What are your best travel tips for saving money?
Posted by Americanidiot29@reddit | Shoestring | View on Reddit | 86 comments
I am looking to travel internationally but I don’t make much money so I am looking for any and all suggestions. I am particularly interested in going to eastern european countries that people often avoid such as the balkans and the caucuses.
lucapal1@reddit
Saving money?
Go to places that don't cost too much! Either to get to,or day to day expenses... that will depend where you are going from.
Travel slowly and stay longer in each place.
Stay in a hostel...dorms are cheaper.And there's usually a kitchen.You can buy food and cook for yourself,that will save you a lot of money.
Don't drink alcohol, especially in pubs or restaurants.In many places you can drink water for free,or very cheap.
Don't do paid guided tours... visit places yourself, using public transport or walking.
AltruisticWishes@reddit
Totally bizarre that apparently there are so many people who will pay a lot of money to avoid taking the train to Versailles or wherever.
Americanidiot29@reddit (OP)
Yeah I generally don’t drink alc anyways
EdgeJG@reddit
Heads up for the Balkans: when I travelled to Albania, every hostel I stayed at met me with free raki shots. Drinking is a way of life in that part of the world, so you'll have to finesse some way around that if you don't want to cause offense by turning it down.
OfficialClintJames@reddit
I always tell them to throw an extra one back for me.
jasonlampa@reddit
I don’t drink anymore and people are usually really good with it nowadays and more understanding (my experience in Albania at least) but yeah drinking is absolutely the default in many parts of the world.
Americanidiot29@reddit (OP)
I could if need be
Vacuum_reviewer@reddit
Shoulder season is the answer! And avoid big festivities like oktoberfest, Xmas markets, world cup etc
Fun-Fault-8936@reddit
South East Asia and parts of China. You can drink, but drink beer. Take the public Metro and stay in hostels or couch surfing ( maybe couch surfing is still a thing). Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, China, Philippines, Malaysia...any of those spots you will have a good time and all are easy to get around. Consider the cost of visas as well. I might suggest flying to Vietnam and then taking a bus to Cambodia.
South America might also work out as well as Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia.....all of these places I traveled when I was broke as hell. Your largest costs will be the flights. Eat local and don't waste your money on clubbing or expat comforts ( there are many ).
One summer, I was in grad school and went to China for two weeks with $500 in my pocket, not the smartest move, but I had lived there before, and I stayed with friends and took trains around the country, staying in hostels.
I'm 40 years old now and I wasted a lot of money in my life but never in my life have ai ever regretted traveling and seeing the world ....do it! You will not regret it. You're also young, consider working abroad ...it changed my life.
Flamedevil@reddit
Staying in hostels is great. Supermarkets are reliable for food and snack, you pay supermarket prices. Definitely have data and decide if walking/biking/following along with transit.
SharkAlligatorWoman@reddit
Go somewhere cheap. Eat street food. Take buses not Ubers. Cheap hotels if you don’t mind them or crash w friends.
SomeDumbMentat@reddit
I don’t have any friends
Silver-Advantage8502@reddit
Avoid Europe. If you want to spend less, go for Southeast Asia off the tourists path.
anthonymakey@reddit
Stay in hostels. Even big cities like London have hostels. Especially in the off season
Americanidiot29@reddit (OP)
How does one find these areas?
anthonymakey@reddit
Hostelworld.
They have lockers in the room where you can lock up your stuff. Bring your own lock.
Americanidiot29@reddit (OP)
Thanks
djSush@reddit
I'd recommend finding the place on hostelworld and then booking directly on that place's own website. Mostly bc if you need a refund or adjustment, it's just simpler.
We just had experience with this in Copenhagen. I booked through Expedia bc it was cheaper than the Danhostel website. But then when I needed to make adjustments, Expedia told me to ask the hotel, and the hotel told me to ask Expedia. It's just dumb.
And turns out the hotel would have matched Expedia's price (but ofc I didn't know that).
Angra_Mainju@reddit
I use Booking, but my rules are:
Then take just the cheapest that is in central (or suitable for you) location.
And in General booking/buying in advance
Americanidiot29@reddit (OP)
Thanks
NiagaraThistle@reddit
Most towns and cities - especially in EUrope - have hostels.
You can use Hostel world - but will pay more for the booking. Or just google 'hostels in [country or city you are visiting]' and use the direct websites you'll find through such a search.
Hosteling International is another organization that will provide a list/directory of hostels all over the world. These are more 'official' hostels and membership in their organization gets you a discount or perks staying at any of these 2500 locations (or used to anyways).
Americanidiot29@reddit (OP)
Also what if my stuff gets stolen?
missmcbeer@reddit
Not saying it won’t happen but I’ve been traveling (not full time but for months at a time) for over a decade now and staying in hostels mostly. The only thing I’ve ever gotten stolen was a microfiber towel haha. Thing was nasty anyways.
Don’t bring anything you wouldn’t be okay losing or getting stolen. Even passports are replaceable (although not a fun process). Keep minimal cash on you at a time. Know that the other stuff with you can all come and go, if needed.
Keep things locked in your locker and safely on your body, some places I cary a lightweight fanny pack thing so I can keep my passport, cash and a card on me while wandering around.
hamgurgur@reddit
Then you don’t have it anymore
speakplain@reddit
eSIM vs your US carrier’s int’l travel plan - just spent 15 days in Europe and the eSIM was only $40 total instead of the $12/day that Verizon was gonna charge me. service was better too!
get familiar with public transit as best you can before arriving.
have fun!
Americanidiot29@reddit (OP)
What is an esim?
Tech-Dude2023@reddit
Never fly American Airlines they will be late and never be accountable
Phelan-Great@reddit
Wander away from the beaten path, for sure. I'll never forget going to Ronda in southern Spain and walking down the main street as literally busload after busload of tourists filed out of the coach station and started filling up the restaurants and bars within sight, where tapas were €2-3 a piece. I walked a few streets away to a neighborhood corner bar with only a few locals in it and similar-looking tapas were €0.60 or €0.80. The walk was no more than a few minutes but I ate for so much less.
aszahala@reddit
Stay longer and book early if possible. You can get very good deals on (apart)hotels if you stay for a month or more.
Even better off-season. I once stayed a month in an apartment hotel for less than it cost my previous trip for ten days. Month's stay was 2/3 of my rent back home.
Individual-Run-1595@reddit
I usually watch travel vlogs, where to go, and cheap dining places. Also, getting a hostel is a lot cheaper when traveling.
ShabosMensch1@reddit
Book flights early and hotels last minute for the most part, unless you’re going to a very popular spot / high season. For NYC, do the opposite
examingmisadventures@reddit
Eat side dishes at the airport, save a ton! A meal might be $20 but a large side of rice is $2. Agreed it’s not the healthiest but it’s also not long term.
MoreVirus9816@reddit
Get a wise travel card.playfor things in local currency n don’t get ripped off then
hotbrat99@reddit
Unpopular opinion maybe? But i always use klarna for either my flight or my accommodation whichever one is more expensive. Being away from touristy areas the entire time and eating more locally. Planning out the places i want to spend the most (usually shopping/specific excursions) in advance. For example, there might 2 specific excursions i want to do, i will budget out those beforehand. Planning the trip around when i know i’ll get paid, so i can get a little more leisure with my spending. Buying extras like checked bags in advance
Americanidiot29@reddit (OP)
I refuse to do buy now pay later. At that point I should just buy a credit card
hotbrat99@reddit
Its not buy now pay later, it splits the cost into 4. Also, sometimes i like to put 75% towards it the day i book, then the 25% 2 weeks later when ik i will get paid again. Or 50-50. However, having a credit card for traveling DOES help though bc you can get points to get money off future flights if you want to travel often.
Beginning_Cry_8428@reddit
as long as there is no interest you might as well take all the time available, but you must be diligent about budgeting and not just assuming the 25% u dont pay now for the flight will turn into spending on something else uneccesary
hotbrat99@reddit
Well yes. Paying it in 4 insinuating there’s bad money management skills is one thing, but splitting payments over a course of 2-3 checks compared to all at once from one check is beneficial when you have low funds to begin with. And there isn’t any interest.
hotbrat99@reddit
But i guess we can can just ignore the 5 other sentences i wrote after that too 😭😭🎻
Possible_Ad_310@reddit
If you have a flight that’s at like, 6 am, don’t get a hotel, just stay out til like midnight and chill in the airport overnight
Take night trains to not have to buy a hotel
Choose a hotel w breakfast and eat a huge late breakfast/brunch and then skip lunch and just buy dinner out
And of course- use credit card points for flights and hotels!!! My favorite is capital one venture x, and I also have chase sapphire reserve and Amex gold. I am kicking myself that I traveled so much without them and paid cash for flights and hotels. Now I basically have those things free. Lmk if you want my referral links for any of those cards
Americanidiot29@reddit (OP)
Unfortunately I was rejected on my application for a alaska airlines credit card despite having a 675 FICO score
valeyard89@reddit
booking via cashback sites, eg https://www.topcashback.com
right now they have 12% cashback on hotels.com, 6% on booking.com, 30% on Hostelworld (deposit only), etc.
Rozii7@reddit
Couchsurfing is great for this.
startupdojo@reddit
Go to cheaper out of the way places instead of following the tourist trails. The more out of the way, the cheaper it gets. In tourist areas, it will always be a battle to save money and tourist areas are full of pitfalls and downright scams.
I used to be such a sucker for a cheap airfare. I would go to these places thinking I got a deal because I bought a cheap plane ticket to London/whatever, only to realize that most of the cost is when you get there. Now I pick my destinations by weather and how hard they are to get to. (the harder, the better.) They are not just cheaper - cost isn't an issue for me - they are more fun and authentic.
Vagablogged@reddit
Pretty easy. Find cheap flights but not the cheapest that it takes 30 hours and 3 layovers. Travel to poor countries. Stay in hostels or cheap guesthouses.
Drink cheap beer. Buy groceries but also go out to eat. Food is the best part of traveling but if it’s too expensive you don’t need to go out to eat 3 times a day. Some days make your own breakfast and go out for lunch or dinner. Some days cook dinner but go out for breakfast.
Honestly, if you go to poor countries that’s the answer but it really depends where you’re from in the first place. I’m lucky to be from the US so some of the best countries and cities my money goes far.
Don’t waste money on expensive touristy stuff.
Most things are cheap in those countries once you get flights and accommodations out of the way.
Americanidiot29@reddit (OP)
Yeah i’m american so I imagine my money would go far
Sorry-Fix-2735@reddit
If you don’t have one yet, open a credit card that offers points’ system (Chase, Capital One, Barclays). Look for the ones that offer a sign up bonus: it can be 60k or 75 or even 150k. You can use the points to transfer to an airline of your choice as “miles” and use it to purchase your plane tickets. You can also open a credit card affiliates a hotel brand (Hilton Marriott, Hyatt) and use the sign up bonus to pay for some of your hotel stay.
Americanidiot29@reddit (OP)
I’m thinking of getting an alaska airlines credit card
Greup@reddit
Take the bus, often cheaper than train or plane but takes longer, you trade time for money.
Skeptical_Pompous@reddit
Yes, the farther east you go in Europe, the cheaper it is.
Also, every tourist city is actually a normal every day city full of locals too, when getting food and drink, avoid the tourist areas, jump a tram / bus / metro and go eat where the locals eat, the food will be better and much cheaper.
Catcher_Thelonious@reddit
No, don't go where the locals go. They go there so as not to deal with the tourist mob.
Skeptical_Pompous@reddit
What the ?!
It’s not a tourist job if one or two people go there at a time, and most people still stick to the tourist areas?
Your comment shows you have no idea about how to travel !
Go to the tourist trap restaurants etc, where prices are higher and food is chilled / frozen and just nuked in a microwave, rather than eat value for money home cooked food ?!
Catcher_Thelonious@reddit
So, you coordinate with other tourists to make sure only "one or two people go there at a time"? What app is this?
Skeptical_Pompous@reddit
Are you really that dense ?
No one co-ordinates to get to a certain restaurant in a certain suburb on a certain day at a time !
A person or a couple of people get on a bus / tram / metro, go into the outer suburbs, pick a cafe or restaurant and eat, that’s it, it’s that simple, no app co-ordination, no big group, no flash mob
Let me guess, you need others to hold your hand when travelling, so you think travelling is only done in large groups ?
When my wife and I travel, we just get on local public transport, go to an area and pick a restaurant, just the two of us, we don’t broadcast this on a tourist forum, or co-ordinate with others in a WhatsApp group, etc
If you aren’t doing this, you are missing out on done great local food at responsible prices. But then, if you don’t have the confidence to travel in anything but large groups, as you posts indicate, then I see where you are coming from. 👋🏻
MetikMas@reddit
In Latin America, pharmacies have cheap bottled water. Big grocery stores can as well.
travlngus@reddit
Stay in hostels, us the app Couch Surfing, depending on how much time you have and whatv you'd like to do you can possibly volunteer at a hostel for free board in exchange.
TravelTechHelper@reddit
If you’re heading to the Balkans or Caucasus, you’re already thinking smart, those regions are super budget-friendly but full of culture and scenery. I usually save most by staying in hostels with kitchens and cooking simple meals from local markets. Buses and trains are cheap, but hitchhiking or BlaBlaCar can stretch your budget further. Bring a refillable bottle and a small travel sim/eSIM set up before flying so you don’t waste money hunting for local SIMs. Honestly, slow travel saves the most fewer transit costs, more immersion.
NiagaraThistle@reddit
Using local alternative accommodations like traditional B&B (not air bnb), guest houses, pensiones, hostels, etc.
contacting accommodations DIRECTLY (ie avoid booking on sites like Booking and Air B&B).
When contacting accommodations directly state your nightly budget and ask if they can accommodate
This is exactly what I do and it saves me from hundreds to thousands per trip (i saved $2,500 US on a 17 day trip to Ireland in 2023 doing the above).
This is want I do verbatim:
This save me a ton and I usually have excellent local accommodations.
Americanidiot29@reddit (OP)
This is genious
NiagaraThistle@reddit
SO many people think the only way to book accommodations is through these big consolidators, but the fact is that most accommodations HATE these booking sites and prefer visitors to book direct. They can typically offer better prices and perks. ANd some will offer even bigger discounts if you pay in cash. Whether it is so they can avoid paying taxes or just avoid the 1-4% credit card processing fees, they are happy to pass the savings on to you.
Plus if you contact them directly, they know they are gauranteed a booking, vs waiting and hoping to get one through the 3rd party sites. They are much more likely to offer you a slight discount to secure that booking. "A bird in the hand is worth more than 2 in the bush" and all that.
cbunn81@reddit
Going in the off season can be much cheaper than during the peak times.
jimspieth@reddit
I've recently been to Romania and Bulgaria. Both places are cheap compared to Croatia (also technically in the Balkans, but not cheap any longer), and significantly cheap compared to western Europe.
A simple saving tip is this: Buy yourself a bowl and spoon and breakfast cereal. Then, anywhere with a fridge gets your breakfast sorted. Long life milk in Romania and Bulgaria was surprisingly good, and fresh milk was hard to find in some places I went to. Assuming you can find a kettle, make do with instant coffee. Having a sandwich for lunch was much cheaper than proper full meals, then you can leave the restaurant meal for dinner.
But, don't go overboard on the cheap things. Travelling is meant to be enjoyed.
Street-Stick@reddit
Hitchhike, sleep rough, couchsurf, avoid controllers on buses, trains, take your rollerblades, use a moneybelt, travel by bike, buy food from supermarkets, save the world the plastic and get a lifestraw, ukrain hostels were 6€...
Beginning_Cry_8428@reddit
saving money is about how comfortable you can be being uncomfortable
Street-Stick@reddit
Though it's easy to agree I often found paying as the easy way out castrates travel from adventure.. stealth camping , traveling without a ticket or not having money for restaurants adds a lot to the memories that the tout riches miss...
OhSassafrass@reddit
Every city I visited in Europe, I stopped at Aldi's. Grab a cold drink, weird snacks, cheap beer etc. I even found amazing skincare items to take home at the Aldi's in Munich.
apk5005@reddit
This is a big one! Avoid the street-vendor middleman…just buy from the store directly. Bonus savings on warm/room temp drinks you can chill in your room.
This was a biiiig win in Venice and Rome.
BelieveMyOwnEyes@reddit
If you want to do a guided tour, compare the cost of paying an in-person guide with the cost of a highly-rated, pre-recorded audio guide.
Look up your credit cards’ foreign transaction fees before you leave the country so that you can ideally choose to use whichever one has the lowest/no fee.
Research the area’s popular styles of accommodations that aren’t hotels. For example, France has chambres d’hôtes, aparthotels, etc., which have a high likelihood of being more affordable than their hotel counterparts.
disirregardless1734@reddit
Don't know if this is what you're looking for, but I always buy something to eat like a baguette or sandwich to bring on the plane, rather than buy something overpriced from the airport or plane.
IcyWorking576@reddit
This is not eastern Europe, but Poland is amazing and fairly cheap. I have also heard Slovenia is INCREDIBLE!
littlepinkpebble@reddit
Do like a Workaway or helpx then you don’t spend money
Americanidiot29@reddit (OP)
What are these?
waitmyhonor@reddit
I wouldn’t recommend this as different countries have rules forbidding any type of work. It’s cause for jail, fines, or deportation
littlepinkpebble@reddit
You work about 20 hours a week in exchange for food and shelter
Americanidiot29@reddit (OP)
Dang maybe I should do this after my law career
Beginning_Cry_8428@reddit
ok.
Top-Calendar-2434@reddit
Stay at home and watch travel programmes
darkmauz@reddit
Work internationally. Look for a job that includes housing and food. You’ll get paid + travel free.
Ex: Au Pair
Slight-Standard-734@reddit
If you can, travel before or after holidays when flights are significantly less expensive. Hostels are cheap but you can probably also find really affordable hotels and Airbnb’s at some of the less well known countries you want to visit.
onlyexceptionbaby@reddit
Eastern Europe is definitely cheaper than the other parts. Other ways to get it cheaper is staying in hostels?
LumpyJunk69@reddit
The Balkans are great, especially Bosnia, Macedonia and Kosovo! Eat local, stay in hostels, you can get by on about 30 euros a day all in!
Americanidiot29@reddit (OP)
I really wanna go to bosnia and serbia
LumpyJunk69@reddit
Do it, I had a mixed time in Serbia overall, but not a bad one by any stretch... The meat grills in Serbia are very very good and the Raki (Rakija/Rakia) in every country is great, although do drink it slowly as it can creep up on you 😂 dont miss Kosovo or Macedonia though, especially Prizren and Ohrid, both great lil cities well worth a visit! Also I got a very cheap flight from Sofia to Georgia and then also checked out Armenia, both of which I highly highly recommend also...
Americanidiot29@reddit (OP)
LumpyJunk69@reddit
pureroganjosh@reddit
Flights: Be flexible, book in advanced the days of last minute deals are pretty much over, that's not to say you can't grab a last min bargain but it's highly unlikely.
Look at Google flights historic data and plan accordingly, go in low season (less annoying children and cheaper prices)
Accommodation: Similar to above book in advanced, you don't wanna be booking last minute in the busier seasons.
Travel: Look at any trains and buses you can use, but be mindful a flight might only be a few more $ and much less hassle and time wasted.