5 of My Favorite Budget Travel Tips

There are lots of travel tips I tend to offer up over and over, but it's because they work and I use them myself. I travel on a budget as much as possible, and sometimes I cut costs in some ways in order to splurge somewhere else on my trips. By now you know I love food, and I will plan full days around where I want to eat. On the other hand, sometimes I know there are one or two really unaffordable things I want to do, and if there are ways I can make up that in savings elsewhere, I'll do that, too. 

Here are 5 of my favorite budget travel tips for you:

Travel in the off- or shoulder-season

When you travel during the busiest times (usually summer and the holidays, but this can vary from destination to destination), not only do you end up paying more than you would otherwise, but you also lose a lot of time waiting in lines. These are two of the worst things to waste in my opinion. I travel in the fall, because it's almost always a shoulder-season time for destinations. Kids are back in school everywhere, so places are less crowded. Places are often looking to entice visitors and drop their prices. In fact, you might save up to 50% off hotel rates, 30% off airfare and vacation rentals. 

Do laundry

I know laundry sucks, but it's not that bad when you're on vacation. Why do I suggest doing laundry? Because this allows you to pack less and travel lighter. I'll be doing a packing post soon, but think about this: You are going somewhere new. People there don't know you and won't remember what you wore all week. I mix and match a small capsule wardrobe for my trips. It's enough to give me variety, but it's also easy to pull stuff out and know that whatever top and bottom you choose, they'll go together, because you already planned ahead of time. 

Eat at food trucks/carts

I love food, and that means I want to eat a lot of it. There's only so many hours in the day, and I can't eat a ton of food at a time. Food trucks are great, because not only is there usually more than one when you find them, but they are also affordable. If you travel with your family or you just don't eat the same things as your travel companion, food trucks are awesome. You can each get something you want without having to fight over restaurants. And if you like to try all the things, you can easily get items from different trucks and share. 

More and more trucks are serving restaurant-quality food, and while they may creep into the almost-restaurant prices, they don't have overhead like staff and rent, so you aren't expected to pay for all those extras or give a big tip for someone to wait on you.

Look for coupons & promo codes

When we travel, we try to book as much ahead as possible. Why? Because you can often get a better deal by booking early, booking online, or through promo codes. Groupon is available around the world as well, so I often set my subscriptions 6 months out to my travel destination and keep an eye on discounts for attractions, activities, and restaurants. We've saved a ton of money this way. 

Take public transportation or walk 

I rarely take taxis, and though I often use Uber for getting around, I usually forgo it unless I really need to get somewhere and can't take public transportation to get there or it'll take too long. Public transportation can show you an entirely new view of the city and often I speak to locals, while also learning to get around my temporary home. Public transport is usually cheap, and is a great addition to walking around. Compare rates where you're going. I've found that an Uber can run between $15-20 for 5 miles or so during peak times, and the same ride on the bus or the subway can be $5 roundtrip or for the whole day. You even get to people watch, since everyone is usually on their phone. This is one my favorite parts of riding around a city. 

I'll be adding more money-saving travel tip blog posts soon, now that we have a vaccine and might have some hope of traveling by the end of the year. I'll be taking my first road trip for the first time in almost a year in just a few weeks. 

What are some of your favorite ways to travel on a budget?

Advice When Planning A Trip For A Large Group Of People

Planning a trip for a large group of people is always difficult. This is because you have many different opinions and requirements to take into consideration. The organization can be challenging, to say the least. With that being said, we have put together some useful tips that can help you to organize an exciting vacation for a large number of people.

photo credit

• Consider transport carefully - The first tip is to make sure you consider transport carefully. If you have a large number of people, getting from activity to activity can be difficult and expensive if you do not have a plan in advance. There is the option of renting coach buses nationwide, and this is something that can work out more affordable when you are splitting the cost between a big group of people. Consider all of your options carefully and compare expenses to determine what is going to be the most affordable for you.

• Don’t wait around for everyone to be happy - One of the most challenging things about planning a vacation for a large number of people is that it can feel like it is almost impossible to make everyone satisfied. If you cannot agree on a date because everyone is busy, you will have to go for the majority, otherwise, you may never end up going anywhere at all! 

• Consider booking a large villa rather than hotel rooms - Accommodation is another area that needs to be considered carefully. There are plenty of different options for people today, and Airbnb has opened us up to the possibility of booking vacation homes rather than staying in a hotel. If there is a large number of people, you can often find that staying in a big villa ends up being much more affordable, so make sure that you look into this. When you are looking at how many the property sleeps, though, make sure you check out how the beds are divided up and where they are all placed so you can be sure everyone is going to be happy and comfortable. 

• Don’t get stressed if people want to do their own thing - It can be difficult to keep everyone satisfied when going on vacation. If you are planning lots of fun activities, don’t take it personally if some people do not want to get involved in all of them. We all have different tastes and different ideas of what makes a great trip, so allow people the freedom to make their own decisions and try not to stress about it!

So there you have it: some key tips and pieces of advice if you are planning on booking a trip for a large number of people. There is no denying that there is a lot to think about and consider when booking a trip for a large number of individuals. However, if you have a plan and you stick to the advice that has been provided above, you should find it somewhat easier to enjoy a great vacation.

Keeping Connected to Home

When you travel, it can sometimes be hard to keep in touch with home, especially if you're traveling out of the country.  I'm not about to just cut off all communication for a week or two just because I don't want to pay $.60 for a text message or much more than that per phone call minute. I know we may only be roadtripping for the time being, but here are the ways I stay in touch with home when I travel.

Photo by ROBIN WORRALL on Unsplash

You could rely on email, but if you're traveling solo or actually want to speak to a human being, that's a bit impersonal, though you can also email people in addition to emailing them all the fun details of your days. I tend to do both, but I like for people to know that I haven't died, and I want to see my dog while I'm away for a week or more.

Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash

Voxer

Instead of texting, I use Voxer. Not only is it free, but it works off WiFi, so it can push through your "texts" when you have a signal, but will timestamp it when you actually sent it. It will also tell you when your message was delivered and when it was read. If the recipient clicks on it, can see exactly where it was sent from. This way you save money and people know you're alive, and if you go missing, they know where you were last. Voxer allows you to send/receive messages, videos and voice recordings, and it's free, unless you upgrade for more capabilities. You could use WhatsApp instead. I just didn't think it was as user-friendly.

Photo by Glen Anthony on Unsplash

Skype

Yes, I'm old, apparently, because the kids all snicker when you mention Skype instead of Facetime. One, I don't have an iPhone, and two, I don't want one. Skype is mostly free, easy to use, and allows you to actually see another person, even if you think you look like a hideous beast on camera like I do. 

Trying to figure out a time to talk to someone when there's a very significant time difference can be difficult, but I generally send a Voxer to my mom (or whoever I'm going to call), to let them know when I'm planning to Skype, so we can have the app open. I use it on my phone, so I can give them a walk thru of my Airbnb. Ha! 

Photo by Guilherme Stecanella on Unsplash

Swarm

This doesn't strictly help you stay in touch, but it does let people know where you are at any given time. I check in to most places I go, because I like a record of things I did, in case I forget, but I also like my friends to know where I am, just in case. If I'm away and I don't check in somewhere for a day, they probably know there's something wrong. Plus, Swarm check-ins are fun and you earn points and stickers. 

Photo by Oleg Magni on Unsplash

TripIt

This is another way for me to allow people to keep tabs on me. I upload my entire itinerary to TripIt, including my flights and where I'm staying, so I have something with all my confirmation numbers and addresses and phone numbers in one place (which also saves paper) and then I share it with one or two other people who like to know what I'm doing and who I want to check in with.

These are just a few of my favorite apps, but they are especially useful for keeping up with people wherever you are. If you have a favorite app to stay in touch with home, I want to hear about it. Let me know about it in the comments.