Traveling on a budget – 8 tips for growing your fortune
Find some travel buddies, travel in the off seasons, and choose cheap destinations … There are countless tips, and you’ve probably heard most of them before. So, for this blog post, I want to give you some specific budget-friendly advice on saving up for your journey and saving a penny or two while on the go. Here are 8 money-saving tips.
Subscribe to all the newsletters
I’ve subscribed to several newsletters from different airlines (KLM, SAS, RyanAir, Norwegian etc.) and airports (CPH, AAR, AAL, BLL). Yes, it gets a bit tiresome receiving all these emails, many of them completely useless, but it’s worth it when an offer you can’t refuse lands in your inbox.
You’re often required to register and make an account, but that goes for almost anything these days. If you find out this is not for you after all you can always unsubscribe.
Pack as light as possible
When you search for plane tickets it often looks cheap in the beginning but as you continue the booking process you discover that the cheapest ticket is the one with the smallest amount of luggage. Depending on the airline you’re often only allowed one small carry-on bag with the cheapest tickets.
But that can be enough. You’ll be surprised at how much you can fit into a small bag if you’re stubborn enough. This is especially helpful if you’re going on a short trip, or if you’ve found a hostel with a laundry room making it easier to get more days out of your clothes.
Choose camping life
Some love it, some hate it. Initially, my husband and I chose camping to save money, but now it’s just the way we travel. The good thing about camping is that you can often find sites at 150-250 DKK per night. With camping often comes cooking your own meals which also saves you a lot of money. If you love nature, you’ll certainly be closer to it than by staying at a hotel in the city.
I’m not going to lie, camping equipment can be expensive if you want it to be (read: if you want good quality and lightweight). But it’s worth it compared to spending 6-700DKK á night for a hotel – and that’s on the cheap end.
Be your own master chef
You can save a lot of money by cooking for yourself – that goes for home as well as for when you travel. At home, you can buy food on sale and of course, there’s the luxury of having a fridge and a freezer. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to eat cheap when on the go. It doesn’t have to be canned food cooked on a stove or even freeze-dried food (that’s actually quite expensive), but something as simple as some bread, lettuce and come sliced meat and bam, you have a sandwich.
Once, when temperatures were low enough, we hid away some milk and sausages under our car during the night to preserve them until morning. Some camping sites offer shared fridges and kitchens though, so you don’t have to gamble with food poisoning.
If you’re going on a longer hike and dehydrated food is a must, you can make your own – it just takes a lot of time. A lot of websites for outdoor gear have recipes on there both for freeze-dried and fresh food to guide you.
Travel off-season (here we go anyway)
Personally, I roll my eyes every time I read something like “best time to go: off seasons, spring or fall”. Because not everyone can just rip out a random week outside the normal holidays to travel. But everything is more expensive when the demand is highest.
Of course, you can’t deny that it’s cheaper in the off-seasons when not everyone can go. Not only do you save money on tickets and accommodation, but you also avoid crowds. If you’re able to travel outside high seasons (I’m looking at you, summer holiday) do that. Many airlines have low-fare calendars on their website to guide you.
Go at odd times
Unlike the tip above this is easier to do. Choose the train, plane, or bus (etc.) tickets with the most crooked and annoying departure times. It can be before the sun shines on a new day or maybe you’ll be arriving at your destination in the middle of the night.
Yes, it’s annoying getting up early but it’s worth it if you can save a couple of hundred DKK (or maybe even 50%), and you can always sleep on your way there. The good thing about arriving in the night is that you’ll get to sleep and then wake up to a new day in a whole new place.
Make good time
The sooner you book, the more you save. I don’t know why, that’s just the way it is. If you by January or February already know when you’ll be going away in summer, start looking for deals and start booking. The same goes for any other time of the year, six months in advance is not too early.
But what about all the newsletters you just had me sign up for? You can, of course, wait for the right offer to hit your inbox, that depends on your patience and if you can travel any time of the year.
Prioritize
I’m cheap by heart and it’s easy for me not to spend money if it means I can travel often and for longer. But I know that far from everyone feels that way. It’s up to you and only you what you want to prioritize (and if you’ll have to make some compromises). Some save money on food, buy second-hand, take shorter showers etc.
Every time you chose one thing you (might) turn down another. Do you want to prioritize delicious food from good restaurants or is home-cooked food okay if that means extending the trip? Can you sleep in a tent if the reward is more money for activities? The right place to save money is an individual feeling and something you’ll have to figure out.
I hope these tips are helpful. All there’s left to say now is happy travels – maybe I’ll see you around!
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