So you love travelling, but don’t think you can afford to, or maybe you just want to save some cash on your next trip. We have ten unique tips of how to travel on a budget which we actually use to help you out. We started travelling as students, with a £20 budget per person per day, so we’ve really learnt how to travel on a budget. Well, we are not going to keep our tips and tricks a secret anymore! 

1. Be Flexible With Your Dates

We usually pick when we go away based on the cheapest dates. So many people we speak to seem to pick the exact dates they want to go away, and then start searching for flights. That really does restrict you, and you will be forced to pay whatever the flight costs on that day. Sometimes, simply moving your travel dates just a couple of days forward or backwards will save you way more than you think. A flight which is £100 on Saturday, you could find for £40 on Thursday. We recommend using Skyscanner, pick the month(s) you can go away and start playing around with the dates to get the best price.  

2. You Only Need Hand Luggage

We actually can’t remember ever paying extra to check in luggage when going away. Honestly, you really don’t need to. Often we find the cost of a checked in suitcase can be the price of our plane ticket for a trip in Europe. At the time of writing, a Ryanair 20kg bag could cost you £120 for a return flight per person. As a couple, that would be £240!

So what do we do? Firstly you will be very surprised by how much you can pack in your hand luggage. We always take a backpack over a suitcase and we never struggle. Plan what you will wear each day, use packing cubes and really consider if you need to take something. For example, even the cheapest hostels these days usually provide towels. We actually have a Hand Luggage Only Guide available.

Our second strategy is to do laundry. Your hotel/hostel might do this for you, but will often charge a lot. Find a local place where you can get your clothes washed, ask your hotel/hostel if you can use a washing machine yourself, or wash by hand in your room. By washing your clothes once on your trip, you are almost doubling the amount of clothes you can wear for probably £5-10.

3. Don’t Eat Out (All the Time)

We love eating out, it’s part of your holiday. Relax, try the local food and enjoy yourself. However, eating out will quickly add up. We recommend looking at accommodation with a kitchen, and then buying food in a supermarket and cooking some of your own meals.

Local supermarkets really are your best friend. We usually look to get breakfast and lunch from a supermarket when we can and then we will often eat out in the evening. For around £5 per person you can usually grab a decent supermarket lunch like a sandwich, fruit, snacks and a drink. 

If you do eat out, avoid the touristy places. Research and find local, cheaper options. They are often going to be better anyway! Look for restaurant offers, pick a soft drink or try some street food.

4. Find an Alternative Destination

Obviously, where you go will have a massive impact on your budget. Similarly to being flexible on your dates, you should be flexible on your destination. When we first started travelling we picked the destination nearly 100% based on the price. Again Skyscanner is a go to as you can search for flights to anywhere, look at the prices, and pick a location which works for you. 

We really recommend doing your research and looking at alternative options. Instead of Paris, could a weekend break in Budapest be better for you, or perhaps instead of Croatia, Republic of North Macedonia might offer lots of the same, want to go to Greece, consider Albania! We have a guide on the Best Alternative European City Breaks which could help with this.

5. Free Attractions

There are so many free attractions available that sometimes we go a full day without paying for one. This is truly how to travel on a budget. Parks, Gardens, Beaches, Museums, Hikes, Tours, City Squares, Markets, Sunsets, Cathedrals, the list goes on and on and you can often find these for free. 

We are not saying to miss out on something, but again do some research and don’t fall for the tourist traps. Is there an alternative attraction, or a cheaper option you could find? 

6. Walk

Did you know walking is free? We really enjoy walking, you get outside, you explore, you see more, it’s good for you, and did we say, it’s free. Depending on your health and situation, you might not need that taxi, or even that bus. The bus isn’t a bad option for getting around when it’s too far to walk, but taxi prices can sometimes be outrageous for a budget traveller. 

We start everyday by making a plan of what we want to see that day, and then we plan the route on Google Maps to find the best way to get around.

7. Be Smart with your Accommodation

One of the biggest expenses when travelling is going to be your accommodation. We would firstly suggest considering the standard of accommodation you need to have a good time. We get that you want to relax on holiday and that you will want somewhere comfortable and clean to stay. However, by lowering the standard of accommodation a little, that difference in price per night will add up across the whole trip. 

We often sacrifice slightly on location. As we mentioned, we love to walk, and staying just 30 minutes out of the centre could save you a lot more than you think!

We also recommend looking at hostels, or why not try Couchsurfing. Couchsurfing connects you with locals who could host you for free. We’ve used Couchsurfing a few times, and always had such a positive experience getting to meet new people and staying in their home for a couple of nights. 

8. Go Out of Season

We know this might not always be an option, but if you can we don’t really understand why you are not doing this already. It’s way cheaper, and it’s also less busy. February and October are some of our most popular months to travel, but even for June or September we still have found some great deals. If you can avoid July and August, you will instantly save money on your flights, accommodation and daily costs. 

If you do your research you can still time your out of season trip to get the weather you want, without the crowds and without the increased price tag. Going out of season is key if you’re looking how to travel on a budget.

9. Work While you Travel

When we began travelling, we didn’t have much money. One option was to work to allow us to explore new places. This was a great solution and we often got accommodation, food, and money in return. 

We have worked on campsites across Europe, in hotels and bars, taught English, or taken fully remote roles to allow us to see the world. It’s truly a great option to have an income while travelling and many of these opportunities allowed us to meet friends along the way. Believe it or not, we actually met each other while working in the South of France. No Tinder needed!

Workaway is a great place to look for opportunities to find work to support your travels. 

10. Do it Yourself

Lastly, do it yourself! We often look at package holidays, mainly just to be nosey. However, we have never booked one as we have always found we could get a better deal doing it ourselves. You can also be far more flexible with what you want which will help save money too. 

Set some time aside and have a look for your own flights, transfers, and accommodation. You don’t need to pay someone to do this for you.

We really hope you enjoyed reading our tips and that they help you with how to travel on a budget to save some money on your next adventure.