5 Ways to Save Money on Your Next Trip
Looking to travel more, but don’t want to drop a fortune on your next trip?
Here are 5 tips I use to save money on all my travels.
Stay in affordable hostels or airbnbs
Hostels are my favorite way to save money on accommodations, especially if I am traveling outside of the US. Usually, these hostels cost ~$10-30 USD per night, depending on the location. I stayed at a hostel in Antigua, Guatemala that cost $10/night and the hostel I stayed at in Banff National Park was $34/night. Meanwhile, hotels can cost anywhere from $150-500/night.
Not only are hostels very affordable, but they are also a great way to meet new people. I always use Hostelworld to book my hostel stays, and there is a group chat feature for the hostel and city you’re visiting when your trip gets closer. Although I haven’t used this feature much, I know people who have used it to meet up with other solo travelers or to ask travel-related questions. Aside from the group chat, hostels are typically full of like-minded travelers and it’s very easy to make friends with a bunkmate or with someone hanging in the social areas.
Airbnbs are also pretty affordable, especially if you are traveling with others. I once stayed at an airbnb in Budapest, Hungary for 3 nights for $33/night… when split amongst the 4 of us it was $8/night. I also like how airbnbs usually come with a kitchen, so you could save money on eating out by cooking some meals. I know, cooking during vacation isn’t always everyone’s cup of tea, but it can save some money.
Skip the expensive restaurants and eat local
Food can be one of the biggest expenses of a vacation if you don’t plan accordingly. I’m a huge foodie, and I love trying new foods. I love eating local because not only is the food typically more authentic and tastier, but it’s also more affordable. For instance, when I visited Colombia, I ate a lot of street food instead of dining at restaurants. The street food costs $2-6 USD.
In many cities, it can be hard to eat affordable meals, such as the big cities in the US. However, it’s not impossible. I visit NYC often because I grew up in Connecticut, and it’s easy to splurge on dining there. But, it’s also very possible to eat well while not breaking your bank account. I love stopping for <$5 pizza slices or cheap and delicious Chinatown eats when I’m in the city.
Take public transit
Public transit isn’t everyone’s preferred form of transportation. You have to share a train or bus with strangers and sometimes those strangers can be smelly or mean. But, it’s usually the most affordable way to get around a city or island, or town. I took buses to get around the island of Santorini, and it only cost €2 per ride. Or, instead of taking an Uber from Manhattan to JFK, I took the subway and then the AirTrain. This cost me $11.15 ($2.90 for one subway ride + $11.25 for the AirTrain ride) compared to the ~$100 an Uber would have easily cost me.
I also believe that taking public transit allows you to gain a local perspective of the place you’re visiting. It gives you insight into how people commute to and from work and it’s also the perfect place to people watch and learn from your surroundings. Do people usually talk when they commute on the train? Are there a lot of people on their phones? What’s everyone’s story?
Prioritize experiences > things
This one is a bit vague, and honestly, I embrace this concept in my daily life and not just during my travels. My parents have instilled this concept in me from a young age, and I have carried it forward into my adult life.
Rather than spending money on many materialistic things such as clothes or jewelry, I prioritize spending my money on experiences. For instance, I never buy clothing full-price and usually go thrifting for my clothes. Not only is it more sustainable, but it saves money for the experiences I want to embark on.
Don’t get me wrong, I still like to treat myself every once in a while. I have caved to buying some cute necklaces in South Korea or some clothes in Portugal.
Use credit card points
This method will get a whole blog post in itself, but I had to mention it here. The biggest reason why I can travel so often is because I often use credit card points to buy flights. My general rule for myself is that I don’t spend money on domestic flights, and for international flights, I will spend at most $300-400.
When I fly within the US, I fly with Southwest or American Airlines very often and use the points I have collected from my various credit cards: the Southwest Credit Card, American Airlines Credit Card, or Bilt Credit Card.
When I fly internationally, I also try my best to use credit card points. Most recently, I used my Bilt points to purchase a flight from Medellín, Colombia to Cartagena, Colombia. I also used my American points to get from San Jose, Costa Rica to Indianapolis, Indiana.
Since I recently graduated and just started my credit card journey, I don’t have that many points yet and have to be careful on which cards I apply to due to the minimum spending requirements.
