The wish to travel around your country or around the globe is on everyone’s mind. We all enjoy the essence of travelling and envy those who get to travel the world as their profession. Travelling relaxes our nerves and releases us from all the toxicity of urban life and work pressure. We crave to run away from our busy lives and take shelter in the vastness of this beautiful planet.
The sad part, however, is that when we think of travelling we tend to worry about the finances first, and perhaps justifiably so.
The simple question is: How on earth do we travel if we do not have enough money?
Well, apart from systematic savings, you can try the following tips on how to travel on a budget and enjoy yourself while travelling without having to break your bank.
Avoid busy seasons
A travel destination experiences a ‘peak season’ during public holidays such as Christmas or Summer Vacations. During the peak season, practically everything is expensive.
If you wish to travel on a budget, try to visit the same places on off-seasons when people are less. Less crowded the place is, the more you get to explore.
Cheaper boarding helps
If you are travelling to destinations and not staying at local hostels, guesthouses, or holiday homes, you are surely missing out on the ethnicity and the basic essence of that place.
The beauty of travelling is to understand and experience as the life it is. In order to experience the true essence of the place you are travelling to, you need to understand the local ways of living, the local language, and the local practices.
These are the experiences you will remember years later, which is, of course, not possible under the charade of fancy rooms in a five star.
Avoid tourism companies and tour guides
Instead of engaging with tour companies, you can book your own travel tickets and book your own stay. You can use either ‘OYO’ or ‘Airbnb’ as they are quite affordable than the pricey hotels’ tourism companies offer.
Just make sure you book early and use your “incognito mode” and use VPN apps (like ‘Nordvpn’ or ‘2.2.2.2’ etc.) in order to get the cheapest deals. Better planning and research about your intended destination is a better way to cope up with the need to have a tour guide.
You have the offline GPS apps for Maps like ‘Google Maps’ and ‘Waze’. In case, your phone is dead, communicate with the locals. Gestures work brilliantly, incase you don’t speak the language.
Rent a bike or a moped
Once you reach your destination, do not waste your money on lavish car rentals. Instead, experience the local sightseeing with easy riding, swift breeze, cost-effective bikes, and mopeds, which are local modes of transportation, and hence, more accessible. Avoid hiring Ubers and another form of taxies for your intra-city or inter-city travels if you wish to travel on a budget.
Choose your destination wisely
Ask yourself a simple question. What is it that you want to experience? Is it fancy partying along a beachside or the calmness of hills?
It all depends on what you want to experience. Understand the difference between what kind of travel you WANT and what you actually NEED. You may want to go for parties in Goa, but you may actually need the tranquility of Dehradun or Sikkim.
Choose offbeat areas of travel, which are budget-friendly, yet is a nature’s delight.
Spend Wisely
One of the most important aspects of travel on a budget is, when you reach your destination, try not to spend inefficiently. Have a grasp over what you are spending on and how much. You can avoid having full three-time meals.
Instead, try and have a heavy breakfast and then lower your food intake as you move ahead in the day. This food intake routine is not only going to save your budget but is rather a healthy diet for travellers.
If you are thinking to buy a souvenir for your loved ones, from the place you are visiting, then buy something cheap, yet relatable to the place. Try not to shop from a souvenir showroom. Instead, you can move about the city, communicate with people, and collect something special.
Don’t forget to embrace the beauty of street foods anywhere you travel. Not only will you get the local flavour on your taste buds, but it is also cheaper than fancy restaurants.
Don’t Fixate
It is quite possible that when you are travelling on your own, all your plans may not fructify. You need to remain flexible in your mind in order to cope up with diverse unforeseen situations.
You may miss a flight to a subsequent destination, or you might have to change plans and take an extra flight. Try to appreciate these unexpected changes and act accordingly.
Do not fixate on pre-determined plans and do not panic if some part of your plan does not work out.
Last but not the least, don’t forget to enjoy yourself and stay safe! Remember these tips when you decide to travel on a budget. Ciao.