I hear people say all the time, mainly Americans, that traveling is expensive. I’ll show you why that’s a myth. It’s way cheaper than you think. Let me preface this by saying I know this isn’t possible for everyone as many are living paycheck to paycheck and have other pressing needs. I’m also aware that I’m a single man with no kids so I have more money to blow than others. These are merely tips I’ve learned that I want to share.
Frugality
First thing you must do is cut your expenses and control your consumerism. Think about the things you’re willing to live without. For me that meant living in a smaller apartment with fewer amenities. It meant holding off replacing my 10 year old MacBook when I desperately want to purchase a new one. It meant only purchasing one drink at the bar instead of 3 or 4. I love traveling so much I became a minimalist. Sacrifice is a must if you’re serious about this. You don’t have to take it to this extreme but explore other ways you can save money. Cut back on frivolous purchases like coffee, eating out, alcohol, new shoes, electronics. These small purchases easily add up to a round trip flight. You’d be blown away by how much more money you’d have.
Travel Apps
Skyscanner- This is my favorite because of the Explore feature. You can search for best deals by month, destination, weekend getaway, etc. If you don’t care where or when you go, simply click on Everywhere and it will bring up cheap itineraries for locations all over the world.
Google Flights- The flights here are almost always pricier than Skyscanner but the prices are more accurate. The main reason for this is Google provides data in real time, while Skyscanner’s data is cached. It’s an overall faster site and also integrates with other Google applications.
Hopper- I use this mainly when I want to travel to a specific location on specific days. It has a cool feature that predicts fluctuation in prices based on historical data so you know whether to book now or wait.
You aren’t only limited to these options. There are other apps like Kayak, Momondo, and Hipmunk that offer similar features. Weigh the pros and cons of them all and find the ones that work best for you.
Accomodation
If you don’t mind sharing a space with other people there are way cheaper alternatives to hotels.
Airbnb- This gives you the option to stay in another person’s home during your stay. I love this because it allows me to simultaneously immerse myself into the culture and support small business.
Hostels- With this option you’re sharing a room and showers with dozens of strangers. I swear it’s not as bad as it sounds. If you’re a solo traveler, this is the easiest way to meet other people to hang out with. Download Hostelword app, look at ratings and reviews, and you won’t have any issues.
Couchsurfing- If Airbnb and hostels are still too pricey, you have a third choice. You send your potential host a message and they accommodate you free of charge. I personally have never had success with this. Most of my messages went ignored, but most of my traveler friends swear by it so thought I’d list it as an option.
Food & Entertainment
The U.S. dollar goes a long way in most of the world but there are still ways to save further. Do not pay for tours. There are usually free, donation based tours that are just as good, if not better that the paid ones. If this isn’t available do research and explore on your own. Don’t visit every paid attraction. Instead explore the plethora of free ones. When it comes to saving on food and drinks it all depends on where you are. They differ drastically by location. In South and Central America for example you can get a full meal for the price of coffee at Starbucks. Scandinavia on the other hand might be double what you pay at home. I’ve only visited the cheap countries so far so I can’t speak for the pricier ones.
Travel Alliances
Every major airline is part of one of three alliances: oneworld, SkyTeam, Star Alliance. Create a frequent flyer account for one airline in each alliance. This allows you to get credited for miles flown on partner airlines. For example, I’m able to redeem my Turkish Airlines miles for a United Airlines reward flight since they’re in the same alliance.
Smaller airlines like Jetblue or Southwest aren’t part of an alliance but for domestic travel these two are my favorites. They have very generous frequent flyer programs. I’ve redeemed dozens of free flights through TrueBlue and Rapid Rewards. They’re basically giving plane tickets away.
Please note: You cannot transfer or combine airline miles.
Credit Cards
For travel credit cards there is no shortage of options. You can charge everyday expenses to your cards and get rewarded with enough points for free flights. Only use this option if you plan on paying it off every month. Otherwise you will be paying interest and losing money, which defeats the purpose. I’ve only recently begun to explore this method as my credit sucked up until this year. I’ll update later when I gain more experience.
If getting on a plane is still out of reach financially with these tips, take a road trip. Get in your car and drive to a neighboring state for the weekend. If the cost of gas is too much, get on a bus, take a train, bring a friend to share expenses. There’s no reason the average person can’t travel at least once a year.
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