Summertime is here, which means everyone’s packing their bags and heading off to all the dreamy vacations. Meanwhile, you’re sitting on your couch wondering how you can possibly afford to satisfy your wanderlust. Planning a budget friendly vacation isn’t easy, but it’s totally worth it! It takes patience, organization and, of course, lots of budgeting. So, before you start planning your next vacation that’ll keep you in debt for the rest of the year, here’s an essential guide for planning budget friendly vacations:
Setting a travel budget for your upcoming vacation is crucial. It’s important not to put this off because how can you be wary of prices if you don’t even know what yours is? When setting your budget, try to divide it up into categories (like how much you want to spend on lodging, food, etc.) to prevent over-spending.
When you start your (first of many) budget friendly vacations off right, then you’re more likely to actually stay within your budget. Instead at jumping at the idea of all the expensive tourist attractions, try searching online for cheaper (but still fun!) alternatives.
When you’re trying to plan a budgeted vacation, you have to schedule smart. Wherever your destination is, try researching ahead of time when its high and low seasons are. Even if you’d rather travel in the middle of the summer, when everyone else is traveling, it’s probably best for your budget if you wait just as the high season is ending, or just before it starts.
Holidays should also be taken into account when scheduling your next trip. If you’re planning an international vacation, make sure you’re not trying looking for flights around the time of one of their national holidays when prices have most likely skyrocketed.
Of course those constant travel alerts can be rather annoying when you’re not actually planning a vacation. But, they’re great to keep your eyes on for future or spontaneous weekend trips. Hopper is a great mobile app to receive alerts from, and my personal favorite when I’m planning budget friendly vacations. All you have to do is add a ‘home’ airport (where you’ll be flying from) and then where you want to fly, and they will send you notifications when the flights are as cheap as they’ll get!
Once you’ve spent so much time trying to find the cheapest flight, it’s easy to forget about transportation for when you’re actually at your destination. Transportation can get expensive if you don’t know where you’re going or what kind of transportation to use. Although Taxis are usually the quick fix when you’re lost in a new place, they’re also usually the most expensive. And, sadly, Uber and Lyft aren’t available everywhere. So, try to research the cheapest options and routes for getting around before you get there to avoid an expensive cab ride.
When you’re structuring your budget friendly vacations, but have a long list of things you want to do and see, then you should make a list of your top priorities–unless they’re free! But, unless you have a pretty big budget to work with, you probably don’t want to be looking for all the exotic excursions to go on. When you’re planning an itinerary for your destination, ask yourself what makes you want to go to that specific place the most: are you going to experience the culture and history of it? To simply relax and unwind? To be super adventurous?
Whatever the reasoning may be, decide what’s most important to you and what you don’t want to leave that place without doing or seeing that’s within your budget. Find out if there are alternatives to certain things, or if you can go without a guided tour. Finding little adjustments here and there can definitely go a long way with your travel budget!
It’s becoming far more common that travelers are turning to AirBnB’s instead of the usual luxury hotel accommodation for their travels–and for good reason! Not only can you find some really great deals, but finding a place to stay outside of a fancy hotel definitely helps when you want to live like the locals and experience a different culture. Sometimes you can even find an AirBnB that’s nicer than any other available hotel accommodation, and for a better price.
Aside from Airbnbs, hostels are still very much a thing and sometimes the best option for travelers on a tight budget. Hostels are great for just about anyone if you find the right ones. If you’re nervous about the idea of a shared sleeping space, try to recruit a small group of friends to go along with you and try it out.
Another way to help save you some money when looking for a place to stay is to find a place that has a kitchen–or at least complimentary breakfast! This can be a huge money saver if you decide to buy groceries at the local market for cheap and cook all or some of your meals.
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