Money-Saving Tips: 8 Travel Hacks When You’re in a Shoestring Budget

Traveling is always a fun time. But there is no denying that it can be expensive, even if you are going to a country with a low living cost.

If you are traveling on a shoestring budget, here are eight money-saving hacks that you can do:

1. Use a private browser tab

Did you know that your browser’s cookies can affect the pricing you get from flight bookings?

It’s not a popular fact, but if you notice that the price changes every time you check flight tickets online for some reason, then this might be the reason why.

These flight prices go higher when they track that a particular flight gets repeated searches. They make the price higher to scare people into booking the flight immediately before the price increases.

To prevent this inaccurate or higher pricing reflecting when you visit the site, you should open up a private browser tab. That way, they won’t be able to track the cookies on your browser.

2. Check airport hub pricing

You can save more money when traveling by being more creative with how you book your flights. Instead of booking a round trip flight, you might want to book different legs of your flights with other airlines.

By splitting your flights up, you probably will have a cheaper flight ticket. To make it easier for you, you should aim for airport hubs or gateway airports with lots of connecting flights. That way, you’ll have an easier time looking for various one-way tickets to your destinations.

Although this can help save you some money, it also comes with a set of risks. Several issues come with the use of one-way tickets to spend less on your travel tickets.

For example, managing your luggage will be difficult, especially if you plan to cancel your flights’ last leg. Your checked-in baggage can end up somewhere you can’t access.

Therefore, it’s a good idea for you to have carry-on luggage with everything you need even if your checked baggage doesn’t make it with you.

3. Book a last-minute cruise

Most of the time, last-minute bookings can either save you a lot of money or cost you a lot more than it should have. One example of the former would be booking a last-minute cruise.

If you’ve wanted to go on a cruise for a while but want to get the best price possible for it, you should consider booking a trip at the last minute for tickets. Last-minute cruises aren’t cruises that happen right before they set off to sail.

They can range anywhere from several days before the embarkation to three months before. It’s an easy way to get a chance to board a cruise ship without getting charged too high for it.

However, this does not guarantee that you will have a spot on the cruise since it might end up full.

4. Score deals on offbeat websites

When you book your flight or cruise on popular websites, they are more likely to be expensive.

Because of their popularity, they generate hundreds of website traffic. It also means that their deals are in-demand, which can drive the prices up.

Luckily, the World Wide Web is a prominent place. The popular travel websites are not the only ones that offer flights, cruise, and accommodation tickets.

That said, take the time to look for offbeat travel websites. Booking a ticket from these websites allows you to save travel money.

But remember to apply a healthy level of caution before spending any money on these websites. Make sure that you check their legitimacy first before making any transactions of any kind.

5. Leverage the sharing economy

Fellow travelers and the sharing economy are two things that will help you save a ton of money for your travels.

Plenty of budget travelers would attest to how socializing with the locals, and fellow travelers can help you save a lot of money. For one, they can teach you where the most affordable hotels and restaurants are. You can even have them for free should you decided to stay with a local.

If you don’t know how to get started, there are apps and online platforms that enable travel sharing. If not, they can help you find a community that caters to budget travelers.

Use these platforms to your advantage so that you can travel without breaking the bank.

6. Take free walking tours

There are plenty of service providers that will offer free walking tours for tourists, especially in more popular areas.

Check whether there are free walking tours in your destination. That way, you’ll get to know the area more and maybe even interact with a few people there.

Remember to tip the tour people while you’re there as well as courtesy.

7. Use travel credit cards

Travel credit cards are specifically for people who travel often. If you travel frequently, use these credit cards during your trip so you can rewards. These rewards, like free miles, could come in handy on your next travel.

8. Get city tourist cards

Some places offer city tourist cards. It lets you access many popular tourist spots, which includes public transportation, within a set budget.

It’s a lot cheaper than paying for these things individually. So try to look up whether the place you’re traveling to has them or not.

 

When you travel, it would be ideal to save up enough money to enjoy your time without scrounging up spare change. However, it will still be a big help for you if you learn these travel hacks since it will help you get a bigger budget than you first estimated. Next time you travel, make sure that you try these tips out yourself!