Everyone wants to travel. But not everyone can afford it (especially someone like me, who is currently hurdling the fees graduate school!). But two years ago, I found an opportunity to get over to Europe for cheap. I mean, dirt cheap, but without the trains and the hostels and the shower shoes (ew). And after that trip, I went again for even less.
Last summer, I spent over 18 days in Europe traveling to 9 cities in 4 countries for under $2,000. I still can’t believe how I was able to see so much for so little. So just how did I do it? Read my budget-friendly travel tips below.
Disclaimer: These are just SOME of my tips to cut costs. It took months of researching, planning and learning to figure out our trips. We were thorough workers since we knew we wanted to travel on a budget. Pro tip: Spending less = more vacations in the future!
My top advice when planning a trip is to be wise about any and all decisions. DO. YOUR. RESEARCH. Places like Pinterest or TripAdvisor are great resources to take advantage of.
Also, and I think this goes without saying, naturally some places are just always less expensive to visit than others, and some spots are much cheaper during different times of the year depending on tourist season.
Now, without further adieu, as they say, here’s a few of my favorite budget-friendly travel tips:
- Travel carry-on only. While it sounds impossible to pack enough clothes in just a small carry-on luggage for a 2 week trip, it’s not. I’ll be sharing my packing list for a 3-week trip in which I only brought a backpack. This is coming from a chronic over-packer. If I can do it, so can you. Not only will you save money by avoiding any checked-bag fees, you’ll save time by not having to wait for your bag. You also will be able to maneuver the cobble-stone streets, steep staircases and crowds of people much easier once you reach your destination. Trust me.
- Use Google Flights. It’s a great tool for seeing prices for different flights. This will allow you to figure out what are the best dates to fly, and with which airline, all on the same page. You can also easily switch locations to see if there’s a better deal out there.
- Connections are cheaper than direct flights. Now, this isn’t always the case, but generally what I have noticed is that direct flights are expensive. What I mean is, a direct flight from Fort Lauderdale to Mallorca might be $500-600. However, if you fly into Copenhagen (stay with me here for a moment) for $280 and connect via a smaller airline (i.e. RyanAir, Wiz, etc) for a short flight to Mallorca for $60, you can save over $250!!
- Use private browser. When browsing flight and hotel deals, make sure you are enabling private browser so the sites don’t collect your info and bump up your prices (this has happened to me before!). Take notes on paper or in Google docs if you want to remember your research.
- Flights > trains. On my trips to Europe, I have only taken the train once, from Paris to London. Besides that, I found that trains are often just as expensive as flights, but take 2 or 3 times longer. Since we were only in each city a couple days, every hour wasted on travel was one not spent exploring the city. So, to me, flights were usually a better deal.
- Purchase bus/train/metro passes. If you know you will be using a lot of local transportation in each city, then buy the pass rather than individual tickets (and get your use out of them). This is a much better deal in places like Paris or Munich, especially if you can share it with another person.
- Airbnb’s are still the way to go. While I’ve stayed in both hotels and apartment shares during my trips, I think that Airbnbs are usually best. Having an apartment is great if you want to cook some meals at home, or throw in a couple loads of laundry.
- On that note, buy snacks and water. When you arrive, stop by a grocery store and stock up on some healthy snacks, breakfast foods and water bottles. These items are cheaper in bulk and don’t require much prep. Eating a small breakfast at home is a great way to cut costs. I also buy a pack of water bottles to stash at the apartment, so I can bring one when I go out and avoid spending money on drinks.
- Eat a late lunch, skip dinner. Something I love to do when I travel is have a long leisurely late lunch. I generally do this because I know I’ll want dessert later anyway..I have a huge sweet tooth! But I really enjoy eating lunch late because there are far less crowds and it’s usually a good time to take a rest after sightseeing all day. Just be aware if the restaurants are open; places like Spain are renown for closing up shop and taking a siesta in the afternoon.
- Pay online in foreign currency. If you have a credit card that doesn’t charge foreign transaction fees (which you should have), check if the prices are cheaper in the local currency before paying. This is especially true with flight costs. Some airlines offer lower prices for their home country. The web page will change the language, but Google Chrome offers to translate the content for you.
Those are some of my favorite tips I offer friends and family when they’re planning a trip. It does take months of research but it’s always worth it in the end; the memories you’ll make really are for a lifetime.
