I know how it is, you’ve made all those crazy plans already, where to go, what to see, dreamt about walking through the streets of your next travel destination and all. But there’s this one aspect that causes you a serious bellyache at the same time: Getting there and around, finding places to stay AND thinking about your small budget for traveling. Depending on where you’re going, accommodation and going from A to Z can cost you a LOT of your travel budget! There’s a way, though, how you can enjoy traveling, but don’t spend too much on these expenses. A way how you can travel on a small budget.
Traveling off the known paths
I’m sure, with traveling ‘off the known paths’, these kind of adjustments, I’d call them, you might already know where and when to cut down when it comes to transportation and accommodation.
Getting to your travel destination really depends on where you want to go and how far that is from where you’re staying or living. Let’s say you’re on the European continent anyways, then you definitely can think about, if flying is the way to go or taking the train or bus might be an option as well.
It really depends on the current prices as well, when you’re actually searching for possibilities to get to your travel destination.
When going overseas, flying definitely is the way to go. I use several search engines like Skyscanner or swoodoo for getting the cheapest prices for the time traveling.
But, sometimes you’re itinerary might be too diverse, meaning, you’re traveling inside of a certain country, have to change cities and have to go to your next stop within a couple days or weeks – in case you’re travels are longer -.
Then there are actually two options right here to still being able to travel on a small budget:
Booking on the go
Booking everything on the go, starting with the flights over to trains and buses as well as accommodation. It’s a good way of doing that, when you want to stay flexible, because you’re not sure about how long you plan on staying at a certain place or location.
At the same time, it can cause some stress, because you constantly have to take care about your next bed to sleep in. So you really have to weigh your possibilities here. Don’t try to travel on a small budget at all costs, literally spoken.
Booking in advance
At least for places you already know, you’re definitely heading to and knowing how long you will be staying, a good option is to go to a travel agency before going on your journey.
I have great and very positive experiences with Sta Travel. They know what people are looking for, when traveling alone, ‘off the known paths’, for a longer period of time, making different stops on their way, like to be flexible, etc. And, they know what it means to travel on a small budget. They always have some great deals for you!
I usually do a mix of both, booking some flights – especially the ones to my travel destination and back – and accommodation in advance as well as on the go. So far that worked perfectly for me.
Ok, so now, you took care about how to get to your travel destination and around. And, don’t worry, if some of your rides are not fixed, yet.
Accommodations for traveling on a small budget
As far as accommodation, there definitely is something for every budget. If you’re like me and want to spend your money rather on coffee and cake or whatever you’re planning on ordering at the coffee places at your travel destination – well, yeah, maybe also for some sightseeing -, you think twice on where to spend your nights at. The nice hotel downtown might not be your option in most cases.
But, where to stay instead? Ok, here are my suggestions:
If you don’t care about spending the night with other travelers in a large dorm room, then hostels are an option for you. Most of them are downtown and within walking distance of touristy spots, restaurants and everything.
For me traveling ‘off the known paths’ also means seeing my travel destination through the eyes of locals. When staying at a hotel or hostel, this is rather not possible, unless you keep going to certain areas in a city, where you not only meet tourists, but also locals when heading to a restaurant, cafe or pub and start a conversation with them.
Connecting with Locals
My way of connecting with locals is by staying at their homes, doing either Air B’n’B or Couchsurfing.
I know, you have to be the kind of person for that. Not everyone is open enough and wants to spend their vacation with other people and at their houses or apartments.
But, it’s a great way of connecting with locals and to actually get to know their city together with them – most of them love to show you around.
And, of course, it’s cheap, if you’re traveling on a small budget. Air B’n’B costs way less than a hotel room per night, Couchsurfing even is free. You have to be open for connecting with your host and spending some time with them, though.
Your Couchsurfing hosts offer their couches or even beds because they want to get in touch with new people as well and want to know about foreign countries and different cultures like you do.
So, it really is possible to travel on a small budget AND to amazing places! It just needs some prep time in advance! But, this is part of the fun, right? And, part of the anticipation for your next coffee trip adventure!