Hey there! If you’re anything like me, the wanderlust is real. If it were up to me, I’d travel 6 months out of the year. Soon, Taylor. Soon. Travel is honestly the reason why I started this blog, because I love being able to work from a laptop where I can do it anywhere and everywhere!
The only true downside of travel, is that it can be so expensive. You shouldn’t have to take out a second mortgage just to go to Europe! I’ve scoured the internet for the absolute best travel tips that were kind on a budget and here are 10 of my favourites!
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Table of Contents
10 Ways to Save Money on Travel
#1 – Talk to Locals
The annoying thing about staying in hotels is that they’re usually surrounded by chain restaurants that are way more expensive than they need to be. The best way to find out where the best food is, is to ask a local! You can ask your taxi driver, your hotel concierge, or a person walking down the street.
Also, there are tons of locally written blog posts on good foods in cities that can help you plan your trip before you leave! Talking to locals for recommendations is the best way to get a true taste of the city you’re in!
#2 – Use Kayak or Skyscanner for Flights
There are literally entire websites that are DEDICATED to searching all websites for the cheapest time to buy plane tickets. They’re amazing. You can sign up by putting in your travel dates and the city you’re trying to get to and they’ll send you alerts when the tickets are cheap! These two are my favourites:
#3 – Ask About Student/Family Discounts
Did you know a ton of places (especially museums) have heavily discounted pricing for students? Sometimes even free! There is no shame in calling ahead or checking a website for a student or family discount to save yourself a few dollars on an excellent afternoon!
When you’re a student or you have a gaggle of kiddos you spend too much money on just about everything so you may as well take full advantage of any discount you can find.
#4 – Sign up for Newsletters
Signing up for weekly newsletters from travel websites and travel bloggers is a great way to find some of the best travel deals because they have all the secret tips and tricks! Some of my favourites to subscribe to include:
#5 – Try out Airbnb Instead of Hotels
Have you ever travelled using Airbnb? It’s honestly a totally different travel experience and it’s usually a lot cheaper than an actual hotel! You can rent someone’s actual home (apartment, house, condo, etc) and get a real feel for what it would be like to live in the city you’re in! Hotels are usually in high tourist traffic areas so you only get the tourist experience instead of getting a real cultural experience in the new city! You can try airbnb and get $45 off your first trip if you sign up here!
#6 – Walk EVERYWHERE
Walking is absolutely my favourite way to get around a new city, for more than one reason. The first reason you should walk is that IT’S FREE! You can get all around the neighbourhood where you’re staying and really get a feel for what it would be like to live in the city you’re visiting!
That’s another reason why I love to walk, because you get to mix in with the locals and see all the small shops and restaurants you otherwise would not have noticed!
#7 – Try Street Food
Some of the best food I’ve ever had has come from carts on the side of the road. I’m not the most adventurous eater, but have you ever had a New York hot dog? They’re amazing. My boyfriend loves his German street food and it’s all very delicious and is usually less than a few dollars. You can save a ton of money by just eating at least one meal a day from a cart.
#8 – Do Every Free Activity Imaginable
My favourite thing to search before I travel is “free things to do in (insert city here)”. There’s nothing better than seeing some of the coolest things in the city and not having to spend a dime! You can often find free museums, or botanical gardens, and so much more that you don’t have to spend money on! The best thing is, most of these places aren’t directly in tourist areas so you get to see all the cool parts of the city! You can also find activities that are under $5 that are awesome!
#9 – Bring Your Own Snacks
Why are airport snacks so darn expensive? It’s not fair that we get stuck in a airport terminal where we aren’t allowed to leave and if we aren’t prepared we have to spend 100 dollars on a box of almonds. This is why I love bringing my own snacks to the airport because you can get stuff at cheaper stores and save yourself at least $20 a person!
You just need to check what kinds of rules the airport you’re visiting has. I know that most places say you can’t just bring a loose hamburger through security but if it’s pre-packaged they usually don’t say anything!
#10 – Get Travel Insurance
It really hurts my head when people say they don’t get travel insurance. Imagine this scenario, you’re in France on a romantic trip with your significant other and you get into a freak accident and break 100 bones on a ski slope (sure, that’s plausible, right?). No matter what you’re going to end up in a hospital for the duration of your trip.
If you have travel insurance you’re covered (usually up to 1 million dollars) for all medical expenses that could happen. If you don’t have travel insurance, you WILL be on the hook for everything that happens. When I want away for two weeks last year I paid $50 for travel insurance and never looked back!
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