Spend less to travel more

People ask me how I afford to travel so frequently. I have two tricks that I’ll let you in on now that help me pay for my trips around the globe. The first thing, I prioritize traveling in my budget. This means less shopping, taking public transportation instead of ubers, and doing a few less “treat yourself” moments while I’m in Boston. You get the idea. This helps me keep more money in my pocket. My second trick is when I travel, rather than blowing my entire budget on a 1 week 5 star trip, I choose less expensive destinations, hotels, and restaurants to help my budget stretch over multiple trips throughout the year. It’s a trade off, but for me, it works!

Want my best tips for stretching your travel budget?

The view from the Cartagena AirBNB

• Travel during shoulder season

  Shoulder season is the in-between month that separates high season (think best weather, most tourists) and off season (less desirable weather, less tourists) You’ll likely still get good weather, but the crowds and the prices will be reduced. Most hotels offer lower prices for off-season stays.

Belize off season means no crowds obstructing your view

• Spend your money wisely

  I prefer to spend more money on a plane ticket, ensuring I travel far and wide, and then I save money on my accomodations. I skip the fancy resorts and stay in Airbnb apartments or minimalist cabins. I’m too old to sleep in a hostel with 25 strangers, but many hostels offer private rooms too, so make sure to look those up. You’d be surprised at how nice some of these spots can be. These types of accomodations keep you closer to the action and you’ll have a more authentic experience. My best advice it to read reviews! Trip Advisor has a great review section and you can even search key words like “safety” or “cleanliness” to check on the things most imporant to you.

Simple Beach Lodge, Colombia

Ocean view from the cabin

• Follow the locals

  Avoid tourist traps to save money! This means going to the local spots instead of the highly promoted restauarants, beaches and bars. By going to a local taco stand, like the one in the picture below, you’ll not only get a great deal (3 tacos for $1) you’ll also meet the best people!

A nameless corner taco stand

• Pack smarter to spend less

  • Bring a waterbottle with you to fill up each morning. Don’t spend money on bottled water, it really adds up.

  • Pack snack bars in your suitcase and eat them for a light breakfast or snack during your travels. Avoiding the small costs will add up over the course of a week.

  • When traveling between destinations or from the airport to the hotel, choose shared buses and vans over private taxis. Not only do I think it is much safer to be with a group, but the cost will also be greatly reduced. You’ll also pick up other great tips on the location when you start swapping information with the people in your bus.

  • Always negotiate. Especially in high tourism areas, they expect you to negotiate, so they start the prices higher. If you aren’t comfortable negotiating just try a few phrases like “I don’t know, that price is high...” or put the item back without saying anything and the salesman will offer you a deal! Works like a charm.

I always carry my backpack with water and snacks

Now that you know how to save the money to travel, you just need to work on increasing your vacation time at work, right? Do you have any tips for saving money on travel? I’d love to hear them!

Jumping for joy for saving money on this discounted boat tour!

Belize yoga class parking