How to Travel on a Budget
I get messages all the time wondering and asking how in the world I travel so often. Simple answer? I travel on a budget! I’m 22 and fresh out of college. I have a good full time job but just like a lot of people in their young 20s the budget is not endless and their has to be some type of planning and structure to how much time and money you are spending on travel! Now with that being said I think that young adults should absolutely utilize this time in our lives. We will quite literally never be as young as we are in this moment. Travel opens your eyes to the world, let’s you experience different cultures, food, and get caught up in some pretty mesmerizing views. As TikTok would say “creating some of those core memories” to tell our kids about. Travel equates to memories that will last a lifetime and life lessons that can be integrated into your day to day life. For example, I struggled desperately with a eating disorder for most of high school and all of college. This past year I vowed to truly enjoy the foods I ate while traveling without giving a damn, today I am the happiest and healthiest I have ever been. When I was 18 I was in a very dark place and booked a summer long trip to Europe without knowing a soul… that trip involved sooo many ups and downs and I learned a lot about myself. I also met one of my best friends on that trip and despite not living in the same country we talk and visit each other regularly (if your reading this hi Meg hehe). Anyways what I am saying is if you are dreaming of a life full of adventure and and spontaneity stop. Stop just liking Tiktok’s and watching youtube videos…. actually make some fundamental moves towards living that life for yourself because, you can! And with that being said I’ll wrap it up… here are my top budget tips, hacks and strategies I have used to travel to some pretty amazing places.
Pack like a frat boy going on a weekend beach trip with 1 pair of swim trunks. Okay… not literally but I mean to an extent. DO NOT PAY FOR LUGGAGE PEOPLE. I’m sorry I know 60$ doesn’t sound like a lot once but if you pay this 2x a month for a couple years of travel… well you see where i’m going with this.
VACUUM SEAL YOUR CLOTHES AH. This saved me. I was able to fit enough for multiple week long adventures into a carryon. Amazon had 20$ manual ones! Link is right here! Amazon vacuum seal bags and pump
Get a “weekender” backpack. This is a 40-45L backpack that opens like a suitcase. Game changer. You don’t even need a carryon as it’s considered a personal item. I’ll link this as well. 45 L backpack
Make a list of your dream bucket list destinations. Now under a random email and a private browser set flight alerts for these places!
Usually red eye or late night flights will be cheapest.
Use google flights, hopper, Trip.com, Sky scanner and Student Universe for cheapest flights.
I have a entire post dedicated to how i find cheap flights!!! Cheap flights blog post
Choose destinations that are cheaper and more aligned with a budget! Ideas include domestic trips, road trips, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Thailand, Nepal, The Philippines, Sir Lanka, Croatia, Portugal and even Greece!
If you are comfortable with it (i suggest with a friend) hostels are a super cheap and even fun option to save $$ and make new friends! I did this in Italy a few times and felt very safe! Go with a friend and look at reviews / social media of the hostel.
Use public transportation!!! If you are in cities exp. Europe use the subway / tube it’s so cheap and so worth it!
Rent from LOCALS for your housing. Rent from local AirBnbs and Vrbo stays run by the families who own it! You’ll receive a much better price than the corporate companies listings places.
Travel during “slow seasons”. Often times the busy seasons are well, busy! Travel on off seasons and the prices are remarkably lower.
Book flights and hotel/ AirBnb separately… it’s tempting to do package deals but most often these are overpriced and not worth the $$ UNLESS it’s a all inclusive package.
Depending on how you are allocating your money be mindful with food prices! I have a generic rule I use. I buy yummy breakfasts and coffees about 75% of the stay, almost always eat small lunches from home ( for example in Hawaii I packed a sandwich and chips and watermelon chunks everyday for lunch) and then for dinner that is where you are going to allocate most of your food budget. This creates some balance without sacrificing any yummy finds! If you are visiting somewhere for more than a week I suggest staying in a place with a small kitchen.
Always look for museum deals. For example some do free first Sunday of the month admission and holiday or student deals.
Use mobile free tour guides and apps. Some include GyPSy Guide, Guides by Lonely Planet, VoiceMap and GPSmyCity.
Wear versatile clothes and plan outfits down to the last detail in advance! Try them on while packing and make sure you LOVE each fit or you’ll be temped to buy clothes there.
Have a “travel” account. For example I put 100-300$ each month into either a high yield savings account or USDC crypto coin which accumulates $$$ monthly. Other options are to invest it into ETFs or just a normal savings account is better than nothing:) Always try to make sure your $$ is making more money! Main takeaway from this one is always have some money set aside to travel. If your dream destination randomly has a 300 round trip international flight and you want to go you want to ensure you’ll have the funds without sacrificing anything for the month!
I hope this helped and that you now have somewhat of a baseline of how to travel on a budget that meets your price range! Travel is not unattainable and if you want to see the world than do not hesitate, go for it:)
