My favorite stories that people tell me are about the strategies that they use to travel cheaply and the experiences that they’re able to enjoy by doing so. I love traveling but, as we all know, I don’t love spending money. However, I’m more apt to spend money on a trip than on most material things. Even so, I still don’t want to pay more than I have to. I’ve recently been able to speak with four people who frequently travel cheaply and I wanted to share a little bit about how they do so and what I’ve learned from them.
The three biggest lessons that I’ve learned about how to travel cheaply from these people are:
- Be flexible.
- Make friends everywhere you go.
- Be unconventional.
If you’re not willing to do at least one of these, then you must not care about paying a boatload to travel and/or traveling infrequently.
Be Flexible
The first couple that I’m going to mention did have a large upfront cost – they sold their home and bought an RV to travel the US. Although this isn’t necessarily frugal, what’s cool about their situation to me is how frugal they are with their travel now and how much they genuinely enjoy their experiences.
They have essentially lived out of the RV for years while making some stops at “home”. They find cheap campsites, make friends, experience where they’re staying, and move on to the next place. At some places, they’ve picked up seasonal jobs working at parks which not only has provided income doing things that they enjoy, but also a free place to hook up their RV a lot of the time.
Additionally, the husband has 1.5 million airline miles banked from the travel that he did when he worked. They could go ahead and use all of these miles on flights, but they’re very cautious about using them on trips that they really want to take rather than blowing through them. They have a daughter who lives in Belgium and they’re planning on using some of the miles to travel to Nuts weekend in Bastogne in October. Free flights, free accommodations, and a festival that they’re looking forward to attending will lead to a great experience for them at the right price.
Being flexible can also save you a ton of money on flights. I know many people who have been able to save $100s by opting to fly in the middle of the week rather than on weekends. One of them routinely books international trips that return the day before he has to work to save money on airfare.
I’m sure the next couple of days going straight to work with no time to catch up are tough, but the savings is worth it to him because it allows him to continue traveling rather than spending a lot on one trip. This is the guy who took a trip to Portugal and told me that his airfare and hostel cost him a total of $150 out of pocket for the week.
Make Friends Everywhere You Go
I’ve met many people who love to stay in hostels because they tend to be cheaper than hotels and they host a friendly environment that encourages interaction and meeting others who are staying there. One of my friends has stayed in multiple countries (and has more on the docket) with free accommodations because he has made friends with people from other countries while staying in hostels.
Obviously, you have to be cautious about this, but it can be a great money saving option if you get to know the person(s) well and end up with a free place to stay. You could also find friends to meet up with and help split costs of staying in a different city.
Be Unconventional
I think that Amanda and I practiced this to a lesser degree when we drove to Cape Cod rather than flying this summer. We were able to save $523 by renting a car and driving rather than taking the conventional route of flying. Not only did this save us money, but it allowed us to stop to visit a friend and explore New Haven, explore Boston for a day on our way back, and stop and visit Amanda’s family for a couple of hours before heading back home.
Other ways to save money on travel (which we’ve not used yet) are to consider camping, road tripping and sleeping in a car, backpacking, and hiking. The most expensive parts of traveling are airfare, accommodations, and spending money to pass the time. Anything that you can do to reduce, or eliminate, those costs will make traveling more places a much more real possibility.
I have a friend who took a road trip across the US and saved money by either sleeping in the car, setting up his tent and sleeping next to the car, or sleeping in his hammock for the night. He’d find a camping site for free, or a small fee, or find somewhere else to park for the night (probably frowned upon). This definitely isn’t for everyone, but it’s a great way to save a ton of money and travel cheaply.
Consider using an airport that is less convenient for you. The same friend who took the road trip and slept in the car was able to save $400 on an international trip by choosing to pay $50 to take a 5-hour bus ride from his hometown in Missouri to fly out of O’Hare rather than Lambert.
Yeah, he’s pretty dedicated to stretching his dollar and traveling cheaply. It may seem like too much of a hassle to some, but it’s worth it when traveling on a budget and planning additional trips that your money can go towards in the future.
Saving money is a choice and it’s up to you to decide whether you value convenience or saving your money to spend on something else.
