Rob and I love to travel, but realistically, we can’t always afford to travel as frequently as we would like to. We often opt for day-trip adventures and further exploring our city. But when we do go away, I like to make sure we don’t overspend while on holiday.
Nothing stresses me out more when you are away from home and charges are flying off your card. It puts me into a panic thinking about all the money we are spending and potentially wasting.
January is a hard month – very often you have just come back from a great holiday or break, now you are back at work and dreaming of your next holiday. Here are some of the ways we beat the January blues and travel on a tight budget. I think the biggest tip to be able to travel on a budget is to plan as much as you can before you even book the holiday in the first place.
Plan and budget what you will spend and on what – before you arrive. Before you even book your next trip, get a ballpark figure of how much the total trip will cost. I like to do this before I book the holiday – so I know if we can afford to do it properly. A great way to do your research is by checking out blog posts, and tips from locals to find cool things to do (I particularly love Pinterest for pinning ideas and doing research on new places!).
Be selective on museum/entry fees you pay. If you have done extensive research, you will quickly get a sense on whether visiting a certain place is worth spending the money or not. We try finding free events in the town we travel to. Our goal is always to do more free activities than paid for ones. Things like walks, parks, and some museums and art galleries are usually free to visit.
Food is another item that can bring the budget over. Opt for a breakfast included hotel option; if it’s a big buffet, you can then make sandwiches and grab fruit at breakfast to use for snacks throughout the day. If hotel options are still too pricey, look at self-catering places, and make meals at home. We always buy lunch from super markets instead of eating out at restaurants. If we do eat at a restaurant, we share meals or order something small. Soup and bread is a great option for keeping the food budget in check while on holiday. Try avoiding eating out at high tourist spots; and try finding local areas to eat out if you want to try the local cuisine. It is great way to explore the city from a local perspective and helps you to avoid the crowds! Another great tip on saving money on food while travelling is if you are checking in a bag, then pack some snacks from home (pro tip: we like to pack a bottle of wine if we know the place we are travelling too is expensive.
Transport costs can also rack up the cost of a holiday. Which is why we generally walk where we can – this will save you cash on transport costs, not to mention get those Fitbit steps up! If the distance is too great for walking, then look at public transport offers – most cities will offer a visitors card; or depending on how long you plan on staying or where you plan on going you could look at weekly versus daily options.
These are just a few of the ways we are able to save while we still get to see and explore new places.
HOW DO YOU TRAVEL ON A BUDGET?
Live Simply & Travel Slow,
~Meg~
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[…] everything, we also had to be mindful of our spending, so these tips are how to explore Edinburgh on a budget. I am sure there are tons of other things you can see and do if money was no object, but really, we […]