So many people want to travel, but these days it seems hardly anyone has the money! Trying to plan on a budget can seem impossible because of this, and I sometimes find myself eventually throwing the whole plan out of the window. It’s a tiring and down heartening experience to think you can’t hit that sense of freedom.

So I’ve decided to compile a list of useful tips to make travelling available for everyone. A compact list of helpful tips for travelling on a budget can be found here, and they make some excellent points I hadn’t even considered. For now, let’s expand a little on my thoughts.

Let your plans be flexible

You can give yourself an outline but you can’t always account for a spanner in the works. Work around these veritable disasters by having a few preventative measures on the go. Little bit of money in reserve can go a long way for an extra airplane seat or night in a hotel.

Even then, make sure you check around for the best deals and see what premises offer the most. If your first choice doesn’t work out, you’ll have a second and third in the works.

Fly the cheapest way possible no matter the time

I’ve found that indirect flights are often cheaper, and the sums actually add up to 15% less expensive according to the experts. It may seem counterproductive to your holiday plans to spend more time in the air and the crowded airport, but your beach lounger will still be there a couple of hous later.

Using comparison sites such as Skyscanner, you can find stop-off flights at the cheapest rates, and it also means you’ll be on the lookout for possible other options fitting your budget requirements. The internet is your best friend when it comes to flight shopping.

Another way to keep those flights cheap is to trim off the fat around frills. You’ll still get on the flight without a spot of priority boarding, and most airlines have assigned seating these days so everyone is guaranteed a spot.

Discovering a country doesn’t have to mean spending buckets

Those landmarks won’t wander off when you’re not looking. Explore the local areas and you can often find hidden treasures. Countries in Europe especially are full of these, with so much hidden heritage waiting to be discovered.

Following local patterns means you’ll find the best deals. Seeing as they live there, they’ll know where to shop, taste, and try at the cheapest rates. Check out the local pub nearest to where you’re staying and see if you can pick up any ideas!

If you find yourself truly struggling to calculate a budget for your trip, calculators are available online; once again the internet proves itself!

For that sense of the luxurious on your next vacation, you don’t have to plan for wild and for the impossible and tut to yourself when it doesn’t work out. Staying cheap doesn’t mean you have to miss out.

 

Written by Jacqueline Chambers

Jacqueline Chambers

Jacqueline Chambers is the founder of TGIFguide. She uses her innate skills as a natural “connector” to serve businesses, brands and individuals in the LA area and beyond.