“How do you travel so much?? ” I cannot tell you how many times I have been asked this question. Of course, what people really mean is ” How do you afford to travel so much?”. The truth is: there are no secrets to being able to travel more often, even with little money. It all comes down to making the choice and making a few sacrifices as well. But, there are a few tips and tricks that I have picked up along the way that can make travelling a lot more affordable than you may think. Today I am finally sharing with you: How to travel more on a small budget. 

Though this post has been long overdue, I believe  it is actually perfect timing too. Indeed, in a week I will be embarking on yet anther long-term travelling experience that will allow me to not only discover new countries, cultures, foods but also to explore new landscapes, and meet new friends. I cannot wait for it to start and I am super excited to take you along the journey with me.

But for now, let me show you:

How to Travel More on a Small Budget

Before we even begin, please bare in mind that as with any other experience and decision you make in life, choosing to travel does come with a few sacrifices. There is no coming around that fact: if you want to travel real bad, then be ready to let go of a few things as well. Trust me it is so worth it. So that was my little disclaimer, there. Now that we are on the same page, let’s get into this:

1. Learn how to SAVE

It may seem obvious to you, but the fact is that saving doesn’t come that easy for a LOT of people (myself included). However, as I said earlier, if you want to travel, then you have to learn to put some money aside so you may use it during your travels. Here are a few practical ways to save more money:

• Eat at home as often as possible – This will make you save a LOT (up to $300-500/month)
• Skip the Starbucks drinks or other small cafés spending – again calculate and see for yourself
• Stop shopping so much – save more by shopping only for the necessities (i.e. food & hygiene products really) and wait for the sales to “splurge”
• Party animal? Skip the alcohol when going out and you shall save a LOT of money once again. Luckily I hate the taste of alcohol so this one comes easy for me 😉
• Forget going out to the cinema – Try Netflix instead, you can share one account with friends and family and it becomes practically free!
• Reduce your living expenses by living in a smaller place with less “stuff” or even share your space to split your living expenses with some roommates

These are only some ways to save more money. But I am sure you get the gist. Get creative and see where you could too reduce your expenses in order to save.

2. The WHEN and WHERE of your trip matter more than you think

Plan your trip in low seasons & choose your destination wisely. Indeed, the season when you choose to travel can make a huge difference in how much you will end up paying for airfares. For example, last year we chose to explore South East Asia in September, October, November and early December.

By doing so, we were able to avoid the crazy touristy seasons of December and January. Sure, that meant carefully choosing the countries and paying attention to the weather patterns during our trips but in the end it allowed us to save a ton of money on both airfare AND accommodation.

Pick the low seasons to travel and choose countries that are cheaper in terms of food and accommodation as well.

Favourite website for airfare: Skyscanner

Favourite website for figuring out the best way to get to a destination (whether by air, sea or land): Rome2Rio.

3. Discover how to get cheap or FREE accommodations

This is something that I have definitely discovered over the past few years, but it is so worth exploring in order to travel more on a small budget. Here are a few easy ways to find cheap or even free accommodations while travelling:

• Stay with friends whenever possible – you can even plan your next destination based on that very factor! Also, making new encounters with other travelling mates can allow you to visit THEM in THEIR home countries and vice versa. So get chatty ;).

• Choose hostels over hotels – honestly, does anyone even do hotels anymore? Lol. But seriously, hostels can be very comfortable, clean and even fancy nowadays. They even offer private rooms if you do not feel like sharing your sleeping space.
• Stay with locals through home stays or volunteering opportunities – more on that in my next point

Some of my favourite websites to use for cheap or free accommodations are:

Airbnb , Couchsurfing (we once stayed with an Australian couchsurfer that had a full private bedroom to offer us in his great condo in Perth. It was a much cleaner place than the Airbnb we had chosen a few nights earlier in the same city and it was free! – do your research), and hostelworld (read the reviews carefully!).

There are a lot of other very helpful websites but these are my favourite ones so far and the ones I use over and over again.

4. Save while you travel by VOLUNTEERING and sharing your skills

This is probably as I mentioned earlier one of my favourite ways to travel. Ever since we discovered “Workaway”, we have had the pleasure to experience travelling completely differently.

There are many people in this world that need your help with all sorts of projects: it could be building an eco farm in Northern Thailand, teaching English to Vietnamese children to house sitting for an older couple in the South of France. The possibilities are endless.

Volunteering abroad not only allows you to learn new skills, share yours, work on a gratifying project, but it also gives you the opportunity to meet new people and to make new friends. Some of my favourite travelling memories were made while volunteering in Bali and Vietnam last year. We met some incredible people and made some life-long friends.

Favourite website: Workaway, but Woofing is another very popular one that I have yet to try. Maybe next year, while back in Europe :).

5. Discover the LOCAL gastronomy to save money on food

Another big way to afford to travel more on a small budget is to simply stick to local foods and local markets for eating. Meals in western hotels, resorts and restaurants can be quite expensive compared to local restaurants. And that is one sure way to make travelling abroad more expensive and not-so-affordable. Do your research and find out (with locals or on the internet) the best foods to eat in your specific destination.

Learn to explore the local markets and street foods to find cheaper and also often even tastier food options. Of course, be aware of food poisoning and stay informed about what not to eat to avoid getting sick. As a rule of thumb, I always like to have my probiotics with me (to make my immune and digestive system stronger) and I make sure to consume spicy foods, such as ginger or chili. This usually raises your stomach acid and kills off any bacteria. Of course, if all this still fails, then check out the local pharmacy or try charcoal tablets as a preventative (it worked like a charm for me in Bali).

 

And there you have it, folks. My 5 tips on how to travel more on a small budget. I hope you did take away a few useful tips. If you can think of anything else, please share it in the comments below. I would love to hear what your tips are to travel more on a small budget.

I leave you with this last shot:

 

As always, stay in vibrant health,

Sarah.