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‘’Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I’m possible.”
This famous quote from one of the greatest British actresses and humanitarians, Audrey Hepburn, serves well for hodophiles (before you Google its meaning, let me tell you it’s a term used for a person who loves travelling). Imagine someone who wants to travel all around the world. Wouldn’t it be ideal if they could do it without breaking the bank? Dust off the travelling bucket list and prepare for an ultimate travel experience without a care in the world. By the end of this page, you’ll be able to afford more than 3 trips a year without worrying about your spending.
Let’s get started.
Travelling can add years of experience to your life in just a few weeks. By witnessing the lifestyle of people belonging to different cultures, tasting their cuisines, and attempting to live like them, you will grow into a different and better version of yourself. Take a look at these tips to support your next journey to various tourist sites.
Social media platforms offer much more than reconnection with your old friends. Use Facebook groups and Instagram hashtags to know about the cheapest (yet worth visiting) places. These pages can also help you find the best hotel and flight deals. Keep your eyes out for them, as these offers are generally limited in time and quantity.
Make the most of the human tendency to celebrate. Ask your friends and family to chip out cash, travel gift cards for the top tourist destinations, or travel accessories like neck pillows or backpacks, for the next event. Whether it’s your birthday, graduation, anniversary, or Christmas, let them know about your gift expectations. This would be one of the best ways to save money in terms of travel-related expenses.
Use this account to save money for your next travel destination. The money in your personal bank account will be spent in no time if you don’t save it. Remember to open this account in a bank that provides unlimited ATM withdrawals in India and abroad. You wouldn’t want to spend excessively on bank charges while visiting important places in India.
Needless to say, the prices of flights, hotels, travel vehicles, and tour guides are lesser during off-seasons. If you’re planning to visit hill stations or a European country, visit around early winter to enjoy a pleasant climate at discounted prices. Similarly, book your flight tickets on weekdays to get lower prices on travel destinations than at weekends.
If you’re a frequent traveller, you may have heard about this trick. Book your airline tickets using the Incognito mode on Google Chrome or Private Browsing mode on Safari. Why should you do this? It’s because the number of visits to a booking webpage determines the price of a flight. If you don’t book your tickets the first time around, prices for the same flight will soar in the subsequent visits to the webpage.
Another tip for flight booking is to select the ‘flexible date’ option on the website. When searching for flights on a fixed date, there is a high chance of missing out on the lowest prices. By selecting the option of flexible dates, you get an overview of the prices on nearby dates to make the best choice.
When it comes to travelling on a budget, negotiation is the skill you’ll need the most. You can’t always trust the prices of hotels mentioned on the booking websites. For instance, if you check the prices of one night’s stay at a hotel on a booking website, the given tariff will vary from the one mentioned on their website. Additionally, when you contact the hotel on their provided number, the staff may quote other costs than the previous options. Thus, the best way to get a deal on hotel bookings is to contact the hotel directly and negotiate to get the best deal.
Think about your last travel experience. Is there anything you could’ve done better? Before you mentally start listing the points, let me tell you about the most important one – contingency planning. Now, you might not need the help of this plan unless you’re stuck in an emergency, but it’s always better to be over-prepared than underprepared. Generally, you must avoid travelling with cash, but just in case of emergencies, you must have a stack of extra cash in a safe location. This could be your toiletry bag or any other unpredictable spot to help you in case your main bag goes missing.
If you own a residential space, consider renting it temporarily to offset the expense of your travel. This tip is only applicable if you are considering travelling for at least one month. In some cases (if you’ve planned a trip to a cheaper destination), you might actually end up making a profit from such an arrangement.
The cost of staying in a hotel for long trips can break the bank. Save yourself from such situations by booking Airbnb services. Consider this pro-tip for your next booking, book a place for as long as a month to get up to a 50% discount on the actual price.
In the case of international trips, you must be prepared to see a huge phone bill. The best way to avoid these charges is by purchasing a local SIM card in exchange for your current one. This will help you in avoiding international charges.
If you don’t want to go through the hassle of purchasing SIM cards and are travelling solo, relying on public WiFi might be the best plan. It saves you the charges of an international plan (or the cost of purchasing a new SIM). In almost every country or city, you will come across spots with free public WiFi that would help you in staying connected with the world. Call your friends and family through WhatsApp calls and download offline language dictionaries on Google Translate for additional help.
If your itinerary consists of multiple local or international destinations, it’s always better to select overnight flights or trains. In this way, you will be saving a lot of money that would’ve been spent on hotel stays otherwise. Just get a good eye mask and a comfortable sweatshirt for your journey.
Be prepared to carry your luggage with you when you’re exploring certain places. This will save you the cost of expensive hotel rooms booked for hours when you won’t even spend in the hotel. If possible, carry only a large shoulder backpack or perhaps a small sling bag with an accompanying cabin bag.
For any type of trip, you can always save a ton of money by purchasing local vegetables and fruits. Cook these in your Airbnb or hotel room to get a filling meal at a significantly reduced cost. This tip can also help you in situations wherein you start getting bored by restaurant meals.
The general tendency of foreign travellers is to exchange currency at the airport or banks. This will cost you more than exchanging them at local stores and malls. Generally, banks and airport counters have to order currencies to meet the demand. This makes them charge extra for the exchange. However, malls and local shops have currencies on hand. Thus, you would be saving significantly while exchanging at such places.
People who believe travelling to be a stressful activity aren’t doing it right. With the support of the tips listed in this article, you can surely plan the best trip of your life to the best destinations in the world under budget. All the best for the next journey!
Ans: The best way to save money while travelling is to book Airbnb rooms, negotiate at different places, rely on public WiFi, and book overnight flights to save on hotel expenses.
Ans: One of the ways to travel for free is to work in multinational companies that allow visits to other countries. You can also volunteer with short-term organisations or with the Peace Corps to travel to different destinations.
Ans: Some of the safest countries you can visit in the world are Iceland, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Ireland.
Ans: Some of the prettiest and the best holiday destinations in the world are in countries like New Zealand, Greece, Scotland, the Czech Republic, Iceland, and Australia.
Ans: Some of the cheapest countries to travel to in the world are Mexico, Nepal, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Romania, Bosnia, and Bolivia.
