Planning to Travel? Learn These 10 Life Hacks to Save Money

Traveling can be an expensive affair if you do not do it the right way. Planning your vacation, being open with your accommodations, travel dates, and even food can help save hundreds of dollars! We talked to travel experts to come up with fantastic ways to save money while traveling. Keep reading to know more! 

 

While you are vacationing, the last thing you want to worry about is your budget! It is easy to overspend your hard-earned money but easier to plan and save. We talked to travel experts to give you foolproof ways to save money while traveling. Your wallet will indeed thank you for the next time you take a vacation! 

 

Here are the top ways you can save money while traveling. 

 

1. Be flexible with your travel dates 

 

 

The most significant way to save money during your travel is by being as flexible with your travel dates as possible. Try not to stick to just one or two dates for your vacation plans. Instead, go during the off-season or in the middle of the week. 

 

If you are traveling during weekdays or off-seasons, you will witness not just cheaper flights but fewer crowds as well. Moreover, you can simply tweak the dates a bit while you are checking out your travel dates. Once you start tweaking your dates, you might see the prices fall. 

 

2. Private browser tabs for flight bookings 

 

 

The most effective way to save your precious dollars is to switch to a private browser while booking your flight tickets. You can even switch to an incognito mode. Travel bloggers swear by this method! 

 

Travel-based organizations often track human behavior, watch our habits, and take advantage of us by giving us a higher price. Make sure; even if you are online, you are “invisible” through incognito modes. 

 

You can also rid your computer of the history for any travel-related searches and cookies before you go ahead to book your tickets. This means changing servers when looking for travel and airfare searches, which creates significant savings. 

 

Pro Tip: Try booking your flights either on a Wednesday or Thursday. You will get a great deal! 

 

3. Tweak your location

 

 

You can also tweak your country of origin when booking your tickets to any developing country. While doing so, you need to keep in mind that the prices you see are in the currency of your choice. This way, you can save hundreds of dollars on your flight bookings. 

 

Flight ticket prices depend on the solidity of your currency. If you tweak your location to that of a weaker currency, you can book a flight for much cheaper than the average prices in the United States. 

 

4. Be open to accommodations.

 

 

The most considerable expense when it comes to traveling on a budget turns out to be accommodations. Renting a place near the heart of the city, or a famous tourist attraction, or even with extended family, friends, and children can be really expensive. This can take a toll on your pockets! 

 

When looking to travel with more than two people with two or more rooms, or even adjoining rooms for that matter, rent out a B&B or an apartment instead! That is going to turn out to be much less expensive, as compared to a hotel room. 

 

If you are looking for a hotel room specifically, you can look for one a little away from the tourist attraction spots. It turns out that you are often seen paying for the location instead of the hotel's amenities. Even a mediocre hotel can turn out to be expensive when it comes to its location and closeness to the best spots. Therefore, try to stay outside a city or at least just a little away from the famous sites. 

 

5. Eat and live like a local 

 

 

No matter where you go, try to adhere to the local norms of that location. Eat where the locals are eating or travel around like the locals! 

 

Try to follow the working-class people instead of looking for a concierge for every single thing. People with a vested interest, like a concierge, for example, are dealing with thousands of tourists daily. They are always going to tell you about the fancier, safer places. They will not tell you the secret budget places where they would go! Therefore, talk to a resident around the area and ask them how they go about the city, the best eating joints, and other details. 

 

These are the people who will lead you to the best, hidden gems! Not only will you save thousands of dollars, but you will also get a more authentic experience out of your vacation! 

 

6. Use the right credit card

 

 

Be mindful of the type of credit card you use when traveling abroad. Always use a credit card that offers no foreign transaction fee. Usually, credit cards charge a transaction fee off your purchases in countries outside of yours. 

 

To make sure you are not paying 3-5% extra transaction fees, check with the sales clerk in any store you go in to make purchases. They can scan your credit card and tell you if you are registered in other countries or not. If your card is registered in other countries, you will have an option to pay in your home currency or the local currency. 

 

Your home currency, i.e., US Dollars, might seem like the right option, but in reality, it is going to cost you more overall! Ensure you are paying in the local currency of the country you visit. Currency conversions turn out to be one of the most innovative ways to save money while traveling. 

 

7. Keep a water bottle handy

 

 

Quit buying bottled water wherever you go. Instead, keep a water bottle handy when traveling outside your country. This is one smart way to save hundreds of dollars

 

Staying hydrated is extremely important when it comes to traveling. And since water is such a necessary thing in our lives, it sometimes becomes a massive share in your overall expenses when traveling abroad. 

 

A refillable bottle ensures you can look for water and fill that bottle for free in most cases. 

 

If refillable bottles are not an option at times, try and buy the biggest bottle of water you can see. A big bottle is always more economical instead of spending extra money on multiple smaller bottles. 

 

Not only will you save some extra money this way, but you will also save the environment by creating less plastic waste (Avoid plastic, wherever possible).

 

8. Stick to your budget

 

 

Try to create a budget before you leave for your destination. The budget will allocate the total amount you have for each day you travel. Know it and stick to it! 

 

Ensure you know where you will be spending and where you can save! Make use of different applications and budgeting tools available online and keep your expenses on track. 

 

9. Book a room with a small kitchen

 

 

If possible, you should always book a room with a small kitchen and a microwave. This way, you don't step out of your room for a cup of coffee or anything else. Having a microwave helps you savor the leftovers from your lunch later on! 

 

Having a small kitchen ensures you can also make your breakfast. In the end, this will end up saving you a lot more than you think! 

 

Conclusion:

Traveling on a budget is easy! You only need to know some hacks and tricks to ensure you are saving your hard-earned money whenever you can. These hacks were carefully curated by the best travel bloggers in the world to guide you through the process! Happy traveling!