it is definitely worth trying.

Some people think it is automatically cheaper to stick with the same airline for the entire itinerary. Not so!

It may be cheaper to book different airlines for each segment in order to get the best cheap flight deals. For example, fly to Europe from the U.S. on one of the long-haul budget airlines like Icelandair, then fly the local budget airlines like EasyJet and Ryanair within Europe. You could wind up with six different airline tickets, but you could also save 50%.

Mix and match to score the cheapest flight cost.

And who says you have to fly everywhere? Combine flights with overland transportation.  In smaller regions with good local transportation, like Europe or Japan, it may make more sense to take the train or bus. It will be much cheaper and possibly give you insight into the local culture.

You can research alternative transportation between cities.

One website I have used to research transportation options is [email protected]. This site shows you how to get from any point A to any point B using all possible transportation options. For example, see the chart below showing alternative routes from London to Dublin.

The sites give you everything from flights to a combination of bus and ferry together with the pricing. The site works well in developed areas as well as less developed ones like South East Asia or Africa. I LOVE this site! It is one of my favorites for traveling cheap.

A screenshot o the Rome2Rio website. Traveling cheap with airline flights.
Rome2Rio

Don’t be afraid of layovers.

Instead, embrace layovers as a chance to explore another city. I recently found a great deal from Adelaide to JFK but with a nine-hour layover in Sydney. I took advantage of the layover to buy a round trip train ticket from the Sydney airport to the city, visit a museum, have dinner in Korea Town and make it back in time to catch my flight.

Pack light and smart for one bag travel

One bag travel for packing lite and smart is the way to go when trying to save money on flights. Most airlines quote without checked baggage. They will charge you extra for checking a bag. This is becoming more and more common.

a full suitcase fir traveling cheap and light
Do everything you can to avoid checking bags.

Travel with just one carryon bag and you will save an ever-increasing amount of money on the overall cost of your flight. This is hard for many people to do. First, get a travel bag that you can take on the plane with you and cut back on unnecessary stuff. Make sure it meets airline requirements for carryon and that it has 4-wheel spin like this one. Traveling cheap is not hard, but it does take some effort.

If you want additional tips on traveling cheap and light, check out HOW TO PACK LIGHT FOR A WEEK OR MORE: ONE-BAG TRAVEL


How to save money on food while traveling

Buy breakfast the night before.

Some travelers love breakfasts while traveling. Me, I like to get it out of the way so I can get on with the day. If you are staying in a hotel, breakfasts can be an elaborate buffet with a hefty price tag. Save your money and your waistline and buy some yogurt and fruit, or whatever you like, the night before and store it in your refrigerator. Then have that in the morning along with some coffee or tea and get out the door.

Never eat near tourist destinations.

Restaurants in tourist areas know tourists are going to be in the area anyway and chances are they’re not coming back, so cultivating repeat business is not a priority for them. Visitors are likely to grab something while there in Times Square in New York City, Ocean Drive in Miami or La Rambla in Barcelona and perhaps be disappointed. Consequently, many of these restaurants – not all – don’t have to be very good or even reasonably priced. A tourist is less likely to know where the good restaurants are, and they are not likely to be aware of typical pricing structures. Also, there is a perception that it is OK to splurge on a vacation. To travel cheap and save money on food, always eat far from the main tourist spots.

Times Square in New York City

As a general rule:

  • Avoid restaurants in tourist areas.
  • Avoid restaurants with enormous glasses for drinks.
  • Avoid restaurants with endless menu selections in dozens of languages.
  • Avoid restaurants with attractive people enticing you to enter.
  • Avoid restaurants full of touristy-looking people.
  • Eat in restaurants at least 4 blocks away from the major tourist sites.
  • Research your restaurant choices beforehand. Check at least 2 or 3 review sites.
  • Don’t ask the hotel concierge what restaurant she recommends. Instead, ask her where she eats.
  • Look inside a restaurant. If the people look local, chances are it’s good.

Eat your main meal in restaurants during lunch rather than dinner

Many restaurants throughout the world have lunch menus where they basically offer a meal very similar to dinner but at a lower price. Europe, for example, has a “menu of the day” lunch with two or three courses at a reduced price. Having your big meal at lunch and lighter fare for dinner is a great way to save money on food while traveling.

Eat outside.

Cheese, ham, tomatoes and a bottle of wine outside.
Enjoy a meal outside and people watch

Pick up one of the local specialties; cheese in France, cured ham in Spain or cold noodles in Asia at a local grocery store, convenience store or supermarket and eat it in a park or plaza while you people watch. Wandering a local supermarket in a new destination can be a very interesting travel experience and an innovative way to save money on food while you travel. BTW, if you’re ever in Japan, don’t miss the opportunity to pick up a meal at a 7-Eleven convenience store. The place is squeaky-clean, and the food is amazing.


How to save money while traveling using local transportation

Use local transportation to and from the airport to your accommodation.

This is a major issue with me. The cost of taking a taxi from the airport to your accommodation can be high. It is also an opportunity to get ripped off by unscrupulous car service providers. Why put yourself in that situation?

Some tips to save money traveling from an airport to your destination include:

Research transportation options from the airport to your destination BEFORE you arrive. Many cities in more developed countries have excellent local transportation, be it buses or metros direct from the airport to the center city at reasonable prices. Many less developed countries have kiosks inside the airport where you can buy your car fare and just give the driver a voucher. This guarantees you pay a fair, established and advertised price and avoids having to negotiate with the driver.

Contact your hotel and ask or research how to travel from the airport to the hotel. Do they have a shuttle? Is it free?

The underground sign. Traveling cheap with local transportation.
Is there a metro from the airport to close to your accommodation?

Use local transportation in your destination.

Learn the metro/bus system of the city you’re in. Download a metro or buss map. You don’t need to know the entire system, just the main areas where you will be visiting.

If you will be in a location more than one or two days, check to see if there is a multi-trip pass. This will save you money and allow you to go through train/bus stations more easily and faster. It may be more economical to buy a pass than to buy individual tickets when you use public transportation.


Traveling cheap means saving money on money

Travelers don’t always think of it but there are several ways to save money on money while traveling. Some traveling cheap money tips:

a credit card in a card payment device. Traveling cheap with money
Make sure your credit card has no foreign transaction fees.
  • Get a credit card with no foreign exchange fee. I like Chase Saphire Reserve but there are plenty more out there. These fees can add up.
  • When paying with your credit card in a foreign location, if you are asked if you want the payment in your own currency or the local currency, select the local currency. That way your own bank – rather than who knows who -will determine the exchange and probably get a better rate.
  • In order of descending preference, the worse places to exchange money are currency exchange airport kiosks, banks, hotels. The most favorable exchange will be from an ATM that services your bank.
  • Don’t use ATMs in dodgy looking locations. Look for clean, professional looking locations like a bank’s lobby.
  • BTW, you can use ATMs in Japanese 7-Eleven convenience stores. I know, I know…that goes against every instinct, but trust me on this. These stores are reliable, safe, convenient and efficient, like most things in Japan.

Saving money on accommodations

There are so many money saving tips regarding accommodations that one barely knows where to start, but here are the top tips for traveling cheap with accommodations.

Become a member of a hotel awards program.

If you are a member of a hotel awards program, depending on your status and the program, you can get little welcome gifts like extra points, snacks or a free drink at the bar at check in. The hotel will also do their best to get you a better room. The more nights you stay at one of the member hotels, the closer you get to a free night. You can also pay for a hotel night with a combination of points and cash. Some of the brands are higher end in case you want to splurge and still accumulate points.

You should try to stick to a hotel group that has enough hotels/partners in destinations where you are likely to stay. One of my favorite award programs is IHG whose brands include, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, Intercontinental, Candlewood Suites and many more. Another award program is Hilton Honors. There are many. Check your region to see what makes sense for you.

A woman sitting on a sofa with a hotel sign behind her. Traveling cheap in hotels.
Get a hotel awards program and save money on accommodations.

You don’t have to stick to hotels.

Of course, today there are many more options beyond staying in a hotel. You can stay in a bed and breakfast type environment like Airbnb or VRBO which could save you money on accommodations. A website like booking.com will list various different properties from hostels to regular hotels to bed and breakfast establishments to luxury properties all on one site which is why this search engine is my favorite for accommodations. You’ve got lots of options for traveling cheap with accommodations.

Booking.com

Let’s talk hostels.

Many veteran travelers avoid hostels because they remember when hostels were just large dorm rooms with rows of beds and clothes lines strung across the halls. No more. Many hostels have gone upmarket and now offer private and semi-private rooms with private bathrooms in pleasant environments for much less than a regular hotel room. They don’t have the fancy hotel amenities but if you love traveling cheap on accommodations, this is a great option.

Check out Hostalworld.com for accommodation options around the world.

Research your accommodation location before booking.

Here is a traveling cheap tip I learned the hard way. I once found a great deal on a hotel within my awards program at a very competitive price. I booked immediately. When I got there, I discovered the hotel was quite a distance away from all the sites I wanted to see. That means I had to take transportation everyday back and forth, an unnecessary cost and hassle. Now I always see where hotels are on a map relative to what I want to see and do. It is much nicer to have attractions within walking distance of your accommodation.

Here is a good example of how to select your hotel to help maximize your trip. WHERE TO STAY IN NEW YORK CITY BASED ON WHAT YOU WANT TO SEE AND DO.

Avoid hotel laundries

Avoid costly hotel laundry

Don’t use hotel laundry. Bring a little bag of laundry detergent or laundry detergent sheets with you on a trip and rinse out some of your clothing in the sink. Hang it up in the shower or the window and that’s the end of it. Don’t use a hotel laundry because it is expensive, and you may not get it back in time.


Save money on entertainment while traveling

Visit the local Tourist Office.

There are many entertainment venues vying for your patronage and willing to discount and promote to get it. If you want to know which they are, go to your nearest Tourist Office. Tell the representative what you are interested in; theater (half-price Broadway tickets anyone?) tours, hop-on-hop-off buses, festivals…anything a tourist is like to be interested in, and they will check to see if there are deals or promotions available. Some of these tourist offices are better than others – Melbourne’s was awesome – but they are all worth a look-see when you first arrive. Plus, the bathrooms are usually clean!

Explore the passes to attractions

If you are going to be in a destination for several days and have a lot to see, consider passes for key attractions. These passes are digital, they’ll save you money on entertainment, focus your time on attractions that are important to you and you’ll avoid long lines to get in to the attraction. Several companies offer these passes to attractions including sightseeingpass.com and GoCity.com. I usually go to the local tourism office and ask what passes are available.

Visit museums on free museum days.

Museum admission can be pricy. But if you love museums, and you’re in a museum city, you really want to go. Don’t break the bank, save money on entertainment while traveling by identifying the free museum days. Many, if not most, top museum cities, Rome, Paris, New York City, Tokyo, have free days. Just Google “free museum days in X city” and plan your day around it. Can you imagine seeing the greatest works of art ever created for free!

A courtyard with statues
Experience some of the world’s best museums for free on select days!

Take free walking tours.

Many important and interesting cities have pay-what-you-like or free walking tours where you only pay tips. Check them out. There are several options including Free Tours by Foot and Freetour.com. So, are these tours REALLY free? Technically, yes, but it is expected your will tip at least US$10 to $20 which is still a bargain.

These money saving tips for entertainment can make traveling cheap a joy.


Save money with your phone while traveling

Clearly you don’t want to use your phone with no support when traveling overseas because you will go broke. Here are a couple of my favorite options for traveling cheap with your phone.

Download maps before you arrive at your destination.

Download maps for free before your trip so you can refer to them offline whenever you want. You can do this with Google Maps and Maps.me.

Use apps like WhatsApp and Facetime to connect with people back home. These apps are free.

Get an international phone plan.

Talk to your carrier or phone service provider about an international plan. This will allow you to keep your number and stay connected without having to pay a premium. Prices and service vary per carrier but a typical plan can be $10/day for 512 MB in 130 countries. Note that 512 MB is not a lot – depending on your typical usage – so be aware of how much you are using.

Get an international plan from your carrier or use a SIM card

Get a SIM card

Here is my absolute favorite tactic for saving money on communication when traveling. Your best bet to using your phone abroad is to get a local SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module). A SIM card lets you make phone calls in the country you’re in, surf the web, use navigation, do everything you would do at home just as if you had a local phone.

Some years ago, I used a SIM card on a trip to Spain. I had hesitated to use a SIM card for a long time because I didn’t want to open my iPhone and insert a card. A salesguy in the airport convinced me to try it and I never looked back. I was given Spanish phone number. I drove around using Google maps and navigation, used the phone to make restaurant reservations, called family at home, watched videos and more. I was surprised at the low cost and high efficiency and felt a little provincial for having waited so long to use a SIM card.

In Europe and Asia you can get a local SIM card at kiosks in airports and SIM card kiosks throughout the countries. You can also buy one online or from your carrier. Costs vary depending on the plan, country and other factors. Do some comparison shopping. The clerk that sells you the card can install it for you, but it is easy to install yourself. Note that you cannot use SIM cards on locked phones. Most phones are unlocked today but check with your carrier just to be sure.


Buy “110 Best Travel Tips” on Amazon or get it for free by subscribing

“110 Best Travel Tips” is my book of travel advice and recommendations on saving money while traveling, staying healthy and safe, and most importantly, maximizing your travel experience. It is for sale on Amazon, or you can get it for free when you subscribe to our newsletter. This is the fastest way to become super travel savvy in a short period of time. Take advantage of what I’ve learned from a lifetime of travel.

Traveling cheap takes a little effort, but it is totally worth it.

What are some of YOUR favorite tips for saving money while traveling? Let us know in the comments.

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BTW, if you are getting ready for your trip, make sure to take advantage of these useful, money-saving links to book your trip:

  • Research and book your flight with Skyscanner. I have found them to be the best because they list all airlines including the budget ones. You are always sure of having researched all options.
  • For car rental around the world, Discover Cars has flexible pickup and drop-off options, I recommend Discover Cars.
  • Book your accommodation with Booking.com. I find they have a wide selection and a nice, user-friendly, transparent website.
  • Protect your trip and, more importantly, protect yourself with travel insurance. I use Travelinsurance.com and have been very happy with them.
  • Looking for a small group tour to unforgettable destinations with top professionals? Intrepid Travel is your choice.
  • For more general tours to any destination or attraction, book with Viator. Check them out.
  • Need a visa?  Get your visa for all countries with Passport Visa Express.
  • Looking for a cool walking tour to explore a city? My favorite walking tours are offered by Take Walks.
  • Food and drink tours are the best way to enjoy a city. And Devour Tours are my favorite.
  • Looking for a good VPN to protect your security, privacy and freedom online while traveling? Nordvpn is your best option.

I personally use, and can recommend, all the companies listed here and elsewhere on my blog. By booking through these sites, the small commission we earn – at no cost to you – helps us maintain this site so we can continue to offer our readers valuable travel tips and advice.

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Talek Nantes

This blog was created to inspire your travels and to explore experiences in fascinating locations. What you will find are thoughts on how to immerse yourself in local culture, food, history and people. On your way to these adventures I hope to provide you with useful information to help you get there. Come see the world with me!

Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases. Posts may contain affiliate links. If you click on one of them, we may receive a commission at no cost to you.



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