10 Ways to Save Money While Traveling

Now that you’ve finally acquired enough funds to make your dream adventure a reality, you’re quickly faced with the added challenge of not blowing all your diligently accrued monies before you find yourself back home again. With so many craft beers, bungee jumps, and artisan jewelry chipping away at your carefully itemized budget, it’s an onerous task to stay on your financial course. Here are 10 ways to cut back on the spending once you’ve already begun your travels, no matter where you are.

1. Google free things to do in (wherever you are)

This is especially helpful in a city. You’ll learn about local parks and monuments, and you may get lucky and be in town for some free museum days or concerts.

2. Take local transport

And think of it as an activity in itself, rather than just a way to get from Point A to Point B.  You can bring a snack, sit down and chill (or get squished and pecked on the head by a chicken while standing up).  Plug in your headphones and give yourself a soundtrack or listen to the sounds of the city. Get a lay of the land, people watch, or jump off when things get interesting. You’ll catch a glimpse of peoples’ daily lives and put your brain to work figuring out a new transit system.

3. Visit the local supermarket or food market

If you’re willing to give up eating out for at least one meal a day, you can save quite a bit over a week if you buy bread and fruit, oatmeal, or a bag of muesli at a local supermarket.  You can eat your meal al fresco while watching life go on around you and stock up on healthy snacks and see what locals like to cook and eat.

4. Cook in the hostel kitchen

While you’re at the supermarket, grab something cheap to cook for dinner to replace an expensive dinner out.  If you’re feeling sociable, try splitting the cost with fellow travelers and eat together.

5. Don’t eat near big attractions

When you do eat out, keep in mind that the closer you are to a popular tourist attraction will proportionally raise the price of whatever you consume.  If it’s atmosphere you’re after, by all means, don’t penny pinch if you’ve got a view of Notre Dame over your cafe au lait, but be aware that a few blocks walk could save you some dollars.

6. Research the water situation

Water is life. Research how safe the tap water is and how locals treat the water if it isn’t.  Invest in a reusable BPA free water bottle and a water bottle holder to make things more convenient.  Buying new bottles of water all day long quickly adds up not only dollars, but also plastic waste. Check into iodine tablets, filters, or chlorine to purify your water.

7. Stay in and recreate some atmosphere DIY

Head back to the grocery store and buy yourself a bottle of wine instead of paying five times that to order each glass individually. If you’re up for hanging out, travel with a deck of cards or a pack of cards against humanity. If you need some alone time after the chaos of sightseeing, have a couple movies on your phone or tablet before you leave home.

8. Take full advantage of your technology

Booking online is most often cheaper than calling, whether it’s flights or hostels. You can compare prices quickly, check blogs and forums for cheap or free things to do in your area, you’ve got books, music, and movies, you can check out concerts and festivals, and don’t forget about budgeting and scheduling apps.

9. Write everything down and itemize

Tracking where most of your money is going will make you more mindful of your habits.  You’ll have more an idea of where each penny goes so you can make a new plan or strategy.  It can also bolster your self-discipline if you need to write down and admit to yourself just how many beers and how many dollars went down at the bar last night.

10. Go camping!

This may not be an option everywhere, but if you’re in the States, you can camp cheaply (or freely) in national forests and prairies, and lots of countries like Japan and Norway have free camping in designated areas. In Thailand, certain national parks rent out a tent and sleeping bags as well.

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