Travelling is an incredible experience, but it isn't cheap. Flights, accommodation, and tours all add up, and lack of finances is one of the most common barriers to travel. Fortunately, there are many simple ways to save for travelling and maximise your travel budget. With this in mind, here are five smart ways to save money on travel.
Book in advance
Booking in advance is one of the simplest ways to instantly save money. Many tour operators, airlines, and hotels are already offering fantastic deals on 2021 holidays. Prices tend to increase closer to the departure date, so it pays to make your travel plans early and take advantage of the incredible discounts on offer. Make sure that you look around on price comparison sites to find the best deals. Booking your flights and accommodation in advance also gives you more time to research fun activities and create an amazing itinerary, while enjoying the excitement on the buildup to your holiday.
Travel in off-season
Travelling during the off-season has several great benefits - flights and accommodation will be cheaper, you can find excellent deals on tours, locals will be friendlier, and you'll have the chance to see popular touristic spots without the crowds. If possible, try to avoid travelling in school holidays, major public holidays, or during the peak summer months. Even just adjusting your dates by a few days could make a massive difference in the cost of flights, so try to be flexible on your travel dates. If you have to travel during peak season, then choose to travel on off-peak days like Tuesdays and Wednesdays as these are typically far cheaper than weekend flights.
Find free entertainment
When you travel to a new place, it's natural to want to do and see as much as possible. However, a jam-packed itinerary of tours and activities can quickly get expensive. Instead of automatically signing up for every tour on offer, do some research to see if there are any free activities in the area. Most major cities offer free walking tours and many museums and attractions have free entry on certain days. Hiking, swimming, and cycling are other free or low-cost activities that give you the chance to explore a new destination and enjoy some time outdoors in nature without spending lots of money. You can find lots of advice and tips on free activities in your chosen destination by reading travel blogs or searching on tourist board forums.
Reduce your daily expenses
If you're trying to save for your next holiday or travel adventure, then it's essential to set a realistic budget and start working towards your savings goal. Fortunately, even small lifestyle changes can reduce your daily expenses and help you save more quicker. For example, preparing lunches at home could save you over £1,000 a year! Other simple ways to reduce your daily expenses include purchasing a coffee maker so you don't have to buy expensive coffee at cafes, doing home exercise DVDs instead of paying for a gym membership, or having friends round for dinner rather than going out to restaurants.
Earn an extra income
When you're trying to save money for travelling or your next holiday, then earning an extra income is a great way to boost your savings instantly. If you have spare time available, consider taking up an evening or weekend job a few days a week. Put this money straight into a savings account for travel. There are also many ways to make extra money online using freelancer platforms like Upwork and Fiverr. There are plenty of companies and individuals looking for people with skills in writing, marketing, graphics, and design, to name a few. Other popular ways to earn extra money include renting out a spare room on Airbnb, completing paid online surveys, and switching banks to get better interest rates or signing-up bonuses.
Start saving now!
Saving money for travelling can be easier than you think. Even small lifestyle changes like sacrificing your morning Starbucks or preparing meals at home will help you save more each month and reach your savings goal. The internet has also made it possible to cut your travel costs by allowing you to compare a huge range of holiday deals online and book in advance to get fantastic discounts. Travelling off-season, taking advantage of free attractions, and finding ways to reduce your daily expenses, are all effective ways to save money on travel.
Nish
Voracious reader, vegetarian foodie, mostly armchair traveler, and frequent online shopper. I love to talk about all these passions (and other things happening in my life) in this blog.