19 Easy Tips to Save Money While Traveling

With the global economy hitting recession, tighter credit, and soaring energy prices, now, more than ever, it pays off to find creative ways to save money while traveling. These money saving tips come from both research and personal experience. Try them out, and you might find that you have enough money to take your dream trip after all:

1. Never pay full price for a hotel.
   Instead of booking online, try calling the hotel directly. Ask to speak with a manager and ask if they have any reduced rates or unlisted specials available. This works especially well if you are requesting a room for the current or next night. Chances are, if they have a lot of rooms still available, they aren’t going to let that inventory go unsold, and might cut you a deal.
2. Travel locally.
   Instead of jetting around to the other side of the world, try seeing what is available locally. Often, unexplored gems and weekend getaways are only a short car ride away. Check local newspapers and see if there are any local festivals, events, or activities planned for your area. You don’t have to be in a different country to experience something completely new.
3. Stay in a hostel.
   You also don’t have to be a 20 year old starving college student to stay in a hostel. Some hostels are remarkably nice, and might be 10-20 times cheaper than staying in a similar hotel. If you can find a few travel buddies you won’t even have to share your room with strangers. Lots of hostels offer plenty of rooms for 2-4 people, still at a fraction of the cost of a hotel. If you travel during non-summer months, you are also less likely to run into crowds of students.
4. Cook your own food.
   Eating out consumes a large part of your travel budget. Instead of eating out for every meal, try cooking your own meals. Take advantage of small, local grocery stores and markets and stock up on food that takes little preparation. Think fruit, nuts, snacks, bread and sandwiches. If you want to get fancier, most hostels have a kitchen area, stocked with utensils and pots and pans, that make cooking a simple breakfast easy, and some hotel rooms have kitchenettes. Reward yourself for your frugality by spending money on a nice dinner now and then. After all, sampling the local cuisine is an important part of any travel experience.
5. Take advantage of exchange rates.
   If you’re American, instead of traveling to Europe or the United Kingdom, where your dollar isn’t going to go as far, travel to South East Asia or South America, where you can achieve a comparable lifestyle for a fraction of the cost. Take advantage of the exchange rates to find a destination more suitable to your budget, even if that means delaying your “dream trip” for another time. You’ll probably have just as much fun exploring these other destinations anyway.
6. Travel at off-peak times.
   A red-eye flight is going to be cheaper than one that leaves at a more convenient time. Different days of the week also are cheaper than others. If you are flexible with your dates, try different combinations. Summer travel is generally much more expensive than other time periods.
7. Scour for travel deals.
   Most big travel sites offer a travel deals newsletter of some sort. Other sites, like ShermansTravel, specialize in travel deals. Make sure to check out these sites before booking your trip. You might be able to find a last-minute deal that can significantly cut your costs. If you are wary about giving out your email address, often you don’t have to subscribe to any newsletters to browse and take advantage of the deals online.
8. Check for free entry days.
   If you know there is a sight, museum, or attraction that you want to see, research it and try to find out if there is a day when entry is free. Most museums are free to the public for at least one day out of the month. Scheduling your trip around these days is a quick and easy way to immediately save money.
9. Make friends with the locals.
   If you’re a social person, most locals are happy to show you around their towns. They’ll know the best value places to eat, the fastest and cheapest ways to travel, and will extend their hospitality (by buying you dinner, drinks, or acting as unofficial tour guide) for free. In return, it’s good to purchase a few souvenirs from home to give out as gifts (think postcards and trinkets that represent your hometown). If you have a good attitude, and are respectful of the culture, then this is something that is much easier to do than it sounds.
10. Compare rates online.
    Take advantage of websites that compare rates from multiple sources. Try Kayak or Farecast for flights, or (shameless plug) TravBuddy for hotels. Compare multiple sites and meta-search engines, as most of them pull inventory from different suppliers, and rates are likely to vary. With that said, keep in mind the tip below.

11. Book directly from your hotel or flight provider.
    While hotel and flight comparison engines can be great, sometimes you can score a better deal by booking through the hotel directly. Lots of hotels and airlines are trying to get more people to visit their own sites for bookings, and one way they entice more visitors is to offer lower rates, without the fees that online travel agents may add. So before you book on Expedia, Orbitz, or Travelocity, double check the provider’s website directly to see if you can score a better deal.
12. Book from local airlines.
    Instead of booking a USA airline from Los Angeles to Rome, consider booking a cheaper flight to London. Then take a budget airline like EasyJet or RyanAir from London to your destination. Remarkably, sometimes these flights are only a few dollars (plus taxes). Most countries have local, budget airlines that also can offer cheaper rates. Fair warning: sometimes these budget airlines travel out of lesser known airports, so make sure you factor in transportation costs to/from city centers to airports before booking.
13. Cut transportation costs.
    Instead of traveling to 7 different cities in 2 weeks, stay in 2 different cities for 1 week each. Even better, visit cities and places that are easy to navigate by foot our public transportation. You’ll save a bundle on transportation costs, and reduce your carbon footprint as well. You’ll also get a better sense of immersion in the culture of the place that you are visiting, and get more value for your money because less of your travel time will be transit time.
14. Public transportation instead of taxis.
    Use public transportation (subways, buses, trains) instead of taxis when possible. Most major airports offer cheap, high speed alternatives from the airport to the city center. If you are going to be traveling a lot, often times a day or multi-day public transportation pass can save lots of money.
15. Get paid to travel.
    If you are flexible, look for job or volunteer opportunities abroad. Unfortunately, most volunteer programs require that you pay a fee (which seems counter-intuitive in a way), but you might be able to find one that is fairly cheap. Teaching English abroad is also a good way to experience another country without breaking the bank. If you are a talented writer or photographer, consider opportunities for selling your travel stories or photos to publications and newspapers (not easy, but possible).
16. Cut discretionary spending at home.
    This tip is most effective when used along with the other tips mentioned. Instead of spending $4.40 every day for a Chai Tea Latte and almond biscotti at Peets, prepare tea at home or cut spending altogether. This doesn’t sound like much, but when you combine it with the fact that you can rent a room in Costa Rica at an unspoiled black sand beach for $5/day, you realize that your money can go a lot further in other places.
17. Plan ahead.
    This tip cannot be stressed enough. It’s hard to find a bargain if you haven’t done your research. For example, instead of buying 10 separate train tickets on your trek through Europe, you might be able to save your money by buying a Eurail pass. Most other countries with train systems have similar passes that offer significant discounts and unlimited travel during a given time period, as long as you book in advance.
18. Look for relevant industry conferences.
    If you have a job that requires you to keep up to date with industry expertise, research different conferences around the world that you think might be relevant. Figure out why it is important to your company that you attend these conferences, and pitch it to your boss. Hey, it’s worth a shot, and you can’t beat free.
19. Don’t travel with a tour group.
    While tour groups can be great for the fact that they eliminate most planning on your part, they are often more expensive than booking the trip yourself. If you can control the hotels you stay in, the meals you eat, and the flights you take, you can get a much better handle on the costs. This will require more effort on your part, but it often is worth the time. Plus, you’ll be able to better immerse yourself in the culture without a pack of fellow tourists surrounding you at every turn.

Got any money saving travel tips of your own? What’s tip number 20? Let us know in the comments below.

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