How to travel on a budget: 5 simple tips to save money while travelling
- Jan 27, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: 9 hours ago
The number one thing that holds everyone back from travelling is undoubtedly the cost of it. Many associate it with big bills, so they don't even get to the planning part because of the fear they have around the expenses. But if your true desire is to see the globe and you're happy to compromise a little, you could see more of it than you could imagine! Let me show you how...
When people think about travelling on a budget, they often assume it just means spending less money, but in reality it’s much more than that. It’s about making intentional choices that allow you to travel for longer, experience more, and still enjoy the journey without constantly feeling restricted. From my experience, budget travel isn’t about limiting yourself, it’s about prioritising what actually matters to you and letting go of the things that don’t add real value to your trip.
Is budget travel worth it?
A lot of the time, I find that people assume budget travel means you’re constantly uncomfortable or missing out on things, but that’s not really the case. It just looks different. Yes, sometimes it means choosing a night bus instead of a quick flight, or grabbing something simple from a bakery instead of sitting down for a full meal. But those are the kinds of compromises that allow you to actually travel longer and see more. And when you look back, you’re not going to remember every meal you had, you’ll remember the places you saw and how they made you feel. Budget travel isn’t about doing less, it’s about being a bit more intentional with what actually matters to you. I’ve had moments where I questioned if it was worth it, like sitting on an overnight bus instead of taking a quick flight, but looking back, those are often the experiences that stayed with me the most.
How much does budget travel actually cost?
This is probably one of the first questions that comes up, and I get it because it can feel very unclear at the beginning. The truth is, there’s no exact number because it really depends on how you choose to travel. But once you break it down, it starts to feel a lot more manageable. Most of your money will go on accommodation, transport, and food, so those are the areas where small changes make a big difference. For example, choosing a hostel over a hotel, or being flexible with your flight times. I’ve had trips where I spent very little just because I planned things slightly differently. It’s less about having a strict budget and more about understanding where your money is going.
FAQs
A lot of these questions come up before people even book their first trip, and honestly, they’re all valid.
Is it possible to travel with little money? Yes, but it does require some flexibility. You might not always take the most convenient option, but that doesn’t take away from the experience.
What is the cheapest way to travel? Usually it comes down to being flexible, with dates, destinations, and even how you get from place to place.
Does budget travel mean low-quality experiences? Not at all. Some of the best moments I’ve had while travelling didn’t cost anything, they just happened naturally.
5 simple tips to save money while travelling
Compromise on the accommodation over the experiences that you can get
I know that this may not sound ideal at first, but honestly, if you want a holiday filled with memories and amazing experiences, the easiest way to keep costs down is by staying in more budget-friendly accommodations like hostels. The plus side to this is that you get to meet other travellers, so both the cost and the 'how to find friends when travelling solo' factors are covered. One thing I didn’t expect when I started travelling on a budget was how much your experience of meeting people can change depending on the way you travel, which is something I explore more in my post about how to make friends while travelling solo.
Another way I like to keep costs down is (but this kind of defeats the purpose of solo travelling) sharing the cost with friends. When travelling together with 2-3 friends, it's easy to stay on budget by renting an Airbnb together and doing a little food shop, so that you don't have to spend more on eating out. I normally find that it's easiest to have breakfast at the place you stay at, because if there are 3-4 people travelling together, you can get a nice breakfast at home by sharing the food shopping costs, and it comes to a few £/$/€ per person. After a food fuelled morning you will be ready to take on the day and explore a new place, without having to overpay for an avocado on toast.
Think outside of the box
A lot of the time, I find that people think that travelling must mean a 5-star hotel and all-inclusive. But that could not be further from the truth. That's more like a vacation. Vacations are a different niche. They have their time and place, but travelling does get uncomfortable sometimes and definitely comes with compromises, like eating meal deal-type lunches from the local supermarket or a bakery visit for breakfast instead of a fancy brunch. I know this may not seem as that appealing at first, but if you look back, you will be more likely to remember things like watching the Eiffel Tower sparkle or visiting the beautiful beaches of Mexico, not what meal you had every day. This may be unpopular opinion, but you don't have to sit in a restaurant every day just because you are travelling. There are some budget moves you can take if you want to see the world. Budget travel isn’t just a financial choice, it also changes the emotional side of your trip in ways people don’t always expect, which I talk about in more depth in my post about the good, the bad and the ugly sides of travelling alone.
Same goes for flights, if you are happy to compromise and do a short layover, sometimes your flight costs can be more than halved. I did this a few times recently. I was returning from Italy to the UK, but from my location (Venice) the prices kept staying above £200. A price I would not really pay to travel within Europe to be honest with you. So, I looked around and I found a very cheap (£15) flight ticket to Dublin, and from there another (£22) ticket to the UK. I only had to do a 3ish hour layover in Dublin to save over a £100. Even with spending money at the airport on food and drinks made more financial sense, than the direct flight. If you have the flexibility, always check non-direct flight options to save some $$.
I’ve also found that where you choose to go makes a huge difference when you’re trying to travel on a budget, especially if it’s your first time travelling alone, which is why I put together a guide to the best destinations for first-time solo travellers.
Look out for working holiday opportunities
One of the best ways to travel on a budget, and also learn more about the local life and culture is by finding opportunities to work abroad for food, flights or accommodation in return. When I was in my early twenties and had no money to my name, just lots of courage and enthusiasm, and I found a way to spend the summer months in Italy. I was working around 6 hours, 4-5 days a week, for food and accommodation in return. I know that working while travelling the world may not seem like the most glamorous idea at first, but let me tell you, I do not remember anything about work and how long the hours were. All I remember is going to the beach in my spare time and exploring the area on my days off. You can, of course, combine it with pure travelling, adding a week to your work holiday either before or after the experience to feel truly free. But if you want to spend at least a month being abroad, working a little will not feel like a huge sacrifice for the lifetime experience. Where there is a will, there is a way.
Try to avoid tourist season
I think 70-80% of the time I visited my dream destinations off-season, and I could go on and on about the benefits of doing this. If you can avoid peak season or are travelling solo (so you're not tied to taking time off only when it's school holidays or works for your partner), this is for sure one of the best ways to keep costs down. Other than being able to avoid the crowds and feel like you have the whole place to yourself, off-season accommodation and flight prices always seem to be a fraction of the price you would pay if you were to travel when everybody else does.
The more I travel, the more I realise that budget travel also changes the emotional experience of a trip, especially when you’re moving slower or staying in simpler places, which I explore in my post about what solo travel really feels like.
Track flight prices and choose self-transfer when you can
Some days I wish flight prices were more regulated, so you would always know how much a ticket would costs. But then I change my mind every time I find a crazy good deal! And I do this by being patient and keeping an eye on flight tickets. I normally use something as simple as Google Flights, so that I can see all my options, and it always shows me the cheapest website to book my flight on. Another thing you may notice is that you often find the cheapest flights when you have to do something called self-transfer. For example, when I was flying to Sri Lanka from Athens, I paid a fraction of the price of an average ticket because I chose a self-transfer ticket in Abu Dhabi. This simply means that instead of checking in for my whole flight in Athens, I could only check in for Athens-Abu Dhabi, and then I would have to go out of the airport and check in for my flight from Abu Dhabi to Sri Lanka. Since the layover was about 5 hours, this was an easy step to take, but it saved me a lot of money! The only thing you have to keep in mind with self-transfers is that sometimes you will have to calculate with a transit visa. But I would say most of the time, even with that cost included, a self-transfer flight could save you some money!
One thing I’ve realised over time is that budget travel isn’t about one big trick or hack, but rather a series of small decisions that add up. Things like booking slightly in advance instead of last minute, staying flexible with your travel dates, choosing destinations where your money goes further, and being open to slower travel all make a noticeable difference. The more I travel, the more I realise that flexibility is actually one of the biggest advantages you can have when trying to travel cheaply. I think what surprised me most about travelling on a budget is that it didn’t actually make my experiences feel smaller, it just made me more intentional with them. Instead of trying to do everything, I started focusing on doing the things that actually felt meaningful to me in each place. In a strange way, having a budget sometimes made my travel experiences feel more grounded and less overwhelming, because it forced me to slow down and be more present with where I was.
Hope you found these little tips useful for keeping travel costs lower while still making your dreams come true! I think the main thing to keep in mind is compromise; travelling doesn't have to be as fancy as in movies to make memories that will last a lifetime! Travelling on a budget is not about limiting yourself or missing out on experiences, it’s about finding a way to travel that feels sustainable for you. There will always be trade-offs, but I think the goal is to create a balance where you can still enjoy your trips without constantly worrying about money. Over time, I’ve realised that the best kind of travel isn’t necessarily the most expensive one, but the one that allows you to keep going back out into the world again and again.
And if you’re looking for a way to feel more grounded while travelling, don’t forget to grab my free Travel Wellness Routine Builder. It’s packed with simple tools like a printable checklist, self-care prompts, and mini rituals to help you feel more at home, wherever the journey takes you.
