5 Great ways to save money while travelling
It is without a doubt that most of us need to watch the pennies while on the road, and for good reason, travelling can be very expensive and it is getting even more expensive with the ever-changing economy. It’s hard to avoid the tourist destinations and pricey attractions when they are all you know about a place, but with a few smart choices and a little planning and strategy, you can get a lot more out of your money. So here, we have compiled a list of 5 great ways you can save money while travelling!
1. Food:
A lot of people can overlook the amount of money they spend on food while travelling, but if you added it up you would see a significant chunk of your budget going to restaurants and takeaway. There are a couple of ways to avoid this, they include:
- Cooking your own food. This is the cheapest way to eat while travelling; which is why travelling in a motorhome is a cheap and cost effective way to travel. Doing this means you can make multiple meals and pack lunches for the following days so you don’t have to splurge on eating out.
- Avoid tourist destinations. If you are venturing to see what made the places you’re going to famous, you will almost always find that the food around those areas is considerably more expensive than anywhere else.
- Eat where the locals do. If you ask around or look for more traditional places to eat you will definitely find street food or shopping at local markets to be less harsh on your wallet.
2. Look for free or cheap activities
You’ll find more often than not, the locals will be your saviour when it comes to travelling. With a little asking around the locals will always tell you cheap places to go or even local spots that are off the radar. Most of the things you can see wherever you go are free if you know where to look. Tourism or visitors centres are always packed with pamphlets and flyers on things to do in the area, they also have maps of the area and very knowledgeable people which are always more than welcome to help you out. Be creative too; get a map and create a self-guided walking tour for yourself to get familiar with a location. A lot of museums and galleries will have a “pay what you can” day once a week to help those out who are watching the wallet.
3. Be flexible with your plans
Keep your plans flexible and book closer to the date, unless it is absolutely necessary to plan each day you want to move on from a place, avoid it. Most airlines and public transport have heavily discounted fares closer to or on the day of departure. Pairing this with not being picky about seats or class you are in make for a great money saver. Most of the time while travelling, getting to the destination is the most expensive part.
Alternatively, motorhome travel is a great way to see many places and destinations without having to worry about the hassle of long days filled with airport transfers, flight times and large airport security queues.
4. Don’t be picky about accommodation
Along with all the other things that make travelling so expensive, accommodation is up there with one of the biggest expenditures while on the road. Almost always, unless you have friends or family in a location, accommodation will be a daily expense. A great way to avoid this is to be open about where you stay. Travelling in a motorhome and staying at caravan parks are a cheap and cost effective way to travel. Staying at a caravan park is also a great way to meet other travellers and make new friends while on the road. You may even end up buddying up with your new friends and creating travel memories together.
5. Use more efficient travel methods
Everybody knows that the best way to get around in busy places is to use public transport, it is universal. Doing this is not only good for your bank account but it will also take you through a lot of local areas you wouldn’t usually see; plus, who doesn’t want to see the people of a country going about their day to day lives. Sometimes public transport is inaccessible depending on where you are so the next best thing is to use ride sharing services or to split cabs with people.
