These are the top 15 money-saving tips on how to travel on a budget – everything I’ve used as a full-time world traveler to save THOUSANDS of dollars!

“Travel is expensive” – is this something you’ve heard before? While I do think in general travel CAN be expensive, that doesn’t mean it HAS to be expensive. There are a ton of tips and tricks to help you save money on your travels, and with some effort, you can find budget options for just about any trip, in any country around the world!

I’ve been full-time traveling the world for over 2 years now, and I’ve learned a ton along the way on how to travel on a budget. These are tried-and-true, hard-won money-saving tips that I’m sharing with you to help YOU plan a budget trip, or simply to just help you save money on your travels.

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Booking tickets ahead of time can save you not only money, but also time as well! There are certain places, such as museums in Europe, that in high-season will actually sell out if you don’t buy in advance. And even if they don’t sell out, they’re likely to increase in price closer to your travel dates. Make sure to buy train tickets, activity tickets, and even your accommodation as early as possible to save. One of my favorite resources to use for activities is GetYourGuide  – they often have sales, and most activities come with a free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance, so there’s no reason why NOT to book early!

Public transportation gets a bad rap in the United States, but abroad, it is generally fantastic! While countries vary in what exact public transport options they offer, you can usually find something to get from point A to B, and it will for sure be cheaper than renting a car or taking a taxi/Uber. Try riding a bus or shuttle in Asia, taking trains in Europe, or riding buses in Central & South America. And if you must take a taxi, book it in advance to make sure the rate is agreed-upon BEFORE you enter the vehicle.

As much as you can, seek out and plan free activities into your schedule. This can be something like doing a self-guided city walking tour, going on a hike, visiting a park or getting into nature, or looking for other free activities. City tourism boards usually have an office in the city center where you can get tourism discount cards, and learn more about when there might be free activity days. And if you’re a student – take advantage of your free or discounted activities like museum visits!

One of the biggest ways I’ve saved on full-time travel is by booking my trips during the off-season. At this time, accommodations and activities are usually much less expensive, and you might even find discounted offers as incentives for tourists to come during an off-peak time. If you can’t travel during the off-season, try to book activities for off-peak times, such as early in the day or late in the evening, or during a weekday versus during on the weekend.

Avoid baggage fees by packing carry-on only! This will force you to pack lighter too, which means you’re purchasing less before your trip that you probably won’t really need in the end. Prioritize clothing that is made of wool  (which will smell less & last longer between washes than cotton) and that can pair & match with multiple outfits. Neutral colors like black, white, and tan are key! If you can’t avoid checking a bag, avoid baggage fees by getting an airline credit card or by getting status with an airline you’re flying.

You might not use this tip for every trip, but if you’re like me and traveling to multiple locations or countries, try pairing expensive locations with inexpensive locations. This could be regionally like pairing Europe with Southeast Asia, or more locally, like pairing Italy with Albania or something similar. This allows you to visit your bucket-list places without feeling like you’re sacrificing the places you really want to go, and it helps you discover places you might not have considered before!

My absolute favorite debit card of all time is one that pays me back ATM fees – this alone has saved me hundreds of dollars! Since I travel so often, I usually just get local currency from an ATM, and not having to search around for one that both has low fees and is trustworthy is a huge time-saver. I also like to get little amounts here and there, so I’m usually facing multiple ATM fees – which is why getting those paid back is so important. If you’re looking to save even more, make sure you set up a no-fee checking account before your trip, and you can also try opening a savings account just for your travels.

One of my favorite parts about traveling is trying local food, but I like to pair that with strategically grocery shopping and cooking from my home base instead of eating out for every meal. Look for cheap Airbnbs or VRBOs that have a kitchen, and cook for 1-2 meals per day. Dinner is generally the most expensive meal, so to maximize savings, grab a quick breakfast option from the grocery store, eat lunch out to try local food, then return at night to your accommodation and cook dinner.

The most important tip on how to travel on a budget is to STAY FLEXIBLE. This means staying flexible with what exact dates you travel on – such as avoiding high-season, spring break, or holidays. This also can mean staying flexible with your travel destination itself – the best way to save on flights is to search by chasing DEALS instead of choosing set LOCATIONS. You can also save by being flexible with your activities – like I said earlier, try booking them for mid-week or early in the morning or late in the day instead of weekends and during popular times.

Another great way to save on flights is by signing up for an email subscription service that sends cheap flight deals, like my personal favorite, Going. It’s as easy as entering your home airport and waiting for the deals to hit your inbox! My biggest tip to be successful with this is to be flexible with your travel destination & dates, and DON’T WAIT to book the deals – they go FAST!

Locals are a wealth of information! Connect with locals and ask about where they like to eat, shop, and what activities they like to do. I often find not only hidden gems this way, but I also get amazing recommendations for local places that are usually much cheaper than the tourist-recommended places. If you are shy or don’t have a chance to connect with the locals, research hidden gems on blogs beforehand, and always follow the 5-block rule: walk 5 blocks away from a heavily touristed place before choosing a place to eat or shop.

Accomodation and flights are generally your most expensive costs of your travels, so saving on accommodation (and/or flights) is KEY for a budget trip. One amazing way to save BIG on accommodation is by doing a volunteer exchange – my favorite service for this is World Packers. This is usually something where you volunteer for a set amount of time in exchange for free accommodation. I love using World Packers because they make it very easy to find things you are ACTUALLY interested in volunteering in and/or opportunities that match your skillset. And if you are an animal lover, you can get free stays by house and pet sitting – try out my favorite site for this, Trusted Housesitters.

Don’t be afraid to fly budget airlines! Just make sure you read the terms and conditions to make sure you don’t get caught with the random fees that can make the budget flight not-so-budget in the end. These are things like baggage fees, seat selection fees, and more. If you sign-up for a specific airline’s email list too, you can also often get sales sent to your inbox – and that’s a great time to buy. Finally, back on the points & miles tips – look out for transfer bonuses such as 2x credit card points when you transfer them to a specific airline or hotel.

One sometimes under-the-radar way on how to travel on a budget is by getting travel insurance. But hear me out – spending just a SMALL amount of money on travel insurance WILL save you BIG time when the unexpected happens: a missed flight, health issues, lost baggage, and more. So don’t skip this final step before your trip!

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