Travelling on a budget

 Not everyone is made of money, sometimes you need a holiday but just can’t afford that dream holiday you were planning. Don’t throw your plans away, here are 5 tips to travelling on a budget.

Book ahead and plan ahead

Hotel’s and plane flights are much like everything else you buy, if you purchase them in the far distant future they will be cheap. If you purchase them a week before you leave they are going to set you back an arm and a leg. Plan ahead and don’t wait on a sale that might only happen, remember companies only have sales on tickets they can’t get rid of, not flights in peak times. This also applies for activities, plan ahead and work out how much each activity is going to cost you, there is nothing worse than wasting time travelling to activities that you later find out that you can’t afford.

Look to travel off peak time

This tip feeds into the first tip. Plan ahead and look to travel in off peak times, i.e. not school holidays. This will make sure you get the very best prices for both flights and accommodation. Avoiding these periods doesn’t mean you are avoiding the very best that Europe, the Americas, Asia, Africa and the rest of the world has to offer. It just means that you can pick a different time or even season that each has to offer. Like travelling to Europe in April instead of June, where you can see beautiful Europe in Spring rather than blistering hot Summer.  

Travel closer, stay longer

If your budget won’t stretch to allow you to stay in America for more than a week, or Europe for more than 2, perhaps it’s time to consider travelling to one of our closer neighbours. New Zealand and Asia are great places you can visit, cheaply. Going to countries such as Vietnam or South Korea can cost you a whole lot less than a trip to Europe. You can then have a little more money to enjoy yourself of dinning out and exploring rather than taking that forced rest day to count your finances.  

Friends are the only way to travel

Everything is better with friends and that includes travelling. Not only is it great to see the world sites with your best mates, it’s also cheaper. Group deals, group meals and even hotel rooms are cheaper when you include mates, if you can deal with their snoring. If you want to save a bit more money, but still want to be alone for part of that trip, plan to meet up with your friends at a later destination, so you can still discover your inner peace before you have the time of your life with your friends.

Avoid tourist heavy areas and discover the world for yourself

This is essential if you want to learn to love a destination for yourself, because it is the only way you will get to see the real beauty of another world. Go out and explore somewhere that no one has suggested, but you know will be beautiful, because it will most likely be cheaper and less crowded. Better yet ignore guided tours and find the perfect picture on your own. You only live once and it is always better to see beauty than to hear about it.